EDITED BY DON McDOUGALD EDITED BY DON McDOUGALD Telling Our Stories Vol. 2 Frontier Press USA Western Territory All rights reserved. Except for fair dealing permitted under the Copyright Act, no part of this book may be reproduced by any means without written permission from the publisher. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible and are in the public domain. Telling Our Stories: Vol. 2 Edited by Don McDougald September 2016 Copyright © The Salvation Army USA Western Territory ISBN 978-0-9968473-8-4 Printed in the United States Contents 3 Introduction 5 One Life to Live—One Life to Give One of the darkest moments in the history of the Western Territory occurred in 1974. Two cadets walking to the grocery store were stalked and shot by the Zebra killers. Misguided members of a black religious group were incited to attack individuals because of their skin color. The shooting had a significant impact on not only the College for Officer Training but also influenced the territorial headquarters relocation to Southern California. 15 God’s Blessings in the Former Soviet Union The collapse of the Communist Soviet Union opened the door for Salvationists to fill the empty longing in hearts indoctrinated in the secular society. One officer couple from the Western Territory was able to open doors to allow The Salvation Army to establish a 01 foothold in three former communist societies. An inspiring story of VOL. 2 TELLING OUR STORIES: God’s blessings on an amazing adventure. 29 Major Delores Rivitt, Order of the Founder The story of one woman who followed her dream and won the hearts of the people in Alaska. She often went where others would refuse to go, fulfilling her calling to serve the people. 45 When William Booth Came to Oakland When the Founder came to Oakland, he stayed in the home of friends of the Army. Often on the eccentric side, this adventure reveals a different side of this great gentlemen. 51 Two Stories of Salvationist Mining Camps The story of two men who led successful adventures as gold and copper miners. They operated the mines with only Salvationists as the workers, with all proceeds to speed the work of the Lord. 57 Jailed for Jesus In an effort to control charity fraud, the City of Los Angeles created a law that effectively closed down all Salvation Army charitable activities. This is the story of one officer who went to jail for months so the Army could enjoy the freedom to serve others. Introduction The Salvation Army has a colorful history and many of the untold sto- ries will soon be forgotten or buried in historical archives. This book is an attempt to capture and preserve those stories for future generations, to 03 enjoy and recall what some call the “glory days.” If colorful characters, VOL. 2 TELLING OUR STORIES: persecution and sometimes grim battles were the “glory days,” then maybe they were rightly identified. To many, it was simply a means of sharing the good news of Christ that brought turmoil and strife to the early-day Salvationists. It was not unusual for Salvationists to be stoned, or pelted with dead animals and eggs, by those who opposed the ragtag Army of eccentrics that was attempting to change communities, one life at a time. Many Salvationists were arrested for preaching on a street corner and some spent months in jail until justice prevailed and declared that Salvation- ists did have the right to march down the street and call people to re- pentance. The progress of early Salvationists in the West was explosive. There was no orders and regulations to say what they could and could not do, so they continually expanded into new communities to invite people to make a decision. Many corps were opened and after a year or two, if the expansion was not successful, the officer would move on to a different community. It was not unusual for officers to receive a change-of-ap- pointment every six to 12 months. In the first 10 years in the West, 73 corps were started and many are still preaching the good news today. As you read of these early-day heroes, may you recall their victories and sometime defeats and thank the Lord for individuals who were so motivated to stand up against those who would persecute so that we might enjoy The Salvation Army of our age. Don McDougald, Lt. Colonel Editor 04 TELLING OUR STORIES: VOL. 2 TELLING OUR STORIES: One Life to Live— One Life to Give Commissioner Kurt Burger 05 TELLING OUR STORIES: VOL. 2 TELLING OUR STORIES: cided not to do so. Whether or not they would have avoided the assassin’s bullets had they walked on the other side will never be known. That night a young man, who went by the name “Yellow,” a radical Muslim, went out with the clear intent to kill in the name of Al- lah. He believed white people, whom he con- sidered to be devils, did not deserve to live, and On a was out to put his convictions into practice. He spotted the young couple and knew he had his beautiful San Francisco evening, target for the night. April 1, 1974, at 9:19 p.m., one of the First he shot Tom twice, low in the back. worst tragedies to come to The Salva- Then he shot Linda twice, also in the back. Lin- tion Army unfolded. da fell as soon as she was hit and lay in the gut- A common practice for the School ter without losing consciousness. Tom began 07 for Officer Training cadets after study staggering forward, lumbering heavy-footed VOL. 2 TELLING OUR STORIES: time in the library was to sign out like a drunken man. In the gutter, Linda started and, usually in a group, make their to scream, “No! Oh, no! No!” Tom kept moving way to Mayfair Market for a snack. forward: 20, 30, 50 feet, reaching the driveway But on that day, Tom and Linda de- to the St. Francis Square Apartments parking cided to go alone. Linda had had a lot. He collapsed on his back, right arm flung long, tiring day and tried to convince out above his head, left bent grotesquely un- him not to go. Tom had asked several der him, eyes open but seeing only darkness. other cadets to go with him, but all of Behind him, Linda Story continued to scream.i them declined. Linda finally agreed, “I never saw the killer coming,” Linda re- with disastrous consequences. Cadets calls. “He came up behind us. I turned to Tom Thomas Rainwater and Linda Story to say something to him when I realized that were shot just blocks away from the someone was close behind him. I saw the gun school located at 1450 Laguna Street and froze. Then the shots. I fell and I looked in San Francisco. into the attacker’s eyes. He aimed his gun at me Leaving the school through the again and tried to fire a third shot but this time main entrance, they briefly consid- the gun jammed. He ran and disappeared.” ered crossing the street to the other Two other cadets, Michael Shepard and side of Geary Street, which was better his girlfriend Debby, were also headed to the lit and had fewer trees, but they de- Mayfair Market. Michael noticed a man lying on the sidewalk but didn’t realize that it thing about a shooting. She hadn’t. A was his fellow cadet. His attention was di- little later her corps officer, Major George verted by cries he heard close by. He saw Baker, rang the doorbell and she received Linda lying in the gutter and realized that confirmation of what had happened. something terrible had happened. He was She arrived at the hospital’s emergency jolted out of his daze by two men yelling room around midnight and was allowed at him to move away. The two identified to briefly see her daughter. “All I can say themselves as police officers, members of is that she looks fine, and we’re thankful the “Zebra Patrol.” They had been parked that it wasn’t worse,” she responded to a in their police car a few hundred feet away reporter’s question. “Linda didn’t have and it took only 25 seconds to get to the much to say, just that she’s grateful to be crime scene. Within minutes, some 50 po- alive.”ii Her eyes red from crying, Jossie lice officers had joined them and began to returned home around 3 a.m. to be with search the neighborhood. However, it was her other children. too late; the suspect had vanished. The following day, Linda kept asking Mike and Debby ran back to the school, about Tom. She was in severe pain and 08 TELLING OUR STORIES: VOL. 2 TELLING OUR STORIES: alerting the staff to what had happened. thought that Tom must be going through The training school principal, Brigadier the same agony. If he can do it, so can I, she Willard Evans, was attending an interna- told herself. Finally, someone gently said tional conference of training school prin- to her: “Linda, Tom didn’t do so well. He cipals in London. He was contacted imme- didn’t make it.” Tom Rainwater died in the diately and got on the first available flight streets of San Francisco.