Schrag, Menno (1904-1987)

Revision as of 14:10, 28 September 2010

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 18 Jun 1987 p. 1-2

Birth date: 1904

text of obituary:

Developed Idea of Inter-Mennonite Newspaper

NEWTON, KAN. — ­ Menno Schrag, editor of Mennonite Weekly Review from 1935 to 1969, died June 12 at his home in Newton. He was 83.

He was diagnosed June 1 as having acute leukemia, after which he was hospitalized for a week and then returned home.

A memorial service was held Monday afternoon, June 15, at first Mennonite Church of Newton, with pastors Floyd G. Bartel and Lubin W. Jantzen officiating. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery.

Schrag developed the concept of an inter-Mennonite newspaper. Under his editorial and management leadership, the Review grew from a four-page paper circulated mostly in Kansas, with fewer than 1,000 subscribers, to a newspaper that serves Mennonite conferences and organizations across North America.

DURING HIS 34 years as editor and six as assistant editor, Schrag wrote more than 2,500 editorials. He traveled to 37 countries, reporting on the work of the church overseas and especially on Mennonite Central Committee.

From 1946 to 1974, he was manager of Herald Publishing company, the non-profit organization that publishes the Review. He retired in 1974 but remained an active member of the Herald Board of Directors until his death.

Schrag served the church in various ways in addition to his career in journalism. He served for 12 years as a member of the Board of Education and Publication of the General Conference Mennonite Church, and for eight years as chairman of the General Conference Historical Committee.

He was a member of the Bethel College Board of Directors from 1951 to 1963, serving as chairman for most of those years.

SCHRAG WAS BORN March 23, 1904, in Alta Township of Harvey County, Kan., the second-youngest of 11 children of Andrew G. and Freni (Strausz) Schrag. His parents were part of the 1874 immigration of Mennonites from Russia to the central United States. The family attended the Hoffnungsfeld (Hopefield) Mennonite church west of Moundridge.

He was a 1923 high school graduate of Hesston Academy. There he was introduced to a wider perspective of Mennonite church life and met many future lifetime friends, among whom was Melvin Gingerich, who later became an intimate associate and columnist in the work of the Review.

In 1925, he responded to an ad in the German publication, Der Herold, about a job opening at the Herald Publishing Co. He was hired by H. P. Krehbiel, founder and manager of the company, and began work as a typesetter, earning $8 for a 50-hour week. He also attended Bethel College as a part-time student.

HE WAS NAMED assistant editor of the Review in 1927, after which editor Krehbiel departed on a year-long world tour, leaving the fledgling journalist in charge of editorial responsibilities.

Schrag began a three-year leave in 1928 to complete his college education. He enrolled in Wheaton (Ill.) College and graduated in 1931. There he met Gertrude Aeberhard, a native of Pandora, Ohio. They were married May 4, 1933, and took up residence in Newton.

In 1931, Schrag resumed his position as assistant editor of the Review. The company faced financial difficulties during the Depression, and in 1935, when assistant manager Gerhard Willms resigned, Schrag took his place.

However, Willms soon returned to become manager of the company and editor of Der Herold. Krehbiel then resigned as company manager and Review editor.

IN SEPTEMBER 1935, Schrag became the third editor of the Review, after Adolf J. Krehbiel (1923-25) and H. P. Krehbiel (1925-35).

In 1946, Willms purchased most of the Herald Publishing Co. equipment and organized the Herald Book and Printing Co., now United Printing, Inc. Schrag became manager of the Herald Publishing Co., the main activity of which became publication of the Review.

He immediately took steps to extend the paper's outreach to the various Mennonite groups and to increase circulation as rapidly as possible. In 1947, he made a three-month trip to Europe and the Middle East to bring back reports about MCC work on the war-ravaged continent and observations about Palestine, then on the verge of being divided into separate Arab and Israeli states.

THE TRIP PROVED important to the expansion of the Review and Herald Publishing Co. His frequent and extensive reports at community gatherings, schools and churches on the refugee and relief situation in Europe and the Middle East created wide interest. He produced a booklet about Palestine, Where He Walked, which was distributed to Review readers as a subscription premium.

In 1958, he led a three-week South America tour, writing extensive reports for the Review. He spent six weeks in Europe in 1964, visited Africa and the Middle East in 1968 and East Asia in 1980.

Since the late 1940s, he led the Herald Publishing Co. to financial stability and the Review to greatly extended outreach as an inter-Mennonite newspaper that reflects the life and events among Mennonites worldwide.

SCHRAG HAD PLANNED to resign as Review editor in 1970 on the 50th anniversary of the Herald Publishing Co. But he suffered a heart attack in December 1968, and resigned as editor in February 1969. He continued as manager of the company until 1974, when he suffered another heart attack.

In addition to his board positions with Bethel College and the General Conference, he served on various committees of the First Mennonite Church of Newton, of which he was a member. He was Sunday school superintendent for six years and served on the board of deacons.

In 1953, he was asked by the General Conference Mennonite Men's Organization to start a boys' activity program, which he named Mennonite Boys League. He was chairman of the league's governing committee for about 10 years until control was transferred to the General Conference.

IN THE 1950S, Schrag served as chairman of a joint committee of the First Mennonite and Bethel College Mennonite churches for starting a new Mennonite congregation in Newton, which led to establishment of Faith Mennonite Church.

Schrag also was a member and for several years chairman of the Bethel College Historical Library and Archives, chairman of the Western District Conference (GC) Historical Committee and a member of the General Conference Inter-Board Committee on Latin America.

