Some Hither, Others Yon…

For many of you, especially the men around my age in north Texas, the first thing you think of when I mention “scattershooting” is Junior Miller’s Friday morning 7:45 segment on the Ticket.  But if you grew up in the Dallas area, the reference might, as it does for me, evoke memories of the Morning News Sunday Sports Day page 2 articles written each week by the great Blackie Sherrod, to whom Junior obviously pays homage every Friday.  I was a regular reader of Blackie’s, and still like to dig up old articles by him from time to time.  Compelled to write about many things but about none at length, I can scarcely think of a better format to adopt than Blackie’s.

Scattershooting while wondering whatever happened to Jeff Kent (MHS class mate and good friend, not former Dodgers/Mets great)….  Speaking of high school, I find it interesting that the two most recent BU QB’s, statistically maybe the school’s best ever, have been from South Garland HS (Kel’s alma mater) and Midlothian HS (mine), respectively.  Not sure about Nick Florence in the pantheon of Colonel football, but no doubt that Bryce Petty has already surpassed all but the great Don Floyd, namesake of my old gridiron, as all-time Panthers….  And speaking of SGHS, another Colonel has fallen victim to pancreatic cancer.  Jimmy Schnurr passed away last month after a prolonged battle.  I never met Jimmy but I know that Kelly and he (and I by extension) share many common friends, and judging by what I’ve heard and read from those friends, Jimmy must have been an incredible guy!  I did have the pleasure of meeting his sister during a fundraising event for PanCAN, and in 2013 they were the only team that beat us in fundraising.  Jimmy passed away on September 18, Kelly’s birthday…. 

On September 18, I was kicking off the second annual “Stewapalooza,” thanks to my gracious mother-in-law and father-in-law, who allowed us to utilize the “Lodge,” and also to Kris Gewin and Matt Jackson (and all those they recruited), who worked their tails off making the weekend a smashing success.  I did not name this event, by the way, lest anyone should think me narcissistic.  It’s amazing the way that Kelly brought and kept so many of us together through the years, and it was great celebrating those friendships at one of her favorite places on earth.  We raised a fair sum of money for TKF as well.  And, Jim and Paula will be happy to know that we did not blow anything up this year….  Speaking of raising money and Team Kelly, we are less than a month away from this year’s DFW Purplestride (Nov. 8).  We have raised a lot of money but are nowhere near our goal of $30K this year.  TKF has pledged to match ever dollar donated from now til November 8.  Please join Team Kelly (DFW Purplestride 2014 - Team Kelly Homepage), or join Team “It’s All Good (DFW Purplestride 2014 - It's All Good Homepage),” Jimmy Schnurr’s team, or just give to PanCAN because it’s such a great organization and this cancer is becoming all too keen and common a killer…. 

During our “summer break,” which has now just ended but was prolonged by construction delays, my Preston Trails Community Church men’s small group continued to meet regularly for breakfast every Friday morning.  This is not your usual church men’s group – as I explained to one of our senior pastors once, most of these guys have seen each other at our best and our worst (sometimes at the same time, reference Stewapalooza above), so there’s no use in hiding anything from each other.  During the last few weeks, though, we decided to share our life stories with one another, over the breakfast table at Egg and I, and using as a (rough) outline the five H’s:  heritage, heroes, high points, hard times, and hand of God.  It should not come as a surprise that among my heroes was my father.  I won’t waste the ink in falling incredibly short of explaining why, but will simply say that in recent months it’s dawned on me how closely watched I am by certain younger males in my house, and how they seem to prioritize their lives according to what they believe is important to me.  I remember distinctly how I knew at an early age that I wanted to be a great dad and husband when I grew up…. Notably absent the morning I told my story were a few of my other heroes.  Greg Bobo (as well as Elizabeth) – I’ve probably told you before but Kelly and I always loved how much you were both “into” one another.  It’s hard to put a finger on the marital quality we admired in you – but if I were going to point a young married couple towards an example to live by, I’d send them your way.  And the aforementioned Kris and Matt, who in addition to making sure I get to be the centerpiece of the biggest party of the year, remain the two names atop my “Mexican jail” list (if you’ve read my other posts over the last couple of years, you’ll know what this is, otherwise happy reading).  You’re both my heroes and I hope to be like y’all when I grow up.  Especially Matt cuz he’s got more cool stuff than Kris.  But you too, Kris….

