Birth of Grace Livingstone Hill, prolific writer of Christian fiction and devotional books and booklets. She was born into a highly respected family, her father a preacher; her mother, with an aristocratic background, took up the duties of the home, learning to cook and sew, but most of all, to fulfill the duties of a pastor's wife. Often moving from one, church to another, Grace became well acquainted with the trials of a pastor, and even though she did not like to "sojourn" (she wanted to settle down and stay in one place), she adapted to the situations of life readily. Her mother and her aunt were both writers, and when little Grace decided "to write her own book" she pecked out the words on her aunt's typewriter. Then one day she met tall, handsome Frank Hill, a Scotch Presbyterian minister, and for seven years they had a wonderful life together and God blessed them with two little girls. But the young pastor got appendicitis and died, and Grace was forced to be the sole support of the little family. Out of dire necessity she began to write in earnest, although the small remunerations from her early books barely kept the wolf away.
Birth of Merrill C. Tenney, New Testament scholar. In addition to his several scholarly writings, Tenny was dean of the Wheaton College Graduate School from 1947-71. One of his most extensive works is the Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, compiled with the assistance of 65 other outstanding Bible scholars. Tenney has also produced outstanding commentaries on the Gospel of John, on Galatians and on Revelation, in addition to a New Testament Survey.
Birth of Richard Eugene Strickler, an unsung hero of faith, who after working for several years in the U.S. Naval Observatory as an astronomer, entered the New Tribes Mission training program in 1954, and went to Bolivia in 1956. Dick was one of the pioneer missionaries to the Yuqui tribe, where he worked until stricken with a severe case of hepatitis, from which he never recovered. His twin brother, Robert, was with him when he was promoted into the Lord's presence.
