Gracious and Gutsy

JoAnn Leavell
(photo compliments of NOBTS)

I remember the first time I met JoAnn Leavell. We were on the NOBTS campus for Allen's faculty interview back in 1994. Mrs. Leavell hosted me while Dr. Leavell and others were grilling Allen to see if he could play well with others when it came to doctrinal matters and such. I was so nervous to spend time with her alone, and she went out of her way to make me feel comfortable. I remember her commenting on my outfit and asking if I was going to interview to be a newscaster on a local news station. That cracked me up ... one, because my outfit came from a thrift store (I didn't want everyone to know my bargaining ways back then!) and two, because I had actually wanted to study broadcast journalism in college but gave up the dream after freaking out in my first public speaking class.

And, speaking of public speaking, what about the time shortly after Allen, the kids, and I moved to New Orleans that Mrs. Leavell came up to me after I sang in church (notice I said sang, not spoke) and asked if I'd be interested in speaking at a ladies' event at another area church? I don't know what possessed me to say 'yes;' I guess the main reason was, how do you tell Mrs. Leavell 'no'? It was a shake-in-your-boots experience but I kept telling myself through the preparation and presentation, "Mrs. Leavell thinks I can do this, so here goes."

Shortly after this, Mrs. Leavell signed up to be a part of the on-campus First Place class (a Christ-centered weight loss program) I was leading with Jonann Byargeon and Paula Stringer. She kept us in stitches! Her biggest contributions were the recipes she worked on so that we could still eat home-baked goodies, just with less calories. A woman after my own heart (or visa versa).

My first semester on campus as a faculty wife I signed up to take Mrs. Leavell's student wife course titled "The Minister's Wife." I wasn't a student wife but, coming fresh off the church field, I was very curious about content of the course. I really learned a lot from her and her gracious presentation of the material that she thought so important to pass on to young minister's wives. One take-away that still comes to mind is "you don't have to do everything at a church but you have to do something. Find that something you can do and do it with all your might." And, related to that, "if you have to say 'no' to something asked of you, do it with your teeth showing" (meaning, do it with a smile) and "don't feel like you have to give a [lengthy] explanation; just be gracious in your 'no'."

The Leavells retired just a year or so after we came to NOBTS. I wasn't happy about that (it was reminiscent of a staff change at the church we had moved from, but that's a story for another blog). I knew I would miss Mrs. Leavell and the influence she had already had on my life.

But funny thing about influence ... it goes on and on. And even though I still may not get all dressed up to go to the grocery store (I remember Mrs. Leavell pointing out that you never know who you might run into) and I don't wear my hair really short even though I'm over 40 (see Don't Miss the Blessing), I treasure the way she loved on faculty and student wives. She shared her resources (time, money, and experience) to improve our lives any time she could.

On two occasions, I have had the privilege of taking a pair of student wives to Stein Mart to get a wardrobe boost, compliments of the JoAnn Leavell Clothing Fund. Mrs. Leavell started doing this umpteen years ago in an effort to encourage a student wife here and there when she got wind that a woman didn't have anything nice to wear to her husband's new church or for Easter or, well, for whatever Mrs. Leavell thought it would be good for. I love telling the wives about Mrs. Leavell and why this was so near and dear to her heart. The fund is active and welcomes new donors regularly (contact the Institutional Advancement Office at NOBTS if you'd like to contribute).

I won't get to be at the memorial service on Wednesday but I will be much in remembrance of this gracious and gutsy lady who left her mark on my life.



[For more info on JoAnn Leavell and her legacy at NOBTS, see Baptist Press article at http://www.bpnews.net/44346]