Among our small group autobiographers was Glenn Krupa, who had us all rolling with stories about old Frisco.  The kind of stories where all the characters are the namesakes of the major thoroughfares, schools and parks in town.  Don’t worry, Glenn (and Vonda), what is told at breakfast stays at breakfast.  Let’s just say the Frisco ISD has never been as exciting since you left it….  In 1994, Kelly, at the urging of her BU roommate Angela Cunningham, joined the Frisco ISD as a full-time substitute, and within that year had secured her first full-time teaching gig at Rogers Elementary.  For those unfamiliar with the school growth in Frisco ISD, that was the only elementary school in Frisco then.  Within the first few years, she’d moved with Angela, principal Debbie Boyce and a few of the other young teachers, to open Curtsinger.  For all you FISD families, the genetic imprint from that group – Debbie, the Rogers teachers that remained behind, and the group that ventured out with Debbie to “colonize” that first new elementary school in the district - is still evident on every school in this town, including all 37 elementary schools….  Among that group of young teachers at Curtsinger that grew so close to one another was Jennifer Foster, who now serves as DFW Purplestride Volunteer Chair, and whose entire family has volunteered at the event and represented Team Kelly for the last couple of years.  Jennifer would love to hear from any and all Team Kelly and Team It’s All Good members about volunteering ( PurpleStride Volunteer 2014).  Send your high schooler if they’re in need of some community service hours…. 

Friend and neighbor Stacey White, who first introduced us to the Purplestride event, has once again put together the Jim Pressel Memorial Golf Tournament, which will be hosted at the Trails Golf Club on November 1 (Facebook - Jim Pressel Memorial Golf Tournament), and which honors Stacey’s father, a victim of pancreatic cancer.  Proceeds from last year’s event were donated to PanCAN on behalf of Team Kelly, and it was this surge in funds that put us in 2^nd place for the 2013 Purplestride fundraising.  If I could get to my clubs in my garage, and if I could swing them without hurting myself or those around me, I’d have a team in this tournament.  But my presence would only disgrace the game of golf, and I wouldn’t be right for a month.  But I encourage any of you who enjoy playing to enter this year’s tournament.  It’s truly for a great cause.  In fact, I’d love to see a Team Kelly foursome…. 

Parenting is hard.  It always was, but I miss Kelly’s instinctiveness as a mother now more than ever.  Plus there’s no one there to help me work the “good cop-bad cop” routine.  You’d be surprised how often Kel was the bad cop….  Our neighbor Jones says he can do everything he used to, just not until tomorrow (OK, that was actually an old Blackie joke that I stole)….

Back to Frisco ISD for a moment – would your 5^th grade teacher have picked you up 30 minutes early for school on picture day so she could curl your hair, because she knew your dad would already be at work and, although he might try if asked, probably wouldn’t be able to find a curling iron anyway?  I know a 5^th grade teacher that did just that.  Thanks Trisha Carroll!  That was very much like another elementary school teacher I once knew.  Oh, and I know a future elementary school teacher that wants to be just like both of you…. 

From the “I Wish I’d Written That Department,” George Eliot makes this observation concerning Dorothea Brooke: 

“Dorothea had little vanity, but she had the ardent woman’s need to rule beneficently by making the joy of another soul.”

Few things I’ve ever read come so close to revealing Kelly’s nature so exquisitely and perfectly as Eliot’s description of her Middlemarch heroine.  In her finale to this perfect novel, Eliot says of the heroine,

“…the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived a faithfully hidden life….”

-Jason