Baker, William (1928-1993)

Born on August 22, 1928, in Ruleville, Mississippi. Baker relocated to St. Louis, Missouri, to live with his maternal uncle, Earnest Cannon following the death of his parents. It was in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was taught and baptized by Evangelist Leroy Durley. He then attended the Manchester School of Preaching and married the former Cleaster Sylvia Dunigan on July 1, 1950. To this union one son was born. On June 24, 1951, William Baker was ordained by Brother Durley and began preaching for a small mission congregation at the Mary Martin Center in East St. Louis, Illinois. With the blessings of the Lord, this work became the largest African American Church of Christ in Southern Illinois. Today, this congregation is known as the Centreville Church of Christ. In the fall of 1952, William entered the United States Air Force and served with distinction for eight years. He spent the remainder of his military duty at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois, while at the same time establishing the Logan Street Church of Christ in Madison, Illinois. Upon his departure from the Logan Street congregation in the early 1960s, the family moved to Muncie, Indiana. In the year 1964, he relocated again to Louisville, Kentucky, and began working with the Beech Street Church of Christ, now known as the West Broadway Church of Christ. Because of the need to expand the Lord’s kingdom, he established the Newburg Church of Christ in the year 1967. 

William Baker was a voracious reader of many religious materials. He possessed an enormous library which contained the works of Alexander Campbell, Barton W. Stone, Karl Ketcherside, J. W. McGarvey, and others. His community involvement included serving on numerous boards in the greater Louisville area. In the year 1987, he was commissioned by the Governor of Kentucky as an official “Kentucky Colonel.” William Baker departed this life peacefully at his home on the afternoon of February 17, 1993.

Bowers, Dr. Calvin H. (1932-2014)

Born in Selmer, Tennessee. Calvin H. Bowers was the eighth child of Ollie Bowers’ nine children. While attending Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, Bowers was hired by the Figueroa Church of Christ as the Minister of Education and was later named as an Associate Minister. From 1967 to 1969, Bowers served as Academic Dean of Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas. Bowers returned to Pepperdine and served as Dean of Ethnic and Urban Studies from 1969 to 1976. He served as Director of Equal Opportunity and Professor of Communication and Religion from 1976 to 2004. He also served as special assistant to the president of Pepperdine. 

Bowers continued his education at Pepperdine earning two Masters degrees before completing a Doctorate in 1981 at the University of Southern California. From 1994 to 2010, he served as the successor to Dr. R. N. Hogan in the pulpit of the Figueroa congregation. Bowers authored two books during his career as an educator and Minister. The first book is entitled Realizing the California Dream: A History of the African American Churches of Christ in Los Angeles from 1902 to 2000. The second book is entitled Ollie’s Kids: A Family’s Journey. Minister Calvin H. Bowers passed away in the city Los Angeles, California, after a lengthy illness on August 8, 2014, at the age of 82.

Busby, Thomas H. (1878-1970)

Born in Little Rock, Arkansas. T. H. Busby was baptized into the body of Christ at nineteen years of age and began preaching soon thereafter. With a strong desire to better prepare himself for the ministry, Thomas H. Busby entered the Silver Point Bible School in 1914, under the supervision and guidance of G. P. Bowser. T. H. Busby was the father of Olivia Busby Holt and father-in-law of Dr. G. P. Holt, Sr. As a contemporary of G. P. Bowser and Marshall Keeble, Busby was indeed a preacher who “made it plain” when it came to proclaiming the Word of God. Busby preached just as it is written, day by day and year by year. Before his death in 1970, Busby served congregations and performed local work in the states of Tennessee, Alabama, Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi, and Michigan.

Butler, James Milton Sr. (1914-1989)

Born in Stillwater, Oklahoma. J. M. Butler, Sr., was the son of John Henry and Grace Butler. At the age of two his family moved to Wichita, Kansas, where he grew to manhood. In 1932 when Butler was about seventeen years old, he was singing in the choir of the Christian Church of which his parents were members, when he noticed two men walk into the building and take seats on the front row. These two men were Marshall Keeble and Luke Miller. Keeble was conducting a gospel meeting in Wichita at the time. Keeble invited the entire Christian Church congregation to attend the meeting and Butler along with his friend Russell H. Moore accepted the invitation. After listening to Keeble preach the gospel, both Butler and Moore obeyed the gospel and became members of the Church of Christ. In 1937, Butler married the former Hattie Mae Gardner of Muskogee, Oklahoma, and thus began his stellar career as a distinguished Evangelist. James M. Butler, Sr., served congregations in Texas, Oklahoma, Oakland, California, and most notably, the Uptown Church of Christ in San Francisco, California.

Cassius, Amos Lincoln (1890-1982)

Born in Sigourney, Iowa. Amos L. Cassius was a graduate of Tuskegee Institute. He entered Tuskegee Institute in 1906, spending four years of study there while Booker T. Washington was president. He was baptized into the body of Christ in 1910, and in 1919, his family moved from Douglas, Oklahoma, to Los Angeles, California. Amos and his father Samuel R. Cassius established the first African American Church of Christ in California in the 1920s. For a period of time A. L. Cassius was in the grocery business and then he became a building contractor. It was in 1930, when A. L. Cassius began to preach the gospel almost full-time. He established congregations in Los Angeles, Elisnore, Bakersfield, and Fresno, California. He was also instrumental in constructing church buildings in Hobbs, New Mexico; Phoenix, Shandler, and Tucson, Arizona; Denver, Colorado; Clearview and Bristow Oklahoma; Amarillo and El Paso, Texas; and Seattle, Washington. He assisted many throughout the brotherhood in raising funds and often worked with his own hands until the buildings were completed. He served as Minister to the Compton Avenue Church of Christ in Los Angeles, California, for over forty years.

Christman, A. C. Sr. (1930-1989)

Born in Caldwell, Texas, to the parents of Ollie and Ruby Christman. A. C. Christman, Sr., was one of the first students to enroll at Southwestern Christian College. At the young age of eighteen, he was encouraged to preach the gospel of Christ by Dr. J. S. Winston. In the year 1954, he met and later married Ida Clark. To this union six children were born. Christman served congregations in Delhi, Louisiana; Seattle, Washington; Lubbock, Texas; and Tulsa, Oklahoma. In the year 1981, he and his family moved to Dallas, Texas, where he began working with what was then known as the Hatcher Street Church of Christ. Because of his visionary and dedicated leadership skills, the congregation grew rapidly and in 1985, the new Southern Hills Church of Christ edifice was constructed. A. C. Christman preached in over twenty states, including regional and national lectureships. He was an Executive Board member of Southwestern Christian College and Chairman of the National Lectureship Advisory Committee from 1972 to 1988. Christman was active in numerous civic affairs in Dallas, Texas, and served as an Advisory Council Member for the public school board in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He departed this life on October 20, 1989. 

Cothron, James Lorenzo (1904-1985)

Born in Norcross, Georgia, on January 10, 1904. James L. Cothron obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ under the preaching influence of Marshall Keeble and similar to F. L. Thompson, he began preaching in 1932. The first congregation to employ Brother Cothron as a regular Minister was the Church of Christ in Bradenton, Florida. He established the congregation at College Park, Georgia, and also in his hometown at Norcross, Georgia. Later he was called to Jacksonville, Florida, where he established a congregation at Orange Park; approximately twelve miles from Jacksonville. Cothron preached with great zeal and fervor during his ministry which subsequently led him to Wichita Falls, Texas, where the membership exceeded over two-hundred fifty persons. Brother James L. Cothron proved himself to be a man of great courage and determination promoting the cause of Christ. He passed away in Norcross, Georgia, in the year 1985.  

English, Dennis M. (1874-1966)

Born in Hickman County, Tennessee. D. M. English was the younger brother of Alex D. English and the maternal uncle of both Levi Kennedy, Jr., and Paul D. English, Sr. Dennis M. English was baptized into the body of Christ in the year 1902 and began preaching the gospel soon thereafter. Among the many students he personally mentored for the preaching ministry was A. C. Holt (first president of Nashville Christian Institute), Marion F. Holt, and Robert V. Simmons. During the course of his illustrious ministerial career, D. M. English labored for some of the largest congregations in the brotherhood. These included Jefferson Street in Nashville, Tennessee; West Adair in Valdosta, Georgia; Cameron Avenue in Detroit, Michigan; and the Klondyke Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. English passed away in April 1966.

English, Paul Dunbar Sr. (1910-1940)

Born in Dickson County, Tennessee. Paul Dunbar English was the first cousin of Levi Kennedy, Jr., and the nephew of Dennis M. English. He was baptized at the Jackson Street Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee, and began preaching as a young teenager. Paul D. English, Sr., became one of the most renowned gospel preachers in the African American Church of Christ. In the year 1940 at the height of the historical Harlem Renaissance, he courageously debated the infamous “Father Divine” in New York City, and established the Harlem Church of Christ within one week. Although the life of Paul D. English, Sr., was abruptly curtailed due to an unfortunate tragedy, his legacy continues as a stalwart defender of the faith. Before his untimely death on July 30, 1940, he authored a book entitled Religion.

Evans, Dr. Charles Sr. (1932-2013)

Born on March 28, 1932, in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He was the youngest child of four children all of whom preceded him in death. After completing his early education in the Rankin County Public School System in Mississippi, Charles was united in marriage to Lillie Ruth Singleton in the year 1949. To this union five children were born. In the early 1950s, Charles relocated to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he became employed at Allis Chalmers. He also shared ownership of a television repair shop with his brother William and a mutual friend. He continued his education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where he earned a bachelors and masters degree. To complete his education, Charles matriculated magna cum laude from California Coast University earning a Doctor of Education degree. He concluded his professional teaching career as an educator in the Milwaukee Public School System. 

While working for Allis Chalmers in the 1950s, Charles met Brother James McGowin who led him to the Lord. In time, Charles was baptized into the body of Christ and was subsequently ordained to the gospel ministry by Levi Kennedy, Jr., Jesse S. Pace, and James McGowin. Dr. Evans labored with McGowin at the Northside Church of Christ and was instrumental in bringing the late John O. Williams to the city of Milwaukee. In the early 1960s, with the encouragement of Brother Williams, Dr. Evans began his own ministry and established the Midwest Church of Christ. After experiencing a series of health related issues, Dr. Charles Evans, Sr., departed this life on Sunday, July 28, 2013.

