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Obituaries

Longtime Pleasanton Pastor Has Died

The Rev. Robert Stuart Vogt led Pleasanton Presbyterian Church for three decades.

The Rev. Robert Stuart Vogt, who guided the Pleasanton Presbyterian Church for 29 years, died Saturday, July 16 in Edmonds, Washington. He was 88.

Known for his warm smile and sense of humor, Vogt served in civic, non-profit and spiritual groups during his nearly three decades of service. He retired in 1987.

He took controversial positions, like when he allowed farm workers led by Caesar Chavez to spend the night in the church’s social hall while on a protest march.

The church also hosted a debate on the state’s fair housing act and engaged in debating other difficult social issues of the day.

For instance, relatively early in his tenure, he led the discussion about whether Christians can design and build nuclear weapons. This discussion took place during the height of the Cold War when a number of congregants were employed at Lawrence Livermore and Sandia national labs.

He encouraged the school district to add sex education to its curriculum as well as urged members to engage in community affairs.

He twice served on citizens committees developing and reviewing the city’s General Plan. The plan adopted in 1965 set the stage for Pleasanton’s development to this day, planning industrial uses for peripheral areas of the community and laying out the road grid including Valley Avenue-Bernal as a loop road.

“Bob was very community-minded,” said Brad Hirst, who worshipped in the congregation from Vogt’s tenure to this day.

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“I always called him the conscience of our community whether you agreed with him or not.”

When drug use became a key issue in the 1960s, he and the church elders founded a youth center staffed by professional counselors to reach out to teenagers.

His community activities included 18 years of involvement with the Red Cross, service on the county’s committee on aging and helping form Children’s Theater Workshop and the Tri-Valley Community Foundation. 

During the summers, he changed up the worship routine, inviting people such as the city manager and the school superintendent to address the congregation. While away travelling during another summer, he invited pastors from different countries to deliver sermons.

Rev. Vogt preached about what he saw as problems, but then took action to address them. He was the driving force in establishing the consortium of four churches that built the community’s first very affordable elder housing complex—. Pleasanton Gardens continues to serve very low-income elders with its 40 units on Kottinger Avenue.

Along with key church leaders, Vogt then led the drive to establish a low-income project, Pleasanton Greens, on Vineyard Avenue. It eventually was turned over to private investors when federal financing could not be obtained.

Early in his service, the church began to outgrow its historic Neal Street site, where the congregation was established in 1876. In 1963, the congregation purchased 3 acres on Mirador Drive and built a classroom wing in 1965.

As the church continued to grow, it built a sanctuary, offices and additional classrooms on the Mirador site and moved “up the hill,” uniting the children and their parents on one site 14 years later.

He had the gift of relating to people. One member, Sherline Montgomery of Pleasanton, wrote on the occasion of his 25th anniversary as pastor:

“Your warm, teddy bear hugs, twinkling blue eyes and wonderful smile have made me feel special and loved many a Sunday morning. Your sense of humor and listening ear are a real gift.”

An avid woodcarver, Rev. Vogt hand-carved the pulpit for the new church. He gave each teenager who completed the study to become a member a hand-crafted cross.

One key to the church’s expansion was Rev. Vogt’s embrace of the Cursillo movement. Cursillo is a three-day short course in Christianity that helped people deepen their faith and learn how much God loved them as did their brothers and sisters. Service in love to others became a key response from members of the congregation.

Many members of the congregation attended and it was a life-changing experience for a number of people and brought a different style of music to Sunday worship.

One of those profoundly affected was the late Dick Pearson. Gladys Pearson, his wife, said, "His loving side came out. It made a big change in our lives—a nice change. He sponsored many people because of his experience.”

She related how Dick flew home early from a European vacation to greet his close friend, Morris Mote, after Mote attended his Cursillo.

Vogt's 25 years of ministry were celebrated in special "RSV Week" Dec. 11-18, 1983. The joint rules committee of the Legislature wrote a special commendation for his “achievements that set him apart as an outstanding spiritual and community leader.” The City Council declared it “RSV Week.”

In 1986, he was honored with the Mayor’s Award for his contributions to Pleasanton.

Born July 20, 1922 in Sacramento, Vogt attended the University of California, Berkeley, graduating with majors in psychology, sociology and history in 1943.

He then attended Princeton Theological Seminary and received his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1946 (this was later changed to a Masters of Divinity).

He was ordained in May, 1946 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Sacramento. He moved on to serve at Calvary Presbyterian in San Francisco, First Presbyterian in Seattle, a new church development in Milwaukee, Oregon and Stone Church in San Jose, before moving to Pleasanton in 1958.

After he retired to Willits, he served as an interim pastor at Old First Presbyterian Church in San Francisco.

Throughout his ministry, his wife, Sallee, was an active partner in ministry.

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They were married for 53 years before she died in 2003. They had one son, Robert-John Stuart Vogt, who died in a drowning accident.

A memorial service celebrating his life and ministry will be held at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, at First Presbyterian Church of Livermore.

Rev. Vogt’s colleague in ministry, the Rev. Bill Nebo, who retired as pastor at First Livermore after serving for more than 30 years, will officiate at the memorial service.

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