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MY STORY
by Carolyn Hall Hogg
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| Dr. and Mrs. Clarence E. Hall |
Clarence Hall met Kathryn Kelly at Oberlin College in a German class. They dated for a few months; then Clarence attended
an Aimee Semple McPherson revival service in Canton, Ohio. He was thoroughly convinced that Mrs. McPherson had the message
for him. He asked Kathryn to go with him, and after she heard Mrs. McPherson, she too accepted the Lord and made a total
commitment to Him. This led to their engagement and Clarence’s decision to attend LIFE in Los Angeles. Kathryn’s
parents were not thrilled with the possibility of their daughter leaving Ohio for Los Angeles, so insisted she work by teaching
school for two years after her graduation from Oberlin.
Clarence left for Los Angeles in 1928. Between them, the postal service was kept busy until Kathryn came out the following
summer for a visit. Before she returned to Ohio, they purchased a marriage license, which they sent back and forth to each
other for the entire next year. In June 1930 Kathryn came to Los Angeles all alone and married Clarence on June 29, 1930.
As I think about that, the commitment was not only to her husband, but was definitely to the Lord, as it was a complete change
of direction for her.
I came along in 1931, shortly after my Dad’s graduation from LIFE. Dad continued to work with the young people of Angelus
Temple. Then, in 1934, my parents moved from Glendale to Highland Park, California, to pioneer a Foursquare church. They
began their ministry in a tent, and then moved to a storefront building where we stayed until August 1944.
In 1937, my mother’s parents were killed in an automobile accident, which was a terrible shock to her. She had one
brother living in Kansas City, Missouri.
My memory is vivid of Pearl Harbor in 1941. The resulting blackouts and air raid sirens were terrifying to children like
myself, but my folks kept things as normal as possible. Then in the fall of 1944, Dad was called to pastor the Vancouver,
B.C. Foursquare Church.
I have many fond memories of our years in Highland Park—my school days, my neighborhood friends, and of course, my church
friends. My mother and dad always taught me how to trust and be led by the Lord, and in each move they made--Highland Park
to Vancouver, B.C., to District Supervisor living in Seattle, Washington; then finally back to Los Angeles where Dad was appointed
Dean of LIFE Bible School, and both Mother and Dad taught.
I did not like the separation caused by their move to Los Angeles as I was now married to Norm Hogg and we lived in Vancouver,
B.C. However, I know the Bible School was a highlight for them and they were blessed to see so many students go into the
ministry. They always felt privileged to be a part of the Foursquare Denomination and gave themselves for it.
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