Foulkes, Norris Walker (1897-1987)

Born in Hickman County, Tennessee. Norris Foulkes was baptized into the body of Christ at the Swan Creek Church of Christ in Hickman County, Tennessee. In 1947, Norris W. Foulkes was ordained and sent by Levi Kennedy, Jr., to Robbins, Illinois, where he became the second African American to serve as Minister to the Robbins Church of Christ; the first being Fred Tom Lymon of Hampshire, Tennessee, and uncle of recording artist Frankie Lymon. Norris Foulkes had a profound love for the Word of God, especially the Greek New Testament. Because of his keen in-depth knowledge of the Scripture, Foulkes was highly regarded throughout the brotherhood as a reliable resource on many questions pertaining to the book of Revelation. Men such as G. P. Holt, R. N. Hogan, Levi Kennedy, Jr., Jesse S. Pace, John O. Williams, and Robert M. Woods, would frequently consult with Foulkes when it came to the “mystique of the Apocalypse.” After his retirement from active pulpit duty in 1984, he served as Minister Emeritus and spiritual adviser to the Robbins Church of Christ until his death on June 9, 1987.

Foutz, Humphrey (1933-2006)

Born in Mexia, Texas, to the parents of George and Alma Foutz. Humphrey Foutz was reared a devout Catholic and attended Xavier University, a Jesuit university in New Orleans, Louisiana. He was later baptized into the body of Christ in Dallas, Texas, under the preaching influence of Dr. John Henry Clay. Foutz preached the gospel of Christ for over fifty years and in thirty-four states across the nation. He served congregations in Dallas and San Antonio, Texas, with his most pronounced work of forty-eight years taking place in Baltimore, Maryland. Under his leadership congregations were established in Wilmington, Delaware; Cambridge and Annapolis, Maryland; and York, Pennsylvania. 

As a distinguished national Evangelist, Foutz preached on the Herald of Truth television series and Campus Evangelism Seminars on several occasions. He also served as keynote speaker at such notable institutions as Southwestern Christian College, Rochester College (formerly Michigan Christian College), Northeastern Christian College, Abilene Christian University, and Pepperdine University. According to Foutz, his most unique speaking experience occurred when he was asked to give a lecture in a Jewish synagogue in Baltimore. Evangelist Humphrey Foutz was a member of the Southwestern Christian College Board of Directors and the National Lectureship Executive Committee. He also authored a book entitled Preaching to a Decision. Foutz passed away April 13, 2006, after encountering several health issues. 

Ghant, Duel Sr. (1916-2004)

Born in Hickman County, Duck River, Tennessee. Duel Ghant, Sr., was baptized when he was 13 years old at the Catheys Creek Church of Christ in Maury County, Tennessee. He was a founding member of the National Youth Conference in addition to being a great song leader and Bible instructor. At one time Brother Ghant served as Assistant Minister of the Michigan Avenue Church of Christ and Senior Minister to both the Dorr Street Church of Christ in Toledo, Ohio, and the West Adair Church of Christ in Valdosta, Georgia.

Upon returning to Chicago, Duel Ghant, Sr., was commissioned by Levi Kennedy, Jr., a distant cousin on the Kennedy side of their respective families to establish the Maywood Church of Christ in Maywood, Illinois. Duel Ghant, Sr., served the Maywood congregation as the Senior Minister for 37 years before his retirement from pulpit responsibilities in 1999. He continued to serve as Minister Emeritus until his death.

Duel Ghant, Sr., was a member of the National Lectureship Advisory Committee; the Midwest Youth Conference Advisory Committee; and the Midwest Lectureship Advisory Committee. At one point he served as the lead teacher for the United Mens' Bible Class of Greater Chicago. Evangelist Duel Ghant, Sr., was a great supporter of Christian education, particularly Southwestern Christian College. 

Gibbs, S. T. W. Gibbs Sr. (1899-1978)

Born in Jacksonville, Florida. Shelton T. W. Gibbs, Sr., was baptized into the body of Christ during a tent meeting held by Marshall Keeble in the year 1927. Brother Gibbs once stated that he owed much of his ministerial success to brothers Marshall Keeble, Luke Miller, and John R. Vaughner, who taught and inspired him in the work of the Lord. S. T. W. Gibbs, Sr., served congregations in Plant City, Lakeland, Bartow, and Haines City, Florida. He also performed local work in the cities of Birmingham, Alabama, Corsicana, Ennis, and Dallas, Texas. At the climax of his exhaustive preaching career during the mid 1960s, Shelton T. W. Gibbs, Sr., labored for the Midwest Church of Christ on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois.

Gibbs, S. T. W. Gibbs Jr. (1926-2003)

Born in Tampa, Florida. S. T. W. Gibbs, Jr., began preaching at the age of nine. He spent a great deal of time traveling with his father, Shelton T. W. Gibbs, Sr., a pioneer gospel preacher. S. T. W. Gibbs Jr., possessed the God-given ability of sermonizing and making his sermons come alive when he presented them. He served congregations in Charleston, West Virginia; Ardmore, Oklahoma; Van Alystyne, Texas; and Fort Worth, Texas. Brother Otis Coats inspired him to preach his first sermon in Corsicana, Texas, and one young lady obeyed the gospel of Christ. As a student at Nashville Christian Institute, Gibbs received further ministerial development from Marshall Keeble and John O. Williams. S. T. W. Gibbs, Jr., was one of the first preachers in our fellowship to have his sermons mass produced in album format. These albums are entitled “Going Home Without Jesus,” “The Minister, His Support and Security in Retirement,” and “God With Us.” He also authored a book entitled The Second Generation which discusses his life and contains eleven classic sermons. Shelton T. W. Gibbs, Jr., passed away on July 17, 2003, in Tarrant County of Fort Worth, Texas.

Grimsley, Christopher Columbus (1908-1973)

Born in Colquitt, Georgia. C. C. Grimsley was the sixth child of Bolden and Lula Grimsley in a family of nine children. He attended school in Miller County, Georgia, and at the age of nineteen his parents moved to Florida. In 1930, he met and married Mattie Mae Eutsey in Cross City, Florida. Several years later Grimsley relocated to Bradenton, Florida, where he obeyed the gospel. After becoming a Minister in the Church of Christ, Grimsley traveled across the brotherhood for over forty-two years sharing the good news of salvation while establishing several congregations. He served as Minister of the Golden Heights Church of Christ in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for thirteen years and remained actively engaged in the Lord’s work until his death on August 6, 1973. 

Harper, Dr. Cardie Lewis (1927-2007)

Born in Tate County, Mississippi. Cardie Lewis Harper was baptized into the body of Christ in the year 1939 under the preaching influence of Levi Kennedy, Jr. He received his initial ministerial instruction from Levi Kennedy, Jr., and other notable evangelists such as G. P. Holt, S. T. W. Gibbs, Sr., Jesse Pace, and John Oscar Williams. With unfaltering faith and undeniable courage, Cardie L. Harper along with 13 dedicated saints, established the Pulaski Road Church of Christ on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, in December of 1960. After experiencing phenomenal growth, in 1966 the congregation acquired their present edifice at 4400 West Maypole Avenue and became known as the Maypole Avenue Church of Christ. In an effort to provide the congregation with superlative ministry administration and leadership, Cardie L. Harper completed advanced studies at the Midwestern Christian Institute in Mount Clemens, Michigan, where the Doctor of Religious Education degree was conferred upon him in 1992. After serving the Maypole Church of Christ for a period of forty-one years, Dr. Harper retired from pulpit responsibilities in 2002. Let it be said that Dr. Cardie L. Harper was without question a “preacher’s preacher” and a genuine “Sir Galahad of God.” He departed this life on the morning of January 11, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois.

Holt, Andrew Clarence (A. C.) (1891-1979)

Born in Marshall County, Tennessee. Andrew Clarence Holt was the son of Gibson and Ophelia McBride Holt. He was baptized into the body of Christ under the preaching influence of A. J. Kelsee and later received his training for the ministry by Evangelist D. M. English. In 1925, A. C. Holt preached his first sermon and in 1933 he was called to Memphis, Tennessee, for the first time to conduct a series of gospel meetings. Holt established three congregations in the Memphis area and one in Mason, Tennessee, a few miles East of Memphis. In 1940, he began working at Nashville Christian Institute along with his brother Marion Francis Holt. A. C. Holt holds the distinction of being the first president of NCI and served in this position for three consecutive years. It was under his administration that NCI received its accreditation and became recognized by the Tennessee State Department of Education. A. C. Holt labored in several cities during his evangelistic career. These included Mount Clemens, Michigan; New York City, New York; and the Jefferson Street Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee. A. C. Holt went home to be with the Lord in 1979.  

Holt, Dr. George Philip Sr. (1923-2001)

Born in Rutherford County, Tennessee. George Philip Holt, Sr., was the son of Marion F. Holt, the brother of Marion V. Holt, the nephew of A. C. Holt, the son in-law of T. H. Busby, and the grandson of G. P. Bowser. His father, brother, father in-law, uncle, and grandfather, were each widely renowned gospel preachers in the Church of Christ. Holt was baptized in the year 1937 under the preaching influence of Paul D. English, Sr., and began preaching in 1939. He received his early ministerial training at the Bowser Christian Institute under the tutelage of his maternal grandfather G. P. Bowser. The Kingsley Terrace Church of Christ in Indianapolis, Indiana, was built single-handedly by the labor and sacrifices of G. P. Holt. Among the many articles and books authored by this internationally acclaimed “Bell Ringer of Truth” are Sources of Sunshine and Adventist Doctrine Upset. Holt was selected by the Chicago area Ministers in 1979, to become the first “Crusade for Christ” speaker. Furthermore, G. P. Holt successfully defended the gospel in several debates with the Adventist, Baptist, and Church of God denominations. Because of his love for Christian education and undying dedication to the cause of Jesus Christ, a Doctorate of Humane Letters was conferred upon Evangelist G. P. Holt, Sr., by Southwestern Christian College.  

