Draft

This blog is being posted from the viewpoint of my having had a very blessed life and being privileged to have lived through an awesome period of history. A quick overview of youth you see that I lived at some 74 addresses before entering high school, hence my early education was much like a dog's breakfast, or to say it another way, it was somewhat either mixed up or lacking.

My next to last school was Encino Grammar School, and as you might guess, in Encino Calif. At this two room school there were 5 of us in the seventh grade, and the next year we moved over a row of seats and there were five of us in the eighth grade. I tended Canoga Park High School while living on a dirt street, Orion Ave in Sherman Oaks. this made for a long bus ride. I graduated the summer of 1946 with out missing a day of school (except when rains flooded the valley and there was no school) and it was the largest class in the school's long history, There were 72 of us as I recall.

Instead of taking over my father's contracting business in the valley, as was expected of the only son, I chose to go to college. I attended LACC, with an engineering major. This I truly enjoyed. But a good friend, Dr. William N. Cooper had opted for a Bible School in Seattle, named Simpson, and his letters were go glowing about the school, and his growth in faith, I chose to follow him.

I graduated from Simpson in 1950. My first job there was washing pots and pans. I did move up to washing dishes by the end of my first year. Second year, I was the night watchman. My senior year I was made the assistant dean of men.

My vocational aim was to go to the Mission field. This goal was to use the construction skills I had under the operating engineers. This was to be under the C&MA (Christian and Missionary Alliance) the largest of the mission boards at that time. My major was Bible, including 2 years of Greek and Missions. I was accepted by the board but chose to go on and finish my college education.

The college I chose was Taylor University in Upland Indiana. Having sold my three cars I had at that time, one for work in heavy construction, one for competition (speed) and one for dating, I hitch hiked to Indiana. Arriving in the evening and a little bit intimidated, I slept in a car and faced the University the next day in daylight.

In the first weeks there I met the answer to my prayers. Having given up most dating in Bible School, I within a month met Ruth Dixon, who sang like an angel, and I was had. I told someone that I was a celibate, and Ruth hearing this, bless her, didn't believe that.


With a Psychology major, trying to play football, and working my way through, washing dishes and then working nights for RCA, graduated in two years. At this time I informed the C&MA that I was ready to be sent by the mission board, and told them about my engagement to Ruth, who was a Methodist Minister's daughter. Ruth was willing to go with me to the mission field, but wanted to remain a Methodist. I received a reply that stated I was no long an accepted candidate. We were married by her father in Detroit, two days after graduating in Indiana together.


Because I received a full scholarship to Emory, Candler School of theology. I had a great year under some truly gifted and dedicated professors. I worked 40 hours a week at night in the Atlanta Fulton Tower jail. There I saw the hard and ugly underside of the South.

Once in a while I would fill in for other student pastors who were appointed to a circuit but could not cover them all on any given Sunday. I think the problem was that I was an outlander Yankee and no student parishes were opened to me. We lived in a trailer in a turnip field. Our first son, Mark Leroy was born during this time. Eight days into his life Mark had lost weight and he looked like a frail old man. This was caused by a valve at the base of his stomach that was closed and no food was getting through. In short, he was starving to death.


A class mate, Jim Wall, now of Christan Century fame, working as a youth minister had his youth group raise the money for the operation that saved Mark's life. The operation cost $75.00 which I did not have. This was truly a hard,painful time.


Ruth visited her sister up in New Jersey and while there she heard about a church being open.

She called me and we derided to move to New Jersey. Blessed and blessed again, I got a full scholarship to Drew University. The down side was they would give me no credit for the years work at Emory. The Church was Atco Methodist dating from 1858. Our first Sunday morning we went to the obvious Church in Atco, and announced to the usher at the front door that we were the newly appointed pastor and wife.

He looked a bit shocked, and the priest came to the door and informed us that this was a Roman Catholic Church, and the Methodist church was around the corner.

It was a three appointment circuit. Atco, (city church) Sicklerville (country church) and Tansburo (very country church whose membership was down to five, and was a neighborhood that was mostly black and they said no blacks would be allowed to enter into their church. I never held a service in three years in Tansburo. We had a great time with the other two. NO, make that a wonderful time.

I did try to transfer to Princeton, as I drove by it each week on my way to Drew, and I was accepted, but no scholarship was offered and our salary was $1500 from Atco and $500 a year from Scicklerville, so I denied them my attendance.