Let me introduce a wonderful lady who has given the majority of her years, and we never give a lady's age, to her ministry with The Salvation Army. Major Cathy Cox (retired) but still very much active in her ministry has a most unusual job with the Texas Division of The Salvation Army. This feisty lady is pushing it to be five feet tall and could not register ninety pounds on the scale if she jumped up and down on it. Nevertheless, she works with death row inmates at the Texas State Prison.

Cathy as she is known to her friends, and I am honored to be one of her friends, is the spiritual advisor to many men and women on death row. As a part of her ministry to them, if asked she is there when they breathe their last breath. This lady who ministers to their spiritual needs is there to witness their executions in some cases. The last time I asked for a number she had witnessed over forty executions and I know there have been others since then. Texas does execute more inmates than any other state in the union.

Major Cathy Cox and I have had many interesting conversations. I am a proponent of the death penalty in some cases. I believe Charles Manson should have been executed along with all of his family and that Scott Peterson and David Westerfield should lose their lives to the needle. Manson and his family are no longer on death row. They escaped it courtesy of the Supreme Court and since Peterson and Westerfield are in California it is likely they will die in prison before they are executed.

As you might expect, Cathy is an opponent of the death penalty. As such she makes no exceptions. She would not want to see anyone put to death, including Manson, his family, Peterson or Westerfield. This lady tries to find the good in every man and woman on death row, regardless of their crime. For her, it has everything to do with religious beliefs, but this column is not about religion although I have tremendous respect for her strong religious beliefs.

This column is about a conversation I had with Cathy around two and a half years ago, not long after we met. She shared some things about her meetings with inmates and I do understand the sorrow she feels watching those inmates through a glass as they take their last breaths when the death warrant is executed.

During one of my Cathy and Michael moments, we were discussing an execution which took place some years ago. Cathy seemed to indicate that she believed the man was innocent, so I asked

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