By Patrick Armstrong | Editor-in-Chief

While working at her desk in Student Affairs on Jan. 11, Cindy McElroy, administrative assistant, received a phone call she will never forget. Her husband David, who is a plumber for the Physical Plant, called from their home and said the word “fire.” That was all she could make out from the phone call.

When she made it to her house, fire trucks, EMTs and people working on the house surrounded it. Then she finally saw her husband. “It was a miracle that everyone was OK,” Cindy said.

David was asleep and it was their animals that woke him up. “He had to make a decision to wake up because of the animals,” Cindy said.

She said he could have fallen back asleep. When David was trying to leave the house, he put his hand on the front door knob but he felt something was wrong. He waited until the fire department got him out.

“I cry a lot for tears of joy because I know everything is going to be OK,” Cindy said. “If God will see me to it, he will see you through it,” Cindy said.

The cause of the fire was electrical wiring on the gas portion of the furnace. Had David opened the front door to their house instead of waiting, the house would have exploded because of the pressure, according to Cindy. “He made all of the right decisions. This is about him, not me.”

The damage sustained to their home was around $60,000. Now they currently live in a refurbished rental and could be there for a couple of months depending on the restoration of their house.

The night after the fire, Cindy’s friend called her and told her that Mike Robinson, a local musician, was rounding up local musicians for a benefit. On Saturday, Jan. 23, the benefit was held at Oneals Bar and Grill.

Live music was provided by Mike Bryant, The Sellouts, Robinson and The Beagles, which Cindy is the lead singer. “We really appreciated all of the musicians,” Cindy said.

Cindy had her first gig when she was 17 years old. She went to a club with her mom and after her performance her mother told Cindy she didn’t need to do anything else.

One of the songs Cindy sang was “Breathe” by Anna Nalick and she said this has been her motto lately. “If it weren’t for the fact my faith was so strong, I wouldn’t have been able to deal with this.”

The benefit featured a silent auction with items such as an autographed guitar from The Beagles, gift cards, donated pictures from a photographer, Appleton Harley-Davidson and several other items. The bar also set up red Budweiser buckets with neon green signs that said donations and the tips from the night went to the McElroys. The unofficial total raised as of press time, Monday, Jan. 25, was $4,000, not including the silent auction.

“She is the most Christian, kind-hearted woman I have met. You can tell by the crowd how much she means to people,” Gail Grimes, friend of Cindy, said.

Becky Brock, a friend of Cindy’s for 25 years, told “just one little story about her.” When Cindy lived in Bowling Green, Ky. she went to the post office to pick up the letters children wrote to Santa. She came across one letter from a child who had cancer at Fort Campbell. Brock and Cindy met the child’s family and packed their car full of the presents the child wanted.

“I know that I saw God in every situation on a daily basis. From the donations to the hugs; we couldn’t get through it without the hugs. Austin Peay, the family unit there has come to us. We are indebted to them. I don’t know how we will repay them but we will some how. Hopefully we will move forward and help people,” Cindy said and she also mentioned the APSU Haiti Relief Telethon on Sunday, Jan. 31, which The Beagles are playing at.
When Cindy finished singing “Breathe,” she said, “God bless you all. Now lets rock.”