Our Family’s Remembrances of Herman L. Hoeh
By Robert Macdonald
Herman Hoeh life touched many others and like most, our family has many positive memories of him. One of my early memories was of watching him traversing the grounds at the Feast of Tabernacles in Big Sandy during the late 50’s. On the way between the “new tabernacle” where services were held and the “old tabernacle” dining hall he picked up trash and deposited it into a proper receptacle. That pretty well represented the way he was and remained throughout life. Though an evangelist, he was a humble man, not above the common people, and always lent a hand in what needed to be done. Always polite and charming, he would greet people with a cheery “My name is Herman Hoeh, how are you?” He never failed to ask how my wife, Peggy was. I never heard an unkind word come from his mouth about anyone.
As a student at the Pasadena campus of Ambassador College between 1958 and 1961. I had the opportunity of attending his classes in Bible and World History. He peppered his lectures with zingers such as his opinion that a saxophone was an “illegitimate” instrument. Although occasionally difficult to comprehend, nevertheless new vistas of knowledge were opened to his students. He enriched our awareness and appreciation the past as well as current events. He frequently invited interested students to his house for forums and informal discussions. He and Isabel were gracious hosts and always made us feel at home. He freely answered all questions, as cryptic as those answers may have been. I will always remember the names of ancient historians such as Xenophon and Manetho. I recall a final project for his World History students of 1961 was to produce a chart of the Egyptian Pharos according to his reconstruction of history, a seemingly daunting task! But then he added, “The only thing I ask is that they not all be identical, so that if I hold any two up to the light they will not coincide!”
His “reconstruction of history” was published in 1962 as a two volume “Compendium of World History” which was his doctoral dissertation at Ambassador College. Later, perhaps in the late 70’s he came to see that much of his “reconstruction” was wrong, and he publicly so stated. It says a lot about Herman Hoeh that he had the intellectual honesty to repudiate a large portion of his life work including his PhD dissertation.
His sermons, though occasionally difficult to understand were always interesting. No one ever dosed off while he was speaking!
Growing up on a chicken farm near Santa Rosa, California in a German-American family undoubtedly contributed to shaping Herman Hoeh as man who never lost his connection to common folks, who preferred to live close to the earth and who epitomized the work ethic. Another early influence was also present. On more than one occasion his students heard him explain that he was brought up on “the milk of the Socialist word”. Students understood this to mean “National Socialism” (Naziism). Perhaps in reaction against that early teaching he always leaned over backward to show his opposition to Naziism. This may have contributed to the RCG/WGC’s proclivity during the 50’s and 60’s to look for a fascist under every bed! The Church’s perspective on biblical prophecy had a lot to do with this as well.
The 50’s and 60’s seemed to spawn a mindset of a separation between “us and the world” in RCG/WGC circles. That mentality was conspicuously absent in Herman Hoeh. He consistently made contact with many individuals of varied backgrounds and different perspectives, building bridges across professional, denominational, religious, national and ethnic lines. One was Rabbi Zvi Ankori who did his doctoral dissertation on the interpenetration of Judaism and Zoroastrianism. He invited Dr. Ankori into his home for an informal discussion with his students. I felt it to be an honor to be one of those invited. Dr. Ankori went on to become a well known author on Jewish issues. Another was Jean Pierre Hallet, the Belgian anthropologist and humanitarian who publicized the plight of the Pygmies in the Congo. He was author of Pygmy Kitabu. I saw him on several occasions at fundraisers to help the Pygmies. He always voiced his appreciation for Herman Hoeh’s help with printing a brochure on the Pygmies and fundraising assistance for the Pygmy Project. Another contact was with a Swedish-born biochemist and visionary, Dr. Eric Eweson. A pioneer in composting and waste management from the 1940’s, Dr. Eweson’s expertise led to the construction and installation of the “Eweson Digester” on the Big Sandy campus which turned garbage and other waste into fertilizer. His talk before an Ambassador student assembly opened my eyes to the potentialities of composting and the desirability of organic farming. Another well respected personality, a dentist named Dr. Royal Lee imparted much useful information at a student assembly on health and nutrition. His company, Standard Process Laboratories is a producer of high quality nutritional supplements. Many more contacts could be cited from various fields including historians, archaeologists and writers. Many people have benefited from the associates of Herman Hoeh.
Herman Hoeh often spoke of his friendship with John Weidner, a Seventh Day Adventist, who owned two health food stores in Pasadena. He affectionately called him “his best friend in the world”. Mr. Weidner, a Belgian, shared some of his World War II experiences at an Ambassador student assembly. He was one of the many who rescued Jews during the Nazi occupation of France. Wanting the best foods for his family, he would frequently shop at Weidner’s Health Foods. One time my wife, Peggy was there while he was shopping. After paying, he told the sales lady to “Keep the change!”, throwing the whole sales staff into turmoil! They did not know how to handle that! Everyone agreed that Herman Hoeh was a very generous man!
During the late 60’s the Hoeh’s moved from their South Orange Grove house in Pasadena to La Canada. A few years later they purchased two houses in Tujunga, California. One house for them and one for his library! He wanted as much as possible to return to his roots where he could have a garden and keep goats. After moving to Tujunga my wife and I gave them an old refrigerator in which to keep their garden produce and goat milk. After delivering it in our pick-up truck he stated, “You have treated us well, and now I have a treat for you!” He treated both of us to a refreshing glass of cold goat milk!
I spoke by phone with Herman Hoeh about a month before he died. His mind was as sharp as ever. We chatted about many things. At first I hesitated to mention my years of research into the meaning to the Christian of the feast days. Personal theological research by a lay person was once frowned upon. I did mention that I had felt for many years that there was much more meaning there than WGC had uncovered. He reacted favorably. I then said that my research was aided by several books on the feast days including one that predated HWA’s booklet. He asked who wrote it and I told him the author was Louis Talbot. He replied that he used to listen to him on the radio during the 1940’s, and wanted to know if he and any good insights as to their meaning. I answered that he did. Anyway this shows that he was open-minded toward new ideas.
My wife and I feel privileged to have known Herman L. Hoeh. He was a genuinely caring, remarkable and multi-faceted individual. Our lives were enriched by his, and he will be missed.
