Jack H. Prichard

Jack Houser Prichard was born on August 13, 1921 in a small house near the oilfields around Breckinridge, Texas, one of a large number of children of Galen and Sadie Prichard. He grew up in Texas, but was orphaned at an early age and adopted by Dargan and Amaleigh Center of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was graduated from high school at the School of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Missouri, where he maintained close connections for many years. He graduated from Oklahoma City University with a BA in History in 1941, and after realizing he had a calling to the ministry, he attended Princeton Theological Seminary, where he graduated in 1945. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister in Oklahoma City in 1945.

Reverend Prichard’s first church was First Presbyterian Church in Chandler, Oklahoma. He also served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Lawton, Oklahoma. In 1950, he and his family moved to Tucson, Arizona, where Jack served as Director of Westminster Fellowship, the student ministry at the University of Arizona. Subsequently, he returned to church work, serving as Associate Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, from 1954 to 1958.

In 1958, Reverend Prichard accepted the pastorship of Hemphill Presbyterian Church in Ft. Worth, Texas. It was during his time in Ft. Worth that Jack expanded his interests, becoming an instructor of Religion at Texas Christian University, which awarded him a Doctorate of Divinity. In addition, Jack became interested in the power of the media while serving at Hemphill. He was co-creator and co-host for one of the area’s most popular religious shows, Planning for Tomorrow, over a multi-year period. Jack also wrote and directed a religious film, Insider/Outsider, which received distribution throughout churches in Texas and the southwest. He also staged opera at Hemphill during his ministry there.

In 1965, Dr. Prichard accepted the pastorship of Grace-First Presbyterian Church in Weatherford, Texas, and in 1970 became Senior Pastor at Churchill Way Presbyterian Church (now Bentwood Trail Presbyterian Church) in Dallas, Texas. Throughout his ministry, Jack was active in Presbytery, Synod, and General Assembly, administrative and governing bodies of the Presbyterian church. For many years he championed the merger of the Presbyterian Church in the United States and the United Presbyterian Church in the USA, which finally occurred in 1983.

Jack retired from full-time ministry in 1986. After his retirement, Dr. Prichard served as interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Ponca City, OK. After moving to Arizona in the late 1980s, he served as interim pastor for three churches in the greater Phoenix area – Peoria Presbyterian Church, Heritage Presbyterian Church, and Faith Presbyterian Church, where he served for many years in multiple roles. After ending his final interim ministry, Dr. Prichard continued to preach occasionally at various Phoenix-area churches.

Throughout his life, Jack was an avid golfer, playing such courses as St. Andrews, Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Torrey Pines, and Colonial. He spent several summers with his family leading retreats at the New Mexico Presbyterian resort, Ghost Ranch, near Abique, New Mexico. Dr. Prichard is survived by his wife of 67 years, Kathleen, his brother Bob, four children – Kathy, David, Mark, and James – and four grandchildren.

Memorial Services for Jack will be held at Faith Presbyterian Church in Sun City, AZ on Tuesday May 29, 2012 at 10am. In lieu of floral arrangements, please make memorial donations in Jack’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association or the Royal Oaks Care Center. Sunland Mortuary was entrusted with Mr. Prichard’s care. Please leave online condolence messages for his family at www.sunlandmemorial.com.