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Ted W. Engstrom, 90; Ex-President of World Vision International

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From Times Staff and Wire Reports

Ted W. Engstrom, 90, president emeritus of the relief agency World Vision International and former interim president of Azusa Pacific University, died Friday at his home in Bradbury. The cause of death was not announced.

A native of Cleveland, Engstrom served in the Army during World War II and graduated from Taylor University in Upland, Ind. He began his career in Christian work at the Zondervan Publishing House, which would become one of the largest Christian publishers in the world. Engstrom wrote biographies, devotionals, youth stories and other Christian-themed texts and also worked as an editor.

In 1951, he left the publishing firm and was named executive director of Youth for Christ International, a worldwide evangelical organization.

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In 1963, he joined World Vision, a then-struggling Pasadena-based organization. Shortly after arriving, he introduced a fiscal austerity program, trimming the payroll and slowly bringing the organization out of debt. He was elected president in 1982, a post he held until 1986.

Engstrom wrote widely, co-writing the book “Managing Your Time,” and writing “The Making of a Christian Leader” and “The Fine Art of Mentoring.”

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