Additional thoughts on “Our Family’s Remembrances of Herman Hoeh”
Herman Hoeh was a person of many facets and interests. It is difficult to cover his life in just a few pages. He had his critics, but I feel that most of the criticism about him is unjustified.
Some of his critics speak of his “padding” of his academic record for his PhD from Ambassador College. In fairness, other than Dr. Abbott in Bricket Wood and possibly a few in the Music Department, no faculty members had advanced degrees, and very few formal graduate courses were offered in those days. Most graduate courses were self study courses, devised by the graduate students themselves. Ken Herrmann and other others made use of such self study courses. Independent study courses are fairly common in other academic institutions as well. I am not aware that Herman Hoeh ever repudiated his PhD, but he certainly down-played it, and he did drop the title “Dr.” before his name. I believe it was not so much his “padded” academic record, but the fact that he came to believe that his PhD dissertation, the two volume Compendium was wrong in part.
Perhaps more common was criticism was directed at his seeming to go along with the new positions of the WCG under the Tkach’s. Again to be fair, middle aged personnel, especially those without marketable skills had few options. I certainly do not say they went along with the changes just to get a paycheck, but a few to some degree, downplayed the changes, or just keep their mouths shut about them. Retirees are especially vulnerable. I can not criticize anyone for choosing to keep quiet rather than risk losing their pensions. For instance, Ken Herrmann went to church services, but made no comments. Ken Herrmann used to say that it was sometimes handy to be hard of hearing.
In a few instances Herman Hoeh commented on some changes. For instance in the 90’s he delivered a sermon to the Imperial AM congregation concerning the change to the Trinitarian position. He pointed out that the Holy Spirit emanated from God, and was therefore divine. To my knowledge he never accepted the concept of the three persons in the Godhead.
Herman Hoeh has also been criticized for remaining on the board of directors of the WCG until his death in 2004. Again, I can not criticize this. The choice for him may have been to resign and have no influence, or remain on the board and have some influence for good.
It is possible that Herman Hoeh went along with some of the changes under the Tkach’s out of loyalty to the organization founded by HWA. Though such loyalty may have been misplaced, I can understand it, as I did the same thing for awhile, even though employment was never a factor in my case. Should one’s loyalty be to a set of “truths” as handed down by an organization, or to that organization itself? Now, I would say neither of the above. One should hold to the truths as one understands them from the inspired word of God. It is my aim to get closer to the truth by study of that word of God. In my case my perception of the truth changed somewhat over time as I increased in my understanding of what God is attempting to get across to us in His word.
Even more importantly, my views have changed on what God’s priorities are in determining what makes a person acceptable to God. I used to think minor things were important, and neglected the major things. I majored in minors and minored in majors. I no longer get upset if some one disagrees with me on these minor issues. For instance as an ancient earth creationist, I used to get upset by people with young earth creationist views. Now I accept people for where they are in their relationship with God. If those young earth creationists are acceptable to God, why should I get upset with them? Incidentally, young earth creationism is becoming increasingly common among the second and third generation of those with a WCG background. I may state my position, but I never argue with them. We are instructed to grow in grace and knowledge. (2 Peter 3:18)
Now I perceive God working more through His Spirit directly with individuals He has called, not primarily with other individuals or an organization as an intermediary.
I had never discussed with Herman Hoeh any changes in his views, but I perhaps got a glimpse into his thinking by his actions and associations. Back in the days of the old WCG, it would have been unthinkable to go to a church service of another group (especially a breakaway group) or listen to a minister of another denomination to receive instruction or knowledge. That began to change for me and my wife when in 1979 we started attended attending church services under the ministry of David L. Antion. I did, however, continue to attend church services at WCG from time to time. Dr. Antion urged us to think for ourselves, and from time to time we did attend church services from other COG groups. Moreover Dr. Antion cooperated with some of them, especially in CGI and UCG, in joint activities.
Herman Hoeh was wary of those who tried to get close to him if he perceived that they were trying to use him to advance themselves in the WCG. He never seemed to be wary of me, and accepted me as a friend. I guess I did not present myself as an organizational climber. Another person he enjoyed an association with was Mark Kaplan, who had a Jewish background.
I had been acquainted with Mark Kaplan from my Ambassador days, and I consulted with him in Jewish matters that pertained to the meaning of the feast days. I am not sure if he was ever a WCG minister, but for awhile Mark was employed by UCG as a minister. After he was laid off from the UCG ministry, he used to give lectures in the Pasadena area. My wife and I attended some of these at the home of Harry and Cynthia Curley in Altadena, near Pasadena, Calif. Several others, including Fred Coulter (a former WCG minister) spoke at these gatherings. The last one of these I attended was around 2001. Because of his friendship with Mark, and his interest in things Jewish, Herman and Isabel Hoeh were there to listen to what Mark Kaplan had to say. Herman Hoeh did not shun Mark Kaplan because he had left the WCG. He did not try to diminish his own presence at the event, but mixed around and spoke to many others, most of whom, like Mark, were ex-WCG. This was in stark contrast to his behavior in a previous event he attended. I wasn’t there, but I heard about it. In 1984 he attended the funeral of Dwight Armstrong in Washington state. For him it was a token appearance to honor the memory of HWA’s brother. He and several other representatives of the WCG stood in the back during the funeral service and did not mix with the others. After the funeral service, they spoke briefly to Dwight Armstrong’s widow, Karen Armstrong and her family. Her name was really Karn, pronounced Korn, but she was known as Karen. As I recall Karen had left the WCG. I know she did not attend WCG services in El Monte with her husband. Soon after speaking with Karen, Dr. Hoeh and the others left. This time he had definitely changed his approach. It appears that like me, he had come to believe that God works with individuals instead of, or as well as through organizations.
Perhaps the most serious criticism of Herman Hoeh was that his research had at one time been directed toward proving a certain conclusions that he or someone else had already arrived at. This criticism was probably correct. However it is interesting that he later made a statement before the student body about the wrong way to do research. He stated, “You do not say to the librarian, here is my conclusion. I want all the evidence that supports my conclusion. That is not the proper way to do research!” It looks like he had thought better of some of his research methods. In any case he did rethink what he had written in the two volume “Compendium”, and downplayed his PhD.
