Tuesday, December 22, 1931: A day that changed lives

Exactly one month after the death of Charles J. Davis another tragedy occurred for those at Practical Bible Training School.

As the Great Depression edged on the LORD took care of the needs of the school in different ways. One way was that farmers would give food from the previous harvest to help the school, but someone from the school would need to go to the farms to pick up the food. On Tuesday, December 22, 1931 a group of guys from the school went down to Pennsylvania to collect some potatoes from a farmer. After an afternoon of loading the food on the vehicle they headed back as before it got too dark. Without warning one of tires blew out, and the students had to pull over to change it.

The Freshman class of 1934 in the 1932 Theologue (G. Arthur Woolsey is the 2nd from the right top row)

The student in charge of changing the tire was freshman G. Arthur Woolsey of Evergreen, PA. G. Arthur was born on November 30, 1913 and had just turned 18 years old less than a month earlier. Ten years earlier G. Arthur's mother had passed away and only shortly after he had graduated from High School his father passed away. Before his father died he promised him that he would attend Bible College for one year. So in 1931 he headed to Practical Bible Training School though he really did not want to.

On that same trip to and from Pennsylvania was another freshman by the name of Steve Ritz. Steve was a little bit older than G. Arthur as he was born on September 8, 1910. Steve was from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and had accepted the LORD at the age of 16 in late 1926 or 1927 and had joined Johnson Avenue Baptist Church in Hazelwood, just outside of Pittsburgh. Over the next 4 years he grew in the word of God and in his faith in Christ. He loved the Word and had a burning desire to study for the ministry which came to pass in the fall of 1931, when he came to the Practical Bible Training School. He was always a young man of prayer and hard work, it was not long before he had touched the lives of most of the students in a spiritually helpful manner.

Both of these men had completely ideas of what their futures held, but God had a different idea as Isaiah 55.8-9 says, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts."

G. Arthur got out of the truck and started to jack it up to change the tire. It was starting to get dark out and started to crawl under the truck, but Steve Ritz pushed G. Arthur aside to change the tire. It was in that moment that everything changed. As Steve was under the car for only a minute or so the lights of an approaching car appeared quickly and there was a crash. The car slammed into the truck and dislodged the jack. The truck came crashing down on Steve sending him face to face with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

A memorial page to Steve Ritz in the 1932 Theologue

The grave of Steve Ritz in Oakmont, PA

The death of Steve Ritz sent ripples through PBTS and many individuals. For some faculty members it could be seen as one of the straws that broke the camel's back in the split from PBTS that created Baptist Baptist Seminary.

It is a fact that it was a turning point for G. Arthur Woolsey. He was determined to be a lawyer after finishing his one year at PBTS, but after the death of Steve Ritz (a death that could have been his own) he went into the ministry. The death affected him that he left PBTS and joined BBS when it started in 1932, and graduated from BBS two years later in 1934. G. Arthur Woolsey became Dr. Woolsey served as President of BBS from 1960-1970. It was during his time as president that the College and Seminary moved to Clark Submit, PA from Johnson City. In total Dr. Woolsey served 70 years in ministry before going home to glory on February 8, 2004.

A brief bio of Dr. G. Arthur Woolsey after his home going

Another person that the death of Steve Ritz affected was Steve's younger brother, Samuel Ritz. As a result of his brother's untimely passing Sam wanted to continue where his brother had left off. He wanted to go in the ministry and share Christ with others. Sam Ritz attended a Bible school in the Pittsburgh area, while not finishing the schooling, worked as a Baptist lay minister for 65 years before he entered the gates of Heaven to join his brother in 1997.

In total between these two men, that on Monday, December 21, 1931 had no desire to enter the ministry, over 130 years of serving the LORD was put into action. God has a way of changing plans and lives in an instant and only eternity will tell how many lives were changed, because of this one death of a young man who was devoted to God.

