20080718

Facts and Rumors of My Claim to Fame

Dad was an evangelist and pastor. My uncles and others have told me that he won many people to Christ and established at least several churches. Dad had formerly pastored the church in Lynchburg, Virginia to which Jerry Falwell came a year or so later and was converted.

Dad's song leader was John H. Jones who had also previously been the song leader for national radio preacher and evangelist J. Harold Smith. Before that, I think he worked with famed evangelist Gypsy Smith who began his career as an associate evangelist with General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army. If that's not exactly correct, we will go with it anyhow.

On my mother's side, Grandma Greene's maiden name was Boone. Mom tells of hearing her grandmother and other family members speak of Uncle Daniel who we think might have been you know who, since he was known to roam that part of the country and also lived for a time in the same state, maybe even close enough to claim kin.

I bragged my theory of fame to my first preaching buddy 40 years ago. He said he wasn't impressed, that he was kin to Elvis Presley. So what could I say?

One of my first pastorates was in a little West Virginia mountain town. Often we would go to Hough (rhymes with "tough") Park for activities. Not long after arriving in town, I was proudly informed by a young lady that Hough Park was named for West Virginia's famed football player and Hall of Famer, Sam Huff.

"But wasn't his name spelled H-u-f-f instead of H-o-u-g-h?" I asked.

"That's right," she said, "but that's close enough".

Don Loy Whisnant/Journey Notes 8G18
gracepointamerica.org