2nd President: Dr. Rendella
Lucas Gayton
Upon the death of our founder, the mantle for leadership fell
upon, Dr. Rendella Lucas Gayton, who served our organization
as the second president from 1957 to 1978. She was a very capable
leader, a hard worker and carried on the work of Dr. Elizabeth
Coles Bouey in an excellent manner. As a woman of faith, wisdom
and intellect, she took the initial steps in developing a well-balanced
Education Department. A hallmark of her administration was the
liquidation of the mortgage of the property in Richmond. We are
blessed to have this beloved woman of God, who walked with our
founder, continue to play an active role in the International
Association of Ministers' Wives and Ministers' Widows,
Inc. She is indeed a role model to all who come in contact with
her, she continues to enthusiastically work in the IIAMWMW, Inc.
to keep the founder's vision going.
3rd President: Dr. Julia
F. Keaton McCormick
Dr. Julia Frances Keaton McCormick served as our third president
from 1970-1978. She was a woman of valor and strength and dreamed,
as our founder did, of a better place for keeping our records,
a library for study and a facility for seminar, retreats and
classes were developed. With much prayer and foresight, she began
the process of establishing a national headquarters facility
in 1972. Knowing that our young people were striving for excellence
and in need of assistance, she helped our youth by providing
much needed scholarships and financial assistance in the form
of gifts, not loans. With her wisdom and foresight, the vision
of our Founder continued.
4th President: Dr.
Muriel Lemon Johnson
Dr. Muriel Lemon Johnson, now Dr. Muriel Johnson Providence,
served as our fourth president from 1978- 1986 and was
also diligent in pursuing the dreams of our founder. As
a hard-working, industrious and visionary leader, she located
a spacious and elegant 15 room mansion at 609 South Davis
Avenue, in Richmond, VA and led the organization in purchasing
this building and liquidating the mortgage. This headquarters
building was dedicated in November, 1981. Under Dr. Muriel
Johnson Providence 's leadership and vision, the organization
became International and in June, 1981, she held the first
convention outside of the United States in Barbados , West
Indies . After the convention, a chapter was organized
in Trinidad . Dr. Providence initiated the Endowment Fund
and established Regional Conferences as a means of introducing
and taking the organization to the people. This concept
has been instrumental in motivating many local and state
members to attend the International conference.
5th President: Dr.
Shirley Alexander Hart
Dr. Shirley Alexander Hart served as our fifth president
from 1986-1994. Like our founder, she, too, was a woman
of vision and charisma. The dreams of our founder continued
as Dr. Hart established a Commemorative Scholarship Fund
in honor of our founding President, Dr. Elizabeth Coles
Bouey, and raised over $60,000 for this initiative. Dr.
Hart sought toward focusing upon the needs of the entire
clergy family, thus expanding the focus of the Husband's
Committee by obtaining knowledgeable individuals who
addressed the issues such as health which confront our
clergy. She also addressed the needs of the preachers'
kids by introducing the "PK" Seminars. Dr.
Hart established the Continuing Education Program in
conjunction with Virginia Union Graduate School of Theology
which has allowed conference attendees to earn college
credits. Dr. Hart inaugurated the Annual Education Retreat
as well as a mid-winter conference held aboard a luxury
liner.
6th President: Dr.
Celeste Ashe Johnson
Dr. Celeste Ashe Johnson served as our sixth president
from 1994-2002. She was a woman of foresight, wisdom
and quiet strength. Dr. Johnson developed and implemented "Six
Standards of Excellence" and spent a lot of time,
energy and effort on the infrastructure of our organization
as she "Chartered the Course to Excellence in the
Twenty-first Century." She launched the "True
Love Waits" Program with our PKs which promotes
chastity and abstinence among teenagers. Dr. Johnson
introduced "Project '96" to refurbish our International
Headquarters after major losses resulting from a break-in.
She also focused on the needs of clergy-husbands by bringing
them innovative and informative plenary sessions. Dr.
Johnson was cited and honored by the Black Revolutionary
War Patriots foundation for exceptional and outstanding
service to the Foundation. Several new millennium projects
were initiated by President Johnson, among them was the
publication of the Minister's Wife Devotional Bible.
The C.A.Johnson/Wheeler Scholarship was awarded in Spring
2002 and will support one student for four years. Dr.
Johnson envisioned and implemented the first Ministers'
Wives and Widows Conference on the continent of Africa,
in Capetown, South Africa.
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