=====How God brought these two stories together=====

It has been amazing to see how God can use technology to bring people together. Since starting this blog in 2006 I have received emails from several people (many of whom are not associated with the school directly). The story of how I learned of the following story came from Aleta Ellington filling out the form on the side of the blog on Monday, July 21, 2008. She is the daughter of G. Arthur Woolsey. We corresponded over the summer months of 2008 as I learned about death of "another student" that had impacted her father's life. I had never heard of this event, but it definitely a major event for the school and so I archived it on my computer.

Several months after getting the message from Aleta on December 7, 2008 I received a form from a Gene Ritz. He mentioned that he had been looking for information about his late uncle for around 40 years. He said his uncle Steve Ritz had died on on December 22, 1931 and that he had been a student at PBTS. At first I couldn't find anything about him as I scan through some Theologues. I sent him back an email and found out some more information of when he was born and in that second email Gene gave me enough information that made my mind go back to the story Aleta had told me several months earlier. Gene mentioned that "he was killed in an accident while allegedly changing a tire along the road (in NY state or PA)." I immediately found the information about Dr. Woolsey and sent it to Gene. He replied back, "I am almost speechless Corey. I am quite taken aback by the actual, accurate explanation of the accident. I never expected to read words like these."

Over the next several weeks/months I was able to learn more about Steve and was able to put Gene in touch with Aleta. It is amazing how God is able to brings things to pass. Through this tragedy God was able to bring at least two men into the ministry that otherwise would not have, and countless souls were reached as a result.

As 2 Corinthians 2.14 says, "Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place." Steve's death was a still a sweet smelling aroma to God. It was through his death that Christ triumphed in the lives of Dr. G. Arthur Woolsey and Pastor Samuel Ritz.

Lucky, Lucky Jim: Mr. Elliott E. Ackerly

This video is quite funny. In September of 1996, former professor of music, Elliott E. Ackerly performed Lucky, lucky Jim to students at Practical Bible College. The film was converted from VHS to digital in 2006 after Mr. Ackerly went home to glory and one of the classrooms in Patterson Hall was dedicated to him.I am unsure where the song Lucky, lucky Jim came from. I think it was created by a student or staff member of PBTS, because I have not found anything on the web about it. The earliest reference I see to it is on page 70 of the 1932 Theologue where it says in a section called "Do you Remember"....""Lucky, Lucky Jim"? Do any Alumni remember the song or where it came from? Enjoy the video.

Update: I was looking over a letter I got back from Mrs. Ackerly back in 2007 and it looks like Elliott Ackerly received it from George Carr or Ralph W. Carr (one of Etta Carr Davis' [Mrs. John A. Davis brothers]. Now I know the song was around at least since 1931-1932, but I am not sure how much earlier it is than that.

75 years later God has blessed both schools (Davis College and Baptist Bible)

This summer marks the 75th anniversary of the split between Practical Bible Training School and Baptist Bible Seminary. In May of 1932 brought the first meetings preparing for the creation of Baptist Bible Seminary. That summer Mabel Thomson and Hazel Vibbard terminated their teaching engagements with PBTS. Dr. Bancroft who had suggested it followed. A meeting was held on May 16, 1932. Several other meetings continued through June and into July. On August 28, 1932 Dr. Arthur Wright was appointed the first president of BBS. Registration occurred on Tuesday, August 28, 1932. The school was housed in First Baptist of Johnson City very near where PBTS had started on Harrison Street. The split created some confusion at PBTS that summer and in the fall. Some students went to Baptist Bible while others stayed at PBTS. While I do not know when the PBTS registration was it was after that of Baptist Bible's. As Pastor Wheeler had pointed out about his experience with the school splitting:

The School split during my summer vacation from being a freshman. So much going on in every way and a big problem what to do the next fall. A crucial decision I had to make while sitting alone in a borrowed car and I can't remember the name of that Main Street or avenue. So thankful my steps turned toward Practical and a new Semester amidst questionable circumstances with many of my former teachers not there... My mind says "Floral Ave." Right?

Ruth Kummerer had told me about the split from her perspective saying:

The summer of 1932 I spent as a waitress at a fisherman’s lodge near my home. I had very little contact with students or the school. I did not hear of the difficulty until I returned. I had no decision to make. I was already there ready to start. Looking back on the situation now I can even see God’s hand in the division. I have always felt that Dr. Davis conducted himself well and was not guilty of infractions.