Holt, Marion Francis (1893-1982)

Born in Marshall County, Tennessee. Marion Francis Holt was the son of Gibson and Ophelia McBride Holt. In the year 1919, Holt was united in marriage to Thelma Morgan Bowser of Louisville, Kentucky, the daughter of G. P. Bowser. To this union six children were born. M. F. Holt was baptized into the body of Christ under the preaching influence of Evangelist D. M. English. Furthermore, he was the younger brother of A. C. Holt a gospel preacher and the father of G. P. Holt and Marion V. Holt who were gospel preachers as well. It has been said that Marion F. Holt was one of the few Ministers who could appeal to the hearts of men and women of all ages. Whenever he delivered a sermon, Holt would always place himself on a common level with his hearers using such simplicity that even a child could understand. For a number of years M. F. Holt taught elementary school in the city of Richmond, Tennessee. In 1926, he began to preach on a regular basis and served as Minister of the Jefferson Street (now Schrader Lane) Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee. Under his wise and proficient leadership, the congregation grew to become one of the largest in the brotherhood. When Nashville Christian Institute opened its doors in 1940, Marion Francis Holt became its first teacher. He passed away in the year 1982 while residing in Detroit, Michigan.

Holt, Marion Vincent (1927-1987)

Born in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Marion Vincent Holt was the son of Marion F. Holt, the brother of G. P. Holt, Sr., the nephew of A. C. Holt, and the grandson of G. P. Bowser. His father, brother, uncle, and grandfather, were each renowned gospel preachers in the Church of Christ. Marion V. Holt began preaching in the year 1952 at the Westside Church of Christ in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, and Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas. Holt preached and labored for several congregations during his pronounced ministry. These included the Figueroa Church of Christ in Los Angeles, California, as an Associate Minister to R. N. Hogan; Minister of the Tonto Church of Christ in Phoenix, Arizona, and Minister of the Swope Parkway Church of Christ in Kansas City, Missouri. Marion Vincent Holt passed away in the year 1987 while residing in Kansas City, Missouri.

Hutton, Jules, Sr. (1921-2016) "The Death of a Prophet" (I Samuel 25:1) - This Special Commentary is Given On Behalf of the Late Dr. Jules Hutton, Sr., Who Was the Oldest Living Preacher in the African American Church of Christ.  

It is interesting to note that the Scripture never says anything negative about the prophet Samuel. Instead, it describes him as being a true man of God and a man of prayer. He spent his early life in Shiloh and learned to listen to the voice of God’s Holy Spirit. As the first and senior prophet of Israel, Samuel is credited with establishing the first school of the prophets (I Samuel 19:20) and it is likely that he organized the requirements of the servant and priests as well ceremonies for the same.
 
When Samuel died at the age of ninety-eight, all of Israel mourned his death and many turned out to see him buried in the grounds of his own family home in Ramah. The record of the Bible states:
 
“And Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And David arose, and went down to the wilderness of Paran” (I Samuel 25:1).
 
Based upon the above text, there is reason to believe that David and Saul were both in attendance at Samuel’s funeral. Knowing Saul’s intention following the death of Samuel, many scholars believe that David went into the wilderness of Paran and wrote Psalm 120 which says:
 
“In my distress I cried unto the LORD, and he heard me. Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.”
 
Somewhat similar to Samuel the senior prophet of Israel who died at ninety-eight years of age, on September 16, 2016, God called home Dr. Jules Hutton, Sr., the senior prophet among the African American Church of Christ at the age of ninety-five. After his retirement from active pulpit responsibilities, Dr. Hutton served as Minister Emeritus to the Harvey Church of Christ in Harvey, Illinois, and was considered to be the “Dean of Preachers” not only in the Chicago area but across the entire brotherhood.
 
In like manner, whereas all of Israel mourned the passing of Samuel and many attended his funeral, the African American Church of Christ mourned the passing of Dr. Jules Hutton and many attended his funeral also. Preachers from across nation gathered at the Harvey Church of Christ on Saturday, September 24, 2016, to offer their support and condolences on behalf of this great man of God. Resolutions were sent by Dr. R. C. Wells, Advisory Committee Chairman for the Churches of Christ National Lectureship, in addition to Dr. W. F. Washington, Founder of the Ministers’ Institute Conference (MIC) and Executive Committee Chairman for the Churches of Christ National Lectureship. A resolution was also provided by Dr. David C. Penn, Lead Teacher for the United Bible Class of Greater Chicago.
 
Jules Hutton was born on February 21, 1921 in Merigold, (Bolivar County) Mississippi, not far from Cleveland, Mississippi. He heard and obeyed the gospel of Christ in 1949, as it was proclaimed by the late A. J. Colston in Clarksdale, Mississippi. After submitting himself to water baptism and the Lordship of Jesus Christ, he found great joy in walking six miles to worship service every Sunday Day morning.
 
Dr. Hutton was so zealous about the gospel that he wore out six Bibles in one year. In 1956, he began preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and surrounding communities. In the year 1957, the Hutton family relocated to Chicago, Illinois, where he continued to preach and lead lost souls to Christ.
 
While the prophet Samuel is credited with establishing the first school of the prophets, on February 17, 1959, Jules Hutton is credited with establishing the Harvey Church of Christ in his home located at 515 Bell Court in Phoenix, Illinois. Dr. Hutton was indeed a man of God and a man of prayer who loved the Lord. His undying dedication to Jesus Christ and the cross enabled him to spend countless hours sharing the message of salvation throughout the nation and greater Chicago.
 
Let it be clearly understood that the measure of a life is not in its “duration” but in its “donation.” Therefore, when we give serious thought to Dr. Hutton’s donation, what he contributed, what he deposited and what he invested… we have much to be thankful for!
 
David C. Penn, Ed.S., Ph.D.

Ivory, Robert L. Sr. (1933-2014)

 Robert L. Ivory, Sr., was born on November 10, 1933, in Hardaway, Alabama, to the late Lee Allen Ivory and Queen Esther Ivory. As a young man he was baptized at the Haines City Church of Christ in Haines City, Florida. He attended Macon County Training School in Roba, Alabama, and began his ministry in 1963, at the Pughsville Church of Christ in Pughsville, Florida. Brother Ivory continued his ministry as Senior Minister to the Westside Church of Christ in Birmingham, Alabama, where he labored until his death. For nearly four decades, Ivory served as co-manager and vocalist for the Inner-City Singers of Birmingham, Alabama. Known throughout the entire brotherhood as an accomplished singer and preacher, Brother Ivory took great pride in rendering one of his favorite selections entitled “Hard Fighting Soldier.”  Evangelist Robert L. Ivory, Sr., was called to eternal rest while at home on October 19, 2014.

Kennedy, Levi Albert Sr. (1846-1911)

Born on June 26, 1846, in Maury County, Tennessee. Levi A. Kennedy, Sr., was a former slave and gospel preacher in the early African American Church of Christ. He was commissioned to the ministry in 1879 by Nathan Cathey and Jefferson Bennett who served as elders of the Pleasant Union Church of Christ in Maury County, along with Evangelist Frank Sowell. Nathan Cathey was the maternal grandfather of R. N. Hogan and Frank Sowell was the maternal grandfather of G. P. Bowser. Levi Albert Kennedy, Sr., was the father of Levi Kennedy, Jr., of Chicago, Illinois; the brother in-law of Dennis M. English and the uncle of Paul D. English, Sr., each of whom distinguished themselves as gospel preachers. Following the Civil War, Levi A. Kennedy, Sr., relocated to Hickman County, Tennessee, where he established the Centerville Church of Christ among African Americans in Centerville, Tennessee. 

As a circuit preacher, Kennedy would travel by horseback each Sunday preaching the good news of Christ in places such as Lewis County, Giles County, Williamson County, and Marshall County; in addition to congregations at Fort Cooper, Center Star, Dry Fork, and Arrow Rock. L. A. Kennedy, Sr., learned how to read and write by the fireside at night. He did not have many books or a library, but most of the older preachers at this time such as Bill Phillips, George Hamilton, Peter Russell, Sam Womack, and his two nephews James Ghant and Lee Kennedy; they studied the Bible each evening and almost knew it by memory. Levi Albert Kennedy, Sr., departed this life on March 29, 1911, in Hickman County, Tennessee, at the age of sixty-four after experiencing a brief illness.
        
Locke, Cathey C. (1911-1979)

Born in Tate County, Mississippi. C. C. Locke was baptized into the body of Christ under the preaching influence of Marshall Keeble. He later moved to the city of Memphis, Tennessee, in 1936 and began preaching in the year 1937. Much of the spread of Christianity throughout all of East Texas and the entire Mississippi Delta can be attributed to the evangelistic efforts of C. C. Locke. His zeal for the cause of Christ and love for the people of God made Cathey C. Locke an exemplary Evangelist among his many contemporaries. Cathey C. Locke passed away on December 4, 1979. He was also in attendance at the first National Lectureship held in 1945.

McGill, J. Frank (1927-1983)

Born in Hickman County, Tennessee. John Frank McGill was the son of Edmund Lewis McGill and the brother Graham McGill who still preaches for the Church of Christ in Union City, Tennessee. In the year 1941, Frank (as he was referred to) married Mary T. Scates of Hickman County, Tennessee, and moved to Louisville, Kentucky. To this union four children were born whose names are Elizabeth (Betty), Claudia, Dewayne, and Deborah. He began preaching for the Midwest Church of Christ located in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1950, and served this congregation until his death in October 1983. J. Frank McGill conducted gospel meetings in Kentucky, Tennessee, Florida, Georgia, Texas, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, Illinois, Arkansas, and Michigan. He was frequently called to speak on lectureships both regionally and nationally, including those held at Southwestern Christian College. Known as staunch defender of the faith, McGill enabled the Midwest Church of Christ to become one of the most thriving congregations in the brotherhood. 

