Since he graduated from LeTourneau in 1967, Steve and Glenda Holm of Louisville, Kentucky, have given to LeTourneau University every year for 52 years.
Steve Holm was born and raised in India, the son of missionary parents. Most of his schooling was in boarding schools overseas, but his family came back to Minneapolis during his senior year.
He attended Bethel College in Minnesota where he said he “majored in girls and cars” while he worked as a mechanic in a garage. He decided not to pursue college, but instead enlisted in the U.S. Army and served three years, from 1957-1960, as a U.S. Army mechanic, with a 13-month tour in South Korea.
When he was discharged and returned stateside, he went back to attend Bethel in 1960 for about six months, but a friend who knew him well told him that wasn’t the school for him. Steve and his family had heard of LeTourneau College through the NOW magazine, and his friend told him that was the school he should attend. The friend wrote a recommendation letter for Steve and sent it to LeTourneau.
Steve and Glenda married in 1962 and lived in Minnesota for a year before Steve decided to come to LeTourneau in 1964 as a freshman. He worked year-round at LeTourneau’s steel mill every other day and took classes every other day in what was known as the old “alter-day” program.
Glenda worked on the campus for the administrative assistant to the head of the school’s fundraising department. R.G. and Evelyn LeTourneau’s son, Richard LeTourneau, was the school president at that time.
“I knew Pop,” Steve said. “We used to travel to speaking engagements with Pop and Mom on weekends. Glenda would sing, and I would talk about the school. Pop was a giant of a man with a great work ethic. He had a powerful voice and didn’t mind sharing his testimony.”
Steve said he remembered working in the steel mill and grinding slag, working on the legs for the offshore drilling rig that Pop would eventually sell to a young George. H.W. Bush, president of Zapata Oil, long before Bush became the 41st President of the United States.
Glenda said that while she wasn’t a student, she was involved in campus life because of her work in one of the metal buildings on campus. “I opened letters and made notations for someone else to type up thank you notes. It was before computers. She used a typewriter. She also remembered running off long lists of names and addresses on reams of paper then worked to proofread those lists.
Living on campus in one of the barracks, the Holms were active in student life through various clubs. Glenda was in the Student Wives Club that used to meet to host fashion shows, swap cooking recipes and even to learn to sew.
“It was a fun time,” Glenda said. “We always loved missions conferences—they made a big impact on our lives. We loved to hear the speakers and wanted to serve the Lord.”
Steve said during February of 1967, they attended a missions conference when Trans World Radio was looking for a diesel mechanic. He and Glenda were willing to go, and Steve applied for it, but when another student took the job, they followed the next door the Lord opened for them.
“I had the opportunity to stay with Pop and work at the plant,” Steve said. “We knew to be ready to go wherever God was leading us. When the offer came from Ford Motor Company, they felt that wherever they were could be a mission for the world.” Steve worked 32 years with Ford.
About their faithful giving to LeTourneau for so many years, Steve and Glenda both agreed.
“My dad believed in tithing, and it was always something that we did,” Glenda said. “We wouldn’t have ever thought not to tithe.”
Steve grew up the same way in a household that faithfully gave.
“My dad tithed, and he taught us the 10-10-80 principle,” Steve said, “10% goes to the Lord, 10% goes to you, and you learn to live on 80% of your income.” The lesson has served them well.
“Two things that Pop LeTourneau used to say made a big impression on me,” Steve said. “He would say, ‘I shovel out and God shovels back with a bigger shovel’ and the other was ‘You can’t out give God.’”
“Giving gives you a blessing,” Glenda said. “You trust and believe the Lord will supply what you need, and He bless you for doing it.”
“We aren’t rich, but we share what we can,” Steve said.
