Following is one of the Biographies and Stories which where gathered by Charles Sumner McKamy in the 1950s for publication in a Crawford County History Book. Unfortunately he passed away before the book was published.
The Rev. William M. Hunter was born October 13, 1914 in Middletown, N.Y., the son of Edward Emil Hunter and Lillian Carolyn Musbach Hunter. Three of his father's four sisters married Pilgrim Holiness preachers!
Mr. Hunter graduated from the Middletown High School in 1932. He graduated from Tusculum College, Greeneville, Tennessee, in1938, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. He graduated from the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1941, with a Bachelor of Theology Degree. He married Miss Florence Pollack the afternoon of the day he graduated from seminary, May 13, 1941. He had been ordained to the ministry by the Presbytery of Hudson on April 25, 1941, a few weeks before his graduation, so that he could leave immediately on his honeymoon and for his first pastorate, a National Missions field at Fort Myers Beach, Florida, where he served until 1944.
From 1944-1946, he was director of a Neighborhood House in Summit, New Jersey. 1946-1947, he was pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania. 1947-1948, he was director of publicity for the Synod of New York, part of it concurrent with his pastorate at Florida, New York, from 1948 through January 1950. In 1950, he became Pastor of the John Hall Memorial Presbyterian Church in New York City. In 1951, he became also Protestant Chaplain of he James Ewing Hospital of New York, part of the Memorial Center for Cancer and Allied Diseases. He left these fields to come to Robinson in June 1953. In coming to Robinson, he is probably the first minister in the U.S.A. to have "candidated:" by tape recording of sermons, though a man did precede him in this candidating from Scotland to a church in Canada!
Mr. Hunter has been active in various church and community activities, and in Mattoon Presbytery since coming to Robinson.
He conducted a workshop on church public relations shortly after coming to Robinson. This led to the production of a "Manual of D.H.M. -- "Direct-Mail Evangelism", which has had a wide circulation in the U.S.A. and Canada, and which led to an invitation to come to England in the summer of 1954 to share his ideas with clergymen over there.
He also cooperated with the Jaycees of Robinson in promoting the swimming pool in 1954, and was elected an honorary member of the Jaycees in recognition of this effort.
He has been registrar one year and director the following year (1954, 1955) of the Presbyterian Junior High Camps. He also served on he Christian Education Committee of Presbytery.
The Presbyterian clergyman is in considerable demand as a "program" in this area. Since arriving in Robinson, he has performed his "Musical Depreciation Lecture" a total of 59 times. He does an average of 30-35 programs a year at various service clubs, churches, women's groups and the like.
Mr. Hunter is or has been actively associated with the following, since coming to Robinson:
- Robinson Ministerial Association -- Secretary, 1953-1954, Audio-Visual chairman, 1955-
- Kiwanis Club -- publicity chairman, 1955, 1956
- Member of "The Deck Council" -- 1955-
- Masonic affiliations: Warwick Lodge, No. 544, A.F.&A.M., Warwick, New York; Valley of Danville Consistory, A.A.S.R., president of the Class of Brotherhood, Spring Reunion, 1954; Naomi Shrine No. 45, White Shrine of Jerusalem, Robinson.
- Parent-Teacher Association -- music chairman, 1954, 1955. President, 1956-1957.
- Ministerial Advisor, Hi-Y Club, 1955-1956.
- Charter member, Crawford County Civic Theatre, Inc., and formerly vice-president of the board.
- Publicity chairman, Crawford County Community Concerts
In June 1956, the minister who also does considerable writing signed a contract with the Fleming H. Revell Company for the publication of his book, God and You -- A Faith to Live By. This book, his first to be published by a regular publisher, is scheduled to be on the 1956-1957 "winter list" of the Revell Company.
Mr. Hunter and his wife have to daughters, Mary Anne, born August 25, 1942, at Fort Myers, Florida; and Florence Lillian ("Laurie"), born January15, 1947 at Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania.