{"id":1452,"date":"2026-04-17T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T09:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/2026\/04\/17\/2026-04-17-david-rathburn-a-man-of-faith\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T23:10:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T23:10:33","slug":"2026-04-17-david-rathburn-a-man-of-faith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stuorgs2.gcc.edu\/thecollegian\/2026\/04\/17\/2026-04-17-david-rathburn-a-man-of-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"David Rathburn: A man of\u00a0faith"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Joseph T.C. Holland<\/a> · Contributing Writer<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
\u2014 GCC<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

David Rathburn was chairman of the Grove City College Board of Trustees for 17 years. Those who knew him in that context would probably describe him as powerfully analytical, confident and willing to argue the point. He was one of the powerhouse personalities who defined Grove City College.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To me, he was more than that. He was my cousin. He taught me how to be a man of faith. I would like to share with you what I learned from him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I first met David when I was 12 years old. My mom and I were in Pittsburgh for her aunt Flora\u2019s funeral. I had never been to Pennsylvania or met any of Flora\u2019s side of the family. I felt scrawny, insecure and completely out of place. I did not expect that trip to have any lasting impact on me. Relatives encountered at weddings and funerals tended to only be seen at weddings and funerals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, I met David, Flora\u2019s son. Over the course of that trip, I got to know him a bit and found that he was many of the things I wanted to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David was successful, he was confident and he was sincere. When I went home, the most miraculous thing happened: David stayed in touch with me. That was his first act of compassion that stuck with me. I still don\u2019t know what I did to make him take an interest. He really didn\u2019t have to. Maybe he saw something in me he liked, underneath all the awkwardnesses. Maybe he just saw that I could use some guidance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After that point, David was a constant fixture in my life. Even after his cancer came back, he went out of his way to bridge the distance between my life in South Texas and his on the East Coast. He was a constant figure in my life, and I got to know him well. I was able to tease him about his boyish love for his favorite band, The Eagles. I could comfort him when a Pirates loss ruined his mood. This truly successful man with so many plates in the air let me truly see him, and in turn made me feel seen. There aren\u2019t words for what a gift this is to a kid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was a senior in high school, my best friend died of heatstroke at a football game. And despite everything going on behind the scenes, David made sure to call me every single day for the next few weeks. When David was about my age, he had similarly lost a friend who, while playing baseball, was struck by lightning. David claimed that God had put that tragedy in his life, in part so that I could feel less alone. Who says something like that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David\u2019s willingness to connect with others did not just end with me, however. In the time I knew David, he was a loving supporter of the gay people in my family in a way I did not expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I understand if that comes as a shock to some of you reading this. It may seem strange that a card-carrying Presbyterian and conservative like David would be so accepting \u2014 not just tolerating \u2014 but accepting of an inconvenient group into his view of Scripture. But he did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David truly had that gift of discernment that so few Christians have. His faith emboldened him to make tough decisions while bringing people together, even if it caused friction with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I was 14, David took me to see his alma mater for the first time. To David, Grove City College was the most wonderful place in the world, and it showed. While on campus, I think David was the closest to giddy I\u2019ve ever seen him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was surprised at the time how hard he pushed me to attend here. After all, my parents and I were liberal, we were Catholic and we preferred the Denver Broncos to the Steelers. None of those things has ever been strongly associated with Grove City College. But I guess it shouldn\u2019t have been a surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To David, Grove City was a beacon of true spiritual and intellectual freedom. David thought this place he loved so much would make me feel seen the way he made me feel seen. And that logic was good enough for me. I applied early-decision and didn\u2019t bother applying anywhere else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That first semester of college is a glimmering memory for me. I can\u2019t eat shrimp still without recalling how much we would tag-team it together at those Trustee dinners. I got to hang out with a Grove City rockstar. And it was my proud little secret that he was my big cousin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was that October that I saw David for the last time. And when I say that during this time, David reached the end of his long battle with cancer, do not let my saying it make you view him as weary. In fact, he was the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Call me sacrilegious for the comparison, but like Christ on his way to Calvary, David\u2019s spirits remained strong, fixed on what he had to do. Almost every Christlike anecdote I have of David occurred during his battle. But it did not stop him. His head remained high, for he knew where he was going and that we would see him there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The further I get from David\u2019s death, the more I wonder if anyone here knows the David I did. I didn\u2019t know him as John Wayne or J. Howard Pew. I didn\u2019t know the powerful administrator, the shrewd negotiator or the pious Presbyterian. Maybe that\u2019s all his legacy is. And maybe it\u2019s selfish that I hope it isn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope his legacy will be how I knew him. His perseverance through Christ allowed him to stay so discerning and compassionate to the end. I hope his legacy is making kids like me feel seen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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