Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years: 1905-1915 (vol. 6)

Plans Develop for a Medical School

In the meantime the plans committee, which had initiated the letter of inquiry to Ellen White and now had her response in their hands, addressed itself to preparing a set of resolutions to bring to the session based on that correspondence. Their report was ready Friday afternoon for consideration by the delegates. Its opening paragraphs read: 6BIO 285.3

We recommend, (1) That, in harmony with the above instruction, we favor the establishment and maintenance of a medical school at Loma Linda, Calif. 6BIO 285.4

(2) In order that this medical school may meet the mind of the Lord in doing the work appointed for it by the Spirit of Prophecy, we invite the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the Lake, Northern, Central, Southwestern, and North Pacific Union Conferences and the Southern California Conference, to unite with the Pacific Union Conference in establishing and suitably equipping and maintaining this school.—Pacific Union Recorder, February 3, 1910. 6BIO 285.5

Recommendation 3 had to do with the appointment of a board with wide representation. Provision 4 dealt with finance, providing that the school would be maintained by tuition and donations, and that deficits would be made up by the organizations named in provision 2. The next item called for requests to be shared equally, with each of the organizations to raise $1,000 in behalf of the equipment and maintenance of the school for the calendar year 1910. 6BIO 285.6

The last provision, 7, called for a committee of five to present the matter of establishing this medical school to the General Conference and the union conferences named (The Review and Herald, May 19, 1910). 6BIO 286.1

At this point it was decided to defer action on the recommendations of the plans committee until “a meeting to be held the evening after the Sabbath, January 29.” Either on that Friday afternoon or two days later, on Sunday morning, the nominating committee brought in its report, presenting the name of Elder G. A. Irwin for president of the Pacific Union Conference. Irwin was a seasoned administrator; for four years he had been president of the General Conference [1897-1901], with subsequent experience as president of the Australasian Union Conference and then as General Conference vice-president. He was known to have unbounded confidence in the counsels of the messenger of the Lord. The vote for his election was unanimous. As treasurer and secretary, J. J. Ireland, a son-in-law of Elder J. N. Loughborough, would stand by his side. 6BIO 286.2