A Tribute To My Dad

Tomorrow will be my dad`s 101st birthday anniversary.
Edwin J. Baldwin was born on March 1, 1907. This was the
same year that "The Duke" John Wayne was born. My
father, though small in stature at only 5` 6" tall,
however, outlived the 6` 4" actor by some fourteen
years. Wayne passed away in 1979; Dad went to Heaven in
1993.

Dad was born in the little village of Lake, Michigan,
but moved with his parents to Little Rock, Arkansas when
he was only an infant. His four brothers and sisters
were all born and raised in Arkansas. Dad didn`t leave
the state until just before I was born.

After WWII, Dad left Arkansas to look for work. He
found it in a little town in Northern Indiana named La
Porte. As a result, La Porte became his home. It was
there that he lived the rest of his life; it was there
that I was born.

The day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, my dad and his
two brothers, Bud and Gene, marched down to the
recruiter`s office to sign up. Bud joined the Navy and
served with distinction throughout the war. Gene joined
the Marines and was wounded in the Pacific. However,
when military officials saw Dad`s credentials (he was a
master welder), they told him they wanted him to serve
his country in another capacity. Subsequently, my father
was selected to help construct the Atomic Bomb.

As with most of his generation, he was avidly
patriotic. His love for this country never waned. This
was revealed to me in a very interesting way just four
months before his death.

I drove my mother and father from my home in
Pensacola, Florida, to La Porte in October of 1992. Dad
was nearly 86 years old. As we made that 800-mile trip
along Interstate 65, I was intrigued at something Dad
did: he saluted every American flag that he saw en
route. Every single flag. I had never seen him do
anything such as that before. Dad passed away four
months later. That trip from Pensacola to La Porte was
the last trip Dad made on this earth. I have never
forgotten it. Did Dad have a premonition that on this
trip he was saying good-bye to Old Glory and about to
head out to Heaven`s Glory? I think so.

As previously mentioned, Dad was a master welder. He
came from a long line of craftsmen. His father was a
carpenter. His brother Bud was a master plumber, and his
brother Gene was a grade one machinist. These were hard
working, blue collar men that took great pride and
personal satisfaction in the quality of their work.

As a tradesman, Dad was a

loyal union man and

Democrat. (Although I cannot imagine Dad supporting
what the Democratic Party has become today.) I still
have his Teamsters union pin and credentials. As a proud
Southern Democrat, Dad could never find it in him to
vote anything but a straight party ticket, although he
did express grudging admiration for Ronald Reagan. Dad
always respected honesty and courage in men, and he
believed that Reagan demonstrated those qualities.

However, Dad`s most enduring legacy is his devotion
to the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, for many years my
father was an alcoholic. His addiction to alcohol cost
him his first wife and almost cost him his life. When he
was converted to Christ at the age of 40, his health was
almost terminal.

After Dad gave his heart to the Lord, the bondage to
alcohol was broken, and his health was restored. From
the day he was saved until the day he passed away, my
father never had a single drink. Not even a beer. Not
one. That is more than 45 years of total sobriety.

By the way, if you or someone you know has a drinking
problem, or lives with someone who has a drinking
problem, you can obtain a free, cassette-taped (or CD),
dramatic reenactment of my father`s life story that was
produced by the Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago,
Illinois, by going to my web site

here.

After Dad`s conversion, he ministered in the La Porte
County Jail and Indiana State Prison (ISP) in Michigan
City, Indiana for the next 35 years as a volunteer
chaplain. He won hundreds of men to Jesus Christ. My dad
was the greatest personal soul winner that I have ever
known, bar none.

Beyond that, my father had a special love in his
heart for the souls of black men. He loved them, and
they loved him in return. In fact, one black man that
Dad won to Christ in ISP was a giant of a man. Standing
6`7“ tall and weighing 295 pounds of solid muscle, he
made it his personal mission in life to keep Dad safe
inside those prison walls. Anyone intent on doing my
father harm (and many were) knew they would have to
answer to "Tiny." And this no one dared to do.

Without a doubt, Dad`s honesty, courage, patriotism,
work ethic, and devotion to Christ were the most
important influence upon my life. I can only pray that I
will be half the man he was and that the influence I
have upon my children will be somewhat as honorable and
lasting.

Dr. Chuck Baldwin is the
pastor of Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola,
Florida. He hosts a

weekly radio show. His
website is

here.