The Rev’d Erl G. Purnell (known to all as Puck) is the twenty-fifth Rector at Old St. Andrew’s Church. He has served since 1997.
Mr. Purnell was educated at Kent School in Kent, Connecticut, received his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.A. from Goddard College, a M.A.R. from Yale Divinity School, and a Certificate of Anglican Studies from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. He was ordained in 1993 and worked as Curate at St. Paul’s Church in Riverside, Connecticut from then until he was called as Rector to Old St. Andrew’s.
After graduating from college, Mr. Purnell was a Distinguished Naval Graduate, received his commission (USN), and was designated a Naval Aviator, following in the footsteps of his grandfather, Rear Admiral Erl C.B. Gould, Naval Aviator #68. As a Naval officer (Lieutenant) from 1969-1973, Mr. Purnell was a maintenance test pilot and flew search and rescue missions in the Kaman UH-2 Seasprite helicopter on board the USS Lexington (CVT-16).
Mr. Purnell taught school for six years before moving to his farm in Freedom, Maine where he lived for eight years. In Maine he worked in the woods with big draft horses, flew helicopters for the 112th Medivac Company of the Maine Army National Guard, and started Oberon, Small Business Computing.
In 1984 Mr. Purnell moved to Connecticut where he served as Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Secretary at Kent School. In 1990 he entered Berkeley Divinity School at Yale.
Mr. Purnell has recently written Through Mark's Eyes which is published by Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee. It is available at all major booksellers or on-line at throughmarkseyes.com. He has also privately published A Sampler of Poems. Recently Mr. Purnell delivered a paper at the Oxford Round Table on the topic Pluralism in a Secular World.
A long distance sea kayaker, Mr. Purnell sculpts his paddles by hand and builds his own wooden kayaks. He has written numerous articles about kayaking and is author of the book A Sea Kayaker's Trip Planner & Log Book. He is also an avid bicyclist. Mr. Purnell is married to Joanne Kimball and they live in Simsbury, CT. He has three children—Robin, Burr, and Kate, and a stepdaughter Cara Kensington.
