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Abused Victims of Grace College Music Division Founder Might Total 200, His Daughters Claim

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The daughters of the founder of Grace College and Seminary’s music department have released a six-page statement detailing how their father victimized 100-200 people during and after his tenure as a music professor and service at two churches.

Main photo: Don Odgen Died in 2015 at 88 years old. Screenshot Redpath-Fruth Funeral Home.

Don Ogden was the founder of the music department at the Winona Lake seminary in Indiana and declared that he loved “being a servant of the Lord.” He passed away in 2015 at the age of 88.

Per the statement, Ogden had a chronic sexual attraction to young boys that he indulged even at age 80. According to his daughter Diane, he likened himself to a “dentist that eats candy.”

Six years after Ogden’s death, a whistleblower contacted Ogden’s daughters and said the alleged predation on young boys had been occurring for roughly 40 years in homes, malls, youth conferences, and choir and music tours. 

“[He] had been molesting boys for over four decades,” the daughters told the Christian Post. “Our father used his position, his power, his wit, and persuasion to gain the trust of young men and later perpetrate crimes against them that would change their lives forever.”

Ogden’s struggle with pedophilia was hardly a secret: in March 1993, police arrested the then-66-year-old on suspicion of aggravated sodomy in Wichita, Kansas.

A 16-year-old boy alleged Ogden solicited sexual favors from him, kidnapped him from a local mall, and forced him to have sex with him. But although the youth confessed to being sexually assaulted, he later recanted his statement and said he had fabricated the incident.

There were no laid charges, and the case was closed because both parties stated the act was consensual and the young male was 16 at the time of the incident: the appropriate age of consent for Kansas.

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About 14 months after the arrest and after he resigned from leadership roles at Grace College and Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church where he had served for 42 years, Ogden confessed to a downplayed version of the assault, labeling it an “allurement” to young boys. 

While he called the charges “exaggerated,” he asked forgiveness from those he “hurt in any way” and said he was deeply humbled by his failure and greatly grieved.

The sisters said they were “mortified” after finding out this information about their dad. In their statement, Ogden’s daughters called out leadership at Grace College and Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church for not disclosing or examining suspected misconduct.

The daughters urged the college and the church to run investigations to help uncover the victims of their father. As a result, Grace College hired an attorney from Campus and Workplace Solutions and conducted a private investigation.

The investigation confirmed Ogden had committed sexual harassment and sexual assault during his employment at Grace College. The analysis also revealed that some former employees were aware of the misconduct and failed to act appropriately.

Following the conclusion of the investigation, the college made a public statement calling Ogden’s abuse “reprehensible” and said they have been making strides in recent years in implementing prevention and reporting policies. 

Winona Lake Grace Brethren Church has not yet conducted a third-party investigation, but they have asked past church members if they have experienced any assault involving Ogden.

The current lead pastor said the church is unaware of any victims, nor are there any indicators the pastors at his time of employment had any knowledge of abuse. 

As for the sisters, they claim they shared the six-page letter “with broken hearts” hoping to bring healing and closure to their father’s 100-200 victims. Still, experts said without public confession or documented help, they must share their story with media publications: “After writing eight letters over the last 16 months, we both feel, sadly, that we have absolutely no choice.”

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Jessica Eturralde

Jessica Eturralde is a military wife of 18 years and mother of three who serves as a freelance writer, TV host, and filmmaker. Bylines include Yahoo, Huffington Post, OC16TV.

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