Neutral on nothing was the attitude of the Reverend B. H. Hester, who cared passionately about the world around him, both here in Fredericksburg and around the nation, even around the world.
Reverend Hester was selected in 1921 to serve as the eighth pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site). He was formally installed in 1922 after receiving degrees from Biddle University in North Carolina and from Virginia Union University in Richmond.
His forty years as pastor of this congregation were remarkable in many ways. Drawing on many original documents and family scrapbooks, his granddaughter, the Hon. Pamela Bridgewater Awkard, a retired U.S. ambassador, has written a beautifully illustrated book on his life as a pastor, educator, writer, and committed social activist.
Her book, entitled Neutral on Nothing, originally published in 2019, is well worth reading. While supplies last, copies are available for purchase directly from the author.
The book (pictured below) describes the committed and courageous social activism — and other achievements — of a visionary pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site) through the 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, even at those times when “the hills were mighty hard to climb.”
The Reverend Hester retired as pastor in 1961, having accomplished much during his forty years as Shiloh Old Site’s eighth pastor.
