GEORGE NEWKIRK

George Newkirk was a prominent member of the Friends Meeting of Ocala. He was committed to keeping a Quaker presence in Ocala. He worked to support the Quaker movement from the time he moved to Ocala in the 1960's until his death in 2008. 

Before he retired to Ocala he had been a member of the Langley Hill Friends Meeting in McLean Virginia outside of Washington DC. He and his first wife Emma had located the church in McLean which became the meeting house for the Langley Hill Friends. I love the story of how the Quakers were able to purchase the building in McLean because the original deed stipulated that it could only be used for religious purposes. The property would have attracted many buyers on the open market and sold for a handsome price. The Quakers removed the stained glass windows to let the light in, eliminated the pulpit, and arranged the pews so that the the participants were in a circle.

More detail about George's life can be read in this Obituary from the Ocala Star Banner.