Bill Saye, a former drug use and kingpin turned speaker and preacher, gave a stirring talk at Alleghany High School.

Avoid drugs, Saye urges AHS students

Before Bill Saye was 13 years old, he had delved into a life of crime. Saye briefly shared his story with the students at Alleghany High School last Thursday morning.

Saye stated his life of crime can be traced to a situation he faced at the age of six, when he faced humiliation head-on as he was laughed at and mocked in elementary school.

“When I started school, my family was so poor, they could not afford to buy me any shoes,” Saye told the youth. “Can you imagine what it would be like to start school today barefoot, ratty clothes and have everybody in the class laugh at you and make fun of you all day. All day long, I had people calling me crooked-toes, Rag Man and a few other names I don’t want to talk about.

On the way home, I had to think, when I get home, my Mom’s going to meet me at the bus stop and I’ll be able to tell her all the kids laughed at me and made fun of me all day. She’ll put her arms around me, she’ll tell me she loves me, and all this hurt will go away. Mom met me at the bus stop, I got off the bus, I did the best I could to explain to her how the kids had laughed and made fun of me all day. My mom shook me by the arm and said, “Hush that crying, we’ve got work to do. The kids weren’t laughing at you, it’s just your imagination. At that moment in my life, I knew nobody on earth loved me. I buried all the hurt inside me.

“At six-years-old, I promised myself I would never cry again,” he continued. “I will not have bare feet, even if I have to kill someone to get shoes.”

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