A bunch has been written recently about LaGrange College President Doctor Reverend Stuart Gulley and the major impact he had on so many lives in this community. I would like to throw in my two cents worth.

Stuart was one of the first people I met nine years ago when my decision to move to LaGrange was finalized. The girl of my dreams, Ida, had finally accepted one of my many marriage proposals. We decided to ask the Reverend Gulley to perform our ceremony. He agreed to do so but only if we allowed him to counsel us during our prolonged engagement (four weeks).

During our three intense sessions, we laughed, we cried, we questioned, we answered and we prayed. We dug deep to insure and secure our intentions and when finished had erased all doubts. President Gulley was and is a tremendous listener as he picked up on several issues that might present challenges. He prepared us for the somewhat bumpy road ahead that most second marriages and blended families face.

The wedding day was blazing! A six o’clock service outside under a grape arbor in my fiancé’s back yard. We were in the shade of the vines but all others were in the blistering sun. My wife had always said she wanted to be hotter than a “June bride” and this day she was both literally and figuratively the hot “June Bride.” The ceremony was indeed special and Pastor Gulley’s presence created a sense of peace and calm. Ida and I often flash back to our wedding day when having a conversation with Stuart and all he can say is, “It was hot.”

A couple of years later, our marriage was struggling. We yielded to the offer he made us in pre-marital counseling to seek his advice anytime and met with him to discuss our troubles. He reassured us that the love we had for one another was stronger than any outside force and that if we clung to each other and trusted God, we would be OK. He got us over the hump with his unadorned wise counsel.

Last September my mother died suddenly. She passed almost two years to the date of my dad’s death. Mom died of a broken heart. She missed my father so much. Stuart stopped by to see us shortly after her death and offered us insight which provided comfort that we had not found from any other source. He was truly our godsend that day through the words he delivered and the prayer he lifted up.

I celebrated my 50th birthday a few months ago at a bash my wife sponsored. We invited Dr. Gulley and his wife Kathleen because they had been such an integral part of our lives together in LaGrange. My much older brother Rusty and a good friend from out of town pulled me up on the stage to present me with what I knew would be some raunchy gifts. I looked out over the crowd prior to opening them and apologized to the Gulleys for what was about to transpire. I proceeded to open the gifts, and, yes, they were borderline offensive. I peered out once again to offer my personal remorse and much to my surprise I noticed Reverend Gulley doubled over in laughter like no one else in the room.

The next morning, as it turns out, Stuart was responsible for delivering the sermon at our church. He introduced his message with a disclaimer stating that if his address was not up to the usual high standards it could be blamed on his late night at Jay Russell’s 50th birthday party. He went on to say that he noticed many church members in attendance at the celebration the previous evening but few of them had made it to their respective pews this morning. And last he said, “I most certainly do not see Jay Russell here.” That dirty rat called me out in church!

President Dr. Reverend Stuart Gulley is one of the most poised and talented individuals I have known in my adult life. As a president, he is a gifted leader who has little regard for power, dwelling more on the value of relationships. As a Doctor, he is brilliant and eloquent yet extremely down to earth. As a Reverend, he is a godly man unafraid to let his humanness show. As Stuart, he is a friend who married way over his head and an individual to whom Ida and I will be forever grateful.