Honoring a Legacy of Christ-Like Service

As the King’s community prepares to celebrate Homecoming on October 27-28, 2017, we make ready to celebrate the achievements of alumni in service to the Lord and to the world. Their lives remind us what kind of community we are: one dedicated to the Truth of Christ and to serving those around us. The following story serves to affirm that identity by reminding us, who are working out the mission and legacy of King’s in many different places and in many ways, of someone whose efforts to build that legacy are sealed and safe, who has gone home before us, and whom it is an honor to call our own. May our King so guide all our steps and confirm our labors, and bring us with joy into His presence.

In Memory of Robert Nelson Crammer, Attendee of The King’s College from Fall 1938-Spring 1940

By the summer of 1942, rather than preparing to return to school, most of the young men at The King’s College had made the decision to enter the armed forces after the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. Among these heroic King’s students was a young man named Robert Nelson Crammer, known as Bobby.

A native of New Jersey, Bobby was an enthusiastic, outgoing member of the King’s community and a “well-respected, devout Christian,” his classmates recall. In his freshman year (1938), he sang first bass in the King’s Messengers, a quintet of students who traveled the countryside sharing, through songs and speeches, the message of the Gospel at churches, hospitals, and mission. They also shared the news that a new College had opened, dedicated to giving students a robust liberal arts education with a Christian background. In his three years at The King’s College, Bobby served as the treasurer of his class, the treasurer of the Evangelistic Committee, a member of the Men’s Glee Club, and Parliamentarian of the Literary Society.

When America entered WWII, Bobby joined the US Army Air Corps, and by the time he was just 22, Bobby was flying both combat and transport missions.

Ralph Shirak, a fellow student with Bobby at The King’s College and a friend in high school, recalls, “Bobby always loved airplanes, all the way back to his teenage years in New Jersey.” In the 1930s, still in high school, Bobby participated in some of the first Civil Air Patrol courses and became licensed on several kinds of planes. Ralph remembers that while the two were in high school together, “In 1938, Bobby took me on flights from the Teterboro, New Jersey Airfield to see the Empire State Building and the George Washington Bridge, then under construction. A rare experience for two high school students!”

Bobby logged thousands of flight hours during WWII, and when the war ended in 1945 still maintained a perfect flying record. Ralph recalls that Bobby wanted to continue doing his favorite thing – flying – but also wanted to serve the Lord with his talents. He eventually became a member of the New Tribes Mission (NTM), which existed to bring the Gospel to Central and South American countries. The mission of NTM is to make the Bible available to groups who currently have no translation of it in their language. The Mission focuses on training missionaries in tribal languages and translation before sending them into the field, where they work with local tribes to translate the Bible into the indigenous languages (sometimes working with tribal leaders to develop a written system for these local languages). NTM missionaries travel to remote villages deep in mountains or jungles, and in many cases, the best (and sometimes only practical) way for them to reach these villages is by air – with a highly skilled pilot.

Ralph recalls that when Bobby, a dedicated life-long member of the Christian Brethren Church, learned of New Tribes Mission, he knew that “here, indeed, was an opportunity to dedicate his flying skills.” Instead of entering the rapidly growing and highly lucrative passenger airline business, as many pilots did after the war, Bobby chose to dedicate his skills to flying missionaries to and from tribal villages in South and Central America.

For several years, Bobby piloted planes through mountains, over jungles, up rivers, and across continents, enabling missionaries to bring the Gospel to remote parts of the world. During these years, Bobby married and had three children.

On November 21, 1950, Bobby was flying a routine route, taking a missionary family to the west coast of the United States, where they would be flown down to South America. The passengers included a couple with five children, a woman with two children (en route to join her husband), and another woman with an infant (also joining her husband). Also on board were three crew members and the NTM founder, Paul Fleming. While the plane was flying over Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, a fierce snow and ice storm whipped up, and in the very limited visibility the plane crashed into Mount Moran, at an elevation of 12,000 feet. There were no survivors, and due to the terrible storm, park rangers could not access the site for several days. No bodies were ever recovered from the crash. It was never clear who was flying during the fateful moments over the mountains, but it is certain that all three of the qualified pilots on board were involved in trying to avert the catastrophe.

Those who knew Bobby recall him as a bright, enthusiastic young man with a deep love of God and a passion for bringing the Gospel to those who had not heard it. During his time at The King’s College, Bobby was a mainstay of the fledgling community, serving with other students to share about the College across the Northeast and into the Midwest. Throughout his life, Bobby sought opportunities to honor God and to dedicate his talents and skills to serving others, from joining the US Army Air Corps during WWII to choosing missions work after the war ended. And in the end, as Ralph Shirak says, “He gave his life serving his Lord.”

As the King’s community prepares to celebrate Homecoming at the end of October, we remember those who are no longer with us, but whose legacy of service and love carries on.

Bobby’s life verse was Psalm 119:9:

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word.”