However, without the split there would never have been Baptist Bible Seminary –and it has been a great blessing to many people.

John A. Davis had only a few months before faced the death of his youngest son Charles and now the school was splitting. Amid financial problems from the Depression the school went nearly bankrupted. Less than 2 years later John A. Davis would pass away. It was a tough time for both PBTS and for Baptist Bible, but 75 years later both are still serving God.

The Alma Mater

As graduation approaches here on campus and my four years at Davis College comes to a close I have started thinking about the words of our Alma Mater.

On the banks of Susquehanna
In God's chosen place
Stands our dear old Davis College*,
Subject of His grace.

Davis College*, how we love you
And your teachers dear.
We will all pray daily for you
Though we're far from here.

[to be sung by graduating class]
We must part now, for He calls us
To a wider field;
And though we are loath to leave you,
For His sake, we yield.

Davis College*, don't forget us
As we go our way;
And while we are in His service,
For us, won't you pray?


*The name where Davis College is now began as P.B.T.S. and after we became a college it became Practical Bible in place of P.B.T.S.
=================================================================
It is not known when it was exactly written, but it was written by Irene Major Clark who was a corresponding secretary at PBTS during 1917-22. The term Alma mater is Latin for "nourishing mother" and it has been a part of colleges and universities for close to 1000 years. The tune that is used is that of "Annie Lisle." ""Annie Lisle" is the name of an 1857 ballad by Boston, Massachusetts songwriter H. S. Thompson and published by Oliver Ditson & Co. It is about the death of a young maiden, by what some have speculated to be tuberculosis, although the lyric does not explicitly mention tuberculosis, or "consumption" as it was called then. The song might have slipped into obscurity had the tune not been adopted by countless colleges, universities, and high schools worldwide as their respective alma mater songs" (wikipedia.org). It was first used for Cornell University as an Alma Mater musical score in 1870 and it was adopted by our PBTS and it continue to this day.

King Hall

King Hall, the main building pictured above, was the old gymnasium of PBTS. It was used for sporting events as well as graduation. King Hall was the old skating rink of the White City Amusement park. In the article “Reminiscences” by Mary Scotten in the 1932 Theologue, she remarks:

The former skating rink, now King Hall, was the scene of the first gathering when outsiders were with us. While we were eating dinner that day in our new dinning room, terrific thunder storm broke upon the Park, uprooting about thirty trees, and breaking off other. Who is “the prince of power of the air,” and what purpose had he in visiting here just then?

When the building was first converted from the rink it was called “Davis Hall” in honor of John A. Davis the founder. Yet, after Dr. Davis lost his voice in 1912 he became acquainted with Dr. Bryon King.

Rev. Davis received much help from Byron W. King, Ph.D., voice therapist and founder and head of "the world's greatest school of oratory," which was located in Pittsburgh, Pa. In September, 1913, Dr. King gave a series of lectures at PBTS on health and how to keep it. This was the beginning of a long relationship that he had with the school. Until his death in 1924, Dr. King came to PBTS annually to lecture on health and on the use and the care of the voice. The students were always delighted with his Shakespearean dramatizations. (From Dr. Barackman’s book on PBTS history).

In 1919 the building name was changed to “King Hall” in honor of Dr. King. In Dr. Davis’ Education that Educates he tells a little more about Dr. King.

On our beautiful campus here at Bible School Park, New York, we have a building called “King Hall.” It is named after my friend, the late Byron W. King, the noted Lecturer and Teacher. I have heard him stand before audiences and vision a creek, river or lake and with eloquent, descriptive powers, picture its possibilities for power, pleasure, and profit. I have listened as he has told about some filthy old swamp in the center of an island. He would visualize it drained, the island made over and changed into a place of beauty with trees, shrubbery, flowers, beautiful homes, gardens and boats for fishing and pleasure. The swamp was converted into a little lake with a shore line and lovely drive. The creek was dammed up to produce electric power to operate factories, mills, light cities, and furnish clothing, furniture, etc. He saw the land cultivated to bring forth food and wealth. Trees were made into chairs, furniture and carvings. In fact, Byron W. King saw possibilities in everything.

