celebrity encounters -- Jerry Falwell

[jawjahboy]

Mid December 2005, Thomas Rd Baptist Church, Lynchburg, Va.
Shirley and I were attending the dress rehearsal and taping of The Living Christmas Tree. The faculty and staff of Liberty Univ. were the guest audience. After claiming our seats, Shirley escorted me down front to meet Jerry Falwell and his family. He was more personable than I had expected and even kidded around about keeping Shirley straight. He congratulated us on our marriage and even spoke of our pastor (who was the son of one of the first professors at Liberty) I met several other notable folks that night -- more on that later.
I ran into Jerry on several other occasions, both at Liberty and in businesses in Lynchburg.
Facts about Jerry:
He was loved by everyone associated with Liberty U.
He preferred to be called Doc and insisted on being introduced as Dr. Jerry Falwell, even though his degree was honorary.

He might not remember your name, but if you had any conversation with him, he would always remember something about you.
His favorite restaurant in Lynchburg was Shakers. On more than one occasion Shirley and I were eating at Shakers when the Falwell family would come in. Each time, before he ordered, he would approach and greet everyone he had met previously. His comments indicated that he remembered how he met you. He always asked Shirley how things were going at work (naming the department).

He prepared his Family, church staff and university staff to carry on when he was gone. May 15, 2007 as I was dropping Shirley at her office after lunch, we heard a siren enter campus and go toward the administration buildings. Within minutes, Shirley called me and said the siren was an ambulance and Dr Falwell was gone. She asked me to come back and go with her to a meeting in the sanctuary. Within an hour of his body being discovered in his office, his right hand man was spelling out Jerry's instructions to all the key players as to how the Church and University would proceed from that day forward.