{Daddy's 81}

WOW! 81 years of life! That's amazing, isn't it? My dad is in great shape---he still works out at the gym 3 days a week. He LOVES to travel and still preaches a great sermon! We had a little party for him on Sunday to celebrate his life~My dad has had a very colorful life---we keep telling him to write an autobiography---here's just a LITTLE bit about him....

• He was born in NY in 1927---

• His Dad was a Longshoreman on Long Island

• He started working at the age of 7

• He went into the navy early so he could fight in the "big war"

• He was a corpsman and gave shots all day long----seriously, all day long

• He got married YOUNG and lost his pregnant wife and 2 children in a car wreck in Mississippi

• He met my mom while she was out shooting baskets on the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary Campus
• He graduated from Mississippi College and NOBTS---a first in his family
  

• On their first date (to Tony's Pizza and Cafe du Monde) Mom ordered black coffee and dad was too proud to add his normal cream and sugar===he has had black coffee every since
  

• They were married 18 months later

• They had 3 beautiful girls (the youngest is their favorite---hee, hee!)

• He was a pastor for over 50 years

• While he pastored in MS, the KKK put out a hit on him because he stood up against the burning of "black" churches in their town (Meridian, MS) in 1968---they found out years later that he Grand Wizard of that county was the Chairman of the Deacons----gotta love that, huh?
  

• My family slept on the floor of their bedroom for over 80 days (I just thought it was a big party) and we were protected by the FBI
  

• Dad served in Austin, TX at the same church for over 34 years

• He as been married to his lovely bride for 51 years

• He is a very giving man---and boy, does he have stories to tell!

We could all write a book on his life---we are just glad he's still here to tell us all those stories!

Happy Birthday Dad

I had a few other pictures, but Blogger wasn't cooperating---maybe later!