Concerning these criticisms, I have also been guilty of this kind of sloppy research, especially in regard to geology. That was when I was in Ken Herrmann’s geology student, and I sometimes fed back to him what he wanted to hear. I am in no position to criticize Herman Hoeh!
During the late 60’s I was given the job of teaching geology classes at Ambassador College. In order to qualify myself for the job I was already doing, in 1969 I set out (with Herman Hoeh’s permission and blessing) to get a graduate degree in geology. I finally received a master’s degree in geology from UCLA in 1977, several years after I had been laid off at Ambassador.
In my studies, I had made numerous observations about the two flood model, a modified creationist/catastrophist model that had been taught at Ambassador. This was the model that Ken Herrmann had largely formulated. I pointed out that this model could not explain a myriad of features of the geologic record any better than the one flood model, commonly supported by young-earth creationists. Dick Burky, who was also studying geology at local colleges had also arrived at similar views. I taught what I was learning about geology in my classes. Neither Ken Herrmann, nor Herman Hoeh ever spoke against or contradicted what I was teaching. Both recognized that I had more knowledge of the field. Herman Hoeh at first questioned my ideas, and he gave his assistant, John Hopkinson the task of trying to determine if there was another explanation of why the geologic record appears to indicate long time periods instead of periods of rapid deposition in one catastrophe or another. After a year or two, John concluded the same thing that I had. I have to give Herman Hoeh the credit for recognizing that he did not have the knowledge nor the background to judge such matters.
Herman Hoeh certainly had his own ideas about many things, and on occasion he expressed them. He stated once that the saxophone was an (illegitimate) musical instrument. He had used a more colorful term. Presumably because it was a combination of a woodwind and a brass instrument. And he frequently commented on a healthy diet. He believed carob powder to be superior to chocolate. He extolled the superiority of dill pickles over sweet pickles, presumably because of the absence of added sugar. Several of his friends believed that he had never been to a physician. There is no question that a healthy diet and lifestyle contributed to his lack of illness and disabilities right up to the end of his 75 years. As far as I know he kept on milking his goats to the end!
His sermons were always interesting and well presented. I remember a sermon from the early 60’s in which he speculated on the location of Atlantis. Plato wrote that it was beyond the Pillars of Hercules, believed by many to be the Strait of Gibralter. He proposed that it had been in the North Sea, off the coast of Germany. He made the case that the windswept island of Heligoland (actually two islands at present) was all that remains today of Atlantis. How many sermons does a person remember from 50 years ago? My wife and I both remembered it! Interestingly enough I read a few weeks ago that someone else had made this same proposal about the possible location of Atlantis! His sermons, though sometimes complicated or speculative, were gripping and never boring!
Yes, Herman Hoeh, like all the rest of us was not perfect. In Romans 4 Paul speaks of us being imputed as righteous by faith even though we are still works in progress, never receiving absolute perfection until the resurrection. Though the doctrine of imputation was not understood in the WCG at all, he seemed to recognize that those in Christ are reckoned by God to be perfect. When God views one of His own, He does not see us in our imperfections, He sees us as He sees Jesus, at all times perfect! In those days I had no sensitivity to the presence of the Holy Spirit in anyone, but I did observe on many occasions that Herman Hoeh did have the fruit of the Spirit!
First by the way that he treated his wife, Isabel. He always spoke well of her. That was in a day when some ministers treated their wives poorly. Several minister’s wives died of cancer. In my opinion these minister’s wives were under a lot of stress, contributing to their cancer. Isabel outlived her husband by several years. Second he treated his children well. I recall incidents that illustrate this during the early 60’s at his house on South Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena. A student at the time, I was invited when he had a group of academics and friends over for a meeting with Rabbi Zvi Ankori*. When Isabel entered the room he showed respect to her. Later, his daughter Anneliese, then about three, entered the room to ask a question of her father. He did not criticize her for interrupting the meeting. He answered her question in a way that made her feel like she was a valued member of the family. He then commented to everyone that children are a precious gift of God!
I never heard him speak ill of everyone. Never once did I hear him speak of anyone having a “bad attitude”. He sometimes acted as overall evaluator at Ambassador or Spokesmen’s Club meetings. He never chewed anyone out at these meetings. Once after a speech by a troubled club member he rose above his assigned task as overall speech evaluator. He said, “Let’s not discuss your speech. We need to discuss you and your needs!” Whenever he spoke to anyone, that person felt that he had Herman Hoeh’s whole attention.
My wife is a good judge of a person’s character, and always had good feelings about him. My feelings were somewhat more analytical than hers, but I am positive that Herman Hoeh was a converted man. One might question the conversion of anyone who denied this. True conversion is determined by the Spirit of God dwelling in a person after having accepted Jesus as his personal Savior, not by how much he agrees with someone or some organization. Yes, Herman Hoeh exhibited the fruit of the Spirit. I have no doubt that we will meet again in that blessed day (1 Thes. 4:16) when the dead in Christ will rise to meet him at Jesus’ second coming!
Robert Macdonald, Sept. 2011.
* Zvi Ankori’s PhD dissertation was on “The Interpenetration of Judism and Zoroastrianism”. He is a well known scholar, author and a professor emeritus at Columbia University.
I appreciate your perspective of Dr Hoeh. Unfortunately, on a personal level my perspective of him somewhat differs perhaps because I did not have the same opportunities as a student to interact with him as you did.
My parents became acquainted with Dr Hoeh and his mother during the early 1950's in Big Sandy, often conversing with the two in German. As a 9-10 year old kid at the time, I was with my parents during those conversations. Because of their common German backgrounds, my parents deliberatelysought out Dr Hoeh and his mother and I came to consider Dr Hoeh a family friend.
Unfortunately, my encounters with Dr Hoeh at college were the opposite of a congenial nature. I was on several occasions embarrassed/humiliated publicly by his personal comments directed at me, including a comment about my name, the aforementioned World History class humiliation and a very personal comment about my mother's wrinkles! So, on a personal level, I found him intimidating and frankly, belittling, so unlike the one you came to know and appreciate.
Helen, I am so sorry you had negative experiences with Herman Hoeh! On one or two occasions I too heard negative comments from hin regarding students in a class. He called one very thin male student in his World History class emaciated! As I said he was not perfect. Not a one of us is perfect. If God required perfection, none of us could be saved. But we are forgiven, and reckoned by faith as perfect (Romans 4)!
Thank you Bob for your thoughtful words. I understand and appreciate that we are all imperfect human beings and it was not my intention to be harsh. But, I did want to provide a different perspective of one who had a profound impact on me as a naive, extremely shy and vulnerable young girl at the time. I'd been brought up from childhood in WCG to respect authority, to not question authority, and that admonition overroad the Bible's instructions to "go to one's brother or sister" should there be an offense, so basically one felt one had no voice! One learned quickly at AC that one did not "buck the system" less one be accused of being disrespectful or rebellious. I believe the perspective of a female AC student also differed considerably from that of a male student, especially given the very male-dominated, rather autocratic environment at AC. Not all male authority figures were autocratic (I previously mentioned in my bio that Mr Mauck was a kind, gentleman boss) but I certainly encountered my share of those who were autocratic, especially toward women. With the passing years, I discovered I did have a God-given voice and have learned to speak up, including to my big brothers (I had five of them!), but perhaps haven't as yet reached refinement in my efforts. My regret is that I did not have the same opportunity to become acquainted with the Dr Hoeh you knew.
I remember about 1967 getting my first church literature, some written by a man named Herman L. Hoeh, which I pronounced Hoe Eee. I'd had no German exposure at that time. I did not have Dr. Hoeh for any classes and only heard him in Imperial sermons as I recall. He seemed very intelligent and deep but a little stern. I wish I still had his Compendium of World History, including any mistakes later corrected. I have learned that most people only had respect for him and from my travels, it seems to be a German trait to speak your mind frankly, not just his. I'm not sure where to place Dr. Hoeh in my list of favourite mentors but he certainly is on it. Regardless, on a memorial site like his I offer my sympathies to his remaining family for their loss.
I have only the highest regard for HLH. Very early on in my time at AC I caught the attention of Ken Herrmann and HLH because of my interest in science. Marji and I chose HLH to perform our wedding ceremony in Ambassador Hall in Sept. 1963 just before the Fall Festivals. I vividly remember just before the ceremony he informed me that I had been made an associate editor of the PT. The latter years before I left in the summer of 1974 were times of intense controversy regarding how to best understand scientific findings and Scripture. But in all of it, HLH was always kind and considerate. When I came back to visit the campus after 21 long years in 1995, I missed a chance to talk to him personally, but I did hear from him later on the phone a couple of years before his sudden death. His kindness was appreciated over the years. RIP!
Herman Hoeh was one of my most favorite professors at Ambassador. I asked him for advice on marrying Arlene Bunnell. At the same time she was counseling with Dr. Dorothy. Dr. Hoeh told me to go ahead, Dr. Dorothy told her to wait. Dr. Hoeh won!!! 51+ years later... Dr. Hoeh was right. Once I was called to Dr. Hoeh's office for a "discussion." Someone had said something to him about me that was not true, and he not knowing that, wanted some answers. We discussed things for awhile, and then he did a strange thing. He said to me, Bob, are you thinking of leaving Ambassador? I told him absolutely not. Then he said something strange, which I still haven't figured out. He said, "Bob, you won't stay here, you have something much more important to do." I still to this day wish he had explained what he meant. Another time, he invited me to his home where we had an interesting private talk. He was encouraging me on several things, one was writing. So, later I submitted my first effort to him. Late the next day I got a call from him at my home. He said, I have read your "article" and want you to rewrite it. And, I want it first thing in the morning for we go to press tomorrow. I rewrote till past midnight, and first thing next morning took it to his office. It was printed without one change in it except for formatting. It was a Bible Q & A for the PT. Which reminds me of David Jon Hill. I worked for a time in Mail Receiving, and was given the job of compiling the weekly reports the ministers read to the services on how the work was growing each week. Well, the department also had a department newsletter. One day looking out the window I saw a backhoe being used to dig a ditch on campus. For some reason, I got the thought, how would John have described it in his day. So, I wrote an article for the newsletter as if this was a Revelation prophecy describing this "thing" without telling what it was till the end of the article. Flashing light, long arm in front and back, etc. etc. (wish I had a copy today). At the conclusion I said this was how John would probably have describe the backhoe in his day if transported into the future and seeing it for the first time. Well, the same day that article appeared David Jon Hill "stormed" into the room and marched to my desk. He threw the newsletter down on the desk and said, I want you to write for the Portfolio. Send me an article. By the way, he was also the minister in charge of the Mail Receiving Dept. I just sat and looked at him in shock. He turned and marched out. He had many times invited me to his home to "experience" his new "beer cooler" and snacks. Anyway, I did not want to write on a regular basis, which changed later, so I did not submit any articles. Without any warning to me Mr Hill acted. About 3 weeks later, Mr Wilson walked over to my desk and said, "Thanks, Mr. Hill has just shut down the department newsletter." And, he walked away. Now, one last thing about Dr. Hoeh. By the way, I have to say I don't recognize some of the things I've read here about him. One day, for finals in his history class, I walked in to take the finals. He looked at me and said, you're an hour late, we already gave the final test. He must have seen the shock in my face. On the other hand, he said, I think we can do something about that. So, the bell rang and we went back into the classroom. Every body sat down, and he said to me to take my desk and pull it to the front of the room and face the class. I did. Then, to my HORROR he gave me the test verbally in front of the class!!!!!! Thankfully, I received a high grade for the test. Someone in the class complained to him that it was too high for me. His response was that everyone was there and heard my answers and knew how the test was to be graded. He was a man of many surprises, but always, in my estimation, surprises one could learn from.
Robert Macdonald III (1958)
Our Family’s Remembrances of Herman L. Hoeh
By Robert Macdonald
Herman Hoeh life touched many others and like most, our family has many positive memories of him. One of my early memories was of watching him traversing the grounds at the Feast of Tabernacles in Big Sandy during the late 50’s. On the way between the “new tabernacle” where services were held and the “old tabernacle” dining hall he picked up trash and deposited it into a proper receptacle. That pretty well represented the way he was and remained throughout life. Though an evangelist, he was a humble man, not above the common people, and always lent a hand in what needed to be done. Always polite and charming, he would greet people with a cheery “My name is Herman Hoeh, how are you?” He never failed to ask how my wife, Peggy was. I never heard an unkind word come from his mouth about anyone.
As a student at the Pasadena campus of Ambassador College between 1958 and 1961. I had the opportunity of attending his classes in Bible and World History. He peppered his lectures with zingers such as his opinion that a saxophone was an “illegitimate” instrument. Although occasionally difficult to comprehend, nevertheless new vistas of knowledge were opened to his students. He enriched our awareness and appreciation the past as well as current events. He frequently invited interested students to his house for forums and informal discussions. He and Isabel were gracious hosts and always made us feel at home. He freely answered all questions, as cryptic as those answers may have been. I will always remember the names of ancient historians such as Xenophon and Manetho. I recall a final project for his World History students of 1961 was to produce a chart of the Egyptian Pharos according to his reconstruction of history, a seemingly daunting task! But then he added, “The only thing I ask is that they not all be identical, so that if I hold any two up to the light they will not coincide!”
His “reconstruction of history” was published in 1962 as a two volume “Compendium of World History” which was his doctoral dissertation at Ambassador College. Later, perhaps in the late 70’s he came to see that much of his “reconstruction” was wrong, and he publicly so stated. It says a lot about Herman Hoeh that he had the intellectual honesty to repudiate a large portion of his life work including his PhD dissertation.
His sermons, though occasionally difficult to understand were always interesting. No one ever dosed off while he was speaking!
Growing up on a chicken farm near Santa Rosa, California in a German-American family undoubtedly contributed to shaping Herman Hoeh as man who never lost his connection to common folks, who preferred to live close to the earth and who epitomized the work ethic. Another early influence was also present. On more than one occasion his students heard him explain that he was brought up on “the milk of the Socialist word”. Students understood this to mean “National Socialism” (Naziism). Perhaps in reaction against that early teaching he always leaned over backward to show his opposition to Naziism. This may have contributed to the RCG/WGC’s proclivity during the 50’s and 60’s to look for a fascist under every bed! The Church’s perspective on biblical prophecy had a lot to do with this as well.
The 50’s and 60’s seemed to spawn a mindset of a separation between “us and the world” in RCG/WGC circles. That mentality was conspicuously absent in Herman Hoeh. He consistently made contact with many individuals of varied backgrounds and different perspectives, building bridges across professional, denominational, religious, national and ethnic lines. One was Rabbi Zvi Ankori who did his doctoral dissertation on the interpenetration of Judaism and Zoroastrianism. He invited Dr. Ankori into his home for an informal discussion with his students. I felt it to be an honor to be one of those invited. Dr. Ankori went on to become a well known author on Jewish issues. Another was Jean Pierre Hallet, the Belgian anthropologist and humanitarian who publicized the plight of the Pygmies in the Congo. He was author of Pygmy Kitabu. I saw him on several occasions at fundraisers to help the Pygmies. He always voiced his appreciation for Herman Hoeh’s help with printing a brochure on the Pygmies and fundraising assistance for the Pygmy Project. Another contact was with a Swedish-born biochemist and visionary, Dr. Eric Eweson. A pioneer in composting and waste management from the 1940’s, Dr. Eweson’s expertise led to the construction and installation of the “Eweson Digester” on the Big Sandy campus which turned garbage and other waste into fertilizer. His talk before an Ambassador student assembly opened my eyes to the potentialities of composting and the desirability of organic farming. Another well respected personality, a dentist named Dr. Royal Lee imparted much useful information at a student assembly on health and nutrition. His company, Standard Process Laboratories is a producer of high quality nutritional supplements. Many more contacts could be cited from various fields including historians, archaeologists and writers. Many people have benefited from the associates of Herman Hoeh.
Herman Hoeh often spoke of his friendship with John Weidner, a Seventh Day Adventist, who owned two health food stores in Pasadena. He affectionately called him “his best friend in the world”. Mr. Weidner, a Belgian, shared some of his World War II experiences at an Ambassador student assembly. He was one of the many who rescued Jews during the Nazi occupation of France. Wanting the best foods for his family, he would frequently shop at Weidner’s Health Foods. One time my wife, Peggy was there while he was shopping. After paying, he told the sales lady to “Keep the change!”, throwing the whole sales staff into turmoil! They did not know how to handle that! Everyone agreed that Herman Hoeh was a very generous man!
During the late 60’s the Hoeh’s moved from their South Orange Grove house in Pasadena to La Canada. A few years later they purchased two houses in Tujunga, California. One house for them and one for his library! He wanted as much as possible to return to his roots where he could have a garden and keep goats. After moving to Tujunga my wife and I gave them an old refrigerator in which to keep their garden produce and goat milk. After delivering it in our pick-up truck he stated, “You have treated us well, and now I have a treat for you!” He treated both of us to a refreshing glass of cold goat milk!
I spoke by phone with Herman Hoeh about a month before he died. His mind was as sharp as ever. We chatted about many things. At first I hesitated to mention my years of research into the meaning to the Christian of the feast days. Personal theological research by a lay person was once frowned upon. I did mention that I had felt for many years that there was much more meaning there than WGC had uncovered. He reacted favorably. I then said that my research was aided by several books on the feast days including one that predated HWA’s booklet. He asked who wrote it and I told him the author was Louis Talbot. He replied that he used to listen to him on the radio during the 1940’s, and wanted to know if he and any good insights as to their meaning. I answered that he did. Anyway this shows that he was open-minded toward new ideas.
My wife and I feel privileged to have known Herman L. Hoeh. He was a genuinely caring, remarkable and multi-faceted individual. Our lives were enriched by his, and he will be missed.
Robert Macdonald
1-19-05
Robert Macdonald III (1958)
Additional thoughts on “Our Family’s Remembrances of Herman Hoeh”
Herman Hoeh was a person of many facets and interests. It is difficult to cover his life in just a few pages. He had his critics, but I feel that most of the criticism about him is unjustified.
Some of his critics speak of his “padding” of his academic record for his PhD from Ambassador College. In fairness, other than Dr. Abbott in Bricket Wood and possibly a few in the Music Department, no faculty members had advanced degrees, and very few formal graduate courses were offered in those days. Most graduate courses were self study courses, devised by the graduate students themselves. Ken Herrmann and other others made use of such self study courses. Independent study courses are fairly common in other academic institutions as well. I am not aware that Herman Hoeh ever repudiated his PhD, but he certainly down-played it, and he did drop the title “Dr.” before his name. I believe it was not so much his “padded” academic record, but the fact that he came to believe that his PhD dissertation, the two volume Compendium was wrong in part.
Perhaps more common was criticism was directed at his seeming to go along with the new positions of the WCG under the Tkach’s. Again to be fair, middle aged personnel, especially those without marketable skills had few options. I certainly do not say they went along with the changes just to get a paycheck, but a few to some degree, downplayed the changes, or just keep their mouths shut about them. Retirees are especially vulnerable. I can not criticize anyone for choosing to keep quiet rather than risk losing their pensions. For instance, Ken Herrmann went to church services, but made no comments. Ken Herrmann used to say that it was sometimes handy to be hard of hearing.
In a few instances Herman Hoeh commented on some changes. For instance in the 90’s he delivered a sermon to the Imperial AM congregation concerning the change to the Trinitarian position. He pointed out that the Holy Spirit emanated from God, and was therefore divine. To my knowledge he never accepted the concept of the three persons in the Godhead.
Herman Hoeh has also been criticized for remaining on the board of directors of the WCG until his death in 2004. Again, I can not criticize this. The choice for him may have been to resign and have no influence, or remain on the board and have some influence for good.
It is possible that Herman Hoeh went along with some of the changes under the Tkach’s out of loyalty to the organization founded by HWA. Though such loyalty may have been misplaced, I can understand it, as I did the same thing for awhile, even though employment was never a factor in my case. Should one’s loyalty be to a set of “truths” as handed down by an organization, or to that organization itself? Now, I would say neither of the above. One should hold to the truths as one understands them from the inspired word of God. It is my aim to get closer to the truth by study of that word of God. In my case my perception of the truth changed somewhat over time as I increased in my understanding of what God is attempting to get across to us in His word.
Even more importantly, my views have changed on what God’s priorities are in determining what makes a person acceptable to God. I used to think minor things were important, and neglected the major things. I majored in minors and minored in majors. I no longer get upset if some one disagrees with me on these minor issues. For instance as an ancient earth creationist, I used to get upset by people with young earth creationist views. Now I accept people for where they are in their relationship with God. If those young earth creationists are acceptable to God, why should I get upset with them? Incidentally, young earth creationism is becoming increasingly common among the second and third generation of those with a WCG background. I may state my position, but I never argue with them. We are instructed to grow in grace and knowledge. (2 Peter 3:18)
Now I perceive God working more through His Spirit directly with individuals He has called, not primarily with other individuals or an organization as an intermediary.
I had never discussed with Herman Hoeh any changes in his views, but I perhaps got a glimpse into his thinking by his actions and associations. Back in the days of the old WCG, it would have been unthinkable to go to a church service of another group (especially a breakaway group) or listen to a minister of another denomination to receive instruction or knowledge. That began to change for me and my wife when in 1979 we started attended attending church services under the ministry of David L. Antion. I did, however, continue to attend church services at WCG from time to time. Dr. Antion urged us to think for ourselves, and from time to time we did attend church services from other COG groups. Moreover Dr. Antion cooperated with some of them, especially in CGI and UCG, in joint activities.
Herman Hoeh was wary of those who tried to get close to him if he perceived that they were trying to use him to advance themselves in the WCG. He never seemed to be wary of me, and accepted me as a friend. I guess I did not present myself as an organizational climber. Another person he enjoyed an association with was Mark Kaplan, who had a Jewish background.
I had been acquainted with Mark Kaplan from my Ambassador days, and I consulted with him in Jewish matters that pertained to the meaning of the feast days. I am not sure if he was ever a WCG minister, but for awhile Mark was employed by UCG as a minister. After he was laid off from the UCG ministry, he used to give lectures in the Pasadena area. My wife and I attended some of these at the home of Harry and Cynthia Curley in Altadena, near Pasadena, Calif. Several others, including Fred Coulter (a former WCG minister) spoke at these gatherings. The last one of these I attended was around 2001. Because of his friendship with Mark, and his interest in things Jewish, Herman and Isabel Hoeh were there to listen to what Mark Kaplan had to say. Herman Hoeh did not shun Mark Kaplan because he had left the WCG. He did not try to diminish his own presence at the event, but mixed around and spoke to many others, most of whom, like Mark, were ex-WCG. This was in stark contrast to his behavior in a previous event he attended. I wasn’t there, but I heard about it. In 1984 he attended the funeral of Dwight Armstrong in Washington state. For him it was a token appearance to honor the memory of HWA’s brother. He and several other representatives of the WCG stood in the back during the funeral service and did not mix with the others. After the funeral service, they spoke briefly to Dwight Armstrong’s widow, Karen Armstrong and her family. Her name was really Karn, pronounced Korn, but she was known as Karen. As I recall Karen had left the WCG. I know she did not attend WCG services in El Monte with her husband. Soon after speaking with Karen, Dr. Hoeh and the others left. This time he had definitely changed his approach. It appears that like me, he had come to believe that God works with individuals instead of, or as well as through organizations.
Perhaps the most serious criticism of Herman Hoeh was that his research had at one time been directed toward proving a certain conclusions that he or someone else had already arrived at. This criticism was probably correct. However it is interesting that he later made a statement before the student body about the wrong way to do research. He stated, “You do not say to the librarian, here is my conclusion. I want all the evidence that supports my conclusion. That is not the proper way to do research!” It looks like he had thought better of some of his research methods. In any case he did rethink what he had written in the two volume “Compendium”, and downplayed his PhD.
Concerning these criticisms, I have also been guilty of this kind of sloppy research, especially in regard to geology. That was when I was in Ken Herrmann’s geology student, and I sometimes fed back to him what he wanted to hear. I am in no position to criticize Herman Hoeh!
