I have a "Thorntonism" that says you really don't know about a person until you read the obituary. But I'll admit ahead of time that I was what you call the "class clown" back in high school. I had a one-liner answer for whatever came up. One day I met Joy Bruce as he came down the sidewalk on his bike, and as he stopped, I had no idea what I was going to say to him, but this came out: "Joy, have you died your hair?" He answered, "No...why?" And I said, "Well, it looks dead."

And once when our Literature teacher gave us a test that must have been something psychological...made no sense, and I gave out a "holy COW," and she got me with "Billy D, we'll have no holy cows in my classes!" But she was responsible for my appreciation of poetry and good writing, and in later years, I wrote to her about her good influence on thousands of students during her years of teaching.

I loved school and the teachers, and they seemed to love me, because there were never repercussions for my popping up with interruptions.

Both our schools had burned at the start of World War Two, and even at my young age at the time, I suspected Sabotage...and of course, we had trouble getting back to normal, which inched along until after the war was over. Somehow, they were able to get enough typewriters for a class, and I loved it. The Lord was in it, because I couln’t have done my career, nor these articles, without that training.

God knows everything...past, present and future, and I thank Him that He lets me write these Conquest articles, which are done in a labor of love with my hope that some have helped, or even blessed, my readers. I feel it’s my calling in these later years. I was converted at about age 11, and God has kept my name in His Book...despite my stumbling. I’ve enjoyed writing my articles, songs, poems, and other things for Him, and even the cartoons and the non-religious songs, I've written...because I grew up in the Big Band era, and it won't go away.

At any rate, I haven’t regretted that eleven-year-old decision, and I recommend that you try it, if you haven’t already.