At the memorial service, his son James, pastor of Oak Grove Mennonite Church, Smithville, Ohio, read a tribute written by the family. William T. Snyder of Akron, Pa., former executive secretary of MCC, also spoke, noting that both MCC and the Herald Publishing Co. were founded in 1920. He expressed appreciation for the Review's decades of extensive news coverage of MCC.

Marles Preheim, of the Bethel College music faculty, sang two solos, "My Shepherd Will Supply My Need" and "If With All Your Heart You Truly Seek Him."

PASTOR BARTEL gave a message based on Lamentations 3:21-24 (RSV): "But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is they faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.'"

In a time of fellowship at the church after the burial, a number of people gave additional tributes and shared personal memories.

Memorials are suggested for MCC U.S. Peace Section.

He is survived by his wife, Gertrude; two sons, Robert of Newton, editor of the Review, and his wife, Frances, and James of Smithville, Ohio, pastor of Oak Grove Mennonite Church, and his wife, Judy; a daughter, Elisabeth Pauls of Newton, an accountant, and her husband, Dewayne; a brother, Sam of Pretty Prairie, Kan.; and eight grandchildren: Paul, Janet and David Schrag, Sherrill and her husband, R. B. Woods, and Lori Pauls, all of Newton; Valerie, Melissa and Rachel Schrag, all of Smithville, Ohio.

Schrag compiled an illustrated family history book, We Did Not Walk Alone, in 1976. In it, he wrote, "Earthly sojourns do have a termination point . . . our Lord has even happier and more wonderful things for us to see and experience in the permanent life beyond temporal space and time."

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 18 June, 1987 p. 4

text of obituary:

The wise leaders shall shine like the bright vault of heaven, and those who have guided the people in the path shall be like the stars for ever and ever. — Daniel 12:3 (NEB)

Shakespeare wrote that nature’s “common theme is death of fathers.” But when it is the death of one’s own father, it is lifted out of the general category of natural events and becomes utterly personal, specific, unique. Thus Father’s Day, next Sunday, will be different this year for the two sons and one daughter of Menno Schrag, who passed to his eternal reward on June 12.

The report beginning on page 1 reviews events and achievements in the life of the former Review editor, focusing on his long association with this publication — extending from 1925 until his death. It is mainly an account of what he did. This remembrance is intended to say something about who he was.

He was a practical visionary. His particular vision, of course, is embodied in this inter-Mennonite newspaper — a concept he developed. The fact that MWR exists today shows that he not only had a vision but also was willing to pay the price of realizing it. We thank God for his down-to earth hard work, his perseverance and determination, his skillful management, his unshakable faith in divine Providence — all of which were essential for making the vision a reality.

He also had the ability to impart the vision to others, including the succeeding generation. A wise parent, he knew that passing on such a legacy is a long process that begins early and includes assigning practical tasks — sweeping the office, selling copies of the Review at the 1948 world conference in North Newton, and learning to set type on an ancient Intertype. These beginnings of my involvement with MWR led to a cherished 14-year period (1960-1974) when we worked together on the editorial staff.

Father’s wide-ranging conversations were stimulating and enlightening to his three children, growing up in the era from the Depression, through World War II and into the prosperous but threatening nuclear age. Mealtime discussions often focused on the many points of contact with the wider wold afforded by his editorship of the Review. He commented frequently on the work of the local congregation, the Mennonite conferences and schools — especially Bethel and Hesston, where all three of us attended high school and college.

We are grateful for the guidance and education he gave us by his ability to integrate knowledge of both the church and the secular world — all of which he interpreted in the light of Christian conviction and our particular calling as Mennonites.

Some of his convictions and concerns stand out: That peace is an integral part of the gospel message; that Christ’s ministry of both preaching and compassionate service is the model for the church; that Christian education, from Sunday school to seminary, deserves high priority; that the united witness of Mennonites, though a small denomination, can make a significant impact on the world.

He was steadfast in his faith in Christ as Redeemer and Lord. But he never considered himself a finished person, and thus continued to grow mentally and spiritually, remaining open to new ideas and insights. We are thankful for his continuing youthfulness of mind, which enabled him to interact creatively, to the end of his life, with his children and grandchildren and a large circle of friends.

His genuine interest in others led many to confide in him for counsel and encouragement — ranging from teenagers to ministers to college presidents. In more than 50years of Sunday school teaching, he combined the roles of commentator, educator and spiritual counselor. Although a layman, he was a minister at heart.

He in turn was challenged and encouraged when others called him to various responsibilities in the congregation, college and conference. Despite the demanding work of editing and managing the Review, he rarely refused other opportunities to serve.

Perhaps only his family realizes the personal difficulties he overcame — a painful shyness as a youth, and various health limitations throughout adult life. A disciplined steward of time, he felt responsible to God to develop and use his abilities in helping to actualize the vision of a vital, growing Mennonite peoplehood — true to biblical faith and the Anabaptist heritage of costly discipleship.

He retired from the management of Herald Publishing Co. in 1974, after suffering a near-fatal heart attack. As with king Hezekiah of old, God extended father’s life for almost 13 years. In this period of active retirement, the Lord gave him strength to be a resource to his family and to serve the church in various ways. He was still teaching Sunday school in early May.

On May 1, exactly one month before he was diagnosed as having incurable leukemia, he participated in the annual meeting of the Herald Publishing Co. board, of which he remained an active member. For that occasion he had prepared a valuable retrospective of comments and suggestions. He concluded:

“My pay may not have been the highest, but the rewards were enormous. Life enrichment through communication with constituencies and friends worldwide was above price or estimation. . . . Were I given the years and the choice, I would do it again!”

— Robert M. Schrag, Editor