Page 130 - some-stuff-i-wrote-and-some-stuff-i-didn't-(2011)-h-morris-williams

Some Stuff I Wrote and Some Stuff I Didn't (2011) H. Morris Williams

‘Dr. Mont’ introduced Fred to the Christian life and led him toward a
life of service to others. Dr. Mont became the ‘father figure’ Fred
never had-and both became better for the relationship.

So, it was natural that Dr. Mont, a Princeton University graduate and
a superb wordsmith, that the town turned to to articulate their grief.
Dr. Mont wrote the newspaper tribute to Fred. Dr. Mont spoke Fred’s
eloquent eulogy. Dr. Mont preached the funeral service. And Dr.
Mont grieved along with the rest of us. One great man lamenting the

loss of another great man.

Ironically, Fred, killed in the war, could have delayed and possibly
avoided going to war at all. He could have gone to college on an
academic or athletic scholarship and been at school rather than at
war. But not Fred. He knew, even at age 18, he had to serve his
country first.

Fred wrote these words on June 17, 1942, in a letter to his high
school coach, Hobe Hooser. “Coach, I really want to go to college
but I just don’t see how I can do that with the war situation the way it

is. I have to serve our country....I have made my decision and I am
going to stick by it...”

Thus, Fred willingly went into the Naval Air Corps, served our country
gallantly, and was killed less than 3 years after he had written his
coach.

I close on a personal note. I was just 12 years old when Fred was
killed. Now I have lived my own 3 score and 10 years—and I must
say that a part of Fred Kinard lives daily within me.

A lot of what I have tried to do with my life, for our school system
and community, has been inspired by my memories of the great
young Fred Kinard-and Fred never even knew me, except as a small
shirt-tailed neighborhood kid.

It would be undignified-and a disservice to Fred -to try to make him
larger in death than he was in life. But Fred was, in fact, larger than

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