Herbert W Armstrong

MR. ARMSTRONG HAD RECENTLY APPOINTED JOSEPH W. TKACH TO ASSUME THE OFFICE AND TITLE OF PASTOR GENERAL OF THE 80,000 MEMBER WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF GOD. THROUGHOUT HIS RECENT ILLNESS, MR. ARMSTRONG REMAINED ACTIVE IN THE DAY-TO-DAY DECISION MAKING OF THE SEVERAL ORGANIZATIONS HE HAD HEADED FOR MANY YEARS, MR. ARMSTRONG, AT A RECENT BOARD MEETING, SPOKE OF "PASSING THE BATON" TO ENSURE THE CONTINUED, UNABATED HUMAN LEADERSHIP OF THE CHURCH UNDER JESUS CHRIST.

MR. ARMSTRONG WAS ALSO FOUNDER AND CHANCELLOR OF AMBASSADOR COLLEGE; FOUNDER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE AMBASSAOOR INTERNATIONAL CULTURAL FOUNDATION; AND THE FOUNDER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF "THE PLAIN TRUTH" MAGAZINE, WHICH IS PUBLISHED IN SEVEN LANGUAGES AND HAS A WORLDWIDE CIRCULATION OF MORE THAN EIGHT MILLION.

MR. ARMSTRONG IS WIDELY KNOWN FOR HIS WEEKLY APPEARANCES ON THE "WORLD TOMORROW" TELEVISION AND RADIO BROADCASTS WHICH ARE CARRIED BY 374 TELEVISION ANO 30 RADIO STATIONS WORLDWIDE. HE IS THE AUTHOR OF SEVERAL BOOKS INCLUDING "MYSTERY OF THE AGES" (1985), "THE MISSING DIMENSION IN SEX" (1969, REVISED 1981), "THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN IN PROPHECY" (1967, REVISED 1980), "THE WONDERFUL WORLD TOMORROW" (1979), "THE INCREDIBLE HUMAN POTENTIAL" (1978), AND HIS "AUTOBIOGRAPHY."

MR. ARMSTRONG WAS BORN ON JULY 31, 1892, IN DES MOINES, IOWA, THE ELDER SON OF HORACE AND EVA ARMSTRONG, IN JULY 1917, HE MARRIED LOMA DILLON, AN IOWA SCHOOL TEACHER WHO DIED IN APRIL, 1967.

MR.ARMSTRONG PRODUCED THE FIRST "WORLD TOMORROW" BROADCAST IN JANUARY, 1934, AND FOLLOWED IT IN FEBRUARY WITH THE FIRST REGULAR PRINTING OF "THE PLAIN TRUTH" MAGAZINE, WHICH HE OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE TO THE LISTENING AUDIENCE, "THE PLAIN TRUTH" AND ALL SUBSEQUENT LITERATURE ARE STILL OFFERED FREE TODAY.

AS AUTHOR, RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTER, AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF SEVERAL MAGAZINES, HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG WAS WELL VERSED IN WORLD EVENTS, HIS TRAVELS INCLUDED NUMEROUS VISITS WITH WORLD LEADERS, THESE MEETINGS WITH EMPERORS, KINGS, PRESIDENTS AND PRIME MINISTERS GAVE HIM A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE ON WORLD AFFAIRS ANO WERE A CONTINUAL FOCUS OF HIS WRITING AND BROADCASTING.

AMONG THOSE WITH WHOM HE HAD PERSONAL AUDIENCES ARE HIS MAJESTY KING BHUMIBOL OF THAILAND, KING LEOPOLD II OF BELGIUM, EMPEROR HIROHITO OF JAPAN, KING JUAN CARLOS OF SPAIN, KING MAHENDRA OF NEPAL, THE EMPEROR HAILE SELASSIE OF ETHIOPIA, KING HUSSEIN OF JORDAN, THE LATE PRESIDENT ALLENDE OF CHILE, PRIME MINISTER MARGARET THATCHER OF GREAT BRITAIN, THE LATE PRIME MINISTER INDIRA GANDHI OF INDIA, PRIME MINISTER MENACHEM BEGIN OF ISRAEL, THE LATE PRESIDENT ANWAR EL-SADAT AND PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK OF EGYPT, PRESIDENT SUHARTO OF INDONESIA AND ALL OF THE JAPANESE PRIME MINISTERS SINCE 1970.

MANY HONORS WERE BESTOWED ON HIM, INCLUDING JAPAN'S ORDER OF THE SACRED TREASURE, COMMANDER OF THE MOST NOBLE ORDER OF THE CROWN OF THAILAND, THE PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF MERIT FROM PRESIDENT MARCOS OF THE PHILIPPINES; A SPECIAL PEACE AWARD FROM BELGIUMIS, KING LEOPOLD III; AND AN HONORARY DOCTORATE IN HUMANITIES FROM BOTH ILOILO UNIVERSITY AND ANGELES UNIVERSITY IN THE PHILIPPINES, ALL IN RECOGNITION OF HIS WORK FOR WORLD PEACE.

MR. ARMSTRONG OFTEN DISCUSSED THE PARTICULAR PROBLEMS FACED BY EACH RULER OR LEADER OF THE NATION HE VISITED, THROUGH THE AMBASSADOR FOUNDATION, MR. ARMSTRONG COOPERATED WITH MANY LEADERS IN PROVIDING NEEDED ASSISTANCE IN NUMEROUS HUMANITARIAN AND CULTURAL PROJECTS. THE FOUNDATION CONTINUES TO BE INVOLVED IN PROJECTS IN ISRAEL, EGYPT, SYRIA, ENGLAND, THAILAND, JAPAN, CHINA, BELGIUM, KENYA AND OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

MR. ARMSTRONG HAD BEEN RECOGNIZED BY MEMBERS OF THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS AS AN UNOFFICIAL "AMBASSADOR OF WORLD PEACE" AND A "BUILDER OF BRIDGES BETWEEN PEOPLES EVERYWHERE."

PRIVATE FUNERAL SERVICES ARE BEING ARRANGED, IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, DONATIONS MAY BE MADE TO THE CHURCH'S HERBERT W. ARMSTRONG MEMORIAL FUND.