Rev. Roosevelt Haynes
Rev. Roosevelt Haynes
Rev. Roosevelt Haynes, of Dunkirk, N.Y. died Friday December 14, 2018 at Brooks Memorial Hospital. A fifty-year resident of Dunkirk, Rev. Haynes was born in Tennessee to a father who was a tenant farmer and a mother who was a homemaker. He was the second youngest of seven children. As a child he attended a one-room schoolhouse where he began a pattern of educational excellence. He graduated from Union High School in Gallatin, TN, and he went on to attend Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, AL. It was during college that he married his high school sweetheart, LaPearl. He earned an A.B. at Stillman in 1959, majoring in social science and remaining on the Dean’s List for four years.
Rev. Haynes earned an M.Div. at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary in 1962 where he majored in pastoral counseling. He earned an M.S.W. in 1971 at State University of New York at Buffalo, majoring in social work. His academic honors included, “Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges,” Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society, and Junior Bible Award.
Rev. Haynes and his wife moved to Dunkirk in 1968. Early in his career in Dunkirk, Rev. Haynes worked as a Community Developer. In this role, he provided family and individual counseling; and he helped low-income clients access community resources, become visible, and articulate their needs and concerns to city and school officials, service providers, etc.
Over the years, Rev. Haynes held several pastoral positions, including serving as pastor of the Washington Street Presbyterian Church in Dublin, GA (1962-64), where he provided pastoral counseling, congregational care, and worked with families. In addition, he played a major role in eliminating dual voting lists and polling places in Dublin, and he initiated action that ended “colored” and “white” drinking fountains in public facilities. He was also Assistant Pastor at Covenant-Lebanon Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, NY (1966). Further, he served as stated supply and temporary supply at Wright Memorial Presbyterian Church in Irving, NY (1980-91). Moreover, he was a member of the Presbytery of Western New York and served on the Native American Concerns Committee of the Presbytery of Western New York.
Rev. Haynes also had an active career in the field of social work. As Psychiatric Social Worker II at Buffalo Psychiatric Center, he was an individual and family counselor, convener of individual service planning and discharge conferences, primary therapist, and patient advocate. Other positions in the field included Psychiatric Social Worker I at Gowanda Psychiatric Center, Medical Social Worker at Chautauqua County Home in Dunkirk, and Family Counselor at Child and Family Services of Erie County in Buffalo.
As a veteran of the Korean War, he served as a military policeman, Company C, 519th Military Police Battalion, Dae Song Ne, South Korea.
Rev. Haynes’ community and public service were extensive, which included involvement on the following boards and committees: City of Dunkirk’s Charter Revision Committee, City of Dunkirk’s Administrative Code Commission, City of Dunkirk Youth Bureau Board of Directors, City of Dunkirk Housing Authority Board of Directors, Task Force on Crime and Vandalism, the State University of New York at Fredonia’s Human Subjects Committee, Dunkirk Head Start Policy Committee, Community Bilingual Education Committee, and the Chautauqua County Rural Ministry. Organizations in which he was active included the Dunkirk-Fredonia Branch of the NAACP (life member and former vice-president), Literacy Volunteers of America of Northern Chautauqua County, Inc., Chautauqua Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Council, Chautauqua County Chapter of the American Red Cross, Health Systems Agency of Western New York, Inc., Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc, Citizen Council for Better Living, and School 5 PTA.
Rev. Haynes was also very active in professional organizations: National Association of Social Workers, New York State Association of Social Workers, National Association for the Education of Young Children, New York State Association for the Education of Young Children, and Chautauqua County Association for the Education of Young Children.
A longtime member of the Dunkirk School Board, Rev. Haynes served as president, vice-president, and clerk.
Rev. Haynes has been honored for his many contributions by receiving the Dunkirk Community Chamber of Commerce’s Community Service Award, being named Grand Freedom Marshal of the 2002 Juneteenth Celebration, and being nominated for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award.
Rev. Haynes is survived by his wife, LaPearl, son, Terrence Haynes, and daughter, Dr. Rosetta Haynes (Stephen Mead). Terrence is a social studies teacher, track coach, and Chess Club advisor at Kingsbury Middle School in Memphis, TN. Rosetta is an English professor at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, IN. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, and one sister; he is survived by sister Polly Carr and brother Dr. Richard Haynes (Lois). The status of one brother is unknown. He has six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Calls may be made Tuesday from 6-8 p.m. at the LARSON-TIMKO Funeral Home, 20 Central Ave., Fredonia. A funeral service will be held at the First United Presbyterian Church of Dunkirk, 19 W. 4thStreet, Dunkirk, N.Y. Wednesday morning at 11 am. Flowers gratefully declined. Memorial contributions in Rev. Haynes memory may be made to the First United Presbyterian Church or Chautauqua County Rural Ministry. Arrangements by David J. Dengler.