I was asked to write an article on Dr. Gail Terrell. The problem is that there are not enough
pages in this newsletter to write adequately about him.
You see, Dr.Terrell was much more than just Dr.Terrell to me. He was my dad.
There are only three others who could ever say they had the astounding privilege of having him as their father. My sisters, Shelley and Deborah, and my brother, Matthew, whom Dad always referred to as the baby of the family, also have the blessing of being able to call him Dad.

There was never a task too big or too small for him. Dad left a chemical engineering job at Emery Chemical to start Temple Baptist College in 1972. One year later in July of 1973, his greatest joy was born, ME!! OK, maybe I am biased, but he did give me his name, now didn’t he! I remember as a kid when just Dad and I would go on road trips. We would go to conventions to promote the College.I would sit and watch him talk to people about the school, and I now wonder how many people actually came to Temple because of that. Was it worth his time? I don’t have the answer to that, but what I do know is on those trips Dad treated me like a king. Every night he asked me what I wanted to eat for supper and without hesitation, I would say, HOWARD JOHNSON’S! Yes, the hotel chain.Why did I want to go there? Not for the meals, mind you, but for the DESSERT!!

Dad loved sweets and once you introduce a child those things look out! The fun I had as a little boy with my
dad is infinite. Some of that fun was on those trips and I know for a fact that it was worth every minute of his time. There are countless other stories my siblings and I could tell you about Dr Terrell, the dad. I am sure Mom could tell you many more stories about Dr.Terrell, the husband

Most people know Dr. Terrell, the teacher, Dr.Terrell, the scientist, Dr. Terrell, the businessman, and Dr. Terrell, Pastor. Practically everyone who is reading this newsletter has either learned from my dad or because of my dad. Many of us know that the fossils teach us “God Judges Sin!” I learned that from Dad, too. How about Genesis 7:11 and the popping of the Balloon?

I heard that “pop” so many times I became immune to jumping at the bang. I remember when Dad was debating an evolutionist on TV in West Virginia. He popped his infamous balloon and a woman
who was sleeping jumped sky high and threw her eyeglasses three rows back. The woman was the wife of the evolutionist Dad was debating. See even she was bored by evolution. It took a creationist to
wake her up! Dad was extremely intelligent, but he was not boisterous about it. You could ask him anything at anytime and he would have an answer on everything; you may not always like the answer, and more
than likely, it was the correct answer and based on God’s Word.

When I was a kid I always thought Dad knew everything and had all the answers to all the questions. I’ll
never forget the time as a teenager when Dad and I had a typical father-teenage son argument. I don’t remember what it was about,but I remember him saying, “Gail, you are my oldest son and I have never raised a son before, so I make mistakes; it’s all new to me.”

I knew then that he didn’t know everything. That’s one of the best things Dad ever said to me. I realized then that we had to work together so I could learn to become a man and Dad could learn how to raise a teenage boy. I still use things Dad taught me when I was a teen. I am quite sure he used a lot of the things he
learned in raising me to help in raising Matt.

I think he did all right. To this day and for the past 15 plus years when I would do something that irritated my mom she would always yell “You’re just like your father!!” I never knew how to respond to that till now. So here goes Mom: is that such a bad thing? Lisa, Don’t Answer that!! Many people see him as a teacher or professor, but the truth is that Dad loved teaching because of the joy to see others succeed. He always challenged his students to accomplish more than they had believed possible. Dad was always learning, even when he taught. He was learning how to teach better, how he could make learning fun and always finding new ways to challenge his students, co-workers and others to accomplish more than they had believed possible to achieve. I know when he talked to others about Matt’s or my accomplishments, he loved saying “That’s my Boy!” I thank the Lord that I can say, “ That’s my Dad!”

When I would meet new people they would often ask if I were close to my dad, I would reply “What do you mean by close?” Do you mean someone you can talk to about anything, knowing that his advice comes straight from his heart and straight from God’s word? Do you mean someone you can laugh with? Do you mean someone who teaches you every time you talk to him? Do you mean someone who cares do deeply for everyone? If that is what you mean by close then yeah I am close to my dad! During one of the last conversations that I had with Dad, I was trying to compliment him and told him that we four kids could not do as good of a job doing all the things he was doing in his life. Dad couldn’t talk well at that time, so he wrote in big letters:
YES YOU CAN!!!
Dad is often quoted for saying, “An education without God is no education at all.” I agree with that. If God is not the focal point of your life and your education, then your life and your education are worthless. A life lived without God is no Life at all!! James 4:14 states: “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” Make God the focal point of your life today! Don’t wait until tomorrow!

Originally appeared in Temple Baptist College Newsletter Summer 2004