Some of us see only hard, cold, everyday facts; we live in a rut, lose hope and have no vision of better things. Others see the world as a work-shop in which wonderful things can be produced. Someone has truthfully said:

Two men looked out

From behind the bars,

One saw mud,

And the other saw stars.

King Hall was torn down in the 1980s. The stone slabs were the three pillars were still are in the parking area of the where it once stood.

Corey Adams

Memories of PBTS from the 1930s- Part 3: Mrs. Ruth Kummerer (Class 1934)

Memories of PBTS from the 1930s

PART 3

Mrs. Ruth Huson Kummerer (class of 1934)

The final part of the three part series: Memories of PBTS from the 1930s. Today, I am posting about Mrs. Ruth Huson Kummerer who graduated in from PBTS in 1934.

I have been contacting individuals that graduated in the earlier years of PBTS and one of those individuals was Mrs. Ruth Kummerer from the class of 1934. I was thrilled when I found a letter in my box one morning. I devoured every word on the five pages of information and memories. By the end of the letter I had a wonderful glimpse into the life of Ruth from childhood up to present day.

In her letter she told me of the hard times that occurred during her early life. She was the first born in her family. A brother was born after her, but he only lived eighteen months. “Then my mother died when I was five and I went to live with my paternal grandparents” she wrote. Her father was a farmer and her so were her grandparents. Her father sold the farm that they had lived on and moved to Liberty, NY where he found work, and “he and I went to live in a small apartment.”

The only bright spot was that my father was a Christian and had always taken me to church if he was where he could. Liberty Baptist Church was the joy of my life. I publicly accepted Christ at 12, but I cannot remember a time in my early days that I did not have a strong love for the Lord. The church had various contacts with Practical and pastor encouraged me to attend – and at that time I had not heard of any other Bible School.

Yet, there was a problem. Ruth was only 16 years of age. The entering age at the time was 18 years old. Ruth had to get special permission to go to PBTS at that earlier age. She left “with $98.00 (money saved from gifts and a little from working). God took good care of me. At the end of three years I only owed $20.00.” At that time the room and board was only seven dollars a week, what one meal costs now at Davis College. Oh, how time changes.

She took the train from Liberty, NY, in the Catskills region of New York, to Binghamton during the summer of 1931. She was able to see the campus for the first time and was able to see the Summer Conference on the Sunset Knoll of 1931, which took place from July 23 through August 2^nd. She remembers the grounds and how wonderful the campus was when she first entered it. The summer conference was a week long of good solid Biblical teaching. Then there was Dr. John A. Davis.

She remembers Dr. John A. Davis very well. Ruth wrote that “he was a real giant in the faith. He had such a strong desire to help students (especially those who had little money and background). He had a great ability to draw out the best in people.” He would give a student body pep talk once a week, mostly on Fridays. He would teach them on evangelism. Ruth remembers that he had great illustrations. He might have a student stand and read Scripture and then continue on with his illustration while the student was still standing. It was a way to drive home the point. When Dr. Davis was done with that point the student could sit down. She told me her mind did not wander when listening to Dr. Davis since he had such an energy and presence. He would be preaching away and hammering away at points in his sermon that no one fell asleep. He was great to listen to even with his weak voice from losing it years before. Yet, he was a man interested in potential.

Dr. Davis was always on the lookout for potential. Most of the students had little money and came from families with little money. Everyone had duties at the school. There was no tuition at that time, but only room and board so the work they did offset the other bills. Ruth’s job was in the kitchen. The school would help find you other jobs on the campus to help you pay your bill. It would be in the kitchen that she would meet her future husband, but I will tell you about a little later.

Ruth’s room was on the third floor of the Old Main Building. Room 216 to be precise and her roommate was Jeanette Herman Selleck. Ruth and Jeanette remained close friends for all their years. “She went to be with the Lord a few years ago. Her oldest daughter is named Ruth and mine is Jeanette.” Ruth mentioned that she had another roommate during her time that was on Student’s League of Many of Nations. She was hardly ever around because of League, but when she was there they had a great time together. She would die at a early age even before graduation Ruth recalled.

