Their Story
Brewster Porcella was born on April 30, 1922, in Cranford, New Jersey, to Santiago and Meta Gray Porcella, the fourth of nine siblings. His father was an executive for an import and export business.1 His father died on July 20, 1959, and his mother on January 31, 1991.2
Porcella married Bonnie June Price on June 9, 1946, in Longview, Washington. They were married for 58 years until her death on June 24, 2004. Brewster and June had seven children.3
Porcella registered for the draft on June 30, 1942, in Cranford, New Jersey. Prior to his enlistment in the Army on June 20, 1944, he graduated from Wheaton College in 1943 and was employed by the U.S. Metal Refining Company in Carteret, New Jersey.4 Technical Sergeant Porcella was discharged from the Army in 1946.
After the war, Porcella continued his education and earned a master’s degree in theology from Wheaton College and a divinity degree from Faith Theological Seminary in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1950, he began his ministerial career at Indian Landing Church in Rochester, New York, and later served as pastor at Twin City Bible Church in Urbana, Illinois, for ten years. 5
Porcella later switched careers and went on to earn a masters degree in 1964 and a Ph.D. in 1973 in library science from the University of Illinois. He was initiated into Phi Kappa Phi while there.6 He was the head of the acquisitions department at the University of Iowa Libraries before serving as head librarian at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, from 1973 until 1993.7
In 1979, Dr. Porcella taught a three-day course in British Columbia on “Evaluating The Various Versions of the Bible.”8 Porcella and June retired to Loveland, Colorado, for 11 years where he served as a part-time pastor in churches in Sterling and Boulder. Porcella also enjoyed reading, movies, and music.9
Brewster Porcella died on November 15, 2011, in Iowa City, Iowa. He was survived by sons, Brewster and Guy; daughters, Aleta, Bonita, Meta, Margherita and Angelia; twelve grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and brother Santiago.10
References
1 Ancestry.com – 1930 United States Federal Census
2 Brewster Porcella Rev – Facts (ancestry.com)
3 18 Nov 2011, 4 – Iowa City Press-Citizen at Newspapers.com
4 Page 1 WWII Draft Registration Cards – Fold3
5 Brewster Porcella (1922-2011) – Find a Grave Memorial
6 16 Jan 1973, Page 7 – Iowa City Press-Citizen at Newspapers.com
7 18 Nov 2011, 4 – Iowa City Press-Citizen at Newspapers.com
8 18 Jul 1979, 36 – The Abbotsford News at Newspapers.com
9 18 Nov 2011, 4 – Iowa City Press-Citizen at Newspapers.com