I've been growing one in the winter and shaving it in the spring since '81 or so, and have had it year a round since '97. It is halfway down my chest and solid white. A couple of summers ago a friend of mine asked if I could water his cows for him for a few days while he was gone. One stop was at his son's house were he and his family lived. While there his 5 year old granddaughter came out to check me out. She had lots of questions, but never asked my name. I was told later that she went running into the house and told her dad" Noah or Moses is watering grandpa's cows and he is wearing BIB OVERALLS!!!"

I got out of the Army in October of 1980 and grew a full beard. Around October of 1981 the woman's Christian legion wrote me a letter : "Dear Mr. Thomas, we the members of Christian Woman's Legion of America find your beard to be offensive , if God took so much time to create your perfect face who are you to cover it up? " What could I say?