Carmel Credille (C.C.) Risenhoover, Baptist pastor, accomplished author and professional communicator, died Aug. 2 in Temple. He was 88. He was born June 18, 1936, in Broken Bow, Okla., to Viola and Credille Risenhoover and grew up in Jasper. During high school, he excelled in academics, football and baseball. He later went on to pitch for the Jasper Steers, an otherwise all-Black barnstorming professional baseball team in 1954. He wrote the novel White Heat based on that experience, and he sold the movie option for a motion picture called Outside the Lines. He earned both a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Arts degree from Baylor University, and he later served as Baylor’s public relations director. He served as an airman in the U.S. Air Force and received the Meritorious Service Medal awarded by the Military Order of Foreign Wars of the United States for selfless and classified service during conflict and war, which resulted in sacrifice and injury. His professional background included working as an investigative reporter and serving as editorial consultant for the nation’s largest electronic warfare systems developer. He was the first baseball coach at what was then called Houston Baptist College. He served as a professor at Sam Houston State University, Eastfield College, Southern Methodist University, Henderson State University and Chemeketa College. He also was press representative for the Baptist General Convention of Texas, assistant to the president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Radio and Television Commission and executive director of Lifeline World Mission. His pastorates included First Baptist Church in Kirbyville; Elwood Baptist Church in Forest Hill, La.; Old Spanish Trail Baptist Church in Houston; Gateway Baptist Church in Granbury; and The Church on Thistle Ridge in Granbury. He wrote the script for the Promise Keepers film titled The Awesome Power of Shared Belief and was ghostwriter of the book Once Upon a Texas Train, which was made into a CBS-TV movie. He was the author of more than 40 books and wrote more than 1,000 articles and stories published in 50 magazines. He was recommended for the Pulitzer Prize and Ernie Pyle Award, Black History Month Friendship Award for work on racial reconciliation and the Arkansas Governor’s Award. He was an avid fisherman and outdoorsman. He is survived by his wife of 30 years and partner in ministry, Georgia Risenhoover of Temple; son, Paul Risenhoover of Granbury; daughter, Elizabeth Buchanan and husband Bob of Dallas; son, Tim Risenhoover and wife Karen of Florida; daughter, Robyn Risenhoover of Fort Worth; daughter, Bran Brogdon of Virginia; son, Jeff Knight of Fort Worth; son, Justin Knight of Temple; 11 grandchildren; and three sisters, Roberta Lynch of Nederland, Mary DeRorre of Jasper and Emma Jones of Andrews.
CORRECTION, Sept 3, 2024: Sons Jeff and Justin last names were corrected to Knight.
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