Finding My Way Home - A Christian Testimony

When I reported to Norfolk, Virginia for active duty in November 1972, I was fatigued from my previous five years. During that time, I had had to cope with the stress of getting my life turned around, with various family and financial pressures, and with the toils of Officer Candidate School. By November 1972, I was mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. Therefore, when I first got to my duty station, I just wanted to relax and take life easy for a while, but of course, that laid-back attitude did not last long! After settling into my new job, I soon began to grow restless.

I felt that I had too much spare time and that I needed a more constructive way to fill those idle hours. The bottom line was that I felt myself being drawn back to school. How ironic it was that a few years earlier I had scoffed at the idea of going to college and working hard. Now, I was actually thinking about doing it again! By 1972, I had become a very different person. I had grown a little older, a little wiser, and a little more mature, and those things being the case, more education seemed like the right avenue to pursue. After so many years of struggling with the issues of Aptitude tests and academics, in general, I had finally learned the importance of higher education, but in leaning toward more education, I was also driven by several other factors besides just that of boredom.

First of all, my feelings about more education were motivated by family. I felt, and even knew, that I could do more for my family by doing more for my career. From talking to other Officers at my command, a Graduate degree in "something" seemed like a good, positive career move.

My second reason for pursuing more education resulted from the fact that my interests were expanding! In my earlier job as Math Clerk for the Shipyard, I had been introduced to computers and had very much enjoyed that kind of work. With the Navy, I had been given the job of Automated Data Processing Officer, so once again, it seemed that I was being pointed in a clear direction. I enjoyed computers very much, and I felt that I had a measure of aptitude for working with them. Yet, as I considered my education, it became clear that my current degree was only in Mathematics and not in any way connected with computers and automated processing! Therefore, my second reason for wanting to return to school was that I wanted to earn a Graduate degree in something which emphasized computers. I naturally desired to learn more concerning my new interests, plus I also wanted to have that additional qualification "officially" stamped on my educational credentials.

In addition to my newly developed fascination with computers, though, I still had a very real passion for Mathematics, too, and I wanted to get more education in that discipline, as well. Thus, with each of these educational wants and desires, I looked for and found just such a program at the College of William and Mary. In their program, I could study both of my academic interests, plus have a degree which would reflect the dual concentration. It was a combination Masters degree in Math and Computer Science, and it was exactly what I had been seeking. Even though I had been turned down by William and Mary when I had earlier applied in 1966, I felt confident enough in 1973 to seek admission into their Graduate School. In 1966, they had not wanted any part of me, but now, my life, circumstances, and attitude were entirely different. So, I believed that I could get in despite my relatively low 2.433 Grade Point Average at Old Dominion University.

My third reason for seeking another degree was that a Graduate degree would be a good strategic move career-wise. I knew that my current degree was dated 1972 and that my Bachelors degree, when I would come off active duty in 1975, would be three years old. That disparity concerned me because, in effect, I would be placing myself in competition with 1975 college graduates, and all that I could offer to a prospective employer in return was a three year old degree! To offset this concern for my outdated degree, I wanted a new degree so that I would be better prepared for coming out of the military and entering the private sector. I felt that my chances for landing a good job would be vastly improved if I could seek and obtain a Graduate degree dated 1975.

From every angle, my decision to return to school seemed logical, yet there was still one more very important reason for me to go back. That reason, in my mind, might have been the most significant of all! It was that I knew that Old Dominion University had made a mistake on my records by overlooking my grades from 1966. I was, therefore, understandably afraid that the Administration Department could or would somehow learn of their error, determine that I should have been suspended again in 1968, and then, find some way to nullify my degree. I did not know if such a thing were even possible, much less likely! But I felt that my chances to avoid such a catastrophe would be vastly increased if I had another, more advanced degree to accompany my Undergraduate degree. As a William and Mary graduate with a fresh 1975 Masters in Science degree, I believed that I would have a Masters degree even if my Bachelors degree were somehow taken away.

During the Spring of 1973, I had what I saw as four valid reasons for returning to school, and to me, each made perfect sense! So, I applied. Because my Grade Point Average at ODU had been significantly lower than the normally required 3.000, I included a letter with my application, promising school officials that I would work very hard if they would only give me a chance. I was a new creature in Christ, and even though I had not excelled at ODU, I was still determined to advance my career. Many times, I had questioned why my grades had been so low the second time around, but the only conclusion which made sense at those times was that I had simply either lacked the brain power or the time to really do well.

In early Summer, my application was approved, and I was accepted into William and Mary's Master of Science program. Officially, I would be working on a Computer Science degree, specializing in computer languages. However, because the degree was offered through the school's Math Department, I would also be required (allowed) to take fifteen semester hours in Graduate-level Math courses. My degree was evenly split right down the middle between Math and Computer Science, meaning that I could pursue both of my academic passions.

In August 1973, about ten months after reporting to Norfolk, I happily returned to school. Between family, the military, and managing my time and finances, school turned out to be the easiest part. By October of that year, Linda and I had had our fifth child, making us a family of seven. She worked hard caring for the family, I worked hard trying to provide for the family's needs, and we both worked hard trying to prepare for our future together. Those were for us the hungry years, but through it all, the Lord remained faithful. One by one, He got us through each difficulty. He blessed our home and oversaw my efforts in school. As a result, I graduated from William and Mary with my Master of Science degree in Mathematics and Computer Science in August 1975. I had kept my promise to the school and worked hard, and my Grade Point Average for that period was a much more respectable 3.250.

By 1975, my past was already a very distant memory. The events of my younger days had occurred over eight years before, and many things had changed. On November 7, 1967, I had arisen to another hopeless day, a day of not knowing what to do with my broken, shattered life. I had been reduced to sitting in the same chair, day after day, week after week, and in all, I would be doing that for another six weeks. Yet, in all of that time of just sitting and pondering, I had not been able to come up with a single solution for my many problems. On the 14th of December in 1967, however, I finally gave up and asked the Lord for help, and He heard me!

Through the years, my attitude about education and knowledge have obviously changed, but more significant than that has been my new attitude about and towards life, itself. By 1975, I really had become a new creature in Christ! For many, becoming that new creature means that a number of things about their life change, but for me, it meant that just about everything had changed! Even by 1972, there were very few signs left of the original Tom Lee, and I was so glad. That wretched person of my past, even by then, was all but gone, and what I had experienced during those transition years, in becoming that new person, is clearly described by the following Bible passage:

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ."

As a new person in Christ, I had learned to see things differently. For one thing, I had learned to see the importance of working hard all through one's life, and as a family man, I had also learned that I had to behave myself! Meeting up with my old high school friend, getting the idea from him about the Reserves, passing the Navy ROC test by a single point, miraculously getting back into school, and all the other happenings - each of those developments had been significant in turning my life around. Yet, those events did not just happen by chance! The Lord gets all the credit, honor, and glory for that which He did and continues to do in my life. He allowed me to do for myself those things which I could. For example, He made me work plenty hard, especially in areas such as schoolwork, family obligations, military matters, and time and money management. But for all of those many obstacles which were beyond my grasp, such as my wall of "F"s, my not being qualified for any of the ROC programs, my terrible attitude, and my many other delicate predicaments, He intervened. He did for me those things which I could not have done for myself. I truly did not deserve His mercy, but I got it anyway!