The following is excerpted from “Somehow,” the autobiography of Dr. William J. Randolph, Second President of Lancaster School of the Bible. Read more about Dr. Roy D. Becker, longtime friend to the college, in the Winter 2024 ECHO Magazine.
Dr. Becker, Our Church Treasurer and True Friend
Rev. William J. Randolph
Dr. Roy D. Becker
Dr. Roy Becker, a fatherly Dutchman, was elected as our church treasurer. (He was also the treasurer of LSB.) He and Mamie, his dear wife, were dearly affectionate friends especially when we were in need. A “ritual” was performed every week for me to pick up my paycheck. After church, I took my family home; then I drove to his office which was in his home. He treated me as he would any patient. (LBC History Note: Dr. Becker was listed in his wife, Mamie’s, 1983 obituary as Lancaster’s first chiropractor.) It was a standing prescription; I was to get a chiropractic treatment every Sunday evening after church. Then Mamie, his wife, and the three children still at home (Jerry, Don and Jane) were waiting for me to join them at the kitchen table for a bowl of ice cream. Dr. Becker assured me that this was part of the treatment!
I was in need of a car. The one I owned was on its last legs, or should I say wheels. Dr. Becker was about to purchase a new car. He owned a maroon 1949 Buick. He always prided himself on his car and the service he gave it. He insisted that instead of trading his car in, that I purchase it. He felt that this was just the car for my family. This was great! It would be the first time I ever owned a Buick! I simply could not afford to buy it. He, being the treasurer of our church, knew that my salary was a bare minimum for my needs. Dr. Becker persuaded me to borrow the money from him and take as long as I needed to pay it back. It was also interest free.
At the end of each month, my money had stretched no further than it had the previous month. When I went for my weekly treatment, another element was added. Finishing the treatment, Dr. Becker would sit at his roll top desk and make an entry into the journal. He said, “That will reduce it by $20.” He then explained to me that he had reduced my debt to him by $20! I did not know what to say. There was simply nothing I could do about the money. By this weekly ritual, dear Dr. Becker eventually paid every penny we owed him.
On one occasion I drove the car to Kentucky to visit my brother. We were going to some recreational place and for some reason needed to use two cars. I was following along behind Don, when an elderly man pulling out of his driveway waited for Don to pass, but failed to see that I was following. He pulled out of his driveway and hit my car broadside. It was totaled.
Now I needed a car again. A new car dealer was a member of my brother’s congregation. With a little extra money than the insurance would pay, he would arrange a special price for a new Buick, the most economical one. I called dear Dr. Becker and told him of the accident and to seek his advice. As I said earlier, he was a dear friend. He said I should buy the car and he would send me a check for the extra amount. He simply added the amount to the debt I still owed him. He stated that the terms would be the same as before. Sure enough every month another $20 was deducted from my debt to him. This generous brother was God’s means of helping this young preacher acquire that which my church pay would not cover. However, I was not his only project in giving. I know that as a matter of fact he generously supported missionaries on the foreign field, as well as being a prime supporter of LSB.
Throughout the 2023-24 academic year, Lancaster Bible College | Capital Seminary & Graduate School will celebrate our 90th anniversary! Here, we introduce our community to “90 Faces of LBC” each week. Keep up with all the news and events of our 90th year, read stories and more at lbc.edu/90.