Truth Magazine

By H.E. Phillips

On Monday morning, May 13th, brother Harold Fite called me and said, “I have some bad news, Roy passed away last night.” For the moment I was shocked and then saddened because I had lost a good friend. This generation has lost one of its most powerful and proficient preachers of the gospel. Indeed, the ranks of the venerable, battle-scarred veterans among those preachers of the old school are growing thin.

Brother Cogdill had been in poor health for some time, but his love for the truth, his desire for the salvation of the lost, and his concern for the purity of the church compelled him to go where he was needed, even when he was not physically able, until he was unable to do so any longer.

When brother James W. Adams called and asked me to write something about Roy E. Cogdill, I told him I would be happy to do so and expressed to him my gratitude for the opportunity. Limited space commands that I omit many significant things that I would otherwise say.

How I Came To Know Roy E. Cogdill

During my first efforts at preaching, I was introduced to Roy E. Cogdill through his writings. I began receiving the Bible Banner in 1938 and have continued to receive it through the Gospel Guardian and now the Guardian Of Truth. I became acquainted with the work and teaching of Roy E. Cogdill through this avenue primarily.

I first heard him preach in 1946. 1 was greatly impressed with his knowledge of and respect for the Holy Scriptures. I admired his plain and direct approach to his subject. No one could listen to Roy Cogdill preach and fail to understand what he said. They may not agree with him, and many did not, but they knew exactly where he stood on any issue to which he addressed himself.

I became better acquainted with him in the mid 1950’s as the church supported institutional battles intensified. I entered the editorial arena in 1960 with the beginning of Searching The Scriptures. In 1965 I sought brother Cogdill’s advice in some areas of editorial judgment and policy. He freely and willingly helped me again and again.

In 1968 brother and sister Cogdill moved to Orlando, Florida, to labor with the Par Avenue church. This afforded me the opportunity to know the man, the preacher, the debater and the friend as never before. During these last eighteen years of his life, my wife and I grew to know and love Roy and Nita Cogdill well and count them among our dearest friends and kinsmen in the Lord.

Roy Cogilill’s Interest In The Work In Italy

Early in 1975 Roy Cogdill met Alessandro Corazza, who was a preacher in Rome, Italy. His association with brother Corazza soon developed an intense interest in the Italian work, which remained until his death. Brother Cogdill put forth a great effort for the work in Italy from his first acquaintance with Alessandro Corazza. He and sister Cogdill made their first trip to Italy in the spring of 1976. On this first visit to Rome, he baptized a young lady by the name of Patrizia who later was married to Arrigo Corazza, oldest son of Alessandro. He made plans to bring Arrigo and Patrizia to the States to attend Florida College. Since Arrigo and Patrizia planned to be married, brother Cogdill insisted that they marry before coming to America.

The next year brother Cogdill and brother James D. Yates returned to Italy during the summer. Again brother Cogdill preached and encouraged the brethren in all of the faithful churches in Italy. Arrigo and Patrizia were already in the Cogdill home. Brother and sister Cogdill studied with them three or four hours each morning during the three or four months they were in their home before coming to Tampa to Florida College. I had a very close relationship with Arrigo and Patrizia Corazza all during the time they were in school because they worshipped at the Fletcher Avenue church where I worked. Because of this relationship, my wife and I became very close to Roy and Nita Cogdill. I love them for their sacrifice and dedication to help a young man and his wife prepare both in education and attitude to preach the gospel in Italy.

Brother Connie W. Adams and I were invited by the brethren in Italy to come in November, 1976, some six months following the first visit by brother and sister Cogdill. We spent two weeks with the churches preaching and encouraging them. We found the influence of Roy Cogdill among the brethren soon after arriving there.

Again in 1977 brother and sister Clifford Bell of Baytown, Texas, and my wife and I visited Italy. I preached in all of the faithful churches and we visited in the homes of . many brethren. I made arrangements on this trip to bring Stefano Corazza, second son of Alessandro, and Gianni Berdim, son of Rodolfo, Berdini, to my home in Tampa to attend Florida College. Brother Harold Fite of Katy, Texas, made arrangements for Atonella Berdini, Gianni’s sister, to also come to the States to attend Florida College. Because of our common responsibility and interest in these five young Italians we had a close personal relationship and had frequent communications with each other.

