Marion Dean Plies; Foursquare Church Pastor

Marion Dean Plies, 91, longtime pastor of the Harbor City Foursquare Church and founder of the Harbor City Christian Schools. Born in Fort Worth, Plies earned her doctorate in theology at the Lighthouse International Foursquare Evangelism Bible College in Los Angeles in 1951. By then she was already an important figure in the church founded by colorful evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson. Plies was ordained in 1936 and served as pastor of the Harbor City church from 1941 until 1986. In 1948, she established the Harbor City Christian Elementary School and three years later added a high school, serving as schools superintendent for several years concurrent with her pastorate. She also helped found and was active in the Foursquare Assn. of Christian Schools and worked in the National Assn. of Christian Schools. A hands-on school administrator, Plies bought a bus for her schools and church in 1953 and flew to Indiana to drive it to California herself. On Sunday in Riverside.