I plan to write about one or more of my life episodes on most days here on my website. The “first” one was posted on Facebook yesterday about my encounter with the Houston Mass Murderers”. These next ones will be more or less in chronological order beginning in high school.

There I was, being interrogated by an FBI agent sent by J. Edgar Hoover to talk to me! I was having lunch at Nevada High School when Principal Garland Keithley tapped me on the shoulder and said, “Ronnie, there’s a man here from the FBI that would like to talk to you.” What had I done??

I went to the foyer where a man in a black suit gave his name and indicated that Mr. Hoover had sent him from the Springfield office to see me. I held out my hand, but he refused to shake. He wanted to know what I had heard about communist activity at Cottey College! I told him that my brother, Richard, had a friend over one day and I had heard him mention “all of the communist activity at Cottey College”.

Inquiring minds want to know, so I sent a letter to J. Edgar Hoover and asked him about it. He wrote me back (twice) and said that their files were confidential and recommended his latest book “Masters of Deceit”. It was shortly after this that I was destined for that interrogation. I still have both of Mr. Hoover’s letters.

EPISODE 3

There I was, sitting before 12 men at a table in Jefferson City, being pressed for information by the Governor’s Selection Committee. I was a senior, and they were in the process of selecting two Missouri students out of 15,000 to attend the West Virginia Centennial Science Camp. I had been driven there by Principal Keithley and was a candidate because I had been selected a “Student of High Scholastic Promise” by the curators of MU, and had received the Bell Telephone Science Award.

Well, they selected a student from St. Louis and one from Kansas City, and I was selected as First Alternate Delegate, or number 3 from Missouri. I would go if either of the other two could not attend. They did.

E PISODE 4

There I was walking up the steps in the chemistry building at John Brown University and saw my future wife for the first time. I had heard mention of “the new girl from Dallas”. In that first glance I saw a beautiful young lady with a beautiful smile!

As it turned out, I was her laboratory assistant in Qualitative Analysis in Chemistry and was thrilled when she later accepted my offer of a date. She has been the kindest, sweetest person I have known over the past 55 years!

These episodes are not to boast of how great I am, but of the greatness of God and his love for me (and for all Christians). Similar the the way the apostle John thought, I believe that I am God’s favorite pediatrician! Many stories of special favor and deliverance will follow…