Ruth did not remember the death of Charles Davis on Sunday, November 22, 1931. She recalls Charles being at the basketball games. He was good coach for the men’s team. The girl’s basketball team that Ruth was on was coached by Dorothy Gardner. Ruth wrote of her basketball memories:

I had never even seen a basketball game before PBTS, but I was anxious to be included in everything I could. The girls team only had a few games –mostly with church teams. Our outfits consisted of borrowed men’s white shirts and bloomers. We even won sometimes.

Ruth remembers a bus trip into Central New York to play one of the church teams and the fun that they had. During the Depression it was a privilege to be able to travel. It was her favorite basketball memory. Yet, tensions were beginning to happen during the end of her freshman year that the students were unaware of.

Between her freshman and junior year at PBTS the school would split creating Baptist Bible Seminary. Ruth wrote of this event:

The summer of 1932 I spent as a waitress at a fisherman’s lodge near my home. I had very little contact with students or the school. I did not hear of the difficulty until I returned. I had no decision to make. I was already there ready to start. Looking back on the situation now I can even see God’s hand in the division. I have always felt that Dr. Davis conducted himself well and was not guilty of infractions.

However, without the split there would never have been Baptist Bible Seminary –and it has been a great blessing to many people.

She thinks that the whole event had blown up during the summer after the students had gone home for break. Charges were thrown around and there was much conversation throughout the student body when the school year resumed.

It was after the split of the school and lack of teachers that Dr. Lowe came on staff fulltime. He had been making trips from his church to teach for a few days then return for the weekend. After the split he moved up and lived on campus to teach fulltime. He was Ruth’s favorite and from what I can tell many other Alumni called him their favorite. Ruth wrote that “he had such a great way of using illustrations that I still remember.”

Between all the learning the students of PBTS in the 1930s....were students. From what I have learned from Alumni in the 1930s is that they were kids just like the students that go to Davis. They were in their teens and twenties at one time in their life too. Ruth also remembers the cat prank that Pastor Wheeler told me of. The stray cats were rounded up and released in the guys’ dorm. She said it happened just before Halloween one year. It was either in 1932 or 1933. As part of the same prank or at another time they put roller-skates on a cat and sent it up and down the hallway in the girls’ dorm. Ruth did not see it happen, but she remember the stories being told about it.

“One afternoon while I was making molasses cookies for the evening meal I met a handsome freshman in the kitchen doing his required work.” It was Claude Kummerer. They had been assigned extra work for that day and they got talking as she worked on cookies for the meal and Claude was cleaning the floor in the kitchen.

In January of 1934 began the decline of Dr. John A. Davis. “It was evident that he was under a lot of stress before his stroke, but of course it was a great shock to everyone. He did not go to a hospital. Male students volunteered to watch over and care for him at home.” The students knew he was declining and they were as prepared as they could be for the death of this wonderful man of God. When he died the bottom fell out. Ruth and most of the student body were in their rooms at 7:45 PM when Dr. Davis died. From 7 to 9 PM was the study hour for the students before bedtime at 10 PM.

Ruth remembers students standing at the casket of Dr. Davis 24 hours a day keeping watch until the funeral of Dr. Davis. Ruth was working overtime in the kitchen preparing more food the guests attending the funeral. She remembers being in King Hall and on the Knoll almost falling asleep because of the fatigue from working in the kitchen. She wrote that “the funeral and the burial on the knoll were a great testimony to a great man.”

After the funeral Dr. Wagner, who was the class teacher, wanted to change the Theologue. “He immediately said that what was written was not satisfactory for this year and in less than a month he and the class produced the hard covered book” for the class of 1934. Dr. Wagner and the class rallied together to take out some parts of the 1934 Theologue and put together a wonderful book about the life of Dr. John A. Davis.

Ruth graduated in May 1934 and found work in Binghamton doing housework, and on January 19, 1935 Claude Kummerer and her were married. He continued his school work and became student pastor of Wilseyville Community Church. After his graduation Claude became full time pastor of East Lawrence, PA Church. This was the beginning of Christian services for 50 years in New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

After retirement we moved to a retirement home in Southampton, PA. In a short time he was asked to be chaplain of this organization of about 500 people. After four year had a severe stroke and lived one week in the hospital (August 28, 1984) and God took him home.

