[Oral History] Rev. Harold “Jack” L. Ogden

One of few living alumni and trustees emeriti from the Greatest Generation, Rev. Harold “Jack” L. Ogden, Ph.D., graduated from Westminster College in 1940 with degrees in English and Philosophy. He served on the Board of Trustees from 1979 to 1995, when he became a Lifetime Trustee. A Westminster legend, Jack both witnessed and played a significant role in our college’s rich history.
In October 2020, Jack passed away at the age of 103. At the time of his passing, he was the oldest living member of the Skulls of Seven. A person with a heart for service, he was one of the founding members of the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and remained active with his fraternity brothers for more than 80 years, often returning to fraternity and campus events during Alumni Weekend. As a Westminster student long ago, Jack was on the Blue Jays baseball team and received Omicron Delta Kappa honors.
After graduation, Jack earned a master’s degree in theology from Princeton Theological Seminary and was immediately ordained a Presbyterian minister in 1943, the same year he began serving in the U.S. Marine Corps as a chaplain on a naval ship in the Pacific Ocean during World War II. He also served for two years at Camp Lejeune during the Korean War. Jack eventually continued his divinity studies and received a doctorate in Divinity from Union Theological Seminary. He was a pastor at Presbyterian churches throughout Missouri, New York, Florida, and Ohio for 65 years and served as a chaplain to the New York State Senate as well as a number of other prestigious organizations before retiring to California, where he continued his pastoral work part time.
In his frequent visits to Westminster, Jack received an honorary degree in 1983 from the College, became a Churchill Museum Fellow in 1985, and was an emeritus member of the Board of Governors of the Association of Churchill Fellows. Jack was a longtime friend of America’s National Churchill Museum, to which he felt a strong bond after witnessing Winston Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” speech in uniform as a young alumnus. At Westminster, Jack also is remembered as the minister who officiated at the funeral of Westminster President Franc L. “Bullet” McCluer in 1979. Additionally, he is well-known here for his characteristic friendliness, warmth, and support - both financially and personally. Two of his four daughters, Jaime (Ogden) Jamieson, ’83, and Melissa (Ogden) Bolland, ’85, attended his beloved alma mater. Today they are among the first female graduates of the College.
In this video interview recorded by America's National Churchill Museum on during Westminster's 2014 Alumni Weekend (April 24-26), Jack said his secret to a long life, in addition to good genes and general health, was an outlook that viewed burdens as opportunities for growth. He smiled when he spoke of his long life and about the College. Those who mourn Jack’s passing can rest assured that Westminster College will continue to commemorate the positive, vibrant life of one of its most devoted alumni.
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