MY FRIEND REX 

Raymond Elliott

Thursday, August 14, 2008 

‘Little Rex’ was the son of Rex and Opal Turner, having been born on December 8, 1945.  As a lad of thirteen I enrolled in the 8th grade of the old Montgomery Bible School in the fall of 1948.  My first remembrance of ‘Little Rex’ was seeing him scurrying about on the old campus on Ann Street.  Everyone knew who he was and sometimes, because of his mischievous ways he might have been referred to as one of the ‘little rascals.’  His dear mother wanted him to be like his father so she bought him a suit of clothes, a tie and even a hat like his Dad and you could see them strolling along dressed alike, as father and son. 

On a trip with his family to Wicksburg, Alabama, a pretty little girl named Barbara Parker noticed this two year old boy named Rex jumping on the couch in the home of brother and sister Aubie Thomley.  They later became sweethearts when they were older in the 5th grade at Alabama Christian Elementary School.  Barbara moved away but later enrolled again in the 11th grade of Alabama Christian High School.  They were together again.  When I directed the college chorus during the school year of 1957-58, I had a Jr. Chorus that consisted of students in the Jr High School and there in the picture in the Sheaf which was the school’s annual are Rex and Barbara.  They seemed to have been inseparable.   

Eventually they were married on September 8, 1964.  Barbara said that they were sweethearts all of their lives.  As husband and wife they lived together for 44 years. 

Rex continued his education beyond high school until he received a Ph.D Degree in Education, thus qualifying him for a great work in the academic field.  We were separated for some time while I was preaching in different locations.  He and Barbara followed my family and me when we left Ozark when Rex became the preacher.  It was during his tenure that the brethren built a new church building that is located on Roy Parker Rd. 

I became a board member of the Alabama Christian School of Religion at the insistence of brother Rex Turner, Sr. in September, 1973, nearly 35 years ago.  My association with Rex, Jr. became more intimate from that time until his death.  I must speak of those early and trying days; yet, with God’s help we achieved much in the field of Christian education. 

1.         ACSR became joint owners of the Landmark church building on the Atlanta    Highway June 15, 1974.

2.         The indebtedness of $185,000.00 was paid by November, 1977.

3.         I was selected Chairman of the Board on July 9, 1983.

4.         November 9, 1984, ACSR sold our share of the Landmark building to the Landmark church.

5.         February 16, 1985, the decision was made to build a new building on the property next to AUM.

6.         March 8, 1986, the Board made the decision to move brother Rex A. Turner, Sr. to the position of Chancellor and Dr. Rex Turner, Jr to the office of President of Alabama Christian School of Religion.

7.         It was November 11, 1987, that the Founders Appreciation and Dedication Ceremony was held on the campus of our new campus on Taylor Road.  It was then that Rex became President of the University; however, in the preceding years he and his father worked closely together in the plans of the school.

8.         It was in December of 1986 that ACSR was informed that the school would receive full accreditation in May of 1987. 

These achievements were not without difficulty.  It was a turbulent time.  These were lean years. There was not always agreement with every decision.  Often there was not enough money to pay all the bills.  I remember well the tears in the eyes of Barbara as we talked about how to make the payments. In my mind I retain memories of the many business meetings that occurred at Morrison Cafeteria in the Eastdale Mall when brother Turner, Sr., Rex and I would wonder how we were going to keep the school alive not for a year or  months but for a few weeks. It took a toll on the health of Barbara and Rex, along with many of us.  I remember that Rex and I would laugh in later years about us going to the doctor at the same time because of stomach problems.  The months in building the new building demanded so much energy and time of Rex.  The achieving of full accreditation so soon required the expertise and diligence that only a person like Rex possessed for the task. He was passionate to have students throughout the world enrolled in our university and he achieved his goal in this age of technology. With apologies to the writers Joel and Luke, this young man saw visions.  He did until he passed from this life into eternities.  

Brother Turner, Sr. had many sayings.  One that I remember well was: “All men have clay feet.”  Rex was not without faults but he was a person with a strong desire to serve God in Christian education. The day before his surgery he called for Roger Dill, Beau Greer, his brother in law, and me to come to his bedside to discuss matters pertaining to the university. I stood beside his bed and with his strong left hand he grasped my hand and arm for a long time and held on until I eventually pulled away.  Before we left, the three of us had prayer for him with Barbara present.  Over and over he was heard to say, “Take care of Baba”.  I can still fill that strong hand on mine and perhaps if it was possible I would hold on and not let him go but the will of God is stronger and our Father knows best.  And as Rex said, “My Name is in the Book of Life.” 

I want to read a poem especially for Barbara at this time. 

SOMETIME WE’LL UNDERSTAND 

Not now, but in the coming years,
It may be in the better land,
We'll read the meaning of our tears,
And there, some time, we'll understand.

We'll catch the broken threads again,
And finish what we here began;
Heaven will the mysteries explain,
And then, ah, then, we'll understand.

We'll know why clouds instead of sun
Were over many a cherished plan;
Why song has ceased when scarce begun;
'Tis there, some time, we'll understand. 

God knows the way, He holds the key,
He guides us with unerring hand;
Some time with tearless eyes we'll see; 

Then trust in God through all thy days;
Fear not, for He doth hold thy hand;
Though dark thy way, still sing and praise,
Sometime, sometime, we'll understand. 

                              - Maxwell N. Cornelius