Tom Rupp commentary: The lasting influence of a strong man

Celebrating Father's Day last Sunday brought to mind several of the men who were influential in my life. First was my grandfather, Hans Walter Tschudin. Born in Switzerland, he came to America in 1912 at age 16. He fought in both world wars as a colonel in the Army and also worked at G.E. for decades. He was my primary father figure, a stern but loving man who helped as much as possible to keep all of us kids on a straight path. When I was a young adult, he always quietly slipped me a $20 bill at the end of each visit. I wanted to be like him. H.H. Valentine was my minister. Born and raised in Baltimore, Rev. Valentine displayed a loving, kind and humorous persona a young boy could look up to. He encouraged me in the beginnings of my ministerial journey and gave me many opportunities to preach. I wanted to be like him. At the same church was our youth pastor, Julio Roque. God saved him, cold turkey, from a heroin addiction and, after a stint at Teen Challenge, he came to work at our church. Julio always had time for me and led in Bible studies, prayer meetings and outreach activities. He modeled what it meant to be a Christian. I wanted to be like him. Kenneth Benson was the primary instructor at Holmes Bible College. He was a scholar but also a friend. He carried a peaceful presence and an even-keeled temperament. I wanted to be like him. Well, by then I had become a young man with a family of my own. And in time, it has fallen to me to become the kind of person others might want to emulate, a male leader. Our current times seem to be fraught with hesitation about promoting the benefits of strong male leadership. We deprive ourselves if we demean or define away the positive influence a good and godly man exerts. There are other male mentors and leaders who played a positively influential part in my life, but space only allows for their mention – Alan Lloyd, Ray Lloyd, Jeff Beck, Ron Hamilton, Donald Woodward, Paul Wilcox, Carrol Ray Hamlett, Bill Wiggins, Dewaye Weeks, Henry Whittenton, Herbert Carter. These all played an influential role in my life, and I am thankful for them and for what God did through them. Tom Rupp is a Folsom resident and weekly Telegraph columnist. You can reach him at truppfolsom@yahoo.com.