Melvin Armin Wittler was born on March 25, 1929 in Hartington, Nebraska to Frank William Wittler and Cecil Maria Fiscus. After graduating from Hartington High School in Nebraska in 1947, he received a B.A. from Yankton College, South Dakota in 1951 and a B.Th. from Yankton College School of Theology in 1952. He served as minister at West Point, Nebraska Congregational Church from 1950 to 1952. On August 8, 1953 he married Nancy Patriquin; the Wittlers had three sons and one daughter: Nathan Scott (b. 1957), Bryan Kevin (b. 1961), Heather Ellen (b. 1962) and Bradford Kent (b. 1963). In 1956 Wittler received a B.D. from Hartford Seminary and April 29th of the same year was appointed as a missionary to the Near East Mission of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, which was later known as the United Church Board for World Ministries. . From1957 to1961 Wittler served as teacher of philosophy, American Academy for Girls, Uskudar, Istanbul. In 1960 he became Field Secretary, Near East Mission of United Church Board for World Ministries. He served on the Board of Managers for both the Admiral Bristol Hospital and the Gaziantep American Hospital as well as the American Board Schools. Rev. Wittler also held membership to the Turkish-American University Association, the American Friends of the Middle East, and the Health and Education Foundation. He was active in providing assistance to refugees throughout the region. During a furlough period in 1962 Wittler did graduate study in Oriental Studies at Princeton University. The Wittlers were also on furlough in the U.S. for a year beginning in June 1967. On Tuesday, July 24, 1979, the Mission offices in Istanbul were invaded and bombed by an anti-U.S. militant group. Again in 1991, during the Gulf War, the Istanbul office was bombed by anti-U.S. terrorists. In 1993 the Wittlers retired to West Dummerston, Vermont. Melvin received the Education Award from the American Turkish Council in 1995. He died on February 27, 2003.
From the guide to the Melvin Wittler Papers, 1826-2002, 1956-1993, (Yale Divinity School Library, Special Collections)
