Richard "Papa Smurf" TaylorAge 72

Family: Wife Audrey
 5 children, 11 grandchildren,
 7 great-grandchildren.
 Job: Retired contractor, founder of Clouds of Thunder Motorcycle Ministry.

Richard "Papa Smurf" Taylor's hair is pure white and perfectly
coiffed. Years ago he was working on a job in North Carolina and he wore a blue Tyvek suit and red boots. Add that to the white hair and someone said he looked just like Papa Smurf from the classic cartoon. The nickname stuck and Mr. Taylor has embraced it. He's a fascinating man who dropped out of school in 7th grade to pick cotton. He was in the Air Force for 4 years, had 4 children by age of 21, and he raced motocross until age 36. Always a bike enthusiast, he founded the Clouds of Thunder Motorcycle Ministry 9 years ago. Oh, and he keeps his pearl white 2000 Heritage Softtail Harley Davidson in an inflatable bubble in the garage at his Anderson home. Seriously. That way, he won't have to spend hours cleaning it in the spring.

Q. How did Clouds of Thunder get started?
A. I got acquainted with ( a man who was formerly a member of Hells Angels). On April 11, 1999 he ordained me as a chaplain at Saddlers Creek State Park. I felt like the Lord had called me to do this.

Q. What does a motorcycle ministry do?
A. We go out to campgrounds, anywhere we can go to witness. We fellowship, we visit the hospitals, the jails. To get people saved and in a church somewhere. It's more or less evangelistic. In June we have a motorcycle rally here.

Q. What is the biggest thrill for you?
A. When God laid it on my heart to start this ministry, I said, "Why did you wait so long to give me a job?" And He said, "Because it wasn't time." 15 years age there wasn't really such a thing as a motorcycle ministry. Now, they're everywhere...The thrill of it was that God did give me a job before I died.

Q. What did you do before you retired?
A. I was an asbestos abatement contractor. Had my own business. Triple R Industrial Services and Construction. My son took it over when I retired.

Q. How has your faith helped you through the years?
A. I developed a formula for myself. You put God first, family second, job third and country fourth, and you can't fail in anything.

Q. Why that formula?
A. It's just the way I believed. If you put God first, He'll take care of the rest.

( Published Anderson Independent February 1, 2008)