Oral history with Robert L. Hartenfeld

              Oral history with Robert L. Hartenfeld
F341.5 . M57 vol. 747, pt. 1
Funding for this project provided by The Mississippi State Legislature, The Mississippi Humanities Council, The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi.
This transcription of an oral history by the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage of The University of Southern Mississippi may not be reproduced or published in any form except that quotation of short excerpts of unrestricted transcripts and the associated tape recordings is permissible providing written consent is obtained from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. When literary rights have been retained by the interviewee, written permission to use the material must be obtained from both the interviewee and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Reverend Robert L. Hartenfeld was born on February 19, 1935, in Pemberville, Ohio, into a small farming community. His father ran a meat market and a grocery store, and his mother was a schoolteacher. Working beside his father in the family business, Reverend Hartenfeld learned the traits of listening and serving. He earned a B. A. from Capital University and a Master's of Theology from Trinity Seminary of Columbus, Ohio.
During his career as a Lutheran minister, Reverend Hartenfeld helped to start up several churches, began a program of visitation and worship services in a maximum security prison, counseled with the terminally ill, worked to reopen schools after New York Central went bankrupt, and joined in spearheading the Long Beach Food Pantry. After his retirement from the ministry, Reverend Hartenfeld began working with Loaves and Fishes, an institution running four soup kitchens on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that provide for those in need of food.
Table of Contents
I. Childhood
II. College life
III. Seminary
IV. Service work in prisons
V. Service work with the terminally ill
VI. Father's influence
VII. First mission
VIII. Moving to Mississippi
IX. Racism
X. The Food Pantry
XI. Loaves and Fishes mus- coh. hartenfeldr. doc Page 1 of 15