Photograph of Ed McCully in front of Nate Saint's Piper Cub with bucket used in the "bucket drops" over the Waorani settlement. Frame from <i>Mid-Century Martyrs</i> filmstrip developed by HCJB, Mission Aviation Fellowship, and the five widows in 1956.

Ed McCully, 1927-1956

Theophilus Edward “Ed” McCully, Jr. was born on June 1, 1927, to Theophilus Edward McCully Sr. and Lois McCully. After high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, McCully briefly attended Wheaton College, before joining the Navy in January 1945. During his time at Great Lakes Naval Station, Ed took classes at Northwestern University and Lake Forest College. Honorably discharged in 1946, McCully returned to Wheaton, where he met and befriended Jim Elliot. During his time at Wheaton, McCully distinguished himself as an orator, winning the National Hearst Oratorical Contest. He also competed on the Wheaton football and track teams and served as president of the senior class.

From 1949-1950, McCully attended Marquette University Law School in Chicago. However, feeling a call to foreign missions, he dropped out of law school. In 1951, he and Jim Elliot began broadcasting a weekly evangelistic radio broadcast, The March of Truth from Chester, Illinois and held evangelistic meetings throughout the Midwest. Shortly before joining Jim in Chester, Ed met Marilou G. Hobolth in Pontiac, Michigan. In 1951, the two were married. The couple had three children: Steve (1952), Mike (1954) and Matt (1956).

Ed and Marilou attended the School of Missionary Medicine of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles in 1952. After finishing their medical training, the family moved to Ecuador and were stationed at Shandia and Arajuno. The couple worked among the Quichua people until Ed’s death on January 8, 1956, at Palm Beach.

Ed McCully's 1945 application to Wheaton College.
Wheaton College Application (PDF)
Ed McCully's three-page autobiography written to accompany his application to Wheaton College in 1945.
Autobiographical Statement from Ed McCully (PDF)
Photo of Ed McCully (second from right) receiving prize. Discovering his oratorical talent in high school, McCully received several prizes in oratorical competitions.
Ed McCully wins Oratorical Prize
Article in <i>Power</i> magazine by Larry Ward and Henry Pucek that offers a detailed overview of McCully’s life, highlighting his gifts not only as orator, but also in football and track. A complacent Christian in his youth, McCully's faith was energized at Wheaton and by fellowshipping with others believers in the Navy. Winning one speech contest, McCully stood before the stunned audience, declaring: “I want to give credit to One who is far greater than any earthly individual—my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
Silver Tongue of '49 (PDF)
Snapshot of Ed McCully, Jim Elliot and Peter Fleming in Los Angeles, c. 1952. Elliot and Fleming were in the city to board the ship that would take them to Ecuador. Ed and Marilou McCully were taking a course in missionary medicine at the Bible Institute of Los Angeles. 
Ed McCully, Jim Elliot, and Peter Fleming
Letter from Ed McCully to J. Grady Parrott, president of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), dealing with the transport of a radio transceiver unit to Ecuador and McCully's travel plans, c. 1952.
Letter from Ed McCully to J. Grady Parrot (PDF)
Prayer letter sent by Ed and Marilou McCully to the supporters of their ministry, detailing their literacy work with the Quichua near Arajuno, December 1955. Most missionaries sent prayer letters out regularly, sometimes monthly.
McCully prayer letter to supporters
Photograph of Ed McCully in front of Nate Saint's Piper Cub with bucket used in the "bucket drops" over the Waorani settlement. Frame from <i>Mid-Century Martyrs</i> filmstrip developed by HCJB, Mission Aviation Fellowship, and the five widows in 1956.
Ed McCully with bucket drop