Don Smith
The last Moody heathen I saw last week, November 23, was none other than Sweet, Brother Don Smith, Class of 1967. Yes, I am talking about the rebellious offspring of Professor Don Smith who learned all of us how to talk good in speech class. I am talking about the Don Smith who molded the Moody Men's Glee Club insignia pin that still stands today and memorializes Gordon Mooney's ear that got eaten by a horse. I had not seen Brother Don since 1967. So when I got to Denver where I knew he was hiding, we schemed to convene one night late. Now Don's dad, Professor Don, lost his first wife a number of years ago, and he ended up marrying Susan Watts' mother in the 70's, I think. Susan Watts came to Moody in 1964 with a mane of red hair. I think her mother was one of the dorm mothers on the men's side. Well, that is who Professor Don married after his first wife died, and Susan's mother and Professor Don's wife died within the last year or so here in Florida where they were living. Anyway, back to the story. Do you remember in 1957 when Charleton Heston came down off the mountain in the Ten Commandments with that thousand yard stare in his eyes after gazing at the burning bush and receiving the call? Do you remember the great mound of hair stacked up on his head that had changed color over night? Remember that? Well, try to think those thoughts when you think of the rebellious offspring of Professor Don Smith, Brother Don Smith. As I waltzed into this restaurant, there standing in the middle of the foyer was Brother Don with a great white mane combed straight back. White. Thick. Gloriously white and thick like Aslan. And the same Chicago accent (he was from Palatine). I want to tell you, it was a real joy to have been there that night. After Moody, Brother Don, who had been a high school stand out in gymnastics, catapulted himself into Success Motivation and eventually became a big shot in that organization. Now here is where it gets vague. Not only that, here is the part I don't understand. Although Don has apparently traversed the universe on all kinds of adventures involving enterprise and entrepreneurial activity, I was just unable to understand what he actually does today. I am not even sure that he understands it. Let's just say that he is still entrepreneurial. Involved in all sorts of hazards and ventures. Brother Donald is sort of like...well, like The Donald. Who knows what he does? Now, unfortunately, I did not have my camera. Also unfortunately, Professor Don, who I think Brother Don said was 86(?), has moved in with Brother Don and is still very active and may even be preaching yet. Now that they are actually living together in close communion, I bet he prepares his greatest and most ardent sermons for the one he has probably been exhorting most of his life, Brother Don himself.