Friday, January 12, 2001
ACU friends surprised by turn
of events in Cox story
By Sidney Schuhmann
Reporter-News Staff Writer
Friends who knew Barre Cox before he disappeared
16 years ago say they are shocked to hear he is planning to pastor
a gay church in Dallas.
Revelations about Cox’s life since
his disappearance in 1984 and discovery last month have sent tongues
wagging throughout the Church of Christ community in which he
once moved. Among the discoveries are that Cox reportedly assumed
the identity of a Panhandle rancher, which would break federal
law.
Many friends say the former Abilene Christian
University administrator is not the man they thought they knew.
“I’m delighted he’s alive.
But it breaks my heart to see the discrepancies in the man I knew,”
said onetime friend Kay Agnew. “Our belief is that (the homosexual)
lifestyle is one of sin.”
Wesley Barrett “Barre” Cox, then
33, disappeared under suspicious circumstances in July 1984. Then,
friends and family, including his wife, Beth, scoffed at suggestions
that Cox intentionally ditched his family and his life.
Now they’re not so sure.
Cox has told his wife he was recognized
by a parishioner while auditioning for a ministerial position
at White Rock Community Church in Dallas on Dec. 10. The church’s
Web site says it was founded to “spread God’s word to
the gay and lesbian community.”
Cox claims to suffer from amnesia and has
been living under the name James Simmons. The name, birth date
and Social Security number he is using are identical to those
of a Clarendon rancher, the San Antonio Express News reported
Thursday.
Ronnie and Kay Agnew, who knew Cox for years,
described him as outgoing, talented and good-looking. Like many
people who knew him, they said he was a committed Christian devoted
to his family and the ministry.
The Agnews attended Southern Hills Church
of Christ with Cox’s family and frequently socialized with
them. The day he disappeared, Cox called and asked if he could
spend the night with them in Abilene while traveling from Lubbock
to his new home in San Antonio.
He never showed up.
“I was never convinced he would just
walk off,” Ronnie Agnew said. “He loved Beth and he
loved their baby. We always believed that something had happened.”
The Agnews, along with other Southern Hills
parishioners, searched for Cox among cotton fields and barrow
ditches in Jones County. Rumors of sightings circulated for years.
Cheryl Bacon handled the publicity at ACU
after his disappearance. She said she has heard every rumor imaginable.
“There’s a lot of holes in this
story,” said Bacon, who chairs ACU’s journalism department.
“Whatever has happened is going to unravel. I have no idea
how Barre wound up where he is today.”
Many of Cox’s friends say they are
surprised he’s connected to a homosexual church. Although
occasional rumors that he was gay circulated after he disappeared,
no evidence turned up to confirm them, friends said.
Jack Stewart, who was an elder at MacArthur
Park Church of Christ, said he knew Cox for the year he and his
family attended the San Antonio church. Stewart, who maintains
a friendship with Beth Cox, said he has doubts that Barre Cox
is homosexual.
“Just because he’s ministering
(at a homosexual church) doesn’t mean he’s gay,”
said Stewart, director of career services at ACU.
But Cox alluded to his sexuality during
his audition at White Rock, mentioning “hunky guys”
and the fear of “coming out.”
Whatever the truth, friends like Mike Monroe
of Arlington still remember Cox as outgoing, trusting and loving.
A childhood and college friend, Monroe said he is anxious to see
Cox again.
“I hope to be able to embrace my old
friend again someday,” he said. “I am so grateful to
God that after all these years he has been found alive and well.”
Staff writer Loretta Fulton contributed
to this story.
Contact staff writer Sidney Schuhmann
at 676-6721 or schuhmanns@abinews.com.
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Copyright ©2001,
Abilene Reporter-News / Texnews / E.W. Scripps. Publications
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