First ran Sunday, June 27, 2021, in Louisiana’s Gannett papers. It’s about Bill Stokes, who many of you remember; a couple of big announcements here that will help continue his legacy…

In college, one of our bands was called Sweet But True, which makes no sense to me—and I’m the one who thought it up. Anyway, every time I saw Bill Stokes from those times in the early 1980s until his death in May of 2020 at age 95, he’d greet me not with my name but with an energetic “Sweet But True!”

And that’s how he was. He’d pick your name or something you enjoyed, some identifying characteristic most meaningful or specific to you, and that was You to him from then on.

What a kind and compassionate man he was. He really did care. Started out caring and ran through the tape.

What Bill did from 1957 until his retirement in 1988 was serve as director of Louisiana Tech’s Wesley Foundation. And “serve” is the exact right word. He started out as a young preacher in his home state of Mississippi, but his desire and calling was to work with students, so at age 32 he got to Ruston and hit the ground running.

Attendance at Wesley was sporadic by the few who attended, but “Bill quickly changed that,” said his friend Jimmy Love, in his second year as a student at Tech when Bill showed up. He changed the trajectory of Wesley and of thousands of lives by doing four things, Love said.

He walked across campus to the Tech Post Office twice a day and would visit with anyone he saw. After introducing himself, he invited them to Wesley. The third thing was that Bill would ask about your major or hometown. The fourth thing was—and this was his gift—the next time he saw you he’d call you by name and say something you’d told him about yourself when you’d first met.

Sweet but true.

And if other people were around, he’d introduce you to them. A goodwill ambassador to the bone. An encourager. Wesley became a great place to be with friends and meet people, a place to hear encouragement, a place of safety and grace.

“I was privileged to have a first-hand view of the program as it grew,” Love said. “Bill Stokes was the difference.”

Because Bill allowed himself to be used in such a giving way, Wesley became a worship center, a rec hall, a dining spot, a place to sing, a country club minus the dues and downsides. It was like the Statue of Liberty for students, welcoming all.

Tuesday was lunch for a dollar, and we all looked forward to Tuesdays; I’d give a lot of money if I had it to relive just one of those days. Jam-packed always and someone would sing of give a devotional while we ate on paper plates. Any time of day you could study there, throw baseball in the backyard, maybe sit in the chapel, which was also packed on Sunday nights. We’d make ice cream, cut watermelons, drink Icees on the back porch.

And talk to Bill.

God was always there of course, and so was Bill. Despite our flaws and bad habits, our blissful ignorance, or inability to concentrate or plan past the next half hour, there was Bill, smiling, reminding you with a phrase he spoke thousands and thousands of times that “your heart belongs to the Lord, but the rest of you belongs to Bill Stokes and Wesley Foundation.”

He counseled. He preached. He listened. He showed up where he was needed. And all this time he served as the Methodist minister at Ansley Union Church.

We cherished him because of his Southern charm and accent, because of his cheerful way of greeting life, because of the authenticity in his smile, every single time he saw any of us. How many lives he positively affected, only he and his Maker know.

“There were many sides to Bill—all good,” said Love, who became Chair of the Board of Wesley after he graduated. “He could have fun with the rest of us, he was an outstanding counselor, an excellent preacher, and good friend to so many.”

As a result of his kindness and generosity, a memorial scholarship has been established to honor his legacy and to help annually a deserving student active at Wesley. Call 318.255.7950 or visit latechalumni.org/Stokes for more info.

But this is the biggie: Saturday, August 7 from 2-4 p.m., the big main lobby will be dedicated as The Bill Stokes Room, the room where we ate all those meals and laughed and hung around with Bill. That’s right: he knew how to work the room so well, they’re naming it for him. My man.

Let me know if you want to come.

God bless him. Bill, your heart belongs to the Lord, but the memories of you belong to us and to Wesley Foundation.

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