Dr. A.J. Quinn
"He as a professor who cared about students in and out of the classroom."
- Dan Crawford
“As a Religious Education Major in the sixties, I took numerous courses from him for his insights into how to work with people in the local church with sincerity, honesty, and a sense of humor. He modelled that in the classroom. Always available to students, his advice was invaluable.”
- Art Allen
"I am Chaplain, Colonel Brad Riza, US Air Force (Ret.) — exactly how I came to have that title is the story of my hero — I wrote this to some of the staff at the introduction of the Dr. A. J. Quinn Scholarship Fund...along with my gift to help that fund get started.
I attended Howard Payne from September of 1961 to May of 1965 and graduated with a BA in 'Religious Knowledge,' which allowed me to take courses from all across the religion department. My childhood friend from our church (both our dads were deacons called from different churches by the Association to help start a new church — we met when she was nine and I was ten) had graduated high school in 1962, then she followed me to Howard Payne. She was in the education department and Mrs. Quinn was one of her major professors. Dr. Quinn was my favorite professor — little did I know that he noticed me. But here is my story, a story that changed the vector of my life and ministry — it is taken from a memoir that I am writing for my grandsons:
While we were at Howard Payne, I think before we were even married, we had seen a notice on the bulletin board that a recruiter from the Baptist Foreign Mission Board would be visiting the school to interview 'future missionaries' — we were the first two to sign up! But, in spite of our early life goals, this mission board guy told us that we would never be appointed to serve on any mission field. As we talked about where we grew up and our church backgrounds and our respective callings, he asked if either one of us took any kind of medication. Joy said that she took some medication for her thyroid and this dude pushed back his chair and said, pretty angrily, 'You children are wasting my time! We don't ever send sick people to the mission field!' and he walked out of the room. Our hopes were dashed that day by a rather abrupt and harsh interviewer. In the ambiguity of direction that followed, a college professor said a life-changing sentence to me after asking why I was 'down' and not whistling as I walked those college hallways. It was funny, as I look back, as this professor pulled me into his office and asked me, 'Why the music had stopped.' I wasn't sure what he was asking and asked for some clarity. He said, 'Come on, Brad, I always know when you are in the building— I hear your boots on the wooden floors, and you are always whistling. The music — the whistling — has stopped and I'm just wondering what's bothering you.' After hearing my story, he simply said: 'Brad, forget about that Bozo from the mission board; anyone who loves airplanes and flying and people who fly as much as you do should be an Air Force chaplain.' And he walked out...of HIS office...l just stood there a moment...stunned...and thinking!
Now that's really funny because I don't know that Dr. A. J. Quinn ever spent much time on active duty in the military nor whether he even knew a chaplain in his life. Those words had to have come from somewhere else!
Some years later, I had finished seminary, entered active duty with the Air Force and had finished two assignments, including one in Vietnam and I was home (in Cleburne) on leave after my Vietnam tour and Joy told me that Dr. Quinn was holding a revival in a near-by community. I put on my dress blue uniform and Joy and I went to the revival that night. Upon seeing us walk into the church, Dr. Quinn ran back to the door and asked us to stay a moment after church because he had to ask us a question. Church was starting so he hurried back up to the platform.
After church, he came up to us and asked, 'Brad, are you happy in the Air Force?' I said that I absolutely was and that I now knew that this was my ministry calling. Dr. Quinn seemed relieved and said, 'That's wonderful, but I have to tell you that I have been beating myself up for years — do you remember that day in my office?' Well, of course I did and then he said, 'As I walked away from that encounter, I said to myself, 'Quinn, you arrogant fool, how dare you tell that young guy what God might be calling him to do!' and I have worried about that for years!'
My response was that I didn't usually hear God speak to me in ways that made my eardrums vibrate, but that day, God used your vocal cords to speak truth to me and that I would always be grateful for his words that day."
I attended Howard Payne from September of 1961 to May of 1965 and graduated with a BA in 'Religious Knowledge,' which allowed me to take courses from all across the religion department. My childhood friend from our church (both our dads were deacons called from different churches by the Association to help start a new church — we met when she was nine and I was ten) had graduated high school in 1962, then she followed me to Howard Payne. She was in the education department and Mrs. Quinn was one of her major professors. Dr. Quinn was my favorite professor — little did I know that he noticed me. But here is my story, a story that changed the vector of my life and ministry — it is taken from a memoir that I am writing for my grandsons:
While we were at Howard Payne, I think before we were even married, we had seen a notice on the bulletin board that a recruiter from the Baptist Foreign Mission Board would be visiting the school to interview 'future missionaries' — we were the first two to sign up! But, in spite of our early life goals, this mission board guy told us that we would never be appointed to serve on any mission field. As we talked about where we grew up and our church backgrounds and our respective callings, he asked if either one of us took any kind of medication. Joy said that she took some medication for her thyroid and this dude pushed back his chair and said, pretty angrily, 'You children are wasting my time! We don't ever send sick people to the mission field!' and he walked out of the room. Our hopes were dashed that day by a rather abrupt and harsh interviewer. In the ambiguity of direction that followed, a college professor said a life-changing sentence to me after asking why I was 'down' and not whistling as I walked those college hallways. It was funny, as I look back, as this professor pulled me into his office and asked me, 'Why the music had stopped.' I wasn't sure what he was asking and asked for some clarity. He said, 'Come on, Brad, I always know when you are in the building— I hear your boots on the wooden floors, and you are always whistling. The music — the whistling — has stopped and I'm just wondering what's bothering you.' After hearing my story, he simply said: 'Brad, forget about that Bozo from the mission board; anyone who loves airplanes and flying and people who fly as much as you do should be an Air Force chaplain.' And he walked out...of HIS office...l just stood there a moment...stunned...and thinking!
Now that's really funny because I don't know that Dr. A. J. Quinn ever spent much time on active duty in the military nor whether he even knew a chaplain in his life. Those words had to have come from somewhere else!
Some years later, I had finished seminary, entered active duty with the Air Force and had finished two assignments, including one in Vietnam and I was home (in Cleburne) on leave after my Vietnam tour and Joy told me that Dr. Quinn was holding a revival in a near-by community. I put on my dress blue uniform and Joy and I went to the revival that night. Upon seeing us walk into the church, Dr. Quinn ran back to the door and asked us to stay a moment after church because he had to ask us a question. Church was starting so he hurried back up to the platform.
After church, he came up to us and asked, 'Brad, are you happy in the Air Force?' I said that I absolutely was and that I now knew that this was my ministry calling. Dr. Quinn seemed relieved and said, 'That's wonderful, but I have to tell you that I have been beating myself up for years — do you remember that day in my office?' Well, of course I did and then he said, 'As I walked away from that encounter, I said to myself, 'Quinn, you arrogant fool, how dare you tell that young guy what God might be calling him to do!' and I have worried about that for years!'
My response was that I didn't usually hear God speak to me in ways that made my eardrums vibrate, but that day, God used your vocal cords to speak truth to me and that I would always be grateful for his words that day."
- Colonel Brad Riza, U.S. Air Force, retired