taken from THE METHODIST CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE by P D Wilson 27 Oct 1970 and Our Sumatanga by David N Hutto, Jr and Warren Hamby, Jr
David graduated from Lincoln High School in 1922 and with honors from Birmingham Southern College, a Methodist Liberal Arts School in 1933. He received a Masters of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University School of Religion in 1933. He later studied at Garrett, Northwestern, Harvard and Scaritt completing his resident work for a doctorate.
Schooling did not come easy, for David was not the son of a wealthy family. He worked numerous jobs, mostly physical labor to pay his expenses. He worked part time at Birmingham Southern picking up litter and maintaining the grounds. Many of the beautiful elms and dogwoods there were planted by him. After 10 years of hard work he was honored with a medal at graduation as the most outstanding ministerial student in his class. After graduation he continued to work on campus and served in several churches as youth director. He continued his education at Vanderbilt, on scholarship this time.
In 1935, he met Edna Leola Smith from Georgia and they married 1 Dec 1935 and from this union were blessed with 2 children- Hattie Sue, now Mrs. Marshall Carson of Sylacauga, and David Nixon, Jr., a member of the faculty of Radford College, Radford, VA.
David served various circuits in the North Alabama Conference of the Methodist Church and David and Leola's life together became one of mutual support and respect filled with challenges only an itinerant pastor's
family could fully appreciate.
When the US entered WWII, David was fully convinced that if he did not serve, he would not be able to minister to those who returned. Due to a severe leg injury he suffered as a child he was turned down twice, despite attempts at pleading his case to military officals and congressmen. On his 3rd attempt he went to Ft McClellan to try and enlist as a private hoping no one would notice his affliction.
The weary induction officer did not noticed his leg and David was accepted. He volunteered to be a medic and a chaplain's assistant. With 19,00 troops on base and only 4 chaplains, David was preaching every Sunday. He was soon given a full commission as a Chaplain in the US Army.
However, David wanted to be with the troops in action. He volunteered with the 312th Troop Carrier Squadron and shipped out to Europe. The Chaplain with the bum leg served in England, France and North Africa. He flew on missions with the 82nd Airborne over France and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He understood what it meant to be in battle and to die for your country. He saw the ravages of war - hunger, destruction, the death of the innocent and the struggle of young boys trying to be men. He was one of a few men in service who entered as a pvt and left with the rank of Major.
After the war David served various churches and always left them debt-free. David opposed debt, personally and otherwise. At the request of the Methodist Conference Board of Christian Education he became its executive secretary for two years. During these two years the Methodist youth had to rent camping facilities. David asked "Why not have our own?" Thus began the Camp Ministry of Sumatanga. David invested body, mind and soul in it for approximately a quarter of a century. He saw a dream - his dream became a reality. What began as a place carved from the wilderness in St Clair Co AL, evolved into a place for rekindling the faith of people of all ages thru David's guidance, hardwork and unbridled faith in God. No minister in the North AL Conference had touched as many for God and good. He may well be called one of God's "Master Workman."
From the beginning he had been sensitive to His Father's call, answering, "Here am I", "I'll go where you want me to go; I'll be what you want me to be". On Nov 5, 1969 David suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to the hospital where he would spend the next 15 weeks. Finally recovering enough to go home, he had two good weeks but early on the morning of March 9, 1970, his heart stopped, his physical eyes closed.
His legacy was not only the physical plant he built, 32 buildings, the lake, the cross, two pools, tennis courts, and two lodges, but also the spirit of Christian service he established at Sumatanga.
His service of rememberance was held at the First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, Wed, Mar 11, 1970. Dr Calvin Pinkard, Dr Harold Spradley and P D Wilson had the ritual. Bishop Kenneth Goodson delivered a most fitting tribute, "Truly, this day a Prince in Israel has fallen".
A brother in Spirit for more than forty years.
David graduated from Lincoln High School in 1922 and with honors from Birmingham Southern College, a Methodist Liberal Arts School in 1933. He received a Masters of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University School of Religion in 1933. He later studied at Garrett, Northwestern, Harvard and Scaritt completing his resident work for a doctorate.
Schooling did not come easy, for David was not the son of a wealthy family. He worked numerous jobs, mostly physical labor to pay his expenses. He worked part time at Birmingham Southern picking up litter and maintaining the grounds. Many of the beautiful elms and dogwoods there were planted by him. After 10 years of hard work he was honored with a medal at graduation as the most outstanding ministerial student in his class. After graduation he continued to work on campus and served in several churches as youth director. He continued his education at Vanderbilt, on scholarship this time.
In 1935, he met Edna Leola Smith from Georgia and they married 1 Dec 1935 and from this union were blessed with 2 children- Hattie Sue, now Mrs. Marshall Carson of Sylacauga, and David Nixon, Jr., a member of the faculty of Radford College, Radford, VA.
David served various circuits in the North Alabama Conference of the Methodist Church and David and Leola's life together became one of mutual support and respect filled with challenges only an itinerant pastor's
family could fully appreciate.
