John Franklin Bruce Carruthers (August 31, 1889 – January 13, 1960) was a reverend who ministered to early aviators. His son, John Franklin Bruce Carruthers, presented the Carruthers Aviation Collection to

Claremont McKenna College Claremont McKenna College (CMC) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It has a curricular emphasis on government, economics, public affairs, finance, and internat ...

, in

Claremont, California Claremont () is a suburban city in eastern Los Angeles County, California, United States, east of Los Angeles. It lies in the Pomona Valley at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census it had ...

, in 1950. Through subsequent gifts and purchases the collection contains about 4,000 volumes. He was the

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

to the

Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation, also known as Valhalla Memorial Rotunda and The Rotunda, is a shrine to aviation located at the former entrance to Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The sh ...

, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Early life

He was born in

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The cit ...

, on August 31, 1889, to James B. Carruthers and Anna Wood. He received his A.B. from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1912. He received his A.M. from Princeton in 1917 and later graduated from the

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

Career

From 1919 to 1924, he was head of the Bible Department at

Lafayette College Lafayette College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1826 by James Madison Porter and other citizens in Easton, the college first held classes in 18 ...

, in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in and the county seat of Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River and the Delawa ...

. In 1933, he was the research assistant of Dr. Rufus B. von KleinSmid, president of the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

Affiliations

Carruthers was a member of the aviation fraternity,

Alpha Eta Rho Alpha Eta Rho () is a coed international Professional fraternities and sororities, professional college aviation Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity. Established in 1929 at the University of Southern California, it was the fi ...

and served as its national historian.

Publications

* ''The Small Business Problem as I See It'' (1940) * ''Line and Staff. Camp Hopkins'' (1942) * ''Scrapbook of Early Aeronautica with William Upcott'' * ''The Thirteenth Disciple, Founder, Church of All Sinners''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carruthers, John F. B. 1889 births 1960 deaths 20th-century American academics 20th-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American Presbyterian ministers American aviation writers American chaplains American expatriates in Switzerland American male non-fiction writers American religious writers Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Lafayette College faculty People from Fort Scott, Kansas Princeton Theological Seminary alumni Princeton University alumni Religious leaders from California Religious leaders from Kansas Religious leaders from Pennsylvania University of Geneva alumni University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Southern California alumni Writers from Kansas Writers from Los Angeles Writers from Pennsylvania