Hudson Taylor was born to Carl and Eva May Armerding on June 21,1918, in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where his father was engaged initinerant Bible-teaching ministry among the Plymouth Brethren in thearea.
Hudson was the oldest of five children and was followed byEvangeline Louise, Helen Winifred, and Geraldine May, a child had diedin infancy. According to Paul Bechtel, "Young Hudson early developed alove for scouting and camping through his father's absorption in thoseactivities. He also had an early appreciation for the American Indians,many of whom he met through his father's summer conference ministry. Atthe age of eight Hudson contracted pneumonia, which led tocomplications requiring an operation to preserve his life."
Armerding wrote that his conversion "resulted from the readingof a Sunday School paper. In this paper was the story of a young manwho went to a gospel meeting and filled out a decision card. The paperhad a facsimile of the card. I cut it out, completed it, and pinned itto the curtain by my bed. Then I told Mother that if Satan came thatnight, he would realize that I was a Christian."
In the fall of 1935 the Armerding family sailed for NewZealand, where Carl had again established an itinerant ministry amongthe Brethren Assemblies. It was here that Armerding stayed until hereturned to the United States to attend Wheaton College. In the fall of1937, while living with relatives in Oak Park, Illinois, Hudson beganhis freshman year. Armerding participated in many extra-curricularactivities while enrolled at Wheaton and eventually graduated withhonors in 1941.
From Wheaton, Armerding enrolled in Clark University, receivinga generous scholarship and stipend. With a draft deferment, Armerdingwas enabled to begin his graduate work in international studies. Thecontinuation of the war caused Armerding to seek an officer'scommission, which was denied due to deficiencies that Armerding wassure to overcome. A day before graduation from Clark in May 1942,Armerding was sworn into the Navy, where he served time on the heavycruiser U.S.S. Wichita.
While home on his first leave in 1943, Armerding met his wifeMiriam Bailey, an instructor in Wheaton's Conservatory, whom he wouldmarry on his second leave in 1944. After his discharge from the Navy,Armerding enrolled in the University of Chicago, from which he wasgraduated with a Ph.D. in Asian History in 1948, during which time healso taught part-time at Wheaton. After his graduation he accepted aposition at Gordon College on the history faculty. In 1952 he waspromoted to acting-dean and subsequently dean, a position he held until1959. Armerding also served as acting-president upon the death ofGordon's president, T. Leonard Lewis.
Upon the installation of a new president at Gordon, which was attended by V. Raymond Edman,Armerding was invited to take a position on the history faculty atWheaton. Dr. Edman gave his former student assistant many academicprojects upon his return to Wheaton. The position of Provost wascreated in 1962 and was filled by Hudson Armerding. He held thisposition until his ascension to the presidency of Wheaton College in1965. Armerding held that position until 1982, leading Wheaton Collegethrough many years of growth. |