In 1980 brother Truman Smith and I again visited Italy, Switzerland and Germany to encourage the brethren in these countries and to preach the gospel. On several occasions while in the home of brother and sister Cogdill, the Italian work would be the topic of discusson. Since his last trip to Italy he frequently expressed to me his longing to go back, but his health would never permit him to return. His work still lives in Italy in the labors of those whom he influenced by his preaching and writing.

Roy Cogdill’s Personal Influence Upon My Life

In my sincere judgment Roy E. Cogdill was one of the greatest preachers of this century. He possessed many of the distinguishing qualities of the apostle Paul. I loved him and appreciated him as a preacher for the following reasons:

First, he spoke boldly as he ought to speak (Eph. 6.20). He used great plainness of speech (2 Cor. 3:12). He spoke d6not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts” (1 Thess. 2:4). He preached the word, in season and out of !eason (2 Tim. 4:2). Roy Cogdill did not speak with tongue in cheek, nor did he evade addressing an issue because it was unpopular. I do not have to tell you that if you knew him. He did not intend to hurt anyone, but he would not spare anyone, friend or foe, if the faith was under consideration. I like that, and I found strength and encouragement from him during the days of the bitter conflicts over institutionalism, liberalism and materialism.

Second, Roy E. Cogdill was set for the defense of the gospel any time any where (Phil. 1:17). He believed in the verbally inspired word of God; he believed it was complete, adequate and final as delivered to the saints (Jude 3). He believed all authority, absolute and complete, was in Jesus Christ. He met any opponent of the faith on the polemic platform whenever the occasion arose, and there was never a doubt in the honest heart of his capable defense of the faith once delivered.

Third, Roy Cogdill had no tolerancefor compromise with truth. Many men during the late forties through the seventies compromised the truth for the sake of popularity, money, the choice preaching jobs, and other considerations that caused some of his best friends of long standing to turn against him. This grieved him much, and on occasions he wept because they had left the truth and had turned from him. But there was not an ounce of compromise with truth for any consideration. I loved him for this characteristic.

Fourth, Roy Cogdill spent most of his life studying the Sacred Writings from God. He knew the Scriptures well. He studied thoroughly and in depth. I have a number of recorded sermons and lectures on tape which he gave to me on two occasions when I was in his home a few years ago. I have obtained others over the past 15 years from other sources. I have a number of his books and booklets which I have read with profit. All of these show depth in the study of the word of God. He had the best general understanding of the church, its nature, organization and function of any man I have known.

Now he has finished his course. He has fought a good flight, and he has kept the faith; henceforth, there is laid up for him that crown of righteousness which the Lord has promised at that day, and to all of us who imitate this pattern of the New Testament servant (2 Tim. 4:6-8).

On Saturday, April 20th, before his 78th birthday my wife and I visited in the home of brother and sister Cogdill. I, of course, did not know that it would be the last time I would see him in this life. He was not able to get out of the bed, but we enjoyed a good visit with him. Upon this occasion he talked briefly of his trip to Italy and of his baptizing Patrizia.

Before we left I went back to his bedroom and told him of my appreciation for all his work in the kingdom, for his defense of the faith through the years, and for all that he had done for me. I told him that his writings and his influence would continue to teach thousands after he was called from this life. He spoke some warm and encouraging things to me, and I prayed with him and gave thanks to God for his work as a minister of Christ for over 60 years, and for his influence upon my life for good. He wept as I kissed his cheek and wished him a happy birthday. My life has been blessed because Roy E. Cogdill lived.

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints” (Psa. 116:15).

“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works follow them” (Rev. 14:13).

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 14, pp. 425-426, 436
July 18, 1985

By David E. Pratte

Let me tell you about a book you must read. If you are a parent with children in public schools, you must read this book! If you someday will be a parent with children in Public schools, you must read this book I If you have grandchildren or any children whom you love and who are in public schools, you must read this book! If you are an elder, preacher, or teacher in a congregation that has children who attend public schools, you must read this book! If you are concerned about why so many young people who are raised by Christians end up rejecting the faith, you must read this book!

What does this book contain? It is official testimony from parents and teachers who testified to the U.S. Department of Education in official hearings held all across the U.S.A. in March of 1984. This book thoroughly documents the reasons for the problems that exist in public schools, and one major reason why so many Christian parents have so many problems with their. children during their school years. The boo4 proves beyond question that the handful of preachers and parents who have been warning people about the dangers in many public schools, were not “crying wolf” when there was no wolf.

