Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1916-08-18
DR.. HAYS PASSES PEACEFULLY AWAY

Divinity. About the same time the
degree of Master of Arts was con-
ferred upon him by Monmouth col
lege. While he was securing his col
lege education he spent about three
years in teaching. AS college stu
dent he developed considerable abil-
ity as a writer of poetry and many
of his verses were published in the
college paper and the newspapers OF
Aledo, Ill.
August II, 1875, he was united in
marriage to Marcia Acheson. From
this union seven children were born:
John William; Anna Findly, now
Mrs. L. l.. Totten; Carl Acheson;
Jessie Elliott; Grace, now Mrs.
N. j. Aiken; William Gordon Nc
Creight, and Creighton Elliott. Of
these seven. John William and Will
lam Gordon McCreight died in early
childhood. All of the other five will
be present at the funeral
Shortly after his graduation from
the Theological Seminary. he re-
ceiyed Il call to the pastorate of the
United Presbyterian church of Ell
vera, lowa. where he was ordained
and installed in June, 1881. Five
years later, in January, 1886, he was
offered an appointment at Waits
burg in the then territory of Wash
ington, by the board of home mis-
sions. Filled with zeal and deeply
impressed by the urgent need for re-
ligious workers in the far west, he
promptly accepted the call. That he
never regretted his decision is indi-
catd by the following quotation from
letter which he wrote to friend
not very long ago: Were ] to live
my life over again, l think | would
choose the career of a home mission
airy, especially if l were permitted to
labor in this great field of unpar-
alelled opportunity-the Pacific
Northwest"
Upon taking up the work in his
new frontier field, he became con-
vinced that there was an urgent need
for better educational opportunities
than were then afforded by the pub
lie schools. To meet this need he
undertook the arduous labor of es-
tablishing an academy at Waitsburg,
which opened its doors September IL,
1885, and for 20 years took high
rank among the educational institu-
lions of the state, until the develop
ment and improvement Of the high
schools made it possible for them to
cover the field of work for which the
academy was founded. When that
time came the campus and buildings
were sold to the city of Waitsburg
for high school purposes. The $l0,-
600 received for the property was ap
propriated by the General Assembly
in May, 1912, towards the construc-
ton of the beautiful new church in
this city.
After nine years of faithful and
successful work in WaitsbuTg, DT.
Hays accepted a call to Olympia,
where he remained for three and
half years, during which time he in
spired his congregation to build
new church. He then responded TO
an invitation from the Spokane Pres
bytery to organize the work in Pull
man and arrived in this field Sep
TENDER /, 1898. At that time there
were but three resident members of
the United Presbyterian church in
this city, but so great was his zeal
and so effective his work, that in
March, 1904, he had built church
and gathered a congregation with
membership of 100, who felt able to
support pastor and issued a formal
call to him to serve them in that
capacity. He was formally installed
April 5, 1904. and continued ito do
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