Luther Rice was born at Northboro, Mass. Educated at Williams College, he became interested in missions, and with Adoniram Judson and several others initiated a movement which led to the establishment of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. He was ordained Feb. 6, 1812, and later in the month went to India to engage in missionary work. Soon after his arrival he united with the Baptists and in 1813 he returned to America to adjust his relations with the Board. He then began his labors among the Baptist churches, raising money to support foreign missions. He was noted for his sermons and was highly influential in the Baptist denomination.
Dawson Earle Trotman, weighing in at 2-1/2 pounds, was born at Bisbee, Arizona. President and valedictorian of his high school class, he turned to partying, which led to drunkeness -- until a policeman asked him bluntly, "Do you like this kind of life?" When he was 20, he made a lasting commitment to Christ. While a California truck driver, he began to disciple sailors. Out of this came the organization of The Navigators, with its emphasis on evangelism and discipleship. Many years later, at Schroon Lake, N.Y., a girl fell overboard from one of the speed boats, and Dawson Trotman jumped in, kept her afloat until she was rescued, but himself slipped beneath the waters and drowned.