Miller, Luke (1904-1962)

Born in Limestone County, Alabama. After the death of his father, Miller and his mother relocated to Decatur, Alabama. At the age of nineteen Miller married Mattie Lee Ballentine, a young lady he had known for quite some time. Soon after they were married, she too obeyed the gospel and Miller began having worship services in his home each Lord’s Day. The first sermon Luke Miller gave to an audience of any size took place in a gospel meeting conducted by Marshall Keeble in Florence, Alabama. Miller said that he studied hard and prepared a sermon that should have taken thirty minutes to deliver. But he became so excited by the crowd, that he preached his sermon in only three minutes. Having traveled extensively with Keeble as a song leader, Miller was then called to Port Arthur, Texas. After spending thirteen years in Port Arthur, Texas, he began full-time evangelistic work in 1947. Luke Miller was an outstanding Minister for the Lord’s Church in the states of Florida, Georgia, and Texas. In a career which spanned over thirty years, he established well over 100 congregations and baptized over 10,000 souls. He passed away in Dade County, Florida, in February, 1962. He was also in attendance at the first National Lectureship in 1945.

Mitchell, Dr. Kelly K. (1928-1998)

Born in Newman, Georgia. K. K. Mitchell, Sr., was baptized into the body of Christ at an early age and became one of the most articulate Ministers in the brotherhood. His eloquent and extensive biblical knowledge were known and revered from the sunlit beaches of Florida and California, to the crisp fresh air of New England. He shared the good news of Christ in almost every state in the Continental United States including Hawaii. The preaching ministry of Kelly K. Mitchell spanned for more than a half century; commencing at Nashville Christian Institute and culminating at the Southside Church of Christ in Montgomery, Alabama. Mitchell received his undergraduate and graduate education from Fisk University and Alabama Christian School of Religion. He was awarded the prestigious Doctor of Divinity Honoris Causa from the Missionary School of Religion in Houston, Texas. He authored a book based upon his signature sermon entitled, The Power of Innocent Blood which he delivered in 1985 at the 41st Annual National Lectureship in Chicago, Illinois. He also co-authored a book on church leadership. 

Dr. K. K. Mitchell first stood in a Montgomery, Alabama, pulpit on Sunday, January 2, 1955. He was active in the Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and a staunch supporter of both the Montgomery Bus Boycott and Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). He was also involved in the historical 1965 March from Selma to Montgomery, offering transportation assistance and housing to fellow participants in the march across Edmund Pettus Bridge. In recognition of his many years of devotion to the city of Montgomery, Alabama, Mayor Emory Folmar therefore proclaimed August 4, 1996, as “DR. K. K. MITCHELL DAY.” On August 8, 1996, Fob James the Governor of Alabama signed a certificate of appreciation in recognition of Dr. Mitchell’s service to the Church and Montgomery. Before his death in 1998, Dr. K. K. Mitchell who was called “The Prince of Preachers,” he received a letter of commendation from former President Bill Clinton for his many years of religious service and for helping to create an atmosphere of compassion and fellowship. 

Moore, Roscoe M. (1921-1989)

Born in Texarkana, Arkansas. At the age of thirteen, Roscoe M. Moore began working in Fort Smith, Arkansas, as a commercial printer. He continued in this profession for a period of eight years. In the course of time, he met and later married Verneta Harper of Ennis, Texas, in 1939. In 1940, he was baptized into the body of Jesus Christ under the preaching influence of Sutton Johnson of Montgomery, Alabama. The following year Moore was encouraged through a men’s training class to begin preaching the gospel. He was greatly influenced in his preaching ministry by J. S. Winston, T. B. Smith, and many others. His most recognized work in the field of ministry was performed at the Page Boulevard and Wagner Avenue congregations in St. Louis, Missouri. He was also in attendance at the first National Lectureship in 1945.

Moore, Russell H. (1913-1969)

Born in Carbondale, Kansas. Russell H. Moore and J. M. Butler were baptized on the same day in the year 1932, under the preaching influence of Marshall Keeble. Both men were in attendance during a tent meeting in Wichita, Kansas, with Keeble preaching and Luke Miller leading the singing. According to Moore, “Keeble’s sermon had such an effect on me that we young men argued outside the tent for hours after the service was over.” Having been encouraged by R. N. Hogan and further developed by G. P. Bowser in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Moore was recommended to his first work by Marshall Keeble in Huntsville, Alabama. Because of his outstanding baseball talent, Moore was once offered three-hundred fifty ($350.00) dollars a month by the Chicago American Giants of old the Negro Leagues to play professional baseball. With his catcher’s mitt in one hand and a Bible in the other hand, R. H. Moore chose to preach the gospel. Before experiencing a fatal heart attack on December 17, 1969, Moore served congregations in Missouri, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Kansas, California, and Washington. Moore stated in a personal interview, “I have seen raggedness, hardships, trials, and disappointments. I have been hated, hungry, talked about, and mistreated. But thanks be to God, my spirit has never been broken. I was always able to withstand through Christ who strengthens me...”

Pitts, Carroll Jr. (1924-1987)

Born in North Little Rock, Arkansas. Carroll Pitts, Jr., was baptized in 1943 by Henry C. Tyner. He began preaching in 1952, at the Compton Avenue Church Christ in Los Angeles, California. Pitts labored for several congregations in Southern California including the Compton Avenue Church of Christ (1952-1955), the Baker Street Church of Christ in Bakersfield, California (1955-1962), and the Figueroa Church of Christ in Los Angeles, California (1962-1963). Having been inspired by R. N. Hogan, Carroll Pitts established the Normandie Avenue Church of Christ in Los Angeles, California, in 1963. The first worship service at Normandie took place on August 11, 1963, with thirty-three persons placing membership and six-hundred in attendance. The first baptisms occurred on August 25, 1963, and both the morning Bible Class and Men's Training Class were implemented. 

As a former Language Arts teacher, Pitts understood the value of Christian education. Therefore, in 1974, the Normandie Christian School (NCS) was established to suffice this educational need. In concert with NCS, the Normandie Church of Christ offers two scholarship awards. The “Pamela Pitts Memorial Scholarship” is given to students who desire to attend the Normandie Christian School and the “Carroll Pitts, Jr., Memorial Scholarship” is given to those who aspire for the gospel ministry. Carroll Pitts, Jr., served the Normandie congregation for a period of twenty-four years as their first Minister. He also served as Secretary for the Churches of Christ National Lectureship. Carroll Pitts, Jr., passed away on September 26, 1987.

Pace, Jesse Solomon (1903-1987)

Born in Warren County, Mississippi. Jesse Solomon Pace was baptized into the body of Christ in the year 1934 under the preaching influence of his brother-in-law, Levi Kennedy, Jr. Jesse S. Pace began his ministry in 1940 and became an Associate Minister of the State Street Church of Christ where Kennedy served as the Evangelist. During the late 1940s, Jesse Pace left the State Street congregation to assume the position of Senior Minister to the old Maypole Avenue Church of Christ. In 1951, Pace left the Maypole congregation and established the Midtown Church of Christ in Racine, Wisconsin. For a period of twelve consecutive years, he and his beloved wife commuted each weekend from Chicago to Racine serving the Midtown congregation. In the year 1963, Pace retired from the work in Racine and began worshiping again at the Michigan Avenue Church of Christ, now known as the Sheldon Heights Church of Christ. Today, because of the untold sacrifices of Jesse Solomon Pace, the Midtown Church of Christ in Racine, Wisconsin, continues to grow and prosper.

 Rose, Alonza Z. Rose (1916-1990)

Born in Valdosta, Georgia. Alonza Z. Rose was formerly a member of the Christian Church where he became encouraged to study for the ministry. After preaching five sermons in the Christian Church, he attended the Church of Christ and heard the true gospel. Once hearing the message of salvation, Rose said that his conscience along with his wife who was already a Christian, condemned him and he therefore submitted to the doctrine of the New Testament. In the year 1940, A. Z. Rose was baptized into the body of Christ under the preaching influence of Dennis M. English. Two months after his conversion, he began to “preach Christ and Him crucified” according to the Scripture. A. Z. Rose conducted his first tent meeting in Tallahassee, Florida, which lasted eight days. It was in this meeting that two precious souls obeyed the gospel. Rose continued to sharpen his oratorical skills to the point where he became one of the most astute and articulate ambassadors for the Lord’s visible kingdom. He served congregations in the states of Georgia and Michigan and held gospel meetings throughout the entire brotherhood. During the summer of 1960, Alonza Z. Rose held a four-week “City-Wide Campaign” in Nashville, Tennessee, where he preached to an overwhelming audience each evening. Alonza Z. Rose also authored a book of sermons taken from the Nashville Campaign entitled The Great Heritage. This classic work is still considered as a literary masterpiece and treasure among gospel preachers today.

Roundtree, Elmo (1916-1990)

Born in Lyon County Georgia, on March 30, 1916. In 1936, Elmo Roundtree married Malissa Newton of Valdosta, Georgia. He obeyed the gospel of Christ under the preaching influence of D. M. English in 1939 and made his first public appearance as a gospel preacher in the year 1940. He also took classes in 1940 that were being offered to Ministers at Nashville Christian Institute. The sacrificial work and labor of Elmo Roundtree can still be witnessed throughout all of South Florida, especially in the cities of Bradenton and Palmetto, Florida. Evangelist Elmo Roundtree passed from this life on July 22, 1990.

Sams, Dr. Roosevelt (1923-2003)

Born in Lee County, Texas. Roosevelt Sams was the seventh child of nine children whose parents were Teb and Joe Anna Scott Sams. Dr. Sams was baptized by Fred A. Geeter and began preaching in the year 1951. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas, a Master of Education in Administration at Texas Southern University, and pursued further graduate work at East Texas State University. He also served in the United States Army as Sergeant. Dr. Roosevelt Sams was an instructor at Paul Quinn College from 1949 to 1955, but resigned from this position to become Academic Dean of Southwestern Christian College from 1955 to 1963. Dr. Sams served as an Assistant Principal at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Terrell, Texas; Treasurer of the Living Endowment Association; Registrar of Southwestern Christian College; Treasurer of the G. P. Bowser Memorial Scholarship Fund; and he taught classes in education. He served as Minister of the College Church of Christ and was instrumental in building the present West End Church of Christ. 

