| Martha P. Martin,
a trailblazing Presbyterian elder, died unexpectedly Jan. 13,
2004 in her home in Mt. Washington, OH.
Born in Oakland, IL in 1917, she graduated from the University
of Illinois where she met her husband, Daniel W. Martin. After
rearing three children, Martha focused on service to the Presbyterian
Church. She was elected president of Cincinnnati Presbyterial
of Presbyterian Women in 1964. In 1967 she was the first woman
ordained as an elder in her home congregation, Mt. Washington
Presbyterian Church, and later was its first woman clerk of session.
In 1971, Martin was the first woman elected moderator of the Presbytery
of Cincinnati. In 1977 she was elected moderator of the Synod
of the Covenant and served as the synod’s stated clerk from
1979-1989.
Nationally, she served as secretary of Presbyterian Women and
in 1976 was named vice-moderator of the General Assembly. She
served on the General Assembly Council from 1989-1995, including
one year as vice-moderator and one year as moderator of the council.
She is survived by her brother, Van Parker ofCarmichael, CA;
three children, Mary (James) Kilpatrick of Wooster, OH, David
Martin of Cary, NC, and Nancy (Richard) Glasgow of Hays, KS; eight
grandchildren and six great grandchildren. She was preceded in
death by her husband, Daniel W. Martin, and an infant son, Donald
W. Martin.
Memorial services will be held Jan. 17 at Mount Washington Presbyterian
Church.
# # #
Horace G. Underwood, a third-generation Presbyterian
missionary in Korea, died Jan. 15 in Seoul, Korea, of natural
causes. He was 87.
His grandfather, also Horace G. Underwood, founded Yonsei University
in Seoul. The younger Horace was born in Seoul in 1917 and lived
there until returning to the United States to attend college.
He returned to Korea in 1939 as a Presbyterian missionary. He
joined the U.S. Navy after Pearl Harbor but returned again to
Korea after the war, where he witnessed an important part of U.S.
history, serving as senior interpreter during the Panmunjon Armistice
negotiations during the Korean War.
Underwood officially retired in 1984 but immediately went to
work as a long term mission volunteer for the PC(USA), serving
until his death as assistant to the president and then as university
director of Yonsei University.
He is survived by his wife and three sons. Funeral services
will be Jan. 19 at Yonsei University.
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