Jesus said, “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true” (Jn. 8:17). And, “in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established” (2 Cor. 13:1). This book contains the personal, first-hand, eyewitness testimony of 108 parents and teachers about problems in the schools. Clearly the Bible recognizes this as a valid way of determining the truth with regard to historical facts. If so, then this book unquestionably proves the following to be facts:

(1) It is as fact that many schools lead our children to believe it is morally acceptable to practice premarital sex, extramarital sex, homosexuality, divorce, and prostitution and to read pornography.

(2) It is a fact that many schools lead our children to believe it is morally acceptable to practice abortion, mercy killing, and suicide.

(3) It is a fact that many schools teach our children that it is morally acceptable to enjoy the “moderate” use of alcohol and drugs.

(4) It is a fact that many schools use texts and assigned reading that are full of profanity, sexual suggestiveness, violence, and filth.

(5) It is a fact that many schools encourage our children to believe in or experiment with the occult, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, and Oriental religions.

(6) It is a fact that many schools lead our children to believe in evolution and reject creation.

(7) It is a fact that many schools use Behavioral Modification and other psychological brainwashing techniques to lead our children to reject the beliefs taught them by their parents and by the Bible.

(8) It is a fact that many schools use “Values Clarification” and similar values education methods to lead our children to believe in situation ethics.

(9) It is a fact that many schools use teaching methods that alienate children from their parents, that teach anti-biblical concepts about parenting, and that teach anti-biblical concepts about family roles.

(10) It is a fact that many schools lead our children to accept all the tenets of Secular Humanism, while at the same time discouraging faith in God, Christ, and the Bible!

No, we do not claim that all students in all schools face all these problems. But many students in many schools do face them. And many schools cover it up so parents will not find out about it. And many students will not tell their parents because they fear their teachers and peer pressure. Do you know what is being taught your child?

What book is this? It is Child Abuse in the Classroom. It is edited by Phyllis Schafley, but 99 and 9/10 per cent of it is verbatim testimony of witnesses without comment from anyone. I urge you to borrow it from a library or order it from Guardian of Truth Bookstore.

This book is the proverbial “bombshell.” It is dynamite! It will motivate you to find out what’s going on in your child’s school and do what you can to make sure it’s good for your child. You must read this book! You absolutely, positively must!

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 13, p. 408
July 4, 1985

By James W. Adams

Three times in ten verses, David, king of Israel, uses the expression of our title in his lamentation over the deaths of Saul and Jonathan in battle (2 Sam. 1:17-27). When the familiar voice of a long-time friend and brother came to me out of the darkness of midnight via the miracle of the modern telephone very early on May 13, 1985 saying, “Jim, Roy (Cogdill) is dead; he died of a heart attack shortly after midnight,” like David, I cried out in my heart, “How are the mighty fallen! The beauty of Israel is perished! Very pleasant hast thou been unto me: thy love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women! “

David used the term “mighty” in the sense in which we use the term “great.” Each is a relative term and is qualified by the context of its application and the point of view of him who uses it. From my point of view and in the context of my relationship to Roy E. Cogdill, he was a “mighty” man and among the “greatest” preachers and defenders of the gospel of Jesus Christ of this generation. I knew him intimately, loved him personally, admired his talent and ability inordinately, and trusted him implicitly.

As a lad, I lived in a small southeast Texas town that had one outstanding feature. Just west of town on the top of a small hill (the highest thereabout) stood a gigantic pine tree-the only pine in the area as it was live oak country. It could be seen for miles around and served as a landmark from which one could always get his bearings. A few years ago, I drove through this little town after more than fifty years absence and noted with dismay that the giant pine was no more. It had yielded to the mutations of time and the ravages of circumstances. In a word, it “had gone the way of all the earth.” It is difficult to describe, and harder to explain, the sense of personal loss that swept over me and the loneliness that gripped my heart with the realization that the rugged pine of my youth was no more. Like the “everlasting hills,” I somehow imagined it would never die. That old, giant tree standing tall in majestic splendor against the western sky, keeping silent vigil over us in the halcyon days of childhood, had imperceptibly become to me a symbol making secure the continuity of my life. Now, it was gone! And with its passing a vital link in the golden chain that bound the present to the past had vanished. So I wept unashamedly in nostalgic loneliness for that which was and would never be again.