In 1969, Dr. Sams became Minister of the Coliseum Park Church of Christ in San Antonio, Texas. This congregation is now known as the Dellcrest Church of Christ for which he labored as Minister for twenty-one years. Dr. Sams authored two books and one booklet. He performed missionary work in Nassau, Bahamas, and was engaged in radio and television work. He was the Secretary for the Board of Directors of Southwestern Christian College for thirty-one years and President of the SwCC South Texas Alumni Chapter for twenty-three years. An honorary Doctor of Humane Letters was conferred upon Roosevelt Sams from Southwestern Christian College in 1997. He departed this life on August 30, 2003.

 Scott, Dr. Edgar (1913-2005)

Born in Magnolia, Texas. Edgar Scott was baptized into the body of Christ under the preaching influence of Paul Settles on July 15, 1944; the very same day he was scheduled to be ordained as a Baptist deacon. He began preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in 1950 and served congregations in Giddings, Caldwell, Riverside, and Houston, Texas. Dr. Scott completed his formal education in Tomball, Texas, with additional study at the University of Houston. He was a member of the Advisory Council at Whidby Elementary School in Houston, Texas, and a member of the Southwestern Christian College Board of Directors. Known for his gentleness of spirit and charismatic approach, Dr. Edgar Scott served with unparalleled distinction as Senior Minister of the South Union Church of Christ in Houston, Texas, for over forty years until his death in 2005. 

Settles, Paul Silas (1908-1969)

Born in Cordova, Tennessee. Paul Silas Settles was baptized into the body of Christ in the year 1939 under the preaching influence of G. E. Steward. Known for his literary accomplishments and oratorical excellence, Paul S. Settles became one of the most proficient proclaimers of the gospel message among African American churches of Christ. His manner of dress was always impeccable, which mirrored his philosophy that God’s representative should be reflective of whom he serves. Countless numbers were brought to the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of the persuasive and provocative preaching of Paul Settles. He was also in attendance at the first National Lectureship held in 1945.

Simmons, Robert V. (1912-2005)

Born in Valdosta, Georgia, on April 25, 1912, to the parents of James and Annie Simmons. He obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ under the preaching influence of Marshall Keeble and Luke Miller at the age of seventeen. He began preaching at the age of nineteen and was married to Lucy Smith the following year. Robert V. Simmons served congregations in Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas, and in St. Petersburg, Florida. He also conducted gospel meetings in the states of Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. Robert V. Simmons passed away on December 31, 2005, in Pinellas County of St. Petersburg, Florida.

Stevens, James D. (1930-2002)

Born in Birmingham, Alabama. James D. Stephens labored with congregations in Alaska, California, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, and Chicago, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Duquesne University along with a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling from Pepperdine University. While in California, Stephens developed the Riverside congregation from 37 members to well over 250 in a short two year period. He once conducted a two week gospel meeting in Aruba, Netherlands Antilles, baptizing 26 persons while doubling the membership of this congregation. After relocating to Washington DC, James D. Stephens was appointed to serve as the first African American Associate Minister of the 16th and Decatur Church of Christ.

One of the sermons given on Capitol Hill by Stephens was entitled “Enthusiasm.” This moving message was entered in the “Congressional Record” by Congressman Joe L. Evins of Tennessee. He also preached at the House of Representatives Prayer Breakfast for two years during the presidency of Richard M. Nixon and was asked to write a series of Adult Sunday School lessons for the Gospel Advocate Publishing Company in Nashville, Tennessee. James D. Stephens was a staunch supporter of Christian education and wrote a number of articles for the Christian Echo.

Stephens conducted a Saturday tutoring program in Washington DC, and served as Board Member of the Mid-Western Children’s Home in Cincinnati, Ohio. Before his untimely death, he established the South Shore Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois.  

Steward, George Edmond (1906-1979)

Born in Gayles, Louisiana. G. E. Steward “The Blind Wonder” was baptized into the body of Christ in the year 1931, as a result of the teaching and preaching influence of G. P. Bowser. Being a former Baptist preacher, upon his conversion to the gospel of Christ, Steward immediately began preaching the New Testament message of salvation. Although he was physically handicapped and unable to see due to an accident at the age of twelve, George Edmond Steward could actually “see” what many with 20/20 vision have failed to see. “Blind Steward” as he was referred to by many, became one of the most widely regarded Bible scholars in the history of the Lord’s visible kingdom. As a preacher, lecturer, debater, and scholar, he who was without sight gave sight to many. With the enabling assistance of his devoted wife Ella [“Elmo”], George Edmond Steward traveled extensively throughout more than half of the United States preaching the gospel and “giving sight to the blind.” He also served congregations in the states of Michigan, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Texas. Evangelist G. E. Steward was a co-founder of Southwestern Christian College and served on the Board of Directors from its inception until his death. He was also in attendance at the first National Lectureship held in 1945.

Stewart, James H. Jr. (1909-1977)

Born in Capleville, Tennessee. James H. Stewart, Jr., was the son of James H. Stewart, Sr., and Lelia Jamerson Stewart. At the young age of fourteen, the family moved to the city of Memphis, Tennessee. Stewart was baptized into the body of Jesus Christ in the year 1932 under the preaching influence of Marshall Keeble. In his own words he once said “I started preaching one Sunday afternoon in the month of June 1934, while in the front yard of my father’s home. That is one sermon I shall never forget. My efforts to preach the gospel have been no exception; like all others I have been confronted with many difficulties...” During the course of his evangelistic ministry, Stewart established congregations across the brotherhood and conducted gospel meetings throughout the entire country. He served as Minister of the Highland Park Church of Christ in Detroit, Michigan, in addition to the Vine Street Church of Christ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was also in attendance at the first National Lectureship held in 1945.

Taylor, Carl Lester Sr. (1928-2009)

Born in Dade County Miami, Florida. Carl Lester Taylor, Sr., graduated from Nashville Christian Institute in the year 1948. After relocating to Chattanooga, Tennessee, he continued his formal education by attending Zion College and received an Associate of Arts Degree.  After obeying the gospel of Christ, he attended the Jackson Street Church of Christ in Nashville, Tennessee. Taylor served as Senior Minister for several congregations in Parkersburg, WA; Tuscaloosa, AL; and Chattanooga, TN. In December of 1957, he became Senior Minister of the 19th & Williams Street Church of Christ, presently known as the Avondale Church of Christ.  After 40 years of service with the congregation, he retired in December 1997 and served as Minister Emeritus until his death.  

Taylor worked with Crombie’s Funeral Service where he began his career in the funeral industry. In May 1986, he became a Licensed Funeral Director. In December 1990, the family opened Taylor Funeral Home where he served as Vice-President and adviser to the company. He was a member of the National Funeral Directors & Morticians Association, Inc.; Tennessee State Funeral Director’s & Morticians Association, Inc.; and East Tennessee Funeral Director’s & Morticians Association, Inc.  He served as Chaplain for the State and Local Associations for several years.  In 2001, he received the prestigious "Professional of the Year" award by the TSFD & MA, Inc.  Minister Carl Lester Taylor, Sr., passed away on Monday, June 29, 2009 at the residence of his son.

Thompson, F. L. (1905-1977)

Born in Florence, Alabama. Frank L. Thompson received his early formal education in the public schools of Florence, Alabama. On January 18, 1921, he married Iona Houston a native of Alabama, in Lawrence County, Tennessee. In 1931, Thompson obeyed the gospel of Christ after being instructed in the way of righteousness by Anderson Perkins and began preaching in 1932. He also served as an associate editor of the Christian Counselor, the monthly religious journal published by Marshall Keeble. The articles he wrote for the Counselor demonstrated deep conscientious thinking and a sincere reverence for the Word of God. During his ministerial career, Thompson established three congregations and preached the message of the cross in the states of Tennessee, Georgia, Maryland, Alabama, Florida, Ohio, and Washington DC. The last congregation he served was the Liberty City Church of Christ in Miami, Florida. Evangelist Frank L. Thompson passed away in May 1977 in Dade County, Florida.

Trone, Orum Lee Sr. (1915-2008)

Born in Birmingham, Alabama. At the age of six his parents moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he was baptized into the body of Christ under the preaching influence of Dennis M. English. Due to the fact that Trone was raised by Christian parents and his father being a song leader, he was always actively engaged in spiritual matters. As a former student of the Bowser Christian Institute in Detroit, and having served congregations in both Pontiac and Mt. Clemens, Michigan, O. L. Trone, Sr., began his ministry with the Joseph Campau Church of Christ in May of 1946. When Trone first arrived at Joseph Campau, there were 115 members. However, within a few years the membership increased to 825 and thus became the largest African American Church of Christ in the Midwest. Because of urban renewal and congregational growth, a new place of worship became necessary. As a result, the Elmwood Park Church of Christ was constructed with a seating capacity of 1000 and dedicated on May 7, 1972. 

Relative to the National Youth Conference, in the year 1951, Trone envisioned the idea of having a nationwide youth forum for young people in the Lord’s Church. His dream became a reality in 1952, when the National Youth Conference was established. With the assistance of Duel Ghant, Sr., Calvin H. Bowers, Alvin Adkinson, Carl Swanigan, and many others, the National Youth Conference of the Church of Christ continues to provide an avenue of fellowship and connectivity for young Christians throughout the brotherhood. Orum Lee Trone, Sr., served as founder and principal Director for the Conference until his health began to fail. He departed from this life on June 25, 2008, at the age of 93.

Williams, John Oscar (1910-1988)

Born in Vidalia, Georgia. John Oscar Williams was baptized into the body of Christ in the year 1931 under the preaching influence of Marshall Keeble and began preaching soon thereafter. He traveled extensively with Marshall Keeble serving as both song leader and editor of the Christian Counselor; a religious news journal of Nashville Christian Institute. During his illustrious ministerial career which lasted over 57 years, John O. Williams served congregations in Georgia, Alabama, Missouri, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, Florida, Texas, and Wisconsin. In addition, Evangelist John Oscar Williams served as a member of the Southwestern Christian College Board of Directors and a staff writer for the Christian Echo. His most celebrated work occurred with the Central Church of Christ in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he labored for 27 years before his death. He was also in attendance at the first National Lectureship held in 1945.

