"They're waiting for me to die," said North Carolina American Atheist Richard Suhre in an interview with AANEWS recently.

   Suhre, 89, died at his home in Waynesville, N.C. on Sunday, in the midst of a court fight to have two 20 - by - 31 - inch tablets listing the Ten Commandments removed from the Haywood County courthouse. The display has been part of the edifice since it was built in 1932. Mr. Suhre initiated the case back in December, 1994. The County decided to launch a costly legal defense, and argued that the display did not violate the establishment clause of the First Amendment since the Commandments were "not religious."

   Suhre's legal fight mirrored other cases across the nation over the role of religious mottos and monuments in the public square. Over the years, U.S. District Court Judge Lacy Thornburg dismissed the case twice, but each time was overruled by a higher court.

   The disingenuous argument that the Decalogue display was "not religious" was at odds with the actions of many religious groups opposing Suhre. One-third of Haywood County residents signed a petition defending the public display of the Ten Commandments, and the individual promoting the effort boasted to local media that the "Lord got me up at 5 a.m. and told me he was sick and tired of Christians who don't take a stand."

   Suhre acted as his own attorney pro se in the early stages of his legal fight. In March, 1997, Judge Thornburg dismissed the lawsuit saying that Suhre did not have proper standing in the case -- a typical strategy in many First Amendment challenges. A three judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals then took up the matter, found it worthy of examination, and remanded it back to Thornburg. In April of last year, Thornburg once again dismissed the challenge.

   Had he lived, Suhre was to have another day in court on December 2 when his attorney, George Daly of Charlotte, was scheduled to present oral arguments in front of another panel from the 4th Circuit. Daly told the Asheville Citizen-Times newspaper that he intends to proceed with the case, and is looking into alternatives.

   The County also has to decide now if it wishes to continue the fight to keep the Commandments on display in the courthouse. So far, more than $170,000 in public money has been spent on legal fees. The Haywood Baptist Association is one group hoping that the county continues its efforts. Director Jack Sammons told the paper, "We want the Ten Commandments to remain in the courthouse. We want them because we believe all law comes from God's law."

   Mr. Suhre began his intellectual journey to atheism while an engineering student at Purdue University.

   He was convinced that the slow progress of his suit against the Haywood County decalogue was a ploy, and declared, "They're just waiting for me to die so that this will go away." Attorney George Daly said that Mr. Suhre "marched to the beat of his own drummer. It was a very endearing characteristic to me."

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