By Jeff Zhorne
March 16, 1927--Joseph William Tkach is born in Chicago, Illinois, the only son of Vasil and Mary Tkach.
Jan. 17, 1945 to July 22, 1946--Mr. Tkach serves in the U.S. Navy during World War II, seeing action on a destroyer in the South Pacific. He earns certificate in basic engineering.
1950--Mr. Tkach completes Hupp Aviation apprenticeship program and is credentialed as a journeyman.
1950 to 1963--Mr. Tkach works at Hupp Aviation, working his way to supervisor and union steward.
March 31, 1951--Mr. Tkach and Elaine Alice Apostolou are married in Chicago.
Dec. 23, 1951--Joseph Tkach Jr. is born.
Dec. 23, 1953--Tanya Tkach is born.
Nov. 6, 1956--Jennifer Tkach is born.
March 1, 1957--Dean Blackwell baptizes Mr. and Mrs. Tkach, and Mr. Tkach's parents, Vasil and Mary.
Jan. 7, 1961--Mr. Tkach ordained a deacon.
Dec. 15, 1962--Mrs. Tkach ordained a deaconess.
June 3, 1963--Mr. Tkach ordained a local church elder.
1957 to 1966--Mr. Tkach assisted Mr. Blackwell in Chicago-area churches and helped establish churches in South Bend, Fort Wayne and Indianapolis, Indiana; Rockford and Peoria, Illinois; Davenport, Iowa; Grand Rapids, Michigan; St. Louis, Missouri; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Cincinnati, Ohio.
July 17, 1966--Tkach family leaves Chicago for Pasadena, where Mr. Tkach will attend Ambassador College.
1969 to 1971--Mr. Tkach serves in the Los Angeles congregation.
1971--First Feast of Tabernacles in Pasadena coordinated by Mr. Tkach with 312 attending.
1971 to 1974--Mr. Tkach serves in the San Marino, California, A.M. and P.M. congregations.
Feb. 19, 1974--Mr. Tkach ordained a preaching elder.
1974 to 1979--Mr. Tkach serves in the San Gabriel Valley A.M. and Pasadena A.M. congregations.
1979 to 1986--Mr. Tkach directs Ministerial Services.
Sept. 27, 1979--Mr. Tkach ordained an evangelist.
Jan. 16, 1986--Mr. Tkach becomes pastor general after Herbert Armstrong's death.
Feb. 3, 1986--Mr. Tkach meets with Warren Burger, chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and John Van de Kamp, California attorney general, at the dedication of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena.
March 1, 1986--In his first church visit as pastor general, Mr. Tkach speaks to brethren in Phoenix, Arizona.
March 15, 1986--4,600 brethren from three states gather to hear Mr. Tkach on his first visit to Ambassador College as pastor general. Mr. Tkach shook 3,000 hands.
April 4, 1986--After initiating a program to recognize employee service, Mr. Tkach awards plaques and watches to 18 employees who had worked for the church or college for 25 years or more.
Dec. 7, 1986--Mr. Tkach attends the Ninth Annual Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., and meets President Ronald Reagan.
Feb. 3, 1987--On his first trip to the Middle East, Mr. Tkach meets King Hussein of Jordan Feb. 7 and visits the Ambassador Foundation projects.
January 1988--After two years of traveling, the pastor general logged 256,400 miles and spoke to more than 75,000 brethren at 56 church locations in 24 countries.
May 22, 1988--Pasadena ministers honor Mr. Tkach on his 25th anniversary as an ordained minister by presenting him with a watch and plaque.
September 1988--Mr. Tkach approves Ambassador College in Big Sandy to offer a four-year program and to pursue accreditation.
May 20, 1989--At a Pasadena banquet commemorating the 20th anniversary of Apollo 11, Mr. Tkach meets Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon.
July 27, 1989--Mr. Tkach signs check for the final payment on the Ambassador Auditorium, completing a 15-year mortgage.
Dec. 14, 1989--Chancellor Tkach announces the consolidation of Ambassador College from Pasadena to Big Sandy.
July 17, 1991--The Pasadena Rotary Club names Mr. Tkach an honorary Rotarian for the fifth year in a row.
May 15, 1992--Mr. Tkach breaks ground for Harold Jackson hall, the first building in a new master plan to accommodate growth and expansion at Ambassador College.
Summer 1993--To broaden the scope of church services, Mr. Tkach directs an open- house pilot program in the Washington, D.C., area.
April 7, 1994--Marking the 20th anniversary of the Ambassador Auditorium, Mr. Tkach presents soprano Leontyne Price with the Ambassador Award for Excellence.
June 25, 1994--Accreditation of Ambassador College finally reached.
May 12, 1995--Mr. Tkach undergoes gall bladder surgery.
May 28, 1995--Mr. Tkach undergoes second surgery, during which a cancerous, grapefruit-size mass is removed.
July 1995--Mr. Tkach begins chemotherapy treatments for cancer.
Aug. 18, 1995--Greeted by a standing ovation, Mr. Tkach welcomes students to Ambassador University.
Sept. 5, 1995--Mr. Tkach names his son, Joseph Tkach Jr., deputy pastor general, after doctors discover bone cancer in Mr. Tkach's body.
Sept. 9, 1995--In what would prove to be his final messages, Mr. Tkach speaks to the Pasadena A.M. and P.M. congregations, thanks members for their prayers and love, and asks that they keep the faith and spread it.
Sept. 23, 1995--Mr. Tkach, 68, dies of complications from cancer at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena.
[ Worldwide Church of God | Worldwide News | December 5, 1995 ]
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