RSOUTHWESTERN UNION ecor MAY 23, 1986 ice Davis and her piano pil, Rebecca Allgood. coaching iano Her ideline to by Norbert Andrus Many in Keene, Texas, know approach apparently works, for Alice Davis the piano teacher. she has to search her memory But, like Paul the tentmaker, for even one discipline problem. teaching piano is just her side- Rarely does she find it neces- line. Her business is winning sary to ask a wayward young- souls, little ones. ster to stay after class to see her; Twenty-nine years ago this later, after the period of sus- summer she moved to Keene to penseful wondering, she soothes teach private piano, bringing her the young soul without destroy- mother with her, the late Alice ing his spirit and confidence. While she has directly Moore Davis. She immediately touched the lives of more than sketched out the plans for her 1,000 youngsters through the home and had it built across the years in her classes, she has street from the new Keene shared her Christian experience Church, which at the time was and her love for children far nothing but a shell with a dirt beyond the walls of the Keene floor. church. For years she has Little did she dream how con- helped conduct Sabbath School venient it would be to live next workshops for the conference. door to the church. For soon And for four quarters she has Alice Davis with Amber Mills, one of her Sabbath School members. she was asked to teach in the written the primary program children's Sabbath School helps and the teaching aids for classes, which still met in the the world field and devised Let's old church on Fairview between Discover daily lesson puzzles Second and Third streets. Since that children throughout the then she has served continu- world find in their weekly Prim- ously except for a period of ary Treasure. She has served on forced rest due to health prob- the General Conference Sabbath lems. At first she taught first School reading committee many through fourth graders; then for years, reading manuscripts of eac new Sabbath School lessons and the last 15 years has served as helps for leaders and teachers third grade room leader in the of primaries. primary division. Where does she find her Piano She and six teachers quietly reward? It comes when she sees go about the Lord's business her children mature in their every Sabbath helping direct faith, become baptized, and eager, searching minds of more return all grown up with child- Is Her than 40 youngsters to Christ. ren of their own. Does she yearn to sit back And what of her sideline, her with the rest of the adults in the "tentmaking" that keeps her main sanctuary and listen to busy teaching piano to some of Sideline someone else for a change? She the same children during the says she would find that too week? She knows that many of boring. them, too, are out tending to the Her own pupils don't find her business of the Lord, perhaps classes boring, however. And teaching piano, playing for other they don't just sit there listening churches, even leading out in to stories. "You can teach prim- their own Sabbath School ary children almost anything," classes. • asserts the slender, soft-spoken by O'Ferrall Pauly O'Ferral Pauly is a retired journalist and Miss Davis. Her special formula? newspaper editor living in Keene. She makes a game — "exer- cises" she calls them, out of reaching their hearts with such themes as righteousness by faith and different doctrines of our church. "You can't preach to children. If you do, they'll start twisting arms and pulling hair." Her Message Editor Interviews Astronaut's Widow! After the intitial shock created reached his hotel room in Hous- astronauts, Charles Bolden, Jr., by the loss of the seven astro- ton he called home to his wife, and Jon McBride. nauts on January 28 had sub- Susan, who excitedly reported "When you consider the sided, Message magazine editor that Cheryl McNair had been media blitz that surrounded the Delbert Baker visualized a fea- trying to reach Delbert! She space center, and the intense ture story on the life of Black would do the interview! She grieving period these families astronaut Ronald McNair, one agreed to meet Delbert at a were going through, it was of the seven who lost their lives. hotel where Jesse Jackson was nothing short of a miracle that I Delbert knew that he was up speaking. Instead of a 30-minute was able to talk with so many against some pretty tough odds, interview as had been agreed key people," commented Baker but he couldn't seem to put the upon, Cheryl visited privately about the interviews. "I felt as if idea out of his mind. with Delbert for an hour and a the Lord was making my