Winston, Dr. John Steve Sr. (1906-2001)

Born in Menifee, Arkansas. J. S. Winston was baptized into the body of Christ in 1918. He received his initial ministerial training from both G. P. Bowser and R. N. Hogan and began preaching in the year 1931. J. S. Winston served as a mediator among African American churches of Christ for over fifty years. His most pronounced congregational work was with the University Church of Christ in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1982, he established the “J. S. WINSTON SOUND DOCTRINE FOUNDATION” a non-profit tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization which awards scholarships to ministerial students of Southwestern Christian College who are pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Biblical Studies. As a co-founder of SwCC and because of his love for Christian education, a Doctorate of Humane Letters was conferred upon Evangelist J. S. Winston by Southwestern Christian College. He was also in attendance at the first National Lectureship held in 1945.

Vaughner, John Roy (1894-1960)

Born in the state of Alabama. John R. Vaughner obeyed the gospel of Jesus Christ under the preaching influence of Marshall Keeble. Soon thereafter, he also began to preach the good news of the kingdom. It was said that if John Roy Vaughner was not able to show a person the way of salvation, the case is almost hopeless. Brother Vaughner preached throughout the United States, particularly in the South, and mentored many gospel preachers of today. One of his distinguished students is Dr. W. F. Washington who currently serves as Minister of the New Golden Heights Church of Christ in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Let it be understood with crystal clarity that the entire state of Florida was blessed by the efforts of this great soldier.  In addition to his preaching ministry, Vaughner served as an associate editor of the Christian Counselor; a monthly religious journal published by Marshall Keeble. John Roy Vaughner passed away on June 18, 1960, in Pinellas County of St. Petersburg, Florida.

 Yeldell, Dr. Nokomis Sr. (1929-2007)

Born in Eureka, Texas. Nokomis Yeldell, Sr., was the eighth child of twelve children born to the parents of Starling, Sr., and Sue Allie Marshall Yeldell. Nokomis studied both preaching and boxing, but decided to give up the gloves and stand behind the pulpit at the request of fellow church members. He served congregations in the states of Texas and Arizona, before accepting the call in 1960 as Minister of the Vance Avenue Church of Christ in Memphis, Tennessee. The congregation experienced phenomenal growth under the leadership of Nokomis Yeldell and in the year 1988, they relocated to their present edifice located at 1055 Norris Road. He also preached on the radio and television. His messages were heard in the Memphis area and in countries as far away as Sri Lanka and South Africa. 

Nokomis Yeldell was a member of the Southwestern Christian College Board of Directors and Minister of Norris Road for more than fifty years. During his celebrated career in ministry, he was instrumental in inventing a theft-proof collection plate. When he retired as full-time minister in 2001, the congregation dedicated the educational wing of its building in his honor. Furthermore, the city of Memphis also renamed the street in front of the church building after him. Dr. Nokomis Yeldell, Sr., passed away on Saturday, June 16, 2007, in the city of Memphis, Tennessee.


           Remembering Pioneer Preachers in the African American 
                   Church of Christ - Detailed Extensive Biographies


Bowser, George Philip (1874-1950)

Born in Maury County, Tennessee. G. P. Bowser was born on February 17, 1874. He was the son of Thomas and Charity Bowser and grandson of Frank Sowell; a widely respected gospel preacher of the Maury County community. It was Frank Sowell who solemnized the marriage rites between Nathan George, the great-grandfather of Levi Kennedy, Jr., and his second wife Annie Wayneright on January 1, 1891. When Bowser was just three years old his family relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where he received his formal education in the Methodist tradition. He joined the Methodist Church at the age of fifteen and was licensed to exhort or make talks at the age of eighteen. He studied diligently at Walden University mastering five languages: Greek, Hebrew, French, German, and Latin. Bowser once stated that upon careful examination of the scriptures, he soon realized that he was not a Christian. In the process of time he met and studied with Samuel Davis, another pioneer preacher and former slave of the Nashville area. It was Davis who enlightened him further concerning New Testament doctrine and who baptized him into the body of Christ in the year 1896.

G. P. Bowser married Francis (Fannie) Rebecca Billups in November of 1896. Seven girls and one boy were born to this union; one of whom was Thelma Holt, mother of G. P. Holt. Although he was already a great preacher whose literary and language skills exceeded his contemporaries, Bowser turned his attention towards two great needs among African American Christians: 1) a Christian journal and 2) a school for Black members of the Church of Christ. With the knowledge he had previously acquired as a printer, at twenty-eight years of age Bowser established The Christian Echo in 1902, of which he served as editor and publisher. The Christian Echo arguably holds the unique distinction of being the first widely circulated religious periodical published among African American churches of Christ.

Few Blacks at the turn of the century gave serious attention to attending school with the whites, but as G. P. Bowser pointed out, Blacks looked with awe on white Christian schools and were ashamed to realize that nothing had been done for them. In October 1906, a meeting was called in Nashville to consider the issue. It was then decided to begin a school at the Jackson Street Church of Christ. This school was to become known as the “Nashville Normal, Industrial and Orphan School.” As events developed, the school opened January 8, 1907, with seventeen students. While using the Bible as a textbook, the school sought to meet all the requirements of a “Normal” institution. By mid-October 1909, the Jackson Street school was moved to Silver Point, Tennessee, seventy-five miles east of Nashville on the Tennessee Central Railroad. Bowser later said, “Beginning with nothing save determination, we bargained for about ten acres of ground,” which they obtained for $250.00 and on this land they erected a two-story frame building. G. P. Bowser and Miss P. H. Womack, another daughter of S. W. Womack, were the teachers. Bowser also served as the school’s president. From the nine students who enrolled the first term at the Silver Point Christian Institute, the school grew to sixty-three by 1915, and reported its most prosperous year as 1913. Bowser gave himself unselfishly to the institution until the commencement exercises April 11, 1918, when he resigned as president; much to the dismay and surprise of many friends. 

By the year 1920 according to many, the school was in a serious financial dilemma and had no alternative but to close. The Bowsers later relocated to Fort Smith, Arkansas, where he continued his evangelistic work and publishing of the Christian Echo. In 1938, Bowser opened the Bowser Christian Institute, forerunner of Southwestern Christian College now located in Terrell, Texas, where the students earned their board by working in the print shop where the Echo was produced as a bi-monthly journal. The subscription rate was $1.00 per year or $.50 for six months. The co-editors were R. N. Hogan and G. P. Holt. The staff writers were Levi Kennedy, Jr., J. S. Winston, G. E. Steward, Robert F. Nunley, T. H. Busby, Annie C. Tuggle, and E. D. Phillips. Among the students who attended the Bowser Christian Institute were G. P. Holt, a grandson of Bowser, Preston Grey, L. H. Alexander, James Stewart, Samuel Melton, H. E. Mitchell, and Lemmie Cooper. Also associated with the Bowser Christian Institute were four men who subsequently became nationally renowned preachers in the African American Church of Christ. The names of these men were R. N. Hogan, Levi Kennedy, Jr., R. N. Hogan, J. S. Winston, and G. E. Steward.  

After the closing of the Fort Smith school, Bowser moved to Detroit, Michigan. It was in Detroit, where his wife Sister Fannie R. Bowser passed away on June 6, 1947. However, Bowser’s dream of establishing a permanent school for Black Christians continued and during the fall of 1948, a school began operating at the Lake Como Church of Christ. This school was named the Southern Bible Institute with J. S. Winston as its first president. Due to its overall success, a search was made for larger facilities. The Texas Military School in Terrell, Texas, was then purchased but it could not officially open as Southwestern Christian College until September of 1950. Although G. P. Bowser never witnessed Southwestern in operation as a Christian College, he was able to visit the campus before his death on March 23, 1950. G. P. Bowser has rightfully been acknowledged as the “Father of Christian Education” among Black churches of Christ.  

Keeble, Marshall (1878-1968)

 Born in Rutherford County, Tennessee. Marshall Keeble was baptized into the body of Christ in the year 1895 under the preaching influence of Preston Taylor. When he was four years of age, his parents Robert and Mittie Keeble moved to Nashville, Tennessee. One of the major influences on the life of young Keeble was S. W. Womack, a pioneer preacher and teacher who along with G. P. Bowser, Alexander Campbell and others, laid the foundation for a Christian school among African Americans. The Womacks were members of the Lea Avenue congregation in Nashville, and next door neighbors to the Keebles. At the age of nineteen, Keeble was united in wedlock with Minnie Womack a graduate of Fisk University and one of  the daughters of S. W., and Sally Womack. To this union three children were born. With the literary training of his Christian wife and the spiritual training of his father in-law, Marshall Keeble became one of the greatest preachers of the gospel since the days of the Apostles. 

The very first meeting held by Keeble which resulted in a large number of baptisms occurred in Henderson, Tennessee. Sixty-nine precious souls obeyed the gospel of Christ on this occasion. In 1927, during a meeting in Tampa, Florida, he baptized ninety-nine. At Valdosta, Georgia, in both 1929 and 1930, he baptized one hundred-sixty three in the first gospel meeting and one hundred sixty-six in the second. Although Keeble was praised for his simplicity of preaching, he was often criticized for his passivity on racial issues. One of his secrets for success was his unique ability to obtain financial support from the white brethren. Many have often compared his personal ideology to that of Booker T. Washington and the ideology of G. P. Bowser to that of W. E. B. DuBois, regarding their diverse philosophies towards the educating African Americans. Keeble once acknowledged that Booker T. Washington was his idol and frequently employed Washington’s strategy to raise funds from many whites for the benefit of Nashville Christian Institute. 

On December 11, 1932 Sister Minnie Womack Keeble passed away at the age of fifty-three. After her death Keeble then married Laura Catherine Johnson of Corinth, Mississippi, on April 3, 1934. Laura Catherine was the sixth child of ten siblings born to Luke and Susan Johnson on August 6, 1898. At the time she married Marshall, Sister Keeble was employed by a widow who tried to encourage her against getting married. When she made the decision to marry Keeble regardless, her employer then insisted on buying her wedding outfit. However, when the day of the wedding arrived, Keeble was nowhere to be found. In a statement later given by Sister Keeble she said, “I didn’t know if he decided to come or what.” An hour or two after the ceremony was supposed to have begun a friend finally drove him up in a brand new Chevrolet. The car dealer had warned them not to drive over thirty miles per hour until the car was broken in; and that’s exactly what they did all the way from Nashville, Tennessee, to Corinth, Mississippi. 

