Earlier this week, I received a blog comment from a former Edwardsville high school student named Steve. I appreciate his thoughts and the many other blog readers who share. That seven-year Edwardsville coaching experience (1970-77) will always be a special recall regarding my professional career. When the late coaching icon, Joe Lucco, who was at the time Assistant Superintendent at Edwardsville, offered me the Edwardsville head basketball job, I believed it to be my utopia and certainly the final stop. (More on a final stop later).
Having been a native of nearby East St. Louis and playing both baseball and basketball in the Southwestern Conference, the Metro-East area where family still lives is 'home' and I was 'going home' to coach in that league. During my seven year tenure, I was blessed with good players and our basketball team ended a twenty-year 'Sweet-16' drought for the 'Tigers" in 1976 and our cross-country squads amassed some impressive seasons. However, this was a period when much change was engulfing Edwardsville. The relatively new Southern Illinois University @ Edwardsville brought sharp contrasting liberal views to the long time conservative community. The nearby community, Glen Carbon was shaking up things with some pro-active business growth and building expansions.
Without rehashing the turbulent small-town political and parental wars around the basketball program, suffice to state, it was not going to be my last coaching stop, however the Edwardsville coaching experience would prove to be the most professionally beneficial. Drawing on the Edwardsville years and some other events, I later penned two coaching books, which became personally and financially rewarding while catapulting me into a nationwide speaking circuit and a Sport Education Consulting practice.
Contrary to what some people may think, I hold those Edwardsville times in good memory regarding students and great appreciation to a school administration for the 'shaping' trials and tribulations. It is a reminder that God has a plan for each of us but we must be patient, persevere and seize our moments. Edwardsville prepared me for very significant and rewarding opportunities.
Today, my wife, Gerry and I frequently visit family in the beautiful Edwardsville community. Matter-of-fact, we recently made arrangements to return; Sunset Hills (Edwardsville) will be that final stop.
Please note that I prepared the above blog late last evening. Moments before I posted it this morning, the telephone rang. The voice at the caller's end was Patty Parker, a niece. Patty did not telephone to remind us that today is the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor nor did she wish to tell us today is her birthday. The purpose of the early morning call was to tell my wife that Patty's Mother (Gerry's Sister), Jeannie had just died; she was 82. It is our family's second and final goodbye to Jeannie; the first was a slow but losing battle with Alzheimer.
We praise God for his mercy and comfort. We thank Him for Jeannie's freedom from suffering bondage and her life eternal without affliction.
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