UU Mom

I never met the man.  I read some of his poems and remember being impressed by an 
outstanding article in the UU World .  But no blog alleging to discuss Unitarian 
Universalism, poetry, andsocial activism could fail to note the passing of this remarkable 
man and voice.

As a UU layman who occasionally occupies a pulpit despite a lack of a degree 
or credentials of anykind, a poet and an activist, I especially am impressed by how Ric 
Masten, by force of personality, energy, dedication and talent battered down the privileged 
gates that reserved the Unitarian  Universalist ministry to the learned graduates of seminary 
and college.  He was admitted to that closed club and then given an extraordinary charge to 
become a minister at large.  It is said that in his wide travels he spoke at more than 500 UU 
churches, fellowships and societies. 

Of course as soon as he was let through, the gates were firmly nailed shut behind him and the very category of his ministry was abolished so that no  other misfit  could ever sully the pure and pristine Fellowship.  I am sure that the Unitarian Congregational Polity purists still gnash their teeth that such an outrage was ever possible. Our Universalist forbearers, on the other hand would have welcomed this inheritor of the saddle-bag missionary tradition writ large.

The following obituary was posted on the UUA-L e-mail list.
Unitarian Universalist minister, troubadour, and author Ric Masten died on May 9, 2008 at his
mountain home near Carmel, California of prostrate cancer.  He was 78.  Masten performed his 
music and poetry before congregations throughout the United States over a career spanning five 
decades.  He authored 23 books, a dozen song albums, and the popular hymn "Let It Be a Dance."











Masten was born in Carmel on June 20, 1929.  He graduated from Montezuma High School in Los 
Gatos, California in 1946, and attended several colleges, but never received a degree, due in part to 
undiagnosed dyslexia and a severe hearing impairment.  He is perhaps the only fellowshipped 
Unitarian Universalist minister never to have graduated from seminary or college. A promising 
artist, Masten studied briefly with Millard Sheets and Millford Zorn at Pomona College, and 
with famed cubist Fernand Léger at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris in 1949.  He also 
wrote and produced musical comedies in Carmel, and became a contract writer for Warner 
Brothers, ultimately having seventy-eight of his songs recorded in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Rev. Masten began his ministry in 1968, offering guest services in California churches with the 
backing of Rev. Howard and Rosemary Matson, culminating in an impressive performance 
at the Unitarian Universalist Association's General Assembly in Cleveland.  The UUA 
then awarded Masten a Frank Billings Lectureship with the express aim of "taking the spirit 
of liberal religion to college campuses and churches around the country."  Many of his poems 
explored how race, religion, women's liberation, alcohol abuse, aging, and other social issues 
impact the most intimate personal relationships.

Masten was ordained in 1972 at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington, Virginia 
as part of an effort of the Ministerial Fellowship Committee to address the need for non-parish 
ministers engaged in social action.  The first of these so-called Specialized Ministers was 
Howard Matson, who began workingfull-time with Caesar Chavez and the United Farm 
Workers in 1969.  The category of Specialized Ministerswas terminated in 1974, but Masten 
received his Final Fellowship in 1975.

Over the years, Rev. Masten, usually accompanied by his wife, Billie Barbara Masten, toured 
the country in their Toyota camper, The Homesick Snail, giving concerts and staying at the 
homes of the ministers and parishioners they befriended along the way. Masten thus earned the 
distinction of preaching in more Unitarian Universalist churches - over five hundred in 49 states - 
than any other minister in history.
 







Ric Masten presented his poetry in a variety of other venues as well, including schools, prisons, 
and civic clubs.  He had a regular call-in spot on a talk radio station in Denver in the 1980s and 
produced a weekly newspaper column, Words and One-Liners for the Monterey Herald in 
the 1990s. These columns became the inspiration for three illustrated volumes of poetry.  Masten 
was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1999 and chronicled his battle with the disease in a series 
of poems and blog entries, which expanded his ministry to a new community, cancer survivor 
groups.  He published six books since his diagnosis, including Words and One-Liners: Take 
Three (Sun-Ink Presentations, 2008) and the upcoming Going Out Dancing (UUA/Skinner 
House Books, 2008).

Masten's other titles include Who's Wavin'? A Thin Body of Work (1970); Sunflowers (1971); 
Speaking Poems (1977); Voice of the Hive (1978); His & Hers: A Voyage Through the 
Middle Age Crazies, with Billie Barbara Masten (1978); Stark Naked (1980); Even As We 
Speak (1982); The Deserted Rooster (1982); They Are All Gone Now (1985); Notice Me! 
(1986);Looking for Georgia O'Keeffe (1987); Ric Masten Speaking (1990); I Know It Isn't 
Funny But I Love to Make You Laugh (1996); Pacific Light: Images of the Monterey 
Peninsula, with Douglas Steakley (2000); and Parallel Journeys, with Dr. Larry Lachman
(2003).  In addition to his own books, Masten is the subject of Troubadour and Poet: The 
Magical Ministry of Ric Masten (Trafford Publishing, 2007), by Rev. Stephen Edington.

Largely ignored by literary critics throughout his career, Ric Masten received numerous honors 
towardthe end of his life.  He was named Troubadour and People's Poet of Carmel in 2003, 
Poet Laureateof Prostate Cancer by the National Prostate Cancer Coalition in 2005, 
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by California State University, Monterey Bay in 2007,
and Champion of theArts - Luminary by the Arts Council of Monterey County in 2008.  
"All you have to do is catch a fatal disease and the awards just fall out of the trees like apples," 
he joked.
 





Ric. Masten is survived by his wife of 56 years, Billie Barbara; their four children, Jerri Masten 
Hansen, Dr. April F. Masten, Ellen Masten, and Stuart Masten; and five grandchildren, 
nearly all of whom were with him at the end, singing.  A memorial service will be held June 20, 
2008 at 1:00 p.m. at the Community Church of the Monterey Peninsula, 4590 Carmel Valley 
Rd, Carmel, CA 93923.  Memorial donations in honor of Masten may be sent to the National 
Prostate Cancer Coalition, 1154 Fifteenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005.
 
     
                      LIKE RACCOONS
        (diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer) 

                    like raccoons
                    trapped suddenly in headlight glare 
                   we freeze — petrified 
                   ultrasound and biopsy results leaving 
                   us scared stiff — eyes wide — jaw slack 

                  but think about it folks — think about it
                  we’re born — we live — we die
                  so what’s different now? Not a thing!
                 except being blessed with a constant reminder 
                 to never let another unexplored moment slip by 

                 my condolences to those 
                 who fall prey to the fatal surprise
                 the unexpected cardiac arrest 
                 the sudden traffic casualty 
                 forced to depart short of a conclusion
                short of the all important “good byes.” 

                    --Ric Masten