Testimony of Sammy Frye

What a blessing it was, growing up in L.A……Lower Aberdeen! We lived in the country outside the small town of Aberdeen, North Carolina. My childhood experiences included hunting, fishing, horseback riding, working in the garden and many wonderful memories with my two brothers Bruce and Dale. We learned how to work hard and play hard. We attended church when we were younger where, as a kid, I was baptized and
joined the church. My mother was determined that we would be faithful attendees in Sunday school and for several years I, along with my brothers, received perfect attendance pens. I remember drills where we would race to find Scripture passages. I never won, and it seemed that the other kids were always reading the verses while I was still in the index trying to find the book.

 

My dream as a young man in high school was to become an astronaut, and I was fortunate to serve as the Commander of my ROTC class and to be nominated to the Air Force Academy my Senior year. During the testing, they informed me they had detected a heart murmur and I would not be able to be a pilot. It was devastating to have my dream dashed and as a result, my life took another direction. After graduating from college in 1975, I had a degree in Psychology and a desire to help others. I worked in an inpatient mental health unit for a period but became disillusioned for serval reasons with what I experienced in that time. I then set my sights on a new dream. Stardom! I knew adequate finances would be necessary for me to make a major move to Hollywood or New York City, so I signed up to be a door-to-door book salesman for the summer of 1977 to make the funds necessary for my big move.

 

Before my summer commitment began, I planned a trip to Aspen, Colorado to test my musical abilities in a venue where no one knew me. John Denver was a megastar then and I thought I might have an opportunity to meet him. I did have a chance to play music with his band members. On the drive across the country, somewhere in Kansas, I asked my brother Dale if he believed in God.