There are too many times we take people for granted. Each one of us has a story to tell that can provide wisdom and inspire someone else. The story may be one of love, challenges, spiritual in nature or accomplishments in one’s life. Every story is important to someone.
Barb and I have been at our new church a little over a year. A couple caught our attention very shortly after we started attending. Every Sunday, on the two seats in the last row next to the center aisle, there was a beautiful lady sitting next to her husband that drew my attention before the service. I found out the man was Bill “Take a Number” Montgomery, who is now 91 and has been married for 70 years to his wife, Marge. People get in line to greet this couple. Being the jealous type, I decided I could use some new friends too, so I went to introduce myself to him. I said: “Good morning Mr. Montgomery, my name is Jeff Hall.” He readily replied: “My father is Mr. Montgomery, who just went down the hall. My name is Bill.” It was then that I was glad I introduced myself to him. Actually, his name is Bill Montgomery. I added the “Take a Number” moniker because I am often reminded of standing in line at the bakery until my number is called to be waited upon when waiting to talk with Bill. One Sunday, after the line of a few people was gone, I made a makeshift customer numbered ticket that said: “Customer #1 – Jeff Hall” and gave it to him so I wouldn’t have to wait so long the following Sunday. That Sunday came and I presented him with a duplicate ticket. He pulled the one I gave to him out of his Bible and knew it was time to talk with me. As you can tell, Bill has a sharp wit. One Sunday he told me “Each time I see you, you look better.” Too bad we were such new friends because I didn’t have the nerve to tell him I’d like to come to his house for dinner each night for a month. Obviously, I have a long way to go to have my face put on the back of the top of a Dixie ice cream cup like they used to do with the movie stars in the 1950’s and before.
Unfortunately, Bill is currently battling some physical problems so I decided to visit him to encourage him, find out a smattering of his life experiences to write this column and pray with him. I was warned by Marge as well as his son that Bill would have plenty to say and boy were they right! One source I checked indicated the average person speaks 100 to 200 words a minute and an auctioneer speaks 250 words per minute. Not that I would have advised Bill to change his profession years ago, but he could have been in the Auctioneers’ Hall of Fame! Bill complemented all the staff that were helping him and was the one who encouraged me instead of vice versa.
Bill grew up in North Philadelphia, took piano lessons starting at age nine and at 16 had a job playing for an undertaker. He wanted to participate in the marching band in high school so he had to learn how to play the trombone. “There is a problem with hefting a piano or organ around the football field” he explained. When he was 15, Bill attended the Pinebrook Bible Conference with a friend, George McCune, in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. The conference was founded around 80 years ago by evangelist Percy Crawford and had such famous preachers as Jack Wyrtzen and Billy Graham accompanied by musicians Cliff Borrows and George Beverly Shea. When the sermon was over, Percy Crawford held an altar call and George, who already had professed a faith in Jesus Christ encouraged Bill by going to the alter with him. Bill admitted he was a sinner, repented and placed his faith in Jesus Christ’s shed blood on the cross that would cover his sins past, present and future. That Jesus Christ rose again and because of this he was assured of going to heaven.
When Bill was 16, he met Marge, who was 15 and they were friends for a few years. He graduated from North East High School and took organ lessons from William S. Thunder, who was the head organist at what is now Drexel University. He was proud of the fact
(as I would be) that he became good enough to play the John Wannamaker organ (now in Macy’s store in Philadelphia) on one occasion.
Bill enlisted in the Navy for six years, which was the required time to qualify for the Navy School of Music. After Boot Camp in Maryland, he spent a year studying the history, composition, arrangement of music and conducting with such recognizable names as Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey and Glenn Miller at the Navy School of Music in Washington, DC. Bill referred to boogie wookie and then thought at the tender age of 70, I was still so “wet behind the ears” that I didn’t know what it is. I proudly let him know I knew boogie woogie by watching the Lawrence Welk Show. The versatile Bill had to learn how to play the sousaphone since all of the Navy’s trombones were being used. Following his graduation from the Navy Music School, Bill played in dance bands for Admirals, the USO, gave concerts and played in the band on various islands in the South Pacific where is was stationed.
Please “tune in” next week for the second and final part of Treasurers Among Us!
