Title: Former News Director, Lutheran Church in America, R. Marshall Stross Dies ELCA NEWS SERVICE
March 22, 2006
Former News Director, Lutheran Church in America, R. Marshall Stross Dies 06-043-MRC
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- R. Marshall Stross, director of news and information for the former Lutheran Church in America (LCA), died March 17 at his home in Manhasset, N.Y. He was 88.
"Marshall Stross was the consummate communicator," said Kristi S. Bangert, executive director, ELCA Communication Services. "While his expertise was news and editing, his passion was to help the church communicate its mission using every available medium, including television and video," she said.
Stross retired in 1985 after serving 21 years in the LCA's Office for Communication. The LCA and two other Lutheran church bodies merged in 1987 to form the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).
From 1981 to 1985, Stross served as director of the Department for News and Information, LCA Office for Communication. From 1964 to 1981, he was director of the LCA's Commission on Press, Radio and Television. During his tenure Stross produced a 24-minute documentary film, "This Church Lives," which highlights the history of Lutherans in North America.
Stross was instrumental in the production and expansion of the children's television program "Davey and Goliath," which gained national and international popularity. The program was translated into seven languages and distributed to six continents. In 2004 Stross received the Wittenburg Award as a founder of Davey and Goliath. The Luther Institute, Washington, D.C., presented the award to Stross and other founders of the children's program.
Stross produced the Lutheran series of the radio program "The Protestant Hour" -- now known as "Day 1" -- and Church World News, a weekly radio program. He wrote "Capitalize on Some Overlooked Public Relations Opportunities," a chapter in the "Religious Public Relations Handbook" and co-authored "RPRC: A 50 Year Reflection" -- a book about the history of the Religious Public Relations Council (RPRC), now known as the Religion Communicators Council.
A pioneer in placing VCRs and monitors in every synod office of the LCA, Stross supported the "wrap-around approach" of videos produced by the LCA, which allowed congregations to add their own segments to videos. He provided slides, tapes, photographs and scripts for audiovisual presentations following visits to churches and mission fields in Africa, India, Japan and South America.
Stross' first volunteer church experience took place in 1958, when he served as publicity chairperson for the biennial convention of the former United Lutheran Church in America (ULCA). From 1960 to 1962, he was a member of the ULCA Committee on Church Papers and a member of the subcommittee of the Joint Commission on Lutheran Unity, which merged the publications of four Lutheran churches into "The Lutheran" -- the magazine of the ELCA.
Born here Dec. 20, 1917, Stross graduated from Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Ind., in 1939. Prior to joining the staff of the LCA, Stross worked as a sports editor for the Crawfordsville Journal Review from 1941 to 1942, and he served in several editorial positions for the Dayton (Ohio) Herald and the Dayton Journal from 1942 to 1964. During that time Stross taught journalism at Sinclair College, Dayton, and the University of Dayton. He was a member of Sigma Delta Chi, the Overseas Press Club, the Newcomen Society and the RPRC. A racing sailboat skipper, Stross was a commodore of the North Shore Yacht Club, Manorhaven, N.Y.
Stross is survived by his wife Suzanne Heard, three sons, four grandchildren and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Christine Noland. Funeral services were held March 21 at Christ Lutheran Church, Little Neck, N.Y.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or news@elca.org http://www.elca.org/news ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog