8 Conclusion
Conclusion
According to renown Seventh-day Adventist scholar Louis B. Reynolds, Owen troy Sr. was “a creative, constructive genius, a man of explicit detail who used his great talents to the honor and glory of God.”[1] His efforts to promote healthcare brought aid to hundreds of families in each city he pastored in, especially those communities in need of relief during the Great Depression. Troy’s dedication to music was exemplary and has produced one of the most iconic groups for the in the Oakwood’s history, The Alabama Singers, a remarkable achievement for the legacy of his time at Oakwood Junior College. Alongside this, Troy’s assistance to the national church leadership concerning the issues with segregation within the educational facilities of SDA was significant, particularly in Michigan and Alabama, thanks to his alliance with the Associated Negro Press.
Seventh-day Adventist author, Calvin Rock, remembers Dr. Troy as being “dignified and had the reputation for being a part of the upper crust, socially speaking. He always seemed to be well-dressed and well-spoken and appeared to run a very clean, organized, and sophisticated kind of operation.”[2] Troy took his duty to spreading God’s message with the upmost dedication, evidenced through his efforts to go above and beyond the role of an average pastor in his communities. Not only did Troy present the local community with health clinics to deal with immediate issues of healthy eating and well-being, Troy consistently encouraged the local communities to join the church; through his innovative approach to new media, such as radio broadcasting with the Sweet Chariot Hour in California, he also presented the public with engaging debates and lectures which involved his passions for music in the process. It was this unique multi-pronged approach to pastorship that has gained him respect and admiration amongst the Seventh-day Adventist leadership today.
One of his most significant achievements was in education; Troy was a pioneering scholar who wasn’t content with a climate of discrimination in higher education, to become the first known member of the Seventh-day Adventist church to gain a Doctorate in Theology, one of the highest academic degrees one can earn in theological education. Taking into account the SDA tradition of limiting their members to Bachelors, as well as the tendency to push African American members to evangelism as opposed to further study or leadership positions, Troy’s journey to gaining a Bachelor’s, master’s and Doctorate was unprecedented. Placing himself amongst the leadership elite of the Seventh-day Adventist church was a remarkable achievement for African American Adventists that continues to hold influence today.
His academic achievements, dedication and personal qualities are remembered by those who knew him as an inspiration to all. In the words of Reynolds: “Troy was honest, hardworking, unyielding on points of principle, and had a personal integrity that was pure gold.”[3]
- Louis B. Reynolds, We Have Tomorrow: The Story of American Seventh-day Adventists With an African Heritage (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1984): 175, 176; W. S. Lee and Owen A. Troy, Sr., “Evangelistic Origin and Expansion in the Southern Area,” North American Informant, September–October 1961, 4. On Theodore Troy, see “L.A.’s First Negro Postman Dies at 89,” Los Angeles Tribune, April 3, 1958, 177. ↵
- Personal interview. Conducted by Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr. in 2021. ↵
- Louis B. Reynolds, We Have Tomorrow: The Story of American Seventh-day Adventists With an African Heritage. ↵