A Catholic Priest, Father Vernon Robertson was my friend, though he was much older than me. On Wednesday's I did the readings for the noon Mass and he would speak to the evening gathering of the Jefferson Street Baptist Chapel where I was the "Professional Christian".
The Committee was a group of clergy that worked with Martin Luther King, Jr. in support of the Civil Rights movement. In the 1980's I didn't know it was still around.
"Sure," I replied.
"Call this number," he instructed which I did, not recognizing the area code.
"Hello?"
"It's Micheal Elliott," I said.
"OK," the voice said and hung up.
"What the ...?" I called Vernon back reporting the conversation,
"That great!" he exclaimed. "You're in!"
"Who answered the phone?" I demanded.
"Will did," he answered.
"Will Campbell?"
Will D. Campbell is a famous preacher, wanna-be country singer who happened to be close friends with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Tom T. Hall, incredible author of Brother to a Dragonfly, and was with Martin Luther King the night he was killed.
During this time Vernon and I were knocking around with Will. He'd done a concert for us at St. Martin of Tours Church with Vernon and had preached at Jeff Street which pissed Southern Seminary off because it though he should have preached there first.
"No one asked me to preach except Mike," he told them.
A few weeks later he preached in the Chapel at the Seminary and began his sermon by saying, "It's nice to be with the Pharisees again."
Will cracked me up.
Will also wrote the preface to my first book "The Society of Salty Saints" which propelled it places it never would have otherwise gone.
When I learned that Will died last night my head and heart were flooded with memories. A great man graced by life for several years for which I remain grateful. What a hell of a life he lived! What a hell of a difference he made!
So thanks Will! Thy Will B. Dun.
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