When the US entered WWII, David was fully convinced that if he did not serve, he would not be able to minister to those who returned. Due to a severe leg injury he suffered as a child he was turned down twice, despite attempts at pleading his case to military officals and congressmen. On his 3rd attempt he went to Ft McClellan to try and enlist as a private hoping no one would notice his affliction.
The weary induction officer did not noticed his leg and David was accepted. He volunteered to be a medic and a chaplain's assistant. With 19,00 troops on base and only 4 chaplains, David was preaching every Sunday. He was soon given a full commission as a Chaplain in the US Army.
However, David wanted to be with the troops in action. He volunteered with the 312th Troop Carrier Squadron and shipped out to Europe. The Chaplain with the bum leg served in England, France and North Africa. He flew on missions with the 82nd Airborne over France and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He understood what it meant to be in battle and to die for your country. He saw the ravages of war - hunger, destruction, the death of the innocent and the struggle of young boys trying to be men. He was one of a few men in service who entered as a pvt and left with the rank of Major.
After the war David served various churches and always left them debt-free. David opposed debt, personally and otherwise. At the request of the Methodist Conference Board of Christian Education he became its executive secretary for two years. During these two years the Methodist youth had to rent camping facilities. David asked "Why not have our own?" Thus began the Camp Ministry of Sumatanga. David invested body, mind and soul in it for approximately a quarter of a century. He saw a dream - his dream became a reality. What began as a place carved from the wilderness in St Clair Co AL, evolved into a place for rekindling the faith of people of all ages thru David's guidance, hardwork and unbridled faith in God. No minister in the North AL Conference had touched as many for God and good. He may well be called one of God's "Master Workman."
From the beginning he had been sensitive to His Father's call, answering, "Here am I", "I'll go where you want me to go; I'll be what you want me to be". On Nov 5, 1969 David suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to the hospital where he would spend the next 15 weeks. Finally recovering enough to go home, he had two good weeks but early on the morning of March 9, 1970, his heart stopped, his physical eyes closed.
His legacy was not only the physical plant he built, 32 buildings, the lake, the cross, two pools, tennis courts, and two lodges, but also the spirit of Christian service he established at Sumatanga.
His service of rememberance was held at the First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, Wed, Mar 11, 1970. Dr Calvin Pinkard, Dr Harold Spradley and P D Wilson had the ritual. Bishop Kenneth Goodson delivered a most fitting tribute, "Truly, this day a Prince in Israel has fallen".
A brother in Spirit for more than forty years.
taken from THE METHODIST CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE by P D Wilson 27 Oct 1970 and Our Sumatanga by David N Hutto, Jr and Warren Hamby, Jr
David graduated from Lincoln High School in 1922 and with honors from Birmingham Southern College, a Methodist Liberal Arts School in 1933. He received a Masters of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University School of Religion in 1933. He later studied at Garrett, Northwestern, Harvard and Scaritt completing his resident work for a doctorate.
Schooling did not come easy, for David was not the son of a wealthy family. He worked numerous jobs, mostly physical labor to pay his expenses. He worked part time at Birmingham Southern picking up litter and maintaining the grounds. Many of the beautiful elms and dogwoods there were planted by him. After 10 years of hard work he was honored with a medal at graduation as the most outstanding ministerial student in his class. After graduation he continued to work on campus and served in several churches as youth director. He continued his education at Vanderbilt, on scholarship this time.
In 1935, he met Edna Leola Smith from Georgia and they married 1 Dec 1935 and from this union were blessed with 2 children- Hattie Sue, now Mrs. Marshall Carson of Sylacauga, and David Nixon, Jr., a member of the faculty of Radford College, Radford, VA.
David served various circuits in the North Alabama Conference of the Methodist Church and David and Leola's life together became one of mutual support and respect filled with challenges only an itinerant pastor's
family could fully appreciate.
When the US entered WWII, David was fully convinced that if he did not serve, he would not be able to minister to those who returned. Due to a severe leg injury he suffered as a child he was turned down twice, despite attempts at pleading his case to military officals and congressmen. On his 3rd attempt he went to Ft McClellan to try and enlist as a private hoping no one would notice his affliction.
The weary induction officer did not noticed his leg and David was accepted. He volunteered to be a medic and a chaplain's assistant. With 19,00 troops on base and only 4 chaplains, David was preaching every Sunday. He was soon given a full commission as a Chaplain in the US Army.
However, David wanted to be with the troops in action. He volunteered with the 312th Troop Carrier Squadron and shipped out to Europe. The Chaplain with the bum leg served in England, France and North Africa. He flew on missions with the 82nd Airborne over France and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He understood what it meant to be in battle and to die for your country. He saw the ravages of war - hunger, destruction, the death of the innocent and the struggle of young boys trying to be men. He was one of a few men in service who entered as a pvt and left with the rank of Major.