In the year 1943, a new chapter opened in the life of Marshall Keeble when he became the first official president of Nashville Christian Institute. Being president of NCI elevated Keeble’s influence among African American Christians and it also gave the school credibility among Blacks as well as whites. Without Keeble’s name and his ability to raise funds for the school, Nashville Christian Institute would not have survived as long as it did. During his NCI days, wherever Keeble went, he always took his “preacher boys” with him to participate in the services that were well attended by both races in an era of rigid segregation. Many preachers in our brotherhood today were once students of Keeble at Nashville Christian Institute. 

Although the formal education of Marshall Keeble was limited, he is credited with baptizing more than 45,000 people and establishing over 200 congregations. No other person in the history of the Restoration Movement has been known to accomplish this feat. He knew how to make incisive points by using simple illustrations from everyday life. In a ministry that spanned over fifty years, he often preached three times on Sunday and each night during the course of a week. He made highly successful preaching trips to Nigeria, West Africa, and was involved in numerous debates where he always defended the Word of God. In several of his debates, he was able to baptize his opponent before the debate was over. Because of his convictions, Keeble’s life was threatened on various occasions and threats of bodily harm were made against him. 

Having become very weak in the last years of his life due to age and diabetes, Keeble would still get up and dress every morning and patiently wait for his assistant Willie Cato to come and pick him up for work. Because of his failing health and new federal legislation which allowed Blacks to attend white institutions of learning, Keeble announced in the March edition of the Gospel Advocate that Nashville Christian Institute would permanently close its doors on June 2, 1967. Finally, one April evening in 1968, the 89 year old Marshall Keeble took a bath, came out and sat down on the couch, nodded his head for the last time and died. Yet, the legacy of Marshall Keeble still lives on in the lives of many whom he touched. There will not be another like him soon, who was blessed to achieve so much with so very little to work with.

Hogan, Dr. Richard Nathaniel (1902-1997)

Born in Monroe County, Arkansas. Dr. Richard Nathaniel Hogan was the fourth child of Willie and Emma Cathey Hogan. He was born on Sunday morning, November 30, 1902 and named “Nathaniel” in honor of his maternal grandfather Nathan Cathey. After growing up, he later gave himself the name “Richard.” His father died when he was five years old and he went to live with his grandparents Nathan and Frances Cathey. They in turn sent Nathan to live with G. P. Bowser who recognized his keen ability and potential greatness for the ministry. Bowser trained and developed Hogan’s gifts for preaching by having him memorize whole chapters in the Bible. At the age of either 13 or 14, Hogan preached his first sermon while attending Bowser’s school in Silver Point, Tennessee. His subject was entitled, “What Think Ye of Christ? Whose Son is He?” Before long, he gained the reputation as being “The Boy Preacher” as he traveled with Bowser and was frequently referred to as “The Child Evangelist” and "The Talking Bible." By the time Hogan was 17, he had already baptized 70 people.

R. N. Hogan married Maggie Bullock of Columbia, Tennessee, on November 28, 1920. Maggie Bullock was a cousin of Annie Mae Bullock, a.k.a. Tina Turner. To this union three daughters and one son were born; namely, Alberta, Harold, Dorothy, and Margaret who died at an early age. The Hogan family lived in Tennessee, Arkansas, Kentucky, Detroit, and Chicago, during the formative years. While in Detroit, Hogan worked as a plumber, factory worker, and foreman of a paint company. After moving to Chicago and worshiping at the old Maypole congregation for a period of time, Hogan conceived the idea of establishing a Church on the South Side of the city. As a result, Hogan along with Levi Kennedy, Jr., a cousin on the Cathey side of their respective families, they began the first African American Church of Christ on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, in 1931.

After leaving Chicago, the first full-time ministerial work of R. N. Hogan began in the year 1932 at Muskogee, Oklahoma where he organized a school for preachers. Among the students were Russell H. Moore, H. H. Gray, J. S. Winston, Walter Weathers, P. E. Walker, Claude Caperton, and Jessie Porter. In a six-year period during the 1930s, Hogan started 50 new congregations and baptized more than 1,500 people. 

Dr. R. N. Hogan and George Pepperdine (founder of Pepperdine University) had much in common. They both came to California in 1938 with a mighty vision. Pepperdine wanted to build a college for the Church of Christ and Hogan wanted to establish congregations all over the state of California. God was with them both in their visions and today we see the visible results of these great men who were also good friends in the Lord. 

In the year 1937, Dr. Hogan conducted a gospel meeting at 110th & Wilmington Streets. The results were 44 baptisms. In 1938, he returned again to Los Angeles for a gospel meeting which resulted in another 40 baptisms and the beginning of a new congregation at 48th Place and Compton Avenue. He became Minister of this congregation which eventually became known as the Figueroa Church of Christ. With the leadership and dynamic preaching of Hogan, the new congregation grew rapidly. While preaching, Hogan quoted the scriptures prolifically and was widely known as “The Talking Bible.” In the year 1945, the Church moved from Compton Avenue to 4361 McKinley Avenue, a more commodious building. In 1953 when the McKinley Avenue facilities were no longer adequate, the present Figueroa church building was purchased. In the year 1966, another expansion program was initiated which included a new auditorium seating 1500 along with 15 classrooms.  

Under Hogan's leadership, the Figueroa Church of Christ became instrumental in developing several congregations in the area; namely, Myrtle Street in Long Beach; Southside in Los Angeles; Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles; Alondra Avenue in Compton; and Eastside in Los Angeles. R. N. Hogan was also active in fostering other programs, such as the setting up of a Nigerian Foundation for the education of youth in Nigeria, West Africa, unlimited support for Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas, and the Los Angeles School of Preaching. 

In 1975 Pepperdine University conferred upon Richard Nathaniel Hogan the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and in 1980 the University honored him at the 37th Annual Bible Lectureship by establishing a ministerial scholarship in his name. In 1987 he was given the University's highest recognition the “Life Achievement Award” on the opening night of the 44th Annual Bible Lectureship, celebrating Pepperdine's 50th year. R. N. Hogan served as a member of the Board of Directors for Southwestern Christian College from its inception until his death. Before the death of G. P. Bowser on March 23, 1950, Hogan promised him that he would keep the Christian Echo in circulation, which Bowser founded in 1902. He kept this promise many times at great sacrifice. 

For more than fifty years, R. N. Hogan worked tirelessly over the entire brotherhood for the cause of Christ. He along with his wife Maggie blazed a trail of leadership and development for the Lord's Church in California, especially at the Figueroa Church of Christ. Because of his great work on behalf of the Lord's kingdom and the furtherance of Christian education, an honorary doctorate degree was conferred upon Evangelist Richard Nathaniel Hogan by Southwestern Christian College. Dr. R. N. Hogan departed this life on February 22, 1997. His wife, Sister Maggie Hogan preceded him in death on September 29, 1996. 

Kennedy, Dr. Levi Jr. (1899-1970)

Born in Hickman County, Tennessee. Levi Kennedy, Jr., was baptized into the body of Christ on September 10, 1921, under the preaching influence of Alonzo Jones. He was the fifth child and third oldest son born to Levi, Sr., and Sarah Alice Anderson Kennedy on December 29, 1899. Levi Kennedy, Jr., was named after his great-grandfather Levi Cathey and his father Levi Albert Kennedy, Sr., a former slave and gospel preacher. Similar to his father and first cousins Lee Ghant Kennedy and Paul D. English, Sr., in addition to his maternal uncle D. M. English, Levi, Jr., became one of the most celebrated preachers in the rich history of the African American Church of Christ. Kennedy along with R. N. Hogan, J. S. Winston, and G. E. Steward, were co-founders of Southwestern Christian College in Terrell, Texas, and were commonly referred to as “The Big Four” among Black Churches of Christ. 

Levi Kennedy, Jr., married Alberta Noveline Delk of Maury County, Tennessee, on November 10, 1921. Upon leaving the state of Tennessee in the year 1922, he along with his wife, their eldest daughter, two older brothers and their families, they each relocated to Wheeling, West Virginia. Finding no congregation in Wheeling, he started one in his living room and gave his first talk in the year 1923. At some point during the year 1925, he left this small group consisting of 23 members and relocated to Gary, Indiana, and finally to Chicago, Illinois. It was on the West Side of Chicago at the old Maypole Avenue congregation where he began preaching part-time in 1926. To make a living for he and his family, Kennedy sold ice and coal from a wagon pulled by an old gray mare. In time he established a thriving business and was able to purchase a second wagon along with a truck. According to an oral interview given by Kennedy he stated “Money was easily made up until 1929 when I went broke during the Great Depression.”

Due to the idea of R. N. Hogan a cousin of Kennedy on the Cathey side of their families and who lived in Chicago during this period of time, in addition to the advice given by Herbert Anderson, Sr., a maternal uncle of Kennedy, fifty members left the old Maypole congregation on the West Side of Chicago and established the first African American Church of Christ on the South Side of Chicago in the "Bronzeville Black Belt" area located at 20 West 51st Street on May 24, 1931. This small group of believers eventually became known across the brotherhood as the Michigan Avenue Church of Christ after moving to 6228-30 South Michigan Avenue in the early 1940s. In the year 1933, during the height of the Depression, Kennedy said that he faced the most difficult decision of his life when the Church asked him to preach full-time. With five young children at the time, he parked his coal and ice truck and began preaching full-time for only $5.00 a week. He said that he and his wife made the decision to “trust in the Lord.” When asked how he made it with such meager resources, Kennedy would always say, “I didn’t make it, the Lord made it for me... We ate bread and potatoes for breakfast and potatoes and bread for supper."
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Due to the involvement of the United States in World War II, it was extremely difficult to obtain resources for building and construction. However, Kennedy did not let this impede his work for the Lord. A formal letter was drafted to President Frankiln D. Roosevelt explaining the plight of the Michigan Avenue congregation. Within a few months a permit was granted by Eleanor Roosevelt allowing the Church to purchase $5,000.00 worth of building material. The congregation grew from fifty members to well over nine hundred and was by far the largest African American Church of Christ in the entire Midwest until the mid 1960s. The unwritten standard of measurement which determined the success of a preacher in the African American Church of Christ during this time was to be called upon to preach for R. N. Hogan at the Figueroa Church of Christ in Los Angeles, California, or Levi Kennedy, Jr., at the Michigan Avenue Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois. Once a preacher had accomplished this task, he was looked upon as having “made it” in the brotherhood. 