This is how I felt when the news of the death of my friend and brother, Roy E. Cogdill, came to me. Roy was seven years older than I. He began preaching earlier in life than did I by some four years. He began preaching under circumstances more conducive to the rapid development of a gospel preacher than did I. Hence, when I came on the scene, he was already widely experienced and almost universally acclaimed as a preacher among the brethren. When I first heard of him in 1935, 1 knew enough to recognize the superiority of his talents, so he immediately became to me symbolic of what is par excellence in gospel preaching.

Through the fifty years since and with considerable growth in my own knowledge and the development of a close personal relationship with Roy, I have never had an occasion to change my first impression of him relative to gospel preaching. He was gifted by nature with all the qualities essential to becoming a great preacher: a strong body, a mellow and powerful voice, a brilliant intellect, a retentive memory, a resolute will, and a dynamic personality.

Roy was a strong character. Good character was instilled in him from birth by a consecrated, devoted, almost doting, mother. She was a strong, New Testament Christian of the “old school”-God bless her! From her and from some of the greatest preachers and debaters of the day in western Oklahoma, Roy imbibed a knowledge and love of the truth of the gospel of Christ which he never forgot or outgrew. From callow youth to learned and sophisticated manhood and old age, he believed with reverence, cherished with love, defended with vigor, and proclaimed with eloquence and power the New Testament gospel embraced in the dawn of his life- a “thus saith the Lord” was literally the motto of his life! Roy was living proof of the validity of the proverb of the Wise Man: “Train up a child in the way he should go, and even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

When friends of Roy met in Houston on the evening of April 23, 1985 to honor God in giving vocal expression of appreciation for Roy’s “work of faith, and labor of love, and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ,” several of us noted that Roy probably sacrificed fame, wealth, and worldly power in turning from a blooming, lucrative law practice to the “preaching of the word.” At the close of the service Roy, from his wheel chair, made some remarks. Replying to our statements, he told of an incident which occurred when he was a junior in high school. He began to go about with a crowd of young people whom his mother considered not good for Roy’s spiritual welfare. Roy’s father had been killed in an industrial accident when Roy was eight years of age leaving sister Cogdill a widow. Times were hard and Roy’s father left only a $500.00 insurance policy. With this money, Roy’s mother bought a small house to shelter her four girls and one boy. When she perceived that Roy’s soul might be in jeopardy, she went to an elder of the church, put up her house for security, and borrowed money to send Roy to Cordell Christian College where his faith had a better chance for survival and where he might develop his already evident, superior talents for preaching the word of God. Roy said that he did not know his mother had done this until several years later. Then gazing with complete absorption at a large full length picture of his mother presented to him by brother and sister James and Mildred Yates (elder of the Fry Rd. church and wife), Roy said with tears streaming down his cheeks, “After learning this, I could never do anything but preach the word! ” A more beautiful and poignant incident I think I have never witnessed, and I think it altogether fitting that Roy’s body lies less than a hundred yards in Hobart, Oklahoma Municipal Cemetery from that loving mother’s body, who meant so much to him, awaiting the resurrection of the just.

Lord Macaulay, learned author of a great history of England, once wrote: “Society indeed has its great men and its little men, as the earth has its mountains and its valleys.” Roy Cogdill’s natural gifts and disposition made it inevitable that he would be a leader. He was not destined to follow other men but to lead them. Being thrust into greatness as a leader (Shakespeare), he learned the solemn truth of Lord Byron’s poetic observation: “He who ascends to mountain tops shall find the loftiest peaks most wrapt in clouds and snow; he who surpasses or subdues mankind, must look down on the hate of them below.” Roy never evoked a neutral response from people, even in the kingdom of God. People either loved him or passionately disliked him. Most leaders are men like this. It is warp and woof of that which makes them capable of leadership. So, when I heard of his death, like David, I was constrained to cry, “Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Askelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph.” Lovers of the truth solemnly weep as we bid goodbye to a faithful soldier of the cross of Christ who has made his last march to lay his armor at the feet of his blessed King. Proponents of error within and without no doubt rejoice and triumph in the streets of spiritual Askelon.

Others will write of Roy’s books, debates, and publishing accomplishments. I shall not infringe upon these areas. It suffices to say: whatever Roy set his hand and heart to do, in the language of Scripture, “He did it with his might.” Therefore, he distinguished himself in many fields. In all of which, we do honor him.

