I had heard the legends about Lillian Torkelson long before I met her: her dream of a Christian school, her gift as a teacher, her devotion to the welfare of her students, her sternness regarding schoolwork, her intensity - that earned her the nickname, TIGER LIL.

Very soon after I joined the Staff of Western Christian College, she became my mentor. I came to admire her greatly and looked to her for both wisdom and inspiration. To me, she came to personify everything good about Western.

For a number of years she encouraged me to write a book; my response was always that I didn't have anything to say that somebody else hadn't already put into words. That was until one day two years ago, as I sat and visited with her and marvelled again at the life she has led and the lives she has touched and inspired.

While she wanted me to write, she was very reluctant to be the subject, until I told her I wanted her life story to serve as an inspiration to young women with a dream.

As I have gotten to know her in a much more personal way over the past two years, she has made a profound impact on me, increasing my faith and causing me to love her very much. I hope that through these pages, she will do the same for you.

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