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Landmark 5
Strock Hall and Rev. Dr. John Roy Strock
Landmark 5 — the girls’ hostel of Andhra Christian College, and a missionary of 33 years (1882–1978) · Chapter 7 of 12 · PDF pp. 9–10 · 352 words · ≈ 2 min read
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Strock HallStrock Hall is the girls’ hostel for the students of Andhra Christian College. This hostel was given the name in honor of Rev. Dr. John Roy Strock who served for 33 years as a Lutheran missionary in India.
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Rev. Dr. John Roy Strock (June 8, 1882 – October 30, 1978)John Roy Strock was born in Pennsylvania. In 1905 he enrolled at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and three years later earned a bachelor of divinity degree. He was ordained into the ministry and commissioned as a missionary for the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States on September 3, 1908. He sailed for India on September 9, 1908 and arrived in Guntur on November 1, 1908. Being a Science graduate from Dickinson College, PA, he re-organized the laboratory of Andhra Christian College and was appointed Vice Principal in 1911. He married Elizabeth Maudy Evans at St. Matthew's Church, Guntur on November 9, 1911 and Rev. Dr. Uhl performed the marriage ceremony.
Rev. Roy Strock had efficiently served as the principal of Andhra Christian College for three times spanning a total of 12 years (1919–1922, 1927–33, 1936–39). He initiated the merger of Noble College, Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam) with Andhra Christian College to make one United Mission College and assumed the principalship of Noble College. During years of 1922–24, he conducted a huge fund raising campaign in the USA and collected around three hundred thousand dollars.
During his tenure as principal, Rev. Dr. Strock was sympathetic to the Indian national movement for freedom. In 1936, he was the recipient of the Kaiser-i-Hind first class gold medal from His Majesty the King Emperor of India in recognition of public service in India. Rev. Dr. John Roy Strock was the fifth President of Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church (AELC) in 1937. Later he served on various All-India bodies connected with the National Christian Council. He also served as an advisor to the Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church until his return to the United States in 1949, after which Pastor and Mrs. Strock retired from active missionary service. Rev. John Roy Strock, D. D. died in Tennessee at the age of 96.