pre- He persued this concept by half, pouring out her feelings sence invisible as I walked making a phone call to Cheryl concerning Ron McNair, hus- through security at the space McNair, wife of the astronaut, band, father, astronaut, and center without being ques- where he unfolded his plans to Christian. tioned," he concluded. use her husband's story in Mes- This was the first interview This incredible story will be sage magazine. At first, under- she'd granted to any magazine, told in full in the May-June standably so, Cheryl was skepti- and when asked why she was issue of Message magazine, cal, but she did request that willing to talk with Delbert, she when readers will have the Delbert send her some copies of explained that after looking at opportunity to see another side Message, along with a written the magazine and investigating of Ron McNair, the extremely outline of how the interview Adventists, she came to the con- gifted man who overcame all would be used. The information clusion that Message was a veh- sorts of odds to earn a Ph.D. in was sent to Houston via express icle to tell her husband's story laser physics from MIT, while and although Delbert had honestly — to the glory of God never losing sight of his faith in requested a telephone interview, for the inspiration of other the God of earth and space. • he felt impressed to board a Black young men and women. plane and go to Houston. How- Turning obstacles into chal- ever, when he made further lenges had been a way of life attempts to speak with Mrs. for Ron, and in this same vein, McNair, he obtained a recorded Cheryl wanted to use his tragic telephone message. death to inspire others. She Delbert suspected that he was sensed the clear mission of Mes- being avoided, but when he sage and felt sure that her poig- nant story would not be exploited. While in Houston, Delbert felt the Lord's guidance hour by hour as through a miraculous chain of events Delbert was able to secure additional personal interviews with Ron's mother, brother, pastor, and two fellow May 23, 1986 / RECORD 3 Southwestern Union An enjoyable weekend, Friday, 5:00 p.m. until Sunday 1986 noon. Pastor Amos Russell will tell the fascinating story Inter Tribal Christian and of how God came to his rescue. All Native Americans and Friends are invited to attend. Social Gathering Single $25 Couple $40 May 30 to June 1 Couple with children $50 Wewoka Woods Adventist Center Contact Max Martinez, Box 4000, Burleson, TX 76028. Near Wewoka, Oklahoma Phone 817/295-0476. Southwestern Adventist College A the Roberts family and Southwest- The facility is a professional pro- ern's Committee of 100. It was duction studio, with capabilities to named in memory of Roberts' wife, a record everything from demo veteran elementary school teacher records and background music, to and longtime member of that albums and tapes. Studio services SOUTHWESTERN committee. include aranging and orchestration, Adventist College The facility is a professional pro- musician contracting, songwriting, duction studio, "which compares equipment rental, and complete Super Summer very favorably with Metroplex stu- record processing from mastering to Visitation Day dios in equipment and price," says final copy. Larry Otto, who, as college fine arts A control room, two studio rooms, JUNE 22, 1986 department chairman, oversees the and the building's Wharton Audito- Academic Fair operation. rium serve as the base for the studio. Financial Counseling "V. L. and Jo Roberts have had a "The equipment is brand new and real love for the students of South- state-of-the-art," explains Larry Otto, Campus 7bur western Adventist College since the fine arts department chairman. The Plan to come! 1950's when he became a member of departments of fine arts, communi- Contact your pastor for details. our board of trustees," says college cation and theology have all added 10,11 president Marvin Anderson. "Over courses to their curricula to utilize the years, they joined the Committee the studio. of 100, helped students financially, Its equipment includes the Hill J Roberts Family Gives and took classes themselves. We are Series 3 console; 16- and 2-track honored to have a facility on our recording and mixing machines; Southwestern Studio campus named for Jo Roberts." numerous monitors, amplifiers, Saying it was the "happiest day" of "This studio is very special, reverberators, and microphones; and his life, V. L. Roberts of Cleburne cut because the Roberts family has given instruments from the 9-foot Grotrian 100 strands of audio tape to open the it so that students can make music concert grand piano to synthesizers, Jospehine J.