William S. Banowsky -- A Young Man's Hero

William S. Banowsky was one of my heroes when I was a boy. He grew up in the church where my family where we were members. His father and grandfather were elders. His parents and mine were close friends and often traveled together. When Dr. Banowsky visited his family in Ft. Worth, he would often preach at our church. His style, delivery and message were very different from our regular preacher and most preachers of the day. His charisma was compelling. Listening to a Banowsky sermon, as a young man, was mesmerizing.

By the age of twelve, I had read his book of sermons and heard him preach many times. One of the most memorable occasions was when I heard him speak to a group of young people in Dallas. "Jesus is our Yes!" was his topic. I also heard him quote the song, "Help Me Make it Through the Night:"

Take the ribbon from your hair,

Shake it loose and let it fall,

Layin' soft upon my skin.

Like the shadows on the wall.

Come and lay down by my side

till the early morning light

All I'm takin' is your time.

Help me make it through the night.

I don't care what's right or wrong,

I don't try to understand.

Let the devil take tomorrow.

Lord, tonight I need a friend.

He was the first preacher I remember who used current song lyrics and movies to illustrate the philosophy of the 60's culture. In another message he said, "Our society is asking, What's it all about, Alfie?"

The church had a young mens preacher training class on Wednesday nights. At the end of the class, we conducted a Wednesday night service. This was my first opportunity to preach. Having been influenced by Dr. Banowsky, I preached on the "New Morality" -- quite a topic for a twelve year old to undertake. I can remember one of my statements illustrating the influence of a changing morality. I said, "Some of you have even seen, Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolfe." I didn't have any idea what the movie was even about, but I thought it sounded good. I could barely see over the pulpit, even standing on a Coke crate.

Bill Banowsky has had a very distinguished career as a preacher, professor, university president, corporate executive, and counselor. He would probably say his greatest accomplishment is his family. He and his wife Gay raised four boys, who are all very successful in their own careers and families.