First, there was Bill, shown here in 1968 during his (first) senior year at Baylor University. He was serving as a part-time Music and Youth Minister in McGregor. He had previously served churches in Whitney and Calvert, beginning in 1966. ('Look at all that hair! Where did it all go?!)

Then, in 1971, along came Ivy Jean Dailey. In September, she joined the church where Bill was Minister of Music and Education. When they met in the aisle of the church, she smiled and something struck Bill. (Much later, he reaized that it was one of the small rubber bands from her orthodontic braces!) On June 9, 1972, the day they married, Bill thought Ivy Jean looked like an angel. (He still does!)

In 1973, the couple resigned their church in Houston and entered vocational evangelism. They moved to Waco, so that Ivy Jean could complete her Baylor degree. After Ivy Jean's last final exam the following year, they drove to Glen Rose, TX, and began their first interim music position at the First Baptist Church. (What isn't obvious in this black-and-white photo is that Bill's bright red suit matched Ivy Jean's "strawberry dress."  Evangelists were quite "colorful" in those days! But, the red suit came in handy when Bill played Santa Claus at Christmastime!)

Bill and Ivy Jean in 1977. She really was "gentle on his mind!" Bill said that her name should be "Murine," because she was "easy on the eyes." (Actually, her name could have been "Grace," since God smiled on Bill and gave him something he really didn't deserve!)

1978 was the family's first Christmas with Melissa. The baby "eaglet" joined the family "team" a month earlier! Melissa started early "singing" in church nurseries from Washington to Florida. In those days, her theme verse was I Corinthians 15:58 "We shall not all sleep; but we shall all be changed!"

Melissa began taking piano lessons when she was six years old, and discovered a life-long love of music. This photo was taken at her very first recital in May, 1986. The following year, she played her first piano solo in church. (Her feet wouldn't reach the pedals for another two years! That was all right--they were "Baroque," anyway.)

When she was 12, Melissa was invited onstage to perform  a piano solo at a Dino Kartsonakis  concert in Ada, OK.  Her performance amazed both Dino and the audience. Later that year, Melissa recorded her first piano solo album, entitled "My Tribute."

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