Dr. Elton Webster Archer's Obituary
Dr. Elton Webster Archer, Sr., 85, died Sunday, January 4, 2004, from sudden, catastrophic cancer. He was born the third of six children in Dallas, Texas, on January 18, 1918, to Rowena Lou and Lee Roy Archer.
At the time of his death, Dr. Archer was Professor of Engineering Emeritus of LeTourneau University, where he had taught for thirty-eight years, retiring first in 1988, and again in 1992. He served the university in many capacities, including Vice-President for Academic Affairs, and Academic Dean. In 1974, he had received the Outstanding Alumnus Award. On January 18, 2002, LeTourneau University and Dr. Archer?s family honored him by planting a Treaty Oak sapling on the campus, as a tribute to Dr. Archer?s belief in the power of education to make the world a better and more interesting place, and as a testimony to his vision and hope.
A devout member of The First Baptist Church of Longview for over fifty years, Dr. Archer had been a deacon, a Sunday School teacher, and a Department Superintendent. Most recently, he took great delight in escorting his wife around the exercise track of the church?s Recreation Outreach Center, and in charming everyone with his stories, his singing, and his humor.
A veteran of World War II and a paratrooper, Dr. Archer had been a 1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving in the China-Burma-India Theater with Detachment 101 O.S.S.. He received the Bronze Star and a Presidential Unit Citation for his leadership of a group of Kachin Rangers behind enemy lines in Burma.
Dr. Archer continued to be active in civic and community affairs throughout his life. He had been a precinct captain and was a vital member of the South Longview Rotary Club. He had co-authored with his wife Red the Rose, Sharp the Thorn, a biography of a couple coping with Huntington?s Disease; and had recently published several stories of his wartime adventures in the OSS-101 Association newsletter. His guiding motto was: ?The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me.? Ps. 138:8
He is survived by his beloved wife, Lorene Sturdivant Archer, and his three children: Jane Archer Feinstein and her husband Paul; Elton W. Archer, Jr., and his wife Jana; and Glenn Dawson Archer and his wife Barbara. Mourning his passing also are Catherine Adkins, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He leaves two brothers and their families: Robert H. Archer of El Dorado, Arkansas; and Julian R. Archer of Louisville, Kentucky; as well as a host of relatives and friends.
A memorial service in celebration of his life is scheduled for Tuesday, January 6, 2004, at 10 am, at the First Baptist Church Longview, led by Dr. Archer?s niece, Dr. Barbara J. Bell, pastor of Goshen Baptist Church in Leland, North Carolina, and assisted by Dewayne Beaty, Associate Pastor of First Baptist Church, Longview.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Recreation Outreach Center, % First Baptist Church Longview, or to the Design Technology Department, % LeTourneau University. Messages to the family may be posted at www.raderfh.com.
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