Mr. Purnell was educated at Kent School in Kent, CT, received his B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.A. from Goddard College, and an M.A.R. from Berkeley Divinity School at Yale. Ordained deacon in 1993 and priest in 1994, he worked as Curate at St. Paul’s Church in Riverside, CT from 1993 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) and along the Gulf Coast.

Mr. Purnell taught school for six years before moving to his farm in Freedom, Maine where he lived for eight years in simple elegance and elegant simplicity. 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 came 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 is the author of Through Mark’s Eyes, A Portrait of Jesus Based on the Gospel of Mark which is published by Abingdon Press and available in September of 2006. He has also privately published A Sampler of Poems.

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.