Ruth is still very active being 91. She does a women’s Bible study through her church twice a month. She was wonderful to talk to and I learned much about the school’s history.

This concludes the 3 part series of PBTS in the 1930s. I am working on a new series that will come up in December and January. I will tell you more when I begin the interviews. If I receive more information from the wonderful Alumni in the 1930s I will post it here. So stay tuned.

Tomorrow is the 75th anniversary of Charles J. Davis' death

Tomorrow (Wednesday, November 22, 2006) marks the 75th anniversary of Charles J. Davis death. He died on Sunday, November 22, 1931 sometime in the early morning. To read the article about his death and the controversy behind it, click here. This coming summer will be the 75th anniversary of the splitting of PBTS and the creation of Baptist Bible Seminary. I will do a post on that when the time comes. Remember to check out: Memories from PBTS in the 1930s series on this blog. Part 1: Dr. Allan R. Knight (Class of 1932). Part 2: Pastor Carl Wheeler (Class of 1934). Part 3: Mrs. Ruth Kummerer (Class of 1934)...coming soon.

Memories of PBTS from the 1930s- Part 2: Pastor Carl Wheeler (class of 1934)

Memories of PBTS from the 1930s

PART 2

Pastor Carl Wheeler (class of 1934)

Part two in a three part series: Memories of PBTS from the 1930s. Today I am posting about Pastor Carl Wheeler who graduated in from PBTS in 1934.

I first heard about Pastor Wheeler from reading a Touchstone interview his nephew Don Hall did with him and his wife Florence, who went to be with Lord October 2005. I was excited reading about John A. Davis from someone who knew him. I had been emailing back and forth with Don Hall asking what he knew about John A. Davis from his research and he mentioned that he would give me his Uncle Carl’s address. Naturally I thought he would be emailing me his postal address, but no it was his email address! Wow! I was excited. An Alumnus from 1934 had an email address. I was thrilled. We began a great correspondence over email during the later part of the summer of 2006. By the beginning of the school year we had exchanged many emails and I had set up an interview with him over the phone for September. He related many stories over email before our phone interview. One was about him and Billy Sunday:

A PBTS student and I had privilege of a Youth Ministry in what may have been the last campaign of Billy Sunday. A converted well known baseball player, got saved and became an Evangelist which dominated and influenced in the early part of last century. In our ministry in the campaign in the Bronx, N.Y. 1934 we transported "Billy and Ma." Sunday as they were called, from his hotel to the Church. A great honor and here is some thing from my "collection' which is a glowing tribute to the Savior, Billy loved. I have and autographed picture which I treasure and his signature in my well worn Scofield Bible.

In another email over the summer I had asked about the school split of 1932. He recalled this:

The School split during my summer vacation from being a freshman. So much going on in every way and a big problem what to do the next fall. A crucial decision I had to make while sitting alone in a borrowed car and I can't remember the name of that Main Street or avenue. So thankful my steps turned toward Practical and a new Semester amidst questionable circumstances with many of my former teachers not there... My mind says "Floral Ave." Right?

So on Floral Ave Pastor Wheeler prayed and continued to go to PBTS. One other email I received gave me a chuckle. Pastor Wheeler wrote:

Am such a novice. At School learned much about Israelites, Canaanites, Jebusites but know little about Megabytes...Am pre school age in that realm.

Yet, he is the first person I know that is 94 years old that knows how to email and instant message people. I do not know of anyone else. Some of his emails sound like they are from someone that is my age in the fashion they are written. Pastor Wheeler and I became great friends over the internet by the beginning of the school year.