Let it be said that multiplied thousands were led to the Lord in the United States and abroad by the evangelistic efforts of Levi Kennedy, Jr. He served on the Board of Directors for Southwestern Christian College from its inception until his death. He also served as Chairman of the SwCC Annual Lectureship Program, Chairman of the Annual National Lectureship among African American Churches of Christ, and President of the Living Endowment Association of Southwestern Christian College. In October 1962, Kennedy went to Ukpom, Nigeria, West Africa, to preach for one month. In Nigeria, he preached from five to six sermons daily, baptizing six hundred-fifty persons and establishing twenty-seven congregations. He made a second trip to Nigeria in the year 1965. 

In summation, Levi Kennedy, Jr., was without question a preacher “par excellence.” He departed this life on December 30, 1970, after experiencing no less than twelve operations. Because of his dedication to Christ and commitment to Christian education, a Doctorate of Humane Letters was conferred upon him posthumously by Southwestern Christian College in the year 1986. His wife Alberta Noveline Kennedy passed away on August 14, 2002.

Clay, Dr. John Henry Sr. (1920-2005)

Born in Lafayette, Louisiana. John Henry Clay was born June 24, 1920. He was baptized into the body of Christ at the age of eighteen as a result of the preaching influence of Marshall Keeble. Two months short of his twentieth birthday on April 1, 1940, he married Miss Sadie Fontenot in Hobbs, New Mexico. Having initially traveled with Luke Miller in order to refine his ministerial skills, Clay later worked extensively with his mentor Marshall Keeble. 

It was in Hobbs, New Mexico where Clay began his first work. His salary was a meager $7.00 a week, so he and his family relocated to Texas. In the early years of his preaching career Clay suffered many trials and hardships. Many times he held month-long gospel meetings only to be compensated with a few chickens and other perishable food items. Often during meetings he would stay in the homes of non-Christians. During this era of “Jim Crow” (racial segregation) African Americans were prohibited from utilizing hotel facilities unless they were employed to cook and clean. On many occasions Clay would find himself in the cotton fields working alongside of others, sharing the gospel message and inviting them to the meeting services. Many precious souls were led to Christ by John Henry Clay because of his unique “cotton fields” experiences.

Clay preached throughout the entire continental United States; from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast including Belize, Central America; Guyana, South America, South Africa, Kenya, and Nigeria, West Africa. People would actually walk three days just to hear the preacher they called “The Old Man.” However, it is believed that his most productive ministry took place in Alabama, where he survived several confrontations with the Ku Klux Klan by the grace and providence of the Almighty God. John Henry Clay was known to have baptized more than a hundred people during a single meeting, with a record of over two-hundred baptized in a meeting once held in Clanton, Alabama. In the year 1950, he moved to California, preaching in the Oakland and Pasadena area. He established the Altadena Church of Christ in 1967, and this remained his home congregation for the rest of his earthly life. 

In 1988, his beloved wife Sadie passed away following a long extended illness. Shortly afterwards, the congregation in Guntersville, Alabama, encouraged him to serve as their missionary in the Guntersville vicinity. Consequently, every year for six months, he would return to Alabama and travel throughout the area singing and preaching. Even though the Guntersville congregation supported his ministry financially, Dr. John Henry Clay had support from a personal business venture. While in Pasadena, California, he opened a fast food restaurant which proved to be extremely successful. His family operated the business while he was away engaged in meetings.

Sometime during the year 1994, John Henry Clay went to Moultrie, Georgia, to hold a tent meeting. While in Moultrie, a young lady 34 years younger desired to go door-knocking with him. After much insistence, she ended up assisting him, bringing along umbrellas and water to protect him from the humidity of a hot Georgia summer. Six months later they were married and continued working together until his death in the year 2005. Throughout his sixty-nine years of preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ, Dr. Clay baptized well over 10,000 people and established more than fifty 50 congregations. His trademark song before every sermon was: “He loved me so... He gave His life a ransom just because He loved me so.” In recognition of his work and life-long achievements, Pepperdine University awarded him a Distinguished Christian Service Award while Southwestern Christian College conferred upon him a Doctorate of Humane Letters. 

On August 12, 2005, Dr. John Henry Clay, evangelist extraordinaire and articulate ambassador for the Church of Christ was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. It is somewhat ironic and yet befitting that as much as Dr. Clay loved singing, he was laid to rest within the same proximity of the legendary Sam Cooke. He leaves to cherish his memory, his wife Deborah; one daughter, Pearl; a son, John, Jr.; a daughter in-law Beverly; two grandsons, John III and Joaquin; one great-grandson, Joaquin, Jr.; one brother, Ambrose W. J. Clay; one sister in-law, Minnie; a great galaxy of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and “the entire brotherhood.” Having mentored and served as a “father in the faith” to many present day gospel preachers, one of the most notable being Dr. W. F. Washington, Minister of the New Golden Heights Church of Christ in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, let it be said without fear of successful contradiction, that to remember this great “Warrior of the Word” is to indeed remember a life that demonstrated his firm belief that... “God loved him so.”

Cassius, Samuel Robert (1853-1931)

Born in Virginia to the bi-racial union of a slave mother named Jane and a white physician owner named James W. F. Macrae. His father/owner was a cousin of General Robert E. Lee and it was Lee who later purchased Cassius along with his mother when he was seven years of age to keep them from being sold to an outsider. Because his mother was fundamentally literate, she taught Cassius how to read and write using a "John Comly Speller." During the Civil War, Cassius and his mother relocated to Washington, D. C., where he enrolled in the first school for black children in the nation’s capital; subsequently becoming the first African American male to finish high school there. In this school, young Samuel encountered a white school teacher named Frances W. Perkins from Connecticut , who inspired his appetite for knowledge, steered him toward the ministry, and encouraged him to teach in his adult years. While residing in Washington, D. C., Samuel R. Cassius shook hands with President Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, and a host of other Black and white dignitaries.

In the year 1874, Cassius married Effie Festus-Basil in Washington, D.C., and shortly thereafter the family relocated to Brazil, Indiana, where he toiled as a coal-miner; became a member of the Church of Christ (known as the Stone-Campbell Movement or Restoration Movement) and began his ministry. In 1891, Cassius, driven by a religious impulse as well as a desire for economic advancement, took up residence in the Logan County Iowa Tribal Lands of Oklahoma Territory, where he lived until 1922.  It was in Logan County that he worked as a preacher, educator, farmer, entrepreneur, postmaster, and politician. In a letter written from Tohee, Oklahoma, dated November 20, 1893, Cassius sought contributions for a "house of worship," stating that "the logs are cut, the land is donated, but it takes money to build the house." Cassius fathered eleven (11) children with his first wife Effie who died in 1895, and twelve with his second wife, Selina Daisy Flenoid, who he married on May 10, 1897 at the church near Tohee.

In a document dated March 14, 1898, Cassius again solicited funds, but this time for the "Tohee Industrial School." This vision took shape from his own struggle to obtain an education but finding himself without a trade. Cassius was also highly influenced by Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee Institute, where he would later send his own son, Amos Lincoln Cassius (1890-1982). "Two years ago," Cassius wrote in 1899, "I began this work and I have now completed a good building which is free from debt. But I still need books, maps, black boards, charts, and one or two helpers before I can begin work." That the school building was "free from debt" was probably a result of the numerous mortgages Cassius used his own land to secure, his continued fundraising, and the sale of garden seed and other produce from his farm.

Regarding the school, Cassius wrote: "We will teach trades of as many kinds as my means will allow. We will also teach as many branches of practical education as possible. Agriculture will also play an important factor in the support of the school. And best of all, there will be a night-school system for the benefit of grown persons." During a fundraising tour to Saint Louis, Missouri, on August 20, 1900, Cassius wrote: "Three years ago I began this work (the school), feeling that such a work was needed among the thousands of colored people who have settled in Oklahoma. I received $465.00 with which I built a building that will accommodate about 150 children."

Not limiting his energies to the church and school, Cassius was officially appointed postmaster of Tohee on July 13, 1897, and served until the post office closed on January 31, 1906. Samuel R. Cassius lost his entire personal library in a fire sometime before 1910. Yet, he continued to occupy the land in Tohee with a postal address on Route 2, Meridian, until he moved to Guthrie, Oklahoma, in 1917. During this time in Oklahoma, Cassius became known by whites as a "Father of Christianity” among his people and traveled throughout Oklahoma and the United States as "The Colored Evangelist."

In 1920 Cassius published The Third Birth of a Nation, a response and denunciation to Thomas Dixon’s 1905 racist novel The Clansman and D. W. Griffith’s 1915 inflammatory movie entitled “Birth of a Nation.”  It was his hope that his study and experiences would lead to the awakening of a new thought concerning the “race problem” that still troubles our country. Cassius reissued his book in 1925. From 1922 until 1925, Cassius lived and preached temporarily in Ohio, Illinois, Minnesota, and California, before settling in 1926 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where he died on August 10, 1931. The last line of his obituary notes that "The race has lost a leader, Christianity a friend, and the family a husband and father."

Although the "Tohee Industrial School" is now lost to time, the legacy of Samuel R. Cassius on behalf of education is currently being revisited by many scholars and churches he helped to build. His school was not only a pioneering work towards Black education in the Oklahoma Territory, but it was the initial spark that led to the establishment in 1897 of “The Colored Agricultural and Normal University” now known as Langston University in Langston, Oklahoma.






 

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