When I was brainstorming about ways to increase the appreciation of the past, someone told me that an article mentioning them would be a good idea. Together with my editor, we had an idea to look at each letter and mention as many greats as is possible. Because Bible Quiz has gotten more pub in recent years, obviously people will always hanker for the recent names, but the goal was always to get some of the names of the past. Since the alphabet article was such an obliterating failure, I have moved on to Plan B. Also, unless I get a lot of interest, the second half of that article will remain unpublished. Plan B is to do a “Where are They Now.” I am starting with my top 4 quizzers who quizzed before 1990 and tell where they each are. Hopefully, people will appreciate the knowledge.
First, I need to start by naming who the top four quizzers are. This is very subjective and (to some degree) adjusted slightly for those whom I know where they are. My top 4 are Wendy Heiniger (FL), Jeff LeMaster (TN), Sophie Thomas (CO), and Valerie Wood (SC). Whom would we put in chair 5? Well there are many others that could be there, and please let us know your ideas. The first thing I found to be interesting was that none of these 4 are with the state where their quizzing prowess was first recognized.
Wendy Heiniger is married and currently living and teaching at a Christian school in Illinois. She has not done much with Bible Quiz since her graduation. Her sister helped coach some of the TMA powerhouses in the late 90’s, but Wendy remains relatively unattached to Bible Quiz. Since she recently had her first child, she may soon have a second generation Bible Quizzer that continues the greatness Illinois has established since her graduation.
Jeff LeMaster was the best of the AACS quizzers from Tennessee, the team that started a new standard. He became even more famous as an AACS quizmaster shortly thereafter. He improved upon the program first written by Matt West that is still used to pair AACS teams. He is a math and computer teacher at a Christian School. He recently dropped out of Bible Quiz, though Matt West feels he may rejoin the fold soon. He lives in Orlando, Florida and has four children. He also just so happens to be a member of the church that some consider to be the best quiz team this year (FBCCF). He and Paul West were instrumental in their starting a team a few years back.
Sophie Thomas. She and Karen Alexander were a dynamite 1-2 punch. She is now married to Santhosh George. She has returned to India as a missionary. She has the most involvement with Bible Quiz of these four, as she is attempting to start a team and ministry for Bible Quiz there in India. She recently got her first set of quiz lights, and we all hope that real soon, we see her team attend a big tournament. I think it would be apropos if she brought a team to the Colorado Invitational.
Valerie Wood may have been the best quizzer ever. She was elected to the Hall of Fame, and her legend continues to live on. She is not currently involved in Bible Quiz, but those of us who attend a lot of events are always pleased to get updates from her proud father. As he has recently become the grandfather of twins, we are excited about the possibility that they may one day quiz in his PQA and other big events. She is married to Robb Sinn and currently living in Georgia.
Now, if there are others you know about, please share. Also, if you can help us write more about these, we would love to hear from you. We definitely want to continue to give dap to those who currently quiz, but the Bible Quiz past is so rich. I personally cherish every conversation with Jack Knapp, David Douglas, Craig Scott, and all of those who have been around for years. For those who think Bible Quiz began in 2000, there is a great deal of people who laid the groundwork for us. We appreciate them and we really hope that we can recognize their greatness.