For me personally, a tall, rugged tree, that has always been there since first I began to preach, has fallen. While it stood, it provided for saints across the world a point of reference from which they often got their spirutal bearings. It cast, and continues to cast, a long shadow. Like the echo of a mighty blast reverberating across the land, the shadow cast by Roy’s life and works will shelter many a weary soldier from the burning heat of the great “fight of faith.” Yet, for me, there is a lonely place against the sky as I make my way toward the setting sun of life. However, my deep sense of irreparable loss is tempered by a hope so well expressed in the beautiful song, “Beyond the Sunset.” I find great solace in the fact that “beyond the sunset’s radiant glow, there is a brighter world I know” where Roy, other great soldiers of the cross long dead, and I will one day sit down together and recount earth’s happy experiences in “delightful days that never end.”

As I pen these lines, I think I must feel as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow felt when he penned the following hauntingly beautiful verses:

The day is done, and the darkness
Falls from the wings of Night
As a feather is wafted downward
From an eagle in his flight.

I see the lights of the village
Gleam through the rain and the mist,
And a feeling of sadness comes o’er me
That my soul cannot resist.

A feeling of sadness and longing,
That is not akin to pain,
And resembles sorrow only
As the mist resembles the rain.

For Roy, earth’s day is done, but the Everlasting “Sun” has risen for him in fairer climes on the verdant fields of eternal glory. For us who remain, there is melancholy but not sadness nor pain. We softly weep for days that were and will never be again, but we weep not as “they who have no hope!”

Special Word Of Appreciation

Mike Willis

Upon learning of the death of brother Cogdill, I conferred with several men regarding publishing a memorial edition of Guardian of Truth to his memory. After a decision to do so was made, I contacted brother James W. Adams to see if he would undertake the task of editing this special edition. This issue has been made possible through his efforts and labor. Brother Adams has been a close personal friend of brother Roy E. Cogdill for many years; they stood side by side engaged in the battles of the Lord, having respect and love for each other. I could not think of anyone more qualified to edit this material.

Brother Adams had a free hand to ask whomever he chose to write for this issue. I felt privileged to be asked to write one of the articles, inasmuch as most other contributors have had greater personal contact with brother Cogdill and have done the Lord’s kingdom a much greater service than I.

I sincerely appreciate brother Adams’ work in getting this material together for this special issue of Guardian of Truth.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 14, pp. 418, 436-437
July 18, 1985

By Fanning Yater Tant

The morning sun was just beginning to drive darkness from the eastern skies when the ringing telephone brought me awake. The message was brief: “Roy died of a massive heart attack about midnight last night.” That was all that could be said at the time. But it was enough to flood my heart and mind with memories of the great and good man whose earthly life had now come to a close.

I recalled the first time I had ever met Roy Cogdill. I was visiting in the home of my uncle, Dr. Tolbert Fanning Yater, in Cleburne, Texas. It was during the Christmas holidays, 1930. Cogdill had just recently come to preach for the Central church of Christ. Although he was still in his early twenties, his name was already widely known as an extremely talented and effective gospel preacher. I was anxious to meet him. From the reputation he had acquired, I had assumed him to be at least middle-aged, or perhaps even past that mark. When I knocked on the door (only a block or two from the Yater home), a slender, blond girl answered the knock. I supposed she was the preacher’s daughter, and asked, “Is your father home?” She replied, “My father doesn’t live here, but would you like to meet my husband?” (Roy often told me I had made a life-long friend of Lorraine by the very first words I ever spoke to her!)

Little did I dream then that I was destined one day to become a fellow-worker and business associate with the man whom I met. Our contacts through the 1930’s were infrequent; but when he moved to Lufkin, Texas, in 1945 and organized the Cogdill Publishing Company, we began an association and a strong friendship which continued through the years. In 1947 1 became editor of Ancient Landmarks, a monthly journal published by the Cogdill Publishing Company. Two years later, at the urging of both Cogdill and Foy E. Wallace, Jr., I took over the editorship of The Gospel Guardian, and continued in that capacity for the next twenty-two years.

