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This story available online: http://www.pcusa.org/pcnews/2007/07488.htm
07488 August 9, 2007
Notes about people
by Jerry Van Marter Presbyterian News Service
The Rev. David C. Hancock, a longtime leader in Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) efforts to minister with people suffering alcohol and drug addictions, died Aug. 1 in a Minneapolis nursing home. He was 93.
A graduate of Hanover (IN) College and McCormick Theological Seminary, Hancock was ordained to the ministry in 1951. Believing he had "failed miserably" to help parishioners overcome alcohol and drug problems, Hancock left parish ministry in 1964 to devote himself to alcohol and drug abuse prevention. He led alcoholism councils in Lincoln, NE, and St. Paul, MN, and was a co-founder and leader of the national non-profit Prevention of Alcohol Problems.
Hancock also served on numerous Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) boards and commissions and was instrumental in the creation of the Presbyterian Network on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse PNAODA), a network of the Presbyterian Health, Education and Welfare Association [http://www.pcusa.org/phewa]. A million copies of his pamphlet "I Can't Be an Alcoholic Because ..." have sold.
"He was really ahead of his time," said the Rev. Gordon Grimm, a retired Lutheran pastor and former staffer at Hazelden, a treatment center near Center City, MN. "Rather than seeing everything about alcohol as negative, he would [teach] that it is a part of life, that people need to set boundaries, and if they can't, they need help," said Grimm.
Hancock is survived by his wife, Dolores, of Brooklyn Park, MN; daughters Marilyn Wooldridge of Edina, MN, and June Fettig, of Omaha; a son, John, of Cincinnati; three stepsons, Rick Johnson, of Omaha and Bill and Tom Johnson of Eden Prairie, MN; a stepdaughter, Nancy Holtan, of Brooklyn Park; eight grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and four step-grandchildren.
A memorial service was held Aug. 7 at the Walker Health Care Center chapel in Minneapolis.
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The Rev. Robert P. "Manny" Douglass, founding pastor of Dallas' Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church, died July 31 in a hospital in Kerrville, TX. He was 88.
The Texas native, a graduate of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, served two Houston churches before accepting the call to serve the new Preston Hollow church in 1949. During his 17 years there, the church grew from 67 to 1,500 members. He led Preston Hollow Presbyterian through four building campaigns.
Later, Douglass served as pastor of First Presbyterian Church in St. Petersburg, FL, and as executive secretary of the then Synod of Florida. In 1999, as part of its 50th anniversary, Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church named Mr. Douglass its pastor emeritus.
Survivors include his wife, Charlotte Douglass of Kerrville; son, David Douglass of Orlando; and niece, Lynne Douglass Nelson of Mathis, TX. A memorial service was held Aug. 4 at First Presbyterian Church in Kerrville.
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The Rev. Clark D. Cowden has been named executive presbyter of the Presbytery of San Diego. He succeeds the Rev. Andrew Smith who served in the position for five years, resigning in December 2006. Cowden begins his new work Oct. 8.
A graduate of Taylor University in Upland, IN, and Fuller Theological Seminary, Cowden most recently has served as executive of the Presbytery of San Joaquin, based in Visalia, CA. He held that position for nine years and chose the title evangelist presbyter, indicating a greater emphasis on mission than administration.
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The Rev. Robert K. Whitford has been named interim presbytery administrator for the Presbytery of Alaska. The presbytery, based in Juneau, has been in transition since the Rev. Jay Olsen left two years ago to accept a position on the staff of the Sierra Mission Partnership in central California. Whitford was preceded as interim administrator by the Rev. John N. Bartholomew, former synod executive for the Synod of South Atlantic.
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