His mysterious ways

Lift up your eyes

Editor’s note: This is the final column from beloved Reporter columnist Rev. Clyde Nichols, who passed away Wednesday, Nov. 7, at age 97. His funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday (Nov. 17) at First Christian Church of Temple. See obituary, page 4D.

It was William Cowper, the eighteenth century English poet, who wrote in his hymn, “The Way:” God moves in a mysterious way

His glorious wonders to perform.

Indeed, God does!

The longer I live and think about it, the more I realize that William Cowper spoke a great truth.

As a boy my hero was Tom Mix. When we played cowboys and Indians I always wanted to be Tom Mix. And the stick horse I rode was his famous horse, Tony.

Then there was his radio program. Each school day afternoon I hurried home so as not to miss the Ralston “Straight Shooter Club” starring Tom Mix.

Tom Mix was the first of the great western movie stars.

He made 339 movies during his career. Many of you, I feel sure, were his fans. But I want to tell you something about him that you may not know.

Let me begin by telling you about Marion Mitchell Morrison. He was born in the little town of Winterset, Iowa. At the age of four, he and his family moved to the suburbs of Los Angeles.

He attended Glendale High School where he was a good student and an outstanding athlete. He played football for the 1924 champion Glendale HS team.

The University of Southern California awarded him a football scholarship. But a broken collarbone ended his football career.

Losing his scholarship, he had to leave USC shortly after the beginning of his junior year.

Out of school, out of a job, Marion Mitchell Morrison met up with Tom Mix who got him a job moving props on the back lot at Fox Studios.

There director Raoul Walsh spotted him moving studio furniture and cast him in his first starring role.

For his screen name, Walsh suggested that Marion Mitchell Morrison change his name to John Wayne. And, of course, all of you can take it from there.

It’s true.

“God moves in a mysterious way

His glorious wonders to perform.”