During the late 60’s I was given the job of teaching geology classes at Ambassador College. In order to qualify myself for the job I was already doing, in 1969 I set out (with Herman Hoeh’s permission and blessing) to get a graduate degree in geology. I finally received a master’s degree in geology from UCLA in 1977, several years after I had been laid off at Ambassador.
In my studies, I had made numerous observations about the two flood model, a modified creationist/catastrophist model that had been taught at Ambassador. This was the model that Ken Herrmann had largely formulated. I pointed out that this model could not explain a myriad of features of the geologic record any better than the one flood model, commonly supported by young-earth creationists. Dick Burky, who was also studying geology at local colleges had also arrived at similar views. I taught what I was learning about geology in my classes. Neither Ken Herrmann, nor Herman Hoeh ever spoke against or contradicted what I was teaching. Both recognized that I had more knowledge of the field. Herman Hoeh at first questioned my ideas, and he gave his assistant, John Hopkinson the task of trying to determine if there was another explanation of why the geologic record appears to indicate long time periods instead of periods of rapid deposition in one catastrophe or another. After a year or two, John concluded the same thing that I had. I have to give Herman Hoeh the credit for recognizing that he did not have the knowledge nor the background to judge such matters.
Herman Hoeh certainly had his own ideas about many things, and on occasion he expressed them. He stated once that the saxophone was an (illegitimate) musical instrument. He had used a more colorful term. Presumably because it was a combination of a woodwind and a brass instrument. And he frequently commented on a healthy diet. He believed carob powder to be superior to chocolate. He extolled the superiority of dill pickles over sweet pickles, presumably because of the absence of added sugar. Several of his friends believed that he had never been to a physician. There is no question that a healthy diet and lifestyle contributed to his lack of illness and disabilities right up to the end of his 75 years. As far as I know he kept on milking his goats to the end!
His sermons were always interesting and well presented. I remember a sermon from the early 60’s in which he speculated on the location of Atlantis. Plato wrote that it was beyond the Pillars of Hercules, believed by many to be the Strait of Gibralter. He proposed that it had been in the North Sea, off the coast of Germany. He made the case that the windswept island of Heligoland (actually two islands at present) was all that remains today of Atlantis. How many sermons does a person remember from 50 years ago? My wife and I both remembered it! Interestingly enough I read a few weeks ago that someone else had made this same proposal about the possible location of Atlantis! His sermons, though sometimes complicated or speculative, were gripping and never boring!
Yes, Herman Hoeh, like all the rest of us was not perfect. In Romans 4 Paul speaks of us being imputed as righteous by faith even though we are still works in progress, never receiving absolute perfection until the resurrection. Though the doctrine of imputation was not understood in the WCG at all, he seemed to recognize that those in Christ are reckoned by God to be perfect. When God views one of His own, He does not see us in our imperfections, He sees us as He sees Jesus, at all times perfect! In those days I had no sensitivity to the presence of the Holy Spirit in anyone, but I did observe on many occasions that Herman Hoeh did have the fruit of the Spirit!
First by the way that he treated his wife, Isabel. He always spoke well of her. That was in a day when some ministers treated their wives poorly. Several minister’s wives died of cancer. In my opinion these minister’s wives were under a lot of stress, contributing to their cancer. Isabel outlived her husband by several years. Second he treated his children well. I recall incidents that illustrate this during the early 60’s at his house on South Orange Grove Blvd. in Pasadena. A student at the time, I was invited when he had a group of academics and friends over for a meeting with Rabbi Zvi Ankori*. When Isabel entered the room he showed respect to her. Later, his daughter Anneliese, then about three, entered the room to ask a question of her father. He did not criticize her for interrupting the meeting. He answered her question in a way that made her feel like she was a valued member of the family. He then commented to everyone that children are a precious gift of God!
I never heard him speak ill of everyone. Never once did I hear him speak of anyone having a “bad attitude”. He sometimes acted as overall evaluator at Ambassador or Spokesmen’s Club meetings. He never chewed anyone out at these meetings. Once after a speech by a troubled club member he rose above his assigned task as overall speech evaluator. He said, “Let’s not discuss your speech. We need to discuss you and your needs!” Whenever he spoke to anyone, that person felt that he had Herman Hoeh’s whole attention.
My wife is a good judge of a person’s character, and always had good feelings about him. My feelings were somewhat more analytical than hers, but I am positive that Herman Hoeh was a converted man. One might question the conversion of anyone who denied this. True conversion is determined by the Spirit of God dwelling in a person after having accepted Jesus as his personal Savior, not by how much he agrees with someone or some organization. Yes, Herman Hoeh exhibited the fruit of the Spirit. I have no doubt that we will meet again in that blessed day (1 Thes. 4:16) when the dead in Christ will rise to meet him at Jesus’ second coming!
Robert Macdonald, Sept. 2011.
* Zvi Ankori’s PhD dissertation was on “The Interpenetration of Judism and Zoroastrianism”. He is a well known scholar, author and a professor emeritus at Columbia University.
Helen Hohertz (Nelson) (1961)
I appreciate your perspective of Dr Hoeh. Unfortunately, on a personal level my perspective of him somewhat differs perhaps because I did not have the same opportunities as a student to interact with him as you did.
My parents became acquainted with Dr Hoeh and his mother during the early 1950's in Big Sandy, often conversing with the two in German. As a 9-10 year old kid at the time, I was with my parents during those conversations. Because of their common German backgrounds, my parents deliberately sought out Dr Hoeh and his mother and I came to consider Dr Hoeh a family friend.
Unfortunately, my encounters with Dr Hoeh at college were the opposite of a congenial nature. I was on several occasions embarrassed/humiliated publicly by his personal comments directed at me, including a comment about my name, the aforementioned World History class humiliation and a very personal comment about my mother's wrinkles! So, on a personal level, I found him intimidating and frankly, belittling, so unlike the one you came to know and appreciate.
Dick (Optional: Richard) Mills (1968)
I think one might want to ask himself why bring up publicly anything negative about someone. Let's see..WWJD...hmmm.
Everyone has imperfections...we grow in Christ...progress, not perfection.
