courtesy of the salvation army
Retired Salvation Army officer Gertrude Purdue in 1930 and today
Gertrude Purdue has been involved with the Salvation Army for more
than a century.
Born to Salvation Army officers in Massalin, Ohio, in 1909, she
joined the organization in 1930 and married her husband — a
Salvation Army brigadier — in 1934.
To coincide with her 100th birthday, Purdue was honored for her
years of service and dedication to the Army this week at their annual
dinner. Willard Scott — known for his birthday shout-outs on the
Today show — was the keynote speaker.
“She is an amazing lady, and I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody
quite like her,” says Elizabeth Duncan, director of development for the
Salvation Army. “She’s an inspiration to us all.”
Duncan first met Purdue 12 years ago. At the time, Purdue was
88.
“Eighty-eight is a number that would indicate that you were old, but
she proved otherwise,” Duncan says.
Though she retired officially in 1973, Purdue still volunteers at
Memphis’ VA hospital twice a month to distribute magazines and serve
drinks to patients, family members, and caregivers.
“At 15, I knew,” Purdue says. “I saw my parents in action and their
mission to the poor, the hurting, the depraved … and I wanted to do
it, too.”
After attending Kalamazoo Teachers College in Michigan for two
years, she entered Salvation Army officer training in Chicago in 1930.
She then moved to Huntington, Indiana, where she served during the
Great Depression.
“People were desperate. I had one man come by my office, and he said
to me, ‘I’ll kill to feed my children.’ That’s how desperate they
were,” she says.
She and her late husband, Brigadier Bramwell Purdue, met as
teenagers at a Salvation Army camp in Michigan. After getting married,
they lived in 11 cities before moving to Memphis in 1962.
Purdue still serves as a member of the Church Women United, the
White Station Optimist Club, and Quota Club International.
“A man may be down, but he’s never out,” she says, quoting a
Salvation Army slogan. “Give yourself as a service to people who need
your help. There are plenty of people out there who need it.”