It would be the first Alumni phone interview I would do. It was on Thursday, September 7, 2006

Great energy I heard over the line. Pastor Wheeler told me he was born January 20, 1912 and I could not believe it. I would have thought he was only in his 60s by the energy in his voice. He was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania and grew up there before coming to New York to PBTS. His brother Clyde had come to PBTS in the 1920s and had graduated in 1926. Pastor Wheeler also mentioned that one of his oldest brothers was named Earl, and he was killed in WWI. The name Earl was passed on to his nephew Earl Wheeler who is on the Board here at Davis College. It was through the death of his brother that he was able to come to PBTS. God works in interesting ways and usually the ways we will not or do not want Him working in.

Pastor Wheeler remembers going to school for the Summer Conferences. His brother Clyde did much with the Student’s League of Many Nations, while he attended PBTS. He would go around and put up posters to get areas ready for the League’s arrival months ahead of time. Yet, it would be the calling of the Lord to serve Him that drew Pastor Wheeler to attend the alma mater of his brother.

He also mentioned how the League came to Susquehanna, Pennsylvania on several occasions. It was a fasted paced program with flags and patriotism for the countries they represented. It was a three fold service according to Pastor Wheeler that had songs and testimonies of what God had done in their lives. It never dragged, because Dr. John A. Davis was a fast moving kind of person. There would be an appeal for others to accept Christ during the time and also an appeal for others to join in the work of the ministry of Christ. After 80 years these events still are very vivid.

The energy of Dr. John A. Davis also continues to be clear in his mind. He wrote in one of his emails that Dr. Davis had “no grass growing under his feet.” He was very energetic to say the least. Even though he had lost his voice in 1912 and only gained some of it back the energy he had made up for it. He had a Billy Sunday kind of mentality. He could put his foot and kick it up over the chairs when preaching and put emphasis on certain words by inflecting them upwards. Even with the energy he had only some voice. He had a squeaky voice when Pastor Wheeler knew him. From what I know from my own research Dr. John A. Davis lost his voice in 1912 and was only able to regain some of it with some therapy. He had a powerful voice in his days, but with the lack of amplification in the late 1800s Dr. Davis lost his voice preaching to crowds of thousands of people. Pastor Wheeler was thankful for having a great person like Dr. Davis around when he was at PBTS.

During his time at PBTS Ira Weyhe was Pastor Wheeler’s best friend and roommate. Ira was the president of the class of 1934 and also the chief writer for the Theologue of 1934. Another good friend was George H. Kyrk. Pastor Wheeler and two other friends had a trio that would travel to different churches and minister to the congregation. They all lived in the Inner Circle, the converted Merry-Go-Round. The Inner Circle was right behind the Old Main Building and he remembers looking up and knowing exactly where his sweetheart, Florence, was. Sometimes he would write a note to Florence and have the night watchman slip it underneath her door.

He and Florence met while they were doing their different duties on campus. She would work in the dinning hall and he would take her dishes out. Florence would not have been able to stay if it were not for the care that the Davis’ had for the students. They would put some of their own money on the student’s bill or find them other jobs to do around campus to pay for their time at PBTS. It was like one big family at PBTS during the 1930s.

Yet, even with the family unit there were hard days for the school. Being the Depression the food was limited. Sometimes a farm in New York or Pennsylvania would have some extra potatoes and have the students come down and dig them up and take them back to PBTS. Looking back they did not think of themselves as being poor, but being college students even in the 1930s funny things were bound to happen.

He remembers a prank that Florence and some of the girls did on one occasion. They rounded up some cats and released them in the guys’ dorm and caused some excitement. They most likely got in more trouble for getting to close to guys’ dorm than for releasing the cats. Yet, other trials arouse while Pastor Wheeler was there, one being the splitting of the school.

In the summer of 1932 the school split and some professors and students went and formed Baptist Bible Seminary at the First Baptist of Johnson City. As was mentioned earlier in this article Pastor Wheeler remembers praying for God’s guidance on Floral Ave. After much prayer he decided to stay at PBTS. His best friend Ira was still there and Baptist Bible had already started a few weeks earlier. Pastor Wheeler was very thankful he stayed at PBTS, because it would be in 1932 that he and Florence would meet for the first time. To help out Dr. Davis people like Dr. Lowe, a graduate of PBTS came to teach where he would be the rest of his life teaching the Word of God. He believes that the stress both from the death of Charles Davis in 1931 and the school split in 1932 was kept from the student body, but Dr. and Mrs. Davis had to be under immense stress because of both events.

