Galamison, Milton A., 1923-1988

The Reverend Doctor Milton A. Galamison was born in Philadelphia in 1923. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone Galamison, worked for the U.S. Postal Service and as a saleswoman. From childhood Galamison planned to join the ministry. He graduated cum laude from Lincoln University in 1945 and received his Bachelor of Divinity Degree two years later, also from Lincoln University. Princeton Theological Seminary awarded him a Master of Theology in 1949, and in 1961 he received a Doctor of Divinity Degree from Lincoln University. Galamison married Gladys Hunt in 1965. They had one son, Milton A., Jr.. Galamison was ordained by the Presbyterian Church in Princeton, New Jersey in 1947. In that same year he was assigned to the Witherspoon Presbyterian Church in Princeton. The next year, following the death of Reverend George Stark, Galamison was offered a position at Siloam Presbyterian Church in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, New York. Siloam Church, founded in 1849, is the third oldest African American Presbyterian church in the country. In 1951 Siloam honored Galamison for his work in the community and in building the congregation. With a membership of five hundred in 1949, Siloam had grown to become the second largest African American Presbyterian church in 1952; by 1963 the church had twenty-two hundred members. Galamison also expanded the church by adding a vocational guidance center, a mental hygiene clinic, tutoring facilities, and a credit union. He was a dedicated pastor to Siloam Church during his forty year tenure, until his death in 1988. In addition, Galamison pioneered in the field of religious broadcasting, was an active participant in the civil rights movement, and authored several articles.