How We Met

thirty six summers ago (as of 2023), I met Jo at The Melting Pot, a Christian coffeehouse in the basement of Munsey Memorial United Methodist Church in downtown Johnson City, Tennessee. I was invited by a fellow Moody student (Moody Aviation was located in nearby Elizabethton, TN in 1987) not knowing exactly what to expect other than the promise there would be Christian girls present. The local talent featured that night were two young ladies with a keyboard. The first half of the concert, I was totally impressed by their beautiful voices and playing. The second half of the concert, I became less focused on the singing and more focused on the girl on the left. I introduced myself to Jo after the concert, helped her carry a few things to the car (all she remembers is a guy in a yellow shirt) and left thinking I would never see this girl again. 

At the time, Moody required students to be involved in some type of local ministry outside the school. I was determined to improve my chances—I would volunteer at the Melting Pot! Every Saturday I was there and six months later, my persistence paid off! One Saturday morning, Jo just happened back at the Melting Pot to volunteer with the homeless outreach that I got involved with. Some weeks later, I got her number and a couple weeks after that we had our first date. And a year and a half after that, on August 5th, 1989, we were married. 

We have two adult daughters who are married with families of their own. We are blessed with four grandchildren.