Roll Call Tribute

The Hamil Family Funeral Home obituary
6449 Buffalo Gap Rd.
Abilene, Texas 79606
Phone: (325) 692-2232

Jesse Conrad Fletcher
1931 - 2018

Dr. Jesse Conrad Fletcher, age 87, President Emeritus of Hardin Simmons University (HSU), died Thursday, June 14, 2018 after a lengthy illness.

A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church of Abilene, 2:00pm, Monday June 18, 2018. The service will be held in the primary sanctuary of the church. Dr. Phil Christopher, pastor of First Baptist Church Abilene will be officiating along with Dr. Russell Dilday, former President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary; and Dr. Eric Bruntmyer, HSU President. Services are under the direction of The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road, in Abilene.

Dr. Fletcher was born in San Antonio, Texas April 9, 1931 to Jesse Newton Fletcher and Ruby Arnold Fletcher. Jesse graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in San Antonio in 1948 and entered Texas A&M University. He graduated from Texas A&M May 30, 1952 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree.

During the end of his time at Texas A&M, Dr. Fletcher had a profound personal experience in which he believed he was being called into ministry. He then enrolled in Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where he received his Master of Divinity and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees. While in seminary, a young couple decided to introduce Jesse Fletcher to a beautiful young woman by the name of Dorothy Jordan. The next evening, twenty-four hours later, Jesse proposed marriage and they were married on February 21, 1953 beginning a sixty-year journey. During those years, while Jesse was finishing his seminary work, Jesse and Dorothy had two children, Kathy Lynn Fletcher born July 9, 1956, and Angela Fletcher born January 18, 1955. Both children passed away shortly after birth. Then, their third child, Jordan Scott Fletcher was born in 1958, and another girl, Melissa Dupree Fletcher, was born in 1962.

In 1960, Dorothy and Jesse Fletcher approached the Baptist Foreign Mission Board in Richmond, Virginia about becoming missionaries to Africa. Unfortunately, the Board could not guarantee a steady supply of insulin for Dorothy, who suffered from Diabetes. The Board then came back to the couple and hired Jesse as director of Personnel (now Human Resources). He was then promoted in 1975 as director of the newly created Missions Support Division of the Mission Board. Dr. Fletcher made numerous trips around the world helping missionaries. The Board, supporting a mandate to reach the world for Christ, established almost 3500 churches across many countries around the world. Many of those churches are still in operation today.

In 1975, he made a career decision to accept the pastorate of First Baptist Church, Knoxville, Tennessee. The church relationship was a perfect fit, and although his time with the church was relatively short, he developed many relationships that lasted the rest of his life.

In 1977, he became the 12th President of Hardin Simmons University, where he continued to offer support until his passing. Dr. Fletcher had numerous accomplishments while working for H.S.U.

Hardin Simmons University grew in new enrollments during his tenure, and he brought football back to the campus. He established the Trans-Athletic Conference (Division III). He also improved the facilities by adding new buildings, creating a pond near the main entrance to the campus, and he made many renovations to other buildings. After he moved to the position of Chancellor, he held a Professorship of Missions, offering his talents as a teacher. He also continued to raise funds for the school.

Jesse Fletcher was a man of many talents and interests. At the age of seventeen, he took his first flying lessons in an old bi-plane, learning to land in a fallow cornfield. Ultimately, he achieved his VFR, IFR, and Commercial flying ratings. He was invited at one point to fly in the famous B1-B Bomber in gratitude for the service on the Military Affairs Committee of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce. He loved to play golf, which became a life-long pastime. He was an avid “back-packer”, hiking trails in the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachian Mountains. He loved hunting deer and turkey, as well as taking his family on trips in the summer and spending time with his children doing everything from baseball games to fishing trips.

As he moved through his life his interests expanded. He became an amateur astronomer, and at one point, decided to study his genealogy. His research into his family history spanned over two years, and he finally self-published a memoir called, Flashes of Life. Writing was another interest as he wrote eleven books, the first of which was Bill Wallace of China. This book was made into a movie. A series of other books followed, including Practical Discipleship, and A History of the Southern Baptist Convention.

In retirement, he decided to study Oil Painting with Evelyn Niblo, a local artist. His works achieved local and regional acclaim, although throughout his life, he continued to give his paintings as gifts to friends. His work as a landscape artist was a continued reminder of his love of creation.

Jesse Fletcher was often called a Renaissance Man. The community of Abilene Texas experienced his loving care as he worked for such groups as The Grace Museum, The United Way, The Chamber of Commerce, and he held a key role in the creation of the Abilene Psychiatric Center.

Beyond these public efforts, Dr. Fletcher maintained a private ministry which he called, “Beyond the City Gates.” This ministry was to help provide guidance and faith to many individuals in the Abilene community who rarely or never experienced church in their lives.

Jesse is survived by his children, Scott Fletcher and Melissa Dupree Fletcher; his sister, Shirley Elrod and husband Jimmy; three grandchildren, Matthew Newton Fletcher and wife Shannon, Jessica Danielle Noel and husband John, and Natalie Michelle Fletcher; one great-grandchild, Singer Nash Noel; and one nephew, James D. Elrod.

Jesse Fletcher lived an extraordinary life. He believed that a key to life was to approach any opportunity or experience by replacing the word “Someday,” with the word, “Today.”
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HSU mourns the loss of former president Dr. Jesse C. Fletcher

DR. KRISTINA CAMPOS DAVIS, DIR. OF COMMUNICATIONS June 14, 2018

Today the Hardin-Simmons family has lost one of its most distinguished and well-loved members, former President Dr. Jesse C. Fletcher, 87, passed from this life after battling a long illness.

