Hugh's News & Commentary

Thanks so much, Hugh; your announcement about the death and homegoing of O. N. Todd reaffirms why we need Hugh's News.

My first memory of O. N. Todd was as a boy in the Lake City camp meetings (SC Conference). I thought he was the best singer I had ever heard, and he sang so effortlessly, I thought. All of the singers I had known made singing seem like hard work, but not O. N. Todd.

I was a student at Emmanuel College in 1961 when President Drum selected me to attend the 1961 General Conference and give on behalf of the college an oration I had written (before the days of the national talent program). He sent me to Richmond, VA on the train--the first train ride in my life. Brother Todd was the minister of music for the conference. He took me back stage and had me share what I was going to say with him before speaking to the conference. I was glad to do it. I was a college freshman at the time, and I'm sure he wanted to know my remarks would be appropriate--of course a wise thing to do.

I wrote about his tenure in Hong Kong and Korea as a missionary in The Simultaneous Principle: A History of World Missions Ministries.

The name of O. N. Todd will always be written large in IPHC history as a great pastor, missionary, church planter and singer par excellence. His ability to interpret a song in music was such that I thought he could preach a sermon in a song.

Pastor Frank