KallMeKris

He was popular and he was very smart, unquote.

And it's of note that during this time, while he remained religious, he was described as only moderately so compared to his enthusiasm of religion from his youth.

So the balance between the spiritual and the artistic continued to shape him.

And he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952.

And around this time, Marshall married Anne Pierce from Corpus Christi, and the couple would eventually have two children together.

And in hopes of becoming a minister, Marshall enrolled in Union Presbyterian Theological Seminary shortly after graduating from Austin College, finally following in his father's path.

So by all appearances, he made smooth progress towards that goal for a short time.

However, Marshall only lasted about a year at the seminary as his love of music called to him for more.

And a seminary official recalled, quote, he was here less than a year and withdrew in the spring and went into church music, unquote.

So upon leaving the seminary, Marshall quickly found work that brought his church background and musical talent together.

and he became the music director at First Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolina in 1953, where he was assistant to the pastor and choir director.

And he was still young at this point, around 22 years old, but members of the congregation were very impressed with his gifts, saying, quote, he was quite a musician and had a beautiful voice, unquote, said Edith Warren, who was a member of the choir Marshall directed.

And another member of the congregation described him as, quote, drop dead handsome, unquote.

Quote, when he got up to sing, he looked and sounded like an angel, unquote.

Teach their own, I don't think so, but all right, whatever you think.

So those who watched him became mesmerized by his performances.

And Marshall and Anne would spend about two years at this church.

And they were beloved by all who crossed paths with them.

And they even welcomed their first two aforementioned children during this time.

So he thrived in his role at the church, utilizing his passions for music with his strong charisma.