Collect Day #25 ARTHUR L. HILSON
O Lord of sea and sky, we remember today the Reverend Arthur L. Hilson who fought for our country and educated and counseled many throughout his life in the ways of grace and strength; may we too follow this gentle pastor who was too blessed to complain even as he endured discrimination for the color of his skin and even now join in the standing room only salute to his faith, dedication to family and countless community endeavors; through his Savior and ours, Jesus Christ. Amen.
DAY #25, April 3, 2019
PORTSMOUTH, NH
ARTHUR L. HILSON (1936-2019)
Cathy Wolff
There was standing room only at the funeral of the Rev. Arthur L. Hilson on January 26, 2019. The outpouring of respect was for a man who led the New Hope Baptist Church in Portsmouth, NH for 28 years; fought 20 years for New Hampshire to recognize Martin Luther King Day; had a 40-year education career, including teaching at Portsmouth High School, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and the University of New Hampshire; and was a decorated Navy veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars.
He also was a man who, when asked how he was, always replied: “Too blessed to complain.”
Born in 1936 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to a single mother, the Rev. Hilson said in a 2013 Portsmouth Herald profile that the first time he experienced racism was on a trip with friends after graduating from high school. It was 1954, and he was refused a seat in a Maryland restaurant.
He soon joined the Navy, partially attracted by its music program. He played the trumpet and was a fan of Louie Armstrong. The Herald reports him saying, “I envisioned my whole life being wrapped up in music.”
It didn’t work out that way.
The Navy sent him to Portsmouth in 1960 to work at the Navy prison. He became an education specialist. He left the Navy in 1973 and went on to earn a divinity degree and a doctorate in counseling and American history. After 15 years as a minister in Holyoke, MA, and a career in college administration, he returned to Portsmouth in 1982 to help the tiny New Hope Baptist church, planning to stay for just three months. Into his 80’s he was still at the pulpit. Together, he and his wife, Florine, raised eleven children.
His community involvement was prodigious. It included serving on several veteran organization boards, including as chair of the American Association of Minority Veterans Programs Administrators. He was president of the American Baptist Churches of Vermont and New Hampshire and on the board of the American Bible Society. In Portsmouth, he belonged to the School Board, Police Commission, Community Child Care Center, and Rotary; was a volunteer chaplain at the Portsmouth Regional Hospital, a strong supporter of the African Burial Ground memorial, and involved with AIDS Response Seacoast and the Piscataqua Community Foundation; and served as the state’s Commissioner of Human Rights.