A memorial service celebrating Dr. Fletcher's life was held in the main sanctuary at First Baptist Church on Monday, June 18th at 2:00 p.m. First Baptist Church, Abilene
For family and friends that were unable to attend this memorial service, video has been recorded and will be posted soon.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to the university to the Dr. Jesse C. Fletcher scholarship.

Enough cannot be said about the impact Dr. Fletcher had on the campus and in the Baptist community. HSU is the university it is today because of Dr. Fletcher’s work. Dr. Fletcher not only built up Hardin-Simmons but also ministered to the presidents that followed in his footsteps.

President Eric Bruntmyer says, “From the first day I met Dr. Fletcher, his prayers and encouragement poured down on me. As an older and wiser brother, Dr. Fletcher’s humility and kindness modeled how a follower of Christ lives.”

“Dr. Jess Fletcher is one of my all-time heroes and a very special friend,” says former President Lanny Hall. “He was a remarkable individual who excelled in so many fields – ministry, higher education, art, golf, scholarship – the list goes on and on. He had a brilliant mind, was a gifted author and possessed the ability to relate to all types of people. He will long be remembered for his distinguished service as President, Chancellor, and President-Emeritus of Hardin-Simmons University.”

Former President W. Craig Turner says, “Jess Fletcher was a friend and a mentor who always had a smile and a warm greeting whenever we met—invariably addressing me with “Hello, Mr. President.” Even today—while I mourn his passing—to think of Jess makes me smile. What a remarkable legacy he created, full of a wide variety of accomplishments and brimming over with wonderful memories for those who were privileged to know him. Personally, I admired him, I respected him, and I loved him.”

Dr. Jesse Conrad Fletcher was born on April 9, 1931, in San Antonio, Texas to Jesse N. Fletcher and Ruby Arnold Fletcher. He graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School in 1948, where he was senior class vice-president, managing editor of the newspaper, a member of the National Honor Society and played on the golf team.

Dr. Fletcher then attended Texas A&M University, where he distinguished himself as a lieutenant colonel in the Corps of Cadets, an honor student and twice lettered with the golf team. He was ordained as a minister by Manor Baptist Church of San Antonio during his senior year at Texas A& M University.

Upon graduation, he received a commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves. Dr. Fletcher then enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned both his masters of divinity degree and his doctorate of philosophy degree. His post-graduate work included terms at the Chaplain’s School at Fort Slocum, New York, the Institute of Religion at the Texas Medical Center in Houston and the University of Richmond.

In 1953, he was introduced to Dorothy Jordan on a blind date. He proposed after that single date, and they were married in February 1954. They were happily married until her death in 2013.

During his seminary years, Dr. Fletcher served as the pastor of Wellborn Baptist Church from 1953-1955, and Kopperl Baptist Church from 1955-1957.

In 1960, Dr. Fletcher began his career with the Southern Baptist Convention, working for the Foreign Mission Board. He occupied several administrative positions before his resignation in 1975 as the director of the mission support division. During this time, he traveled extensively through many of the countries where Southern Baptist missionaries were spreading the gospel. He also started the program Journeyman, an effort to bring more young people to the mission field.

In 1975, Dr. Fletcher began as the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Knoxville, Tennessee. He held that position until 1977 when he accepted the position as the 12th president of Hardin-Simmons University.

Dr. Fletcher served as president of HSU from 1977 until 1991, as chancellor from 1991 to 2001, and he has been president emeritus since 2001.

During his fourteen years as president at Hardin-Simmons, Dr. Fletcher established and raised the funds to endow schools in education, theology, and nursing. He also made significant changes to the campus; including adding seven new facilities, making numerous renovations to existing buildings, significantly increasing faculty salaries, and quadrupling the university’s endowment. He also led the institution into the NCAA’s Division III athletic programs including football in 1989. During his years as chancellor and president emeritus, Fletcher held a professorship in the Logsdon School of Theology, aided development efforts, and represented the University in numerous academic and community roles.

Beyond his work at Hardin-Simmons, Dr. Fletcher was a key force in organizing the NCAA Division I Trans- America Athletic Conference (now the Atlantic Sun Conference). He was also a staple in the community of Abilene; serving as president and campaign director of Abilene’s United Way’s annual campaign, chairman of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce, founding director of the Community Foundation of Abilene, vice chair of the Military Affairs Committee, twice the interim director of the Grace Museum, first president of the Abilene Intercollegiate School of Nursing and chair of the Abilene Psychiatric Center. He was honored as Citizen of the Year by the Chamber of Commerce in 2002.

Dr. Fletcher was also a prolific writer, publishing eleven books, including Bill Wallace of China, the official sesquicentennial history of the SBC, The Southern Baptist Convention, and his family and personal biography, Flashes of Light.

In 1997, Dr. Fletcher began painting landscapes at the studio of celebrated local artist Evelyn Niblo. His paintings have been shown in Abilene at the Grace Museum, the Center for Contemporary Arts, St. John’s School and American State Bank. His work has also been exhibited in the Breckenridge Fine Arts Museum in Breckenridge, Texas. Many of his vibrant representations of land are in the hands of corporate and private collectors.

Dr. Fletcher was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Dorothy. He is survived by two children; his son, Scott and his family of Rockport, Maine, and daughter Melissa Fletcher Dupree and her family of Abilene, TX. He is also survived by five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.