These were the troubled years during which the Lord’s church was dividing over “institutionalism”-in reality the same basic problem which a hundred years earlier had divided the church over the “missionary societies.” Roy Cogdill stood unflinchingly in the forefront of this battle “contending earnestly for the faith.” His role in the division this time was much the same as that played by Tolbert Fanning and David Lipscomb in the earlier battle. He became the target of an unbelievable torrent of abuse, slander, and vilification. To read the things written about him during those years, one could almost believe that Satan himself might have taken lessons from him in villainy and depravity. None of this moved him. He was simply incapable of compromise, evasion, or subterfuge when a principle of truth was involved. He was blunt, direct, and could be abrasive in opposing the teachings and projects of those who, in his judgment, were leading the church into denominationalism. His commitment to the Savior and to the church so dominated his life that no ties of friendship, or even family, could sway him from the course he believed to be right.

Yet this hard-nosed, uncompromising aspect of his character was only one facet of a very strong and sensitive man. I went to hear him preach in Florence, Alabama, some time in the late fifties, and when we were alone he asked me, “Yater, do you ever cry?” I replied, “Only rarely perhaps at the death of a family member or some very dear friend.” To which he responded, “Well, sometimes I get so heart-sick and depressed over what is happening to the church that I will get Lorraine in the car, drive way back into the ‘big piney’ woods of east Texas, lay my head in her lap, and cry like a three-year-old child!”

This was a side of Roy Cogdill which few people ever saw-or would believe! I have often thought of this when I recall the words of Fitz-Greene Halleck which he wrote on the death of his friend, Joseph Drake:

Green be the turf above thee,

Friend of my better days!

None knew thee but to love thee,

Nor named thee but to praise.

I would certainly have to revise the last line of that quatrain, but the, first part of it is profoundly true-those people who were privileged really to know Roy Cogdill, his strength, his compassion, his sensitivity, were bound to him by ties that were unbelievably strong. He, himself, was capable of strong emotions, and he evoked powerful loyalties among those who were close to him-and equally strong (and often bitter) opposition among those who clashed with him.

I went with him once to Tyler, Texas, for a confrontation with Otis Gatewood. (Gatewood had persuaded the Grove Avenue Church in San Antonio to cut off support for Dick Smith who was in Germany, but who was in conflict with Gatewood’s approach to evangelizing the German people.) The conversation between the two men was heated, and finally Gatewood stuck out his chin and said, “Go ahead and hit me, Royl Just hit me on the chin. I know you want to!” Roy was simply livid with anger, but his voice was completely under control, and did not even quaver as he replied, “No, I will not hit you, Otis, though you deserve a whole lot worse than that for what you did to Dick Smith. I will simply hold you in utter contempt!” And with that he turned and walked away. I have never seen a man so angryor one with such total control of his anger.

It was during these turbulent years that Athens Clay Pullias, president of David Lipscomb College, sent word to Roy that he must not ever again set foot on the campus of that school! Cogdill was vastly amused at the effrontery and arrogance of the man, and ignored the order with complete unconcern. Pullias later forsook the Lord, and joined the Presbyterian church. He was referred to in Nashville as “Pullias the Apostate.” Incidentally, he preceded Roy in death by only four or five weeks.

After Lorraine’s death, it was my happy privilege to speak the words which united Cogdill with his second wife, Nita Faulkner. She was a lovely widow, with two children, whom Cogdill adopted. In many ways these last twenty-five years of his life seemed happier and less demanding than the earlier years. The horrible fight over “institutionalism” had reached its peak, and the tensions were easing off a bit. The division over which Roy had so agonized had finally come and it appeared to be irreversible. Cogdill accepted the fact with profound sorrow, but did not cease to plead for unity on the basis of God’s truth. Nita was a constant source of strength and encouragement to him, and cared for him with infinite tenderness during the final years when he was fighting a losing battle against cancer. He was immensely proud of her total commitment to him and to the life he had chosen to live. He told me once of being stopped by a highway patrol car in Florida on some sort of minor traffic violation. He did not believe he was guilty, and argued with the officer about it. The officer lost his temper and said, “I ought to punch you in the jaw right now.” To which Cogdill replied, “You lay one finger on me, young man, and you’ll be in more trouble than you ever dreamed of!”

It was at this point that Nita entered the fray. Chuckling over the incident later, and with very obvious pride, Roy said, “That red-headed woman of mine lit into him in a fashion that almost made me sorry for the poor guy! She told him off in a way I’ll guarantee he will never forget!”

Yes, Roy Cogdill was indeed “a man to be remembered.” And the words of the melancholy Hamlet as he spoke of the death of the king might well describe him:

He was a man, take him for all in all,

I shall not look upon his like again.

Guardian of Truth XXIX: 14, pp. 431-432
July 18, 1985