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CHANNONS from page 1 Irving Monroe Channon was born in 1862 at Durant, Iowa.


He received his education at Griswold College (B.A., 1887) and at Oberlin College (M.A.). He was conferred a B.D. degree by Oberlin Theological Seminary in 1890. He was ordained as a


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as were more lots later on the other side of Hibbard Avenue. Along Hibbard Avenue, donations by friends from Worces- ter, MA went towards the remodeling of an old house which become known as Worcester Cottage and an adjacent guest cottage soon to be called Davao Cottage was built soon after- wards with funds donated by Dr. Herbert G. Brokenshire, a Congregationalist missionary in Davao. The royal palms which now beautify the College of Theology grounds were from seedlings secured by Rev. Channon from Hawaii during one of his furloughs. In 1930, the entrance requirements for the Silliman Bible


School were raised to the standard called for high school graduation. Two years of basic college work preparatory to the two years of theological studies were included and future graduates would receive a degree of Bachelor of Theology. The year 1931not only signaled the retirement of the Channons but also the merger of the Silliman Bible school


Bible School: Faculty (sitting, l – r): Dr. Paul Dotlz, Ms. Fran- cis V.V. Rodgers, Dr. David Hibbard, Rev. Irving Channon, Mrs. Mary Channon and Rev. W.J. Smith 2nd row (graduating class): Florencio Tubongbanua, Faustina Gicain, Alfonso Quinones, Silvestre Buntuyan, Adriano Santi- ago, Simeon Emelia and Isidoro Antivo Back row (First Year): Blas Gesulga, Nicomedes Quinones, Honorio Pascua, Donato Caponong, Marcus Lagahit and Fer- nando Quinones.


minister of the Congregational Church in 1888. Mary L. Goldsbury was born in Davenport, Iowa on March 26, 1865. She too graduated from Oberlin College with a Ph. B. degree in 1886. They got married in 1887. Irving and Mary Channon started their work under the Amer-


ican Board of Commissioners for ForeignMissions in 1893 and served as missionaries of the Congregational Christian Churches for 40 years. Prior to their assignment in Mindanao, they were assigned to a mission training school at Kusaie (Caroline Is- lands) and from 1908-1913, conducted another training school and printing press in Ocean Island (Gilbert Group). In Dumaguete, the Bible School for the first three years was


located in a house which for many years later served as the office building of the Silliman High School. Under the guidance of the Channons, the Bible school started with a first year curriculum in Homiletics, Ethics, Old Testament History, The Prophets, Har- mony of the Gospels, Preparatory church history and church Mu- sic. In addition to his teaching duties, Rev. Channon directed the choir and was also director for the School Press. Mary, an accomplished musician, taught high school music and history and was the accompanist to the choir. The development of the old theology campus took place dur-


ing Dean Channon’s time. Rev. Irving Channon began by pur- chasing 7-1/2 acres adjoining the Silliman campus to the north where the residential dormitory named after him now stands. The ground floor of Channon Hall served as classrooms and students’ quarters while the second story was used as residential quarters by the Channons. Another three hectares of land were purchased


The Choir (l to r – front row): I. Strong, P. Sevilla, P. Co- en, F. Strong; (middle row): C. Libo-on, G. Penalosa, D. Lyon, Mrs. M. Magdamo, M. Siokon, E. Venturanza, Mrs. M. Channon (accompanist); (standing:) C. Gutierrez, P. Ikalina, T. Tayko, S. Pinero, J. Palmos, D. Ganzon, N. Qui- nones, E. Luzuriaga, Rev. Irving Channon (director)


and the Girls’ Bible School in Cagayan for training deacon- esses. Miss Alice Towne, Directress of the Cagayan Bible School, brought her students to Silliman and from 1932 on- wards, Channon Hall served as the Theology women’s dormi- tory. That same year, Dean Channon had the satisfaction of seeing the Bible School raised to the status of a degree- granting seminary by action of the Silliman Board of Trustees When the Channons retired in 1931, they left behind a


growing institution, a neat campus housed in three well- constructed buildings and an educational program which met the requirements for the training of future evangelists and deaconesses. Rev. Channon’s personal books also formed the nucleus of the theological library. He was made Dean Emeritus after his retirement. In 1935 the Silliman trustees approved the naming of the principal building as Channon Hall in honor of its founder. Irving and Mary Channon


See CHANNONS page 3


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