It is certainly no my intent to speak badly of htose who have passed, but this guy must have been very interesting to have in the cong, and, no doubt the congregation was proud of the columns he wrote. But, so much for witnesses remaing neutral on political issues, showing love and tolerance, etc.
And I hope Mr Hatcher realized that the first president of the WTS was ... gasp..a vegetarian..
e-mail this story Printer-friendly versionSunday, April 24, 2005Fairlawn man lived and shared a simple codeHatcher recorded his memoirs in the book "Memories of an Old West Virginia Hillbilly."By Adam Monroe381-1643 New River Current |
G.P. Hatcher expressed his beliefs in no uncertain terms, in the columns he wrote for the Radford News Journal and the Southwest Times in Pulaski, which he later published along with other writings in a book of memoirs.
A hard-line conservative fundamentalist, Hatcher held firm beliefs and led others by example.
His son Bobby Hatcher said, "We've tried to live by his principles." G.P. Hatcher died April 4 at the age of 86, of complications from coronary disease.
G.P. Hatcher was born Jan. 2, 1919, in Dott, W.Va. He never knew his father, who was killed in an accident thr
Hatcher had a sixth-grade education. In his teens he began working in the coal mines of Mercer and Raleigh counties.
When he was 15, G.P. Hatcher traveled to California and back as a hobo.
That same year, in 1934, he found himself in the ring for the first time as a prize fighter, fighting under the name "Kid Hatcher."
He continued to fight, eventually becoming a professional. During that time he also got married.
In 1937, he had his first son, Billy Hatcher, and later that year moved his family to Fairlawn. He served in the Marines during World War II and spent most of his career afterward working security at what is now the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.
He retired in 1980. In his 38 years on the job, his second son Bobby said his father missed only one day of work -- for his birth.
G.P Hatcher made his views plain on a number of topics. He was a Jehovah's Witness who interpreted the Bible literally and preached a philosophy of divine will and damnation.
On the space program, Hatcher wrote, "I am sure God never intended for man to go into the heavens."
On liberal activism Hatcher took a similar line, rejecting vegetarianism, for example, as an affront to the will of God and of America: "Have you ever wondered about the sob-sisters and other squeamish activist people in this world who cry and moan about killing animals for their meat and fur? Is this all they have to do? Run around the country and cause trouble for the rest of us God-fearing people? Do you think the squeamish people would turn down a nice big steak, hamburger, chicken dinner, ham-and-gravy, pork chops, sausage biscuit or lamb chops? Do they just eat vegetables? For crying out loud, when will some people learn to do some good for their country and stop trying to change the world."
On marriage, Hatcher drew on Jehovah's Witness literature to define traditionally gendered power roles for men and women, and warned, "I am sure God will judge the good and the bad on Judgment Day, and the people who are breaking his laws now will pay in full for their sins on that day."
On the issue of capital punishment Hatcher took a popular approach, arguing that convicted criminals deserve their fate, notably not debating the discriminatory aspects of the method by which capital punishment rulings are applied. Hatcher apparently believed that the U.S. justice system should be ruled by the tenants set forth in the Bible: "I wonder if the people who are against the death penalty would like for their loved ones to be killed, raped. Would they hold a candlelight vigil, march and carry signs and cry and moan that the criminal shouldn't be executed? Let's see what the Bible says about capital punishment."
G.P Hatcher was a stern but loving father, his son said. "I knew exactly what I could do and what I couldn't do," Bobby Hatcher said.
He described his childhood as happy, and his parents' relationship as healthy.
G.P. Hatcher was content with home life, his son said. "He traveled so much as a hobo he didn't need to travel a lot."
"I respected him," Bobby Hatcher said of his father. "I liked him as a man, and not just as a father. I enjoyed my life at home, and I sure do miss him," he said.
Bobby Hatcher hailed his father more than once in regard to one character trait in particular. "He was an extremely moral man."