We were saddened to learn of the passing of the Rev. Dr. Chomingwen Pond on August 4, 2019. She was born on September 1, 1927 in Madison, Wisconsin. She earned her B.S. in geology at Beloit College and then went on to Garrett Biblical Institute, where she completed her Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1961. Later in 1987, she finished her Ph.D. in Religion at Claremont Graduate School. In 1962, she became the first Methodist woman in Wisconsin to be ordained Deacon in the East Wisconsin Conference. Her ground-breaking path continued when she was ordained Elder in 1964 and thus became the first Methodist woman with full clergy rights in Wisconsin.
During her many years of ministry, she served local churches, taught at Payne Seminary, served as a missionary in Africa, and was an active force in her local Church of the Pines in Minocqua, WI. We were privileged to hear her recount her experiences at our 2017 Archives Heritage Retreat. We will miss her.
From the Commission on Archives and History