Pastor Wheeler remembers Doctor Wagner very well. Not only him being the class teacher, but he preached the Gospel and loved the Lord. He lived and preached to the students to live as if Jesus were coming back that day. He was also a matchmaker trying to get Pastor Wheeler and Florence together. Many of the professors left churches to take up the burden of PBTS. It was a labor of love; their love for the Lord and their love for the school and its mission.

Another person that he had great respect for was John R. Clements the first president of PBTS. He remembers him writing music and poems all over campus. He would play on his Bilhorn organ also. On one occasion he remembers him writing a poem outside the Inner Circle and he had Mr. Clements write it down for him later on. It was called “On the Jesus Way.” Pastor Wheeler still remembers most of it and treasures its words. It talks about the storms that happened during life and being protected by Jesus Christ. A great man of God who loved his Lord served Him through music and poetry.

In January of 1934, John A. Davis had a series of strokes. The school continued to operate as normally as possible. The classes plugged away. They would have days of prayer and fasting for Dr. Davis’ health. Florence was in a trio that sang at Dr. Davis’ bedside at the cottage. When John A. Davis passed away he remembers the bell on the top of the Main Building ringing 62 times. Yet, even though he was in glory the memory of Dr. John A. Davis would live on.

Pastor Wheeler remembers the Practical Helps that Dr. Davis would give to help people going into the ministry. How to conduct oneself when preaching or visiting a house and the appearance you bring. They were great tips that he has passed down to his children and grandchildren. Dr. Davis gave good practical help for ministers of the Word. He would preach his sermons and be “full of life” and be jumping around. “He was an innovator” for his time doing things that most would not dare to do. He would put things together in a clever way and originate new and different ways to present the gospel (read Education that Educates). A great man of God was Dr. Davis the founder of PBTS

My interview with Pastor Wheeler concluded after one hour and ten minutes on the phone. It was a great phone interview and it was well worth my time to learn more about the rich history of the school. We continued to communicate via email and finally met last month in October here at Davis College. View the picture here. Pastor Wheeler I believe is a living example of era of Dr. John A. Davis, because he has a great bundle of energy and I believe he could jump over a chair.

Coming up next week on Davis College History...Part 3 of 3 Mrs. Ruth Kummerer (Class of 1934)

Memories of PBTS from the 1930s- Part 1: Dr. Allan Knight (Class 1932)

Memories of PBTS from the 1930s

PART 1

Dr. Allan R. Knight (class of 1932)

I have had two wonderful conversations with a couple of the oldest Alumni of Practical Bible Training School. I have one interview coming up this next week with Mrs. Ruth Kummerer (also from the class 1934) and I will post about her time at PBTS afterwards.

Dr. Allan Knight wrote of many great memories. Dr. Knight was born on July 28, 1912. He wrote that he went from New Jersey to PBTS under the recommendation of his pastor the Reverend Ralph W. Carr. He was the brother of Etta Carr, who was the wife of Dr. John A. Davis. He mentioned that Dr. John A. Davis voice, “when I knew him as president, was rather high-pitched and sounded as though it was ‘worn-out’.” Dr. John A. Davis was “a truly dedicated man of God.”

He remembered that one of his roommates was a man by the name of Peter Eiseman. Peter was a converted Jew from Cleveland, Ohio who had been disowned by his parents. Dr. Knight “felt sorry for him, but also proud that he had recognized his Messiah.”

He related a story about one of the “pranks” he and one of his roommates tried...yet failed.

One evening in the late spring my roommate (at that time) and I decided to go out, with our sleeping bags, to the nearby knoll to sleep overnight. When we were almost there, Gordon Davis (who was living in the home overlooking the river) apparently spotted us and opened his front door to say, “And where do you gentlemen think you are going this evening?” Needlessness to say, we returned to our rooms—to stifle the night through.

Through the interview and the letters I learned some great details from Dr. Allan R. Knight.

Coming up Part 2...Pastor Carl Wheeler’s memories.