Obituary
Rebekah (Beka) Horton
(1929 – 2020)
A native of Tennessee, Beka was saved and felt God’s call to full-time Christian service at age 15. She met
and married Arlin Horton before their senior year at a Christian college in South Carolina. They taught high
school at a Presbyterian boarding school in Kentucky for one year, then in 1952, they came to Pensacola. In
1954, she and her husband started a small Christian school with kindergarten and 1st and 2nd grades with 35
students and a goal to have 100 students someday. More grades were added and they moved the school to the
Brent area.
She had a major influence in the academic areas of Pensacola Christian, grades K-12, and later Pensacola
Christian College. When A Beka Book was started, it was named after her because her expertise caused the academic
areas of Pensacola Christian to be founded on biblical values rather than secular philosophies.
In 1991, Clearwater Christian College awarded her an honorary Doctor of Letters degree for her contribution
to Christian education.
She had varied experiences in teaching. For 20 years beginning in 1955, she had a weekly children’s TV
program, “Aunt Beka’s Bible Stories,” which was broadcast locally. For 40 years, she conducted a large weekly
Bible class for women. Her insights in God’s Word warmed the heart and enriched the soul. She taught high
school Bible at Pensacola Christian for 22 years.
In 1972, Pensacola Christian began publishing Christian textbooks for K4 through high school called A
Beka Book, and she directed this effort to provide Christian textbooks for K4 through high school.
Later, she wrote a 3-year program for Sunday school teachers of teens and adults called “Joyful Life”.
She was unusually gifted by God with talent in many areas — as educator, author, editor, administrator, and
Bible teacher. Pensacola Christian Academy and Pensacola Christian College with A Beka Book reflect her
dedicated service to God!
Her life verse was John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should
go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it you.”
In 2012, she retired from Pensacola Christian College and its ministries after 60 years of service as
Co-Founder and Sr. Vice President.
Funeral services will be held in the Crowne Centre on Wednesday, July 1, at 10:30 a.m. CT. Social distancing
will be observed, and face masks are strongly encouraged. The service will also be streamed at pcci.edu/BekaHortonFuneral.
To learn more about how God used Dr. and Mrs. Horton in this ministry, go to History of Abeka.