Donald Justin Wolfram (November 13, 1919 – August 25, 2003) was the fourth General Superintendent of the

Pillar of Fire Church The Pillar of Fire International, also known as the Pillar of Fire Church, is a Methodist Christianity, Christian denomination with headquarters in Zarephath, New Jersey. The Pillar of Fire Church affirms the Articles of Religion (Methodist), Meth ...

from 1984 to 2000.

Biography

He was born November 13, 1919 in the

Zarephath Zarephath may refer to the following : ; Places * Alternative name for Ancient Phoenician city Sarepta, now Sarafand, Lebanon * Zarephath, New Jersey in the United States ;Other * Raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath * Zarephath Wines ...

section of

Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey Franklin Township is a township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. It is centrally located in the Raritan Valley region, within the New York Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 62, ...

, to Gertrude Metlen (1888-1959) and Albert Wolfram (1877-1962). Both were missionaries in the

. Gertrude Metlen was the daughter of the former Venora Ella Bridwell (sister of Alma Bridwell White, founder of the Pillar of Fire) and David Evans Metlen of

Dillon, Montana Dillon is a city in and the county seat of Beaverhead County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,880 at the 2020 census. The city was named for Sidney Dillon (1812–1892), president of Union Pacific Railroad. History Dillon was fo ...

. Gertrude had the following siblings: Bruce Joseph Metlen; Genevieve E. Metlen; and Dale E. Metlen. None of her siblings married or had children. Gertrude and Albert had married in 1909. Wolfram had two siblings: Orland A. Wolfram (1912-1987) who died in

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

; and Gordon W. Wolfram (1922-1992). He was ordained as a minister in 1935 at age 16. He earned his

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

from

Alma White College Alma White College was a Bible college in Zarephath, New Jersey from 1921 to 1978. It was an institution of the Pillar of Fire Church. The academic institution is now succeeded by Pillar College. History In June 1917 an elderly German professor ...

. He next obtained his

M.S. A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

, and his

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

from the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...

. He married Phyllis Esther Hoffman (1921-1985) on December 20, 1948 and had the following children: Suzanne Wolfram who married David M. Larue; Phillip J. Wolfram who married Neta L. M.; Charlene L. W. who married Keith R. Maines; Donna J. W. who married Ron R. Reiner; and Lorraine J. Wolfram who married Bruce Lepley. Wolfram taught at the Pillar of Fire high schools and colleges and was the dean of

Belleview College The Westminster Castle, also locally known as "The Pillar of Fire" is a historic landmark located in Westminster, Colorado, northwest of Denver near the intersection of 83rd and Federal. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places a ...

Westminster, Colorado The City of Westminster is a home rule municipality located in Adams and Jefferson counties, Colorado, United States. The city population was 116,317 at the 2020 United States Census with 71,240 residing in Adams County and 45,077 residing in J ...

. He was co-pastor of the Pillar of Fire Alma Temple in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He had a radio program on

KPOF KPOF (910 kHz) is a non-profit AM radio station in Denver, Colorado. It is owned by Pillar of Fire and airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The studio and transmitter are in Westminster, located on the campus of Belleview Christian ...

. He also had several programs on

WAWZ WAWZ (99.1 FM) is a contemporary Christian music radio station located in Zarephath, New Jersey. It is a listener supported/commercial radio station owned by the Pillar of Fire International. The station's target demographic is 25- to 54-year-ol ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

and

WAKW WAKW (93.3 FM, "Star 93.3") is a contemporary Christian music radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is a listener-supported radio station owned by Pillar of Fire International. The Class B, 50,000-watt signal reaches the greater Cincinn ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. He served as the 4th General Superintendent of Pillar of Fire International starting in 1984, he stepped down in 2000 from his illness. He died on August 25, 2003 of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

. He was buried in Belleview Cemetery in

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfram, Donald Justin 1919 births 2003 deaths Deaths from cancer in Colorado Columbia University alumni Deaths from pancreatic cancer People from Franklin Township, Somerset County, New Jersey Pillar of Fire International University of Denver alumni Alma White College alumni