After the war David served various churches and always left them debt-free. David opposed debt, personally and otherwise. At the request of the Methodist Conference Board of Christian Education he became its executive secretary for two years. During these two years the Methodist youth had to rent camping facilities. David asked "Why not have our own?" Thus began the Camp Ministry of Sumatanga. David invested body, mind and soul in it for approximately a quarter of a century. He saw a dream - his dream became a reality. What began as a place carved from the wilderness in St Clair Co AL, evolved into a place for rekindling the faith of people of all ages thru David's guidance, hardwork and unbridled faith in God. No minister in the North AL Conference had touched as many for God and good. He may well be called one of God's "Master Workman."
From the beginning he had been sensitive to His Father's call, answering, "Here am I", "I'll go where you want me to go; I'll be what you want me to be". On Nov 5, 1969 David suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to the hospital where he would spend the next 15 weeks. Finally recovering enough to go home, he had two good weeks but early on the morning of March 9, 1970, his heart stopped, his physical eyes closed.
His legacy was not only the physical plant he built, 32 buildings, the lake, the cross, two pools, tennis courts, and two lodges, but also the spirit of Christian service he established at Sumatanga.
His service of rememberance was held at the First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, Wed, Mar 11, 1970. Dr Calvin Pinkard, Dr Harold Spradley and P D Wilson had the ritual. Bishop Kenneth Goodson delivered a most fitting tribute, "Truly, this day a Prince in Israel has fallen".
A brother in Spirit for more than forty years.
David graduated from Lincoln High School in 1922 and with honors from Birmingham Southern College, a Methodist Liberal Arts School in 1933. He received a Masters of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt University School of Religion in 1933. He later studied at Garrett, Northwestern, Harvard and Scaritt completing his resident work for a doctorate.
Schooling did not come easy, for David was not the son of a wealthy family. He worked numerous jobs, mostly physical labor to pay his expenses. He worked part time at Birmingham Southern picking up litter and maintaining the grounds. Many of the beautiful elms and dogwoods there were planted by him. After 10 years of hard work he was honored with a medal at graduation as the most outstanding ministerial student in his class. After graduation he continued to work on campus and served in several churches as youth director. He continued his education at Vanderbilt, on scholarship this time.
In 1935, he met Edna Leola Smith from Georgia and they married 1 Dec 1935 and from this union were blessed with 2 children- Hattie Sue, now Mrs. Marshall Carson of Sylacauga, and David Nixon, Jr., a member of the faculty of Radford College, Radford, VA.
David served various circuits in the North Alabama Conference of the Methodist Church and David and Leola's life together became one of mutual support and respect filled with challenges only an itinerant pastor's
family could fully appreciate.
When the US entered WWII, David was fully convinced that if he did not serve, he would not be able to minister to those who returned. Due to a severe leg injury he suffered as a child he was turned down twice, despite attempts at pleading his case to military officals and congressmen. On his 3rd attempt he went to Ft McClellan to try and enlist as a private hoping no one would notice his affliction.
The weary induction officer did not noticed his leg and David was accepted. He volunteered to be a medic and a chaplain's assistant. With 19,00 troops on base and only 4 chaplains, David was preaching every Sunday. He was soon given a full commission as a Chaplain in the US Army.
However, David wanted to be with the troops in action. He volunteered with the 312th Troop Carrier Squadron and shipped out to Europe. The Chaplain with the bum leg served in England, France and North Africa. He flew on missions with the 82nd Airborne over France and was in the Battle of the Bulge. He understood what it meant to be in battle and to die for your country. He saw the ravages of war - hunger, destruction, the death of the innocent and the struggle of young boys trying to be men. He was one of a few men in service who entered as a pvt and left with the rank of Major.
After the war David served various churches and always left them debt-free. David opposed debt, personally and otherwise. At the request of the Methodist Conference Board of Christian Education he became its executive secretary for two years. During these two years the Methodist youth had to rent camping facilities. David asked "Why not have our own?" Thus began the Camp Ministry of Sumatanga. David invested body, mind and soul in it for approximately a quarter of a century. He saw a dream - his dream became a reality. What began as a place carved from the wilderness in St Clair Co AL, evolved into a place for rekindling the faith of people of all ages thru David's guidance, hardwork and unbridled faith in God. No minister in the North AL Conference had touched as many for God and good. He may well be called one of God's "Master Workman."
From the beginning he had been sensitive to His Father's call, answering, "Here am I", "I'll go where you want me to go; I'll be what you want me to be". On Nov 5, 1969 David suffered a massive heart attack and was rushed to the hospital where he would spend the next 15 weeks. Finally recovering enough to go home, he had two good weeks but early on the morning of March 9, 1970, his heart stopped, his physical eyes closed.
His legacy was not only the physical plant he built, 32 buildings, the lake, the cross, two pools, tennis courts, and two lodges, but also the spirit of Christian service he established at Sumatanga.
His service of rememberance was held at the First United Methodist Church of Birmingham, Wed, Mar 11, 1970. Dr Calvin Pinkard, Dr Harold Spradley and P D Wilson had the ritual. Bishop Kenneth Goodson delivered a most fitting tribute, "Truly, this day a Prince in Israel has fallen".
A brother in Spirit for more than forty years.
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