One might ask, what is my part in this? Did I talk to the person about how they hurt or offended me?
Robert Macdonald III (1958)
Helen, I am so sorry you had negative experiences with Herman Hoeh! On one or two occasions I too heard negative comments from hin regarding students in a class. He called one very thin male student in his World History class emaciated! As I said he was not perfect. Not a one of us is perfect. If God required perfection, none of us could be saved. But we are forgiven, and reckoned by faith as perfect (Romans 4)!
Helen Hohertz (Nelson) (1961)
Thank you Bob for your thoughtful words. I understand and appreciate that we are all imperfect human beings and it was not my intention to be harsh. But, I did want to provide a different perspective of one who had a profound impact on me as a naive, extremely shy and vulnerable young girl at the time. I'd been brought up from childhood in WCG to respect authority, to not question authority, and that admonition overroad the Bible's instructions to "go to one's brother or sister" should there be an offense, so basically one felt one had no voice! One learned quickly at AC that one did not "buck the system" less one be accused of being disrespectful or rebellious. I believe the perspective of a female AC student also differed considerably from that of a male student, especially given the very male-dominated, rather autocratic environment at AC. Not all male authority figures were autocratic (I previously mentioned in my bio that Mr Mauck was a kind, gentleman boss) but I certainly encountered my share of those who were autocratic, especially toward women. With the passing years, I discovered I did have a God-given voice and have learned to speak up, including to my big brothers (I had five of them!), but perhaps haven't as yet reached refinement in my efforts. My regret is that I did not have the same opportunity to become acquainted with the Dr Hoeh you knew.
Steve Frandsen (1975)
I remember about 1967 getting my first church literature, some written by a man named Herman L. Hoeh, which I pronounced Hoe Eee. I'd had no German exposure at that time. I did not have Dr. Hoeh for any classes and only heard him in Imperial sermons as I recall. He seemed very intelligent and deep but a little stern. I wish I still had his Compendium of World History, including any mistakes later corrected. I have learned that most people only had respect for him and from my travels, it seems to be a German trait to speak your mind frankly, not just his. I'm not sure where to place Dr. Hoeh in my list of favourite mentors but he certainly is on it. Regardless, on a memorial site like his I offer my sympathies to his remaining family for their loss.
Robert Gentet (1957)
I have only the highest regard for HLH. Very early on in my time at AC I caught the attention of Ken Herrmann and HLH because of my interest in science. Marji and I chose HLH to perform our wedding ceremony in Ambassador Hall in Sept. 1963 just before the Fall Festivals. I vividly remember just before the ceremony he informed me that I had been made an associate editor of the PT. The latter years before I left in the summer of 1974 were times of intense controversy regarding how to best understand scientific findings and Scripture. But in all of it, HLH was always kind and considerate. When I came back to visit the campus after 21 long years in 1995, I missed a chance to talk to him personally, but I did hear from him later on the phone a couple of years before his sudden death. His kindness was appreciated over the years. RIP!
Robert Petry (1959)
Herman Hoeh was one of my most favorite professors at Ambassador. I asked him for advice on marrying Arlene Bunnell. At the same time she was counseling with Dr. Dorothy. Dr. Hoeh told me to go ahead, Dr. Dorothy told her to wait. Dr. Hoeh won!!! 51+ years later... Dr. Hoeh was right. Once I was called to Dr. Hoeh's office for a "discussion." Someone had said something to him about me that was not true, and he not knowing that, wanted some answers. We discussed things for awhile, and then he did a strange thing. He said to me, Bob, are you thinking of leaving Ambassador? I told him absolutely not. Then he said something strange, which I still haven't figured out. He said, "Bob, you won't stay here, you have something much more important to do." I still to this day wish he had explained what he meant. Another time, he invited me to his home where we had an interesting private talk. He was encouraging me on several things, one was writing. So, later I submitted my first effort to him. Late the next day I got a call from him at my home. He said, I have read your "article" and want you to rewrite it. And, I want it first thing in the morning for we go to press tomorrow. I rewrote till past midnight, and first thing next morning took it to his office. It was printed without one change in it except for formatting. It was a Bible Q & A for the PT. Which reminds me of David Jon Hill. I worked for a time in Mail Receiving, and was given the job of compiling the weekly reports the ministers read to the services on how the work was growing each week. Well, the department also had a department newsletter. One day looking out the window I saw a backhoe being used to dig a ditch on campus. For some reason, I got the thought, how would John have described it in his day. So, I wrote an article for the newsletter as if this was a Revelation prophecy describing this "thing" without telling what it was till the end of the article. Flashing light, long arm in front and back, etc. etc. (wish I had a copy today). At the conclusion I said this was how John would probably have describe the backhoe in his day if transported into the future and seeing it for the first time. Well, the same day that article appeared David Jon Hill "stormed" into the room and marched to my desk. He threw the newsletter down on the desk and said, I want you to write for the Portfolio. Send me an article. By the way, he was also the minister in charge of the Mail Receiving Dept. I just sat and looked at him in shock. He turned and marched out. He had many times invited me to his home to "experience" his new "beer cooler" and snacks. Anyway, I did not want to write on a regular basis, which changed later, so I did not submit any articles. Without any warning to me Mr Hill acted. About 3 weeks later, Mr Wilson walked over to my desk and said, "Thanks, Mr. Hill has just shut down the department newsletter." And, he walked away. Now, one last thing about Dr. Hoeh. By the way, I have to say I don't recognize some of the things I've read here about him. One day, for finals in his history class, I walked in to take the finals. He looked at me and said, you're an hour late, we already gave the final test. He must have seen the shock in my face. On the other hand, he said, I think we can do something about that. So, the bell rang and we went back into the classroom. Every body sat down, and he said to me to take my desk and pull it to the front of the room and face the class. I did. Then, to my HORROR he gave me the test verbally in front of the class!!!!!! Thankfully, I received a high grade for the test. Someone in the class complained to him that it was too high for me. His response was that everyone was there and heard my answers and knew how the test was to be graded. He was a man of many surprises, but always, in my estimation, surprises one could learn from.
Gene Nouhan (Nouhan) (1975)
A real friend.