This is a complete transcript of the oral history interview with Leroy H. Pfund (CN514, T048) for the Billy Graham Center Archives. No spoken words which were recorded are omitted. In a very few cases, the transcribers could not understand what was said, in which case “[unclear]” was inserted. Also, grunts and verbal hesitations such as "ah" or "um" are usually omitted. Readers of this transcript should remember that this is a transcript of spoken English, which follows a different rhythm and even rule than written English. Three dots indicate an interruption or break in the train of thought within the sentence on the part of the speaker. Four dots indicate what the transcriber believes to be the end of an incomplete sentence. ( ) Words in parentheses are asides made by the speaker. [ ] Words in brackets are comments by the transcriber. This transcript was created by Emily Banas and a student worker and was completed April 2020. Please note: This oral history interview expresses the personal memories and opinions of the interviewee and does not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Billy Graham Center Archives or Wheaton College. © 2020. The Billy Graham Center Archives. All rights reserved. This transcript may be reused with the following publication credit: Used by permission of the Billy Graham Center Archives, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. BGC Archives CN 514, T48 Transcript - Page 2 Collection 514, Tape 48. Oral history interview of Leroy H. Pfund by Douglas Sean O’Donnell on February 15, 1995. O’DONNELL: The tape is now recording. This is an interview of Mr. Leroy Pfund by Doug O’Donnell for the Archives of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. This interview took place on February 15, 1995 at 3:00 p.m. This interview took place at 707 Irving St. at the Irving House, Wheaton College, Illinois. First question is: What is your name, birth date, and birth place? PFUND: Leroy H. Pfund [pauses]. O’DONNELL: Birthday? PFUND: Oct. 10, 1919, Oak Park, Illinois O’DONNELL: What…what are the names of your parents, sibling? PFUND: Well, my dad was a…had a Swiss background. His first name was Liebhardt and my mother was of an English background and her name was Helen Myra. Her maiden name was Turner. She was raised in St. Charles and my Dad was raised in Oak Park. My sisters were Ruth now Muzzy and Phyllis now Hylie. O’DONNELL: Okay. Describe the state of your Christian walk when you first came to Wheaton and if you were not a Christian give a summary of your view of God and religion. PFUND: I was a Christian when I came to Wheaton. I had some difficulties in my life maybe like other young men and I think the first fall that I was in school I realized sin in my life that needed to be confessed and that fall meeting, a special meeting with Dr. [Harry] Ironside [Pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, 1929-48], I recommitted my life to Christ and that was the first fall that I was here in 1944. O’DONNELL: That’s when you were a student? PFUND: Yes. O’DONNELL: Okay, finishing your undergrad? PFUND: Undergraduate work. O’DONNELL: When did you come to Wheaton? PFUND: Well, I visited Wheaton when I was in high school. I lived in Elmhurst, but I came to Wheaton as a student in the fall of ‘44 after spending some years out of school after being…. priorly being at the University of Illinois Champaign spending a little time in professional baseball…came back to complete my undergraduate education by going fall semester each year © 2020. The Billy Graham Center Archives. All rights reserved. This transcript may be reused with the following publication credit: Used by permission of the Billy Graham Center Archives, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. BGC Archives CN 514, T48 Transcript - Page 3 before going to spring training in the spring semester. O’DONNELL: And why in particular did you come to Wheaton and not a secular school? PFUND: My reason for going to Illinois in the first place was to take a course in landscape architecture and to follow my father’s business. There were some difficulties in that course for me and for that reason I dropped out of school and went on to play professional baseball and when I decided to return it was in the area of physical education. But probably the impetus to come to Wheaton was brought about by the godly lives of Wheaton students who were from my home church in Elmhurst; a man later to be Dean of Students here, Dr. Arthur Volle, a family, the Rymer family whose father was my Sunday School teacher, two sons Runnoy [?] and Don were students at Wheaton, the Gladfuller [?] family, Al and Ralph who both were students at Wheaton. One was a classmate of mine at high school and Robert Diehl who was from my church. There were probably some others but those had through young peoples’ association and through them bringing Wheaton students to our church for gospel, gospel team type of meetings. I got to feel that that would be the place I’d like to go to school. Had I not wanted to specialize, I would have gone to Wheaton probably in the first place. O’DONNELL: Okay. But you were from the area? PFUND: Yes, Elmhurst. I lived in Elmhurst. O’DONNELL: Lived in Elmhurst. Okay. How…how and from whom did you hear about the revival on campus? PFUND: Well, in the 1950 revival I was here on campus. Even though I was married and we had two children and I working two jobs, I was at several of the meetings when I could be and knew about it because I was involved in the athletic department and saw the broadcasters that came out and knew that the….I had been on campus by that time five years, six years and so the fall special meetings was an annual thing. It was something that everybody looked forward to. O’DONNELL: Okay. Did you, why did you first attend one of these meetings? Did you hear the revival was going on and wanted….was interested in seeing what was going on or…? PFUND: I think that’s probably it. I think I always attended those meetings in the fall and as a new faculty person felt it was my responsibility to be there as a testimony to students that I was working with and teams that I was working with. O’DONNELL: Where were these meetings like being held and what was the atmosphere? PFUND: My memory is that some of them were held in what is now the Corey Alumni Gym and others were held in Pierce Chapel. I don’t remember how many in each place but I think there were meetings in both places during that particular revival. O’DONNELL: What was your most vivid memory of the revival? © 2020. The Billy Graham Center Archives. All rights reserved. This transcript may be reused with the following publication credit: Used by permission of the Billy Graham Center Archives, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. BGC Archives CN 514, T48 Transcript - Page 4 PFUND: A vivid memory is of Dr. [Clarence] Hale [professor of Greek] getting up to confess his talking negatively about other faculty to students of his and that’s about what I remember of that night. It was a…a stunning thing almost, knowing him a bit and knowing the character of the man, to see him get up and…and confess what he felt were convictions of his heart that he had violated his Christian testimony to students and it was so sincere and he was so well respected that I think that came as a surprise to many. It truly did to me. O’DONNELL: What department was he in? PFUND: He was in language and taught Greek and maybe other things as well but that’s what I remember. O’DONNELL: Were there any particular Scripture passages that were emphasized during any of these meetings that you can recall? PFUND: Not that I recall. I’ve read about Dr. Edwin Johnson speaking in the…those Scriptures that were not foremost with me. I don’t know that they were at the time. But, he…he gave a very simple message and I don’t remember that there was anything particular about the message that would necessarily be a whole lot different than other special meetings that…that I heard or were held. I had the unique experience of very soon after that year coaching his son here at Wheaton College. So my memories of him become more vivid because I got to spend time with him in the middle ‘50s when he would be here when his son was in school. O’DONNELL: Right PFUND: So, b…but I was always impressed with him as a minister of the gospel, but at that time I don’t remember in detail much of what he preached about. I’m not sure that I was there at his opening service. O’DONNELL: Were people being converted at these meetings? PFUND: Yes, I believe there…there were some but I don’t recall just how many. O’DONNELL: Were there any of your, any friends, or faculty members that…that you knew that were converted? PFUND: No, I can’t say that I remember anybody that went forward in that way. There were other years that there were people that went forward, not that I could name names of them.