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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Social reformer Stella Fuller (December 4, 1883-March 2, 1981) was a familiar face in Huntington for more than 70 years. She was born Stella Lawrence Cremeans in Point Pleasant and grew up in rural Mason County. At age 19 she went to Huntington, where she attended business school. After graduation she moved to Welch to work for a law firm. She returned to Huntington after marrying Elmer Fuller in 1907.
Attracted by the religious and charitable programs of the Salvation Army, Fuller began attending services and volunteering her skills. Eventually she was hired as a part-time secretary. As she became more devoted to her Salvation Army career, she and her son moved into an apartment in the Citadel building, where she lived for 20 years.
Fuller left the Salvation Army in January 1943 and opened her relief operation on Huntington’s Washington Avenue. Eventually, the Stella Fuller Settlement expanded into a haven for the disadvantaged and homeless. The Stella Fuller Settlement ceased operations in 2009, and the building that housed it burned in 2012.
Written by Joseph Platania
Platania, Joseph. Actions Louder than Words: Remembering Stella Fuller. Goldenseal, (Fall 1986).
Platania, Joseph. Angel of Huntington: The Stella Fuller Story. Huntington Quarterly, (Autumn 1993).
Whear, Nancy. "Stella Lawrence Fuller," in , Missing Chapters: West Virginia Women in History. Charleston: West Virginia Women's Commission & the Humanities Foundation of West Virginia, 1983.