To the surprise of many – not least to himself – Dr Trumper lived to become an octogenarian. Although housebound with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for the last 25 years, his life was fascinating, memorable and glorifying to God.
Born in Chatham, Kent, on 28 July, 1934, he spent his earliest days in Cardiff. Taught by George Thomas, the future Speaker of the House of Commons, he became Dean Scholar of the choir at Llandaff Cathedral, and entered the College of Music at Cardiff Castle. During these years he made records in the HMV studio in London, sung on radio, and went on to debut in film and to appear in various theatres in England.
Yet, disaffected by the spiritual life of the cathedral, he turned atheist by his late teens. In 1954, however, a college production in which he was to play Jesus was shelved under the courageous influence of fellow student Maureen Jenkins (later Maureen Gilmore, missionary to Sicily). The boycott led to a lifelong fascination with the written and living Word of God (John 5.39) – a fascination he conveyed to acquaintances like Anthony Hopkins, whom he took to hear Dr J. Sidlow Baxter.
