The Reverend Doctor Nelson O. Horne, also known as “Bud,” retired as a Presbyterian minister from Tidioute and Port Allegany, Pa., in 1980, and lived at Chautauqua Institution with his wife Betty Ruth Brinkham — who passed away in 2017 — ever since, living there for around 40 years. Horne served during World War II, as a part of the 104th infantry division, helping to liberate the Nordhausen Concentration Camp.

Horne has eight kids, 12 grandkids and a few great-grandkids, with many of his family members set to take part in his special celebration at First Presbyterian on his birthday on June 8, including the church’s choir director, David Horne.

“When we asked dad what he wanted to do on his birthday, he said it was on a Sunday so he wanted everyone to go to church,” David Horne said. “So, we’re going to have a special service to recognize dad.”

First Presbyterian Church, located at 509 Prendergast Ave., Jamestown, will hold a service with special recognition for Horne, and reception afterwards on June 8. The service begins at 10:30 a.m., with the reception at 11:30 a.m. David Horne said that anyone who wishes to sing in the choir for the day may also come to their practice beforehand at 9:15 a.m. The organ prelude begins at 10:15 a.m. Additionally, David Horne said a lot of people know and love his dad, and encouraged people to come celebrate.

Reverend Doctor Nelson O Horne is pictured along with retired pastor Reverend Lee Beckes. Submitted photo

“My dad is one of those people that a lot of people know because he’s very active at Chautauqua,” he said. “He was the past president of the CLSC alumni association. The fact that he’s still living at home and is still with it is important. He’s even preached at Chautauqua for one of their regular services recently. He’s very outgoing, people love him. He still gets out and goes to church. Not many people live to be 100 and stay positive and love life, but he does.”

David Horne added that his father loves church and hopes the public will attend. Two other children of Horne’s will also be participating in the service; the Rev. Douglas Horne will be preaching and the Rev. Sandra Horne Marshall will be the liturgist. David Horne noted that the day is also a special one for the church as it is also Pentecost, or the birthday of the Christian church, and that while his father will be recognized during the service it will also be a regular service as well.

“Having people come to church will make my dad happy,” he said. “We want people to see that First Presbyterian is a great place to come and people keep coming back because they love it. People are welcome to come just to the reception if they don’t want to come to the service, but we hope they will come to both.”