Good Morning and Happy “Cinco de Mayo” Day!
No, “Cinco de Mayo” is not Mexico’s Independence Day…it’s the day when the army loyal to the great Benito Juarez defeated an army supporting the Emperor Maximilian (installed as leader of Mexico by France) at the Battle of Puebla. Benito Juarez is often referred to as the “George Washington of Mexico.” He came from humble beginnings to espouse freedom for his country from colonial rule and advocated the establishment of a democratic republic based on a constitution. There is a great picture of him visiting President Abraham Lincoln in Washington, D.C. during The Civil War….a meeting of two great emancipators. Benito Juarez, like Abraham Lincoln, will always be one of my heroes. Here’s to “Cinco de Mayo”, margaritas and all of that terrific Mexican food!
Speaking of great people, here’s to legendary Miami Dolphins (and Baltimore Colts) football coach, Don Shula, who died yesterday at the age of 90. Not only was he the only NFL coach to ever coach a perfect season, but he also was the head coach of three quarterbacks who made the NFL Hall of Fame…Johnny Unitas, Bob Griese and Dan Marino…not too shabby! He was well respected by all and truly one of the greats of professional football. Here’s to Don Shula and all of the great Miami Dolphins teams of the 1970s & early 1980s (not to mention the great Colts teams of the late 1960s)!
Let me be one of the first to wish friend (and my daughter-in-law’s best friend) Kellie…wife, mother, wedding planner and interior designer extraordinaire (among other talents)…a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY, as she celebrates her birthday tomorrow (May 6th)! Here’s to you Kellie, a woman truly lovely inside and out and you could have no better friend than her! Happy Birthday wishes also go to Olympics ice skater, Nathan Chen, who is 21 today; to the great singer Adele, who turns 32 today; designer Joseph Abboud, who is 70 today; actor John Rhys-Davies of “Indiana Jones” & “Lord Of The Rings” movie series fame, who turns 76 today! Here’s to all of you, too!
I’ve been really enjoying going through my old correspondence (letters) with my wife Judy. I was fortunate that I saved her letters and she saved my letters during the time we were friends before we got married in 1980. They show how wonderful it is to be “head over heels” in love. For all you romantics out there, wouldn’t you agree that there’s very few feelings better than those experienced when you are madly and passionately in love? In a letter to Judy dated Nov. 17th, 1978 I write about my dear friends from Walla Walla days, Carl & Helen Richardson. Carl was a hydraulic engineer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and designed the hydraulic lock systems on a number of Snake River dams in the 1960s and 1970s. His work was known throughout the world, as many engineers from other countries came to Walla Walla to study Carl’s designs. I had the privilege of getting to know Carl & Helen (they both came from New England originally—Connecticut, I believe) when I attended church at St. Paul’s Episcopal while a student at Whitman College. Here’s an excerpt from the letter: “I received a letter from my church “Mom & Dad” today! (They are Helen and Carl Richardson by the way!) If you should see them in church, be sure and say “HI” to them for me! (You can’t miss Carl…he has beautiful white hair and wears classes…sometimes he reads the lessons).”
Carl & Helen were certainly some of the greatest people in my life. I will never forget them. We had many good conversations over the years and I enjoyed visiting them in their beautiful home on the outskirts of Walla Walla with great views of the Blue Mountains. I can also remember enjoying watching a couple of golf tournaments on T.V. with Carl, especially when Jack Nicklaus won the Masters in 1986 on the 16th hole in dramatic fashion! I certainly do miss them! I am pleased to say that I have a portrait done in charcoal of Carl that hangs in my home office and I cherish it greatly. Carl was also a master bonsai gardener and another bonsai gardener friend did the charcoal portrait of Carl. It’s terrific!
The letters bring back many great memories of past friends who were connected to my time at Whitman College in Walla Walla. It’s great to read about them in these letters and, for those who I’ve lost touch with over the years, to wonder how they are doing now…
In thinking about the passing of coach Don Shula, I happened to come across a football card on his place kicker at Baltimore, Jim O’Brien. Jim’s greatest claim to fame was his “kick heard round the world.” It was a 32 yard field goal with five seconds remaining in regulation time in the 1970 Super Bowl, giving the Colts the World’s Championship with a 16-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys. His football card says that he preferred natural grass to synthetic turf. During the 1970 Super Bowl, just before he kicked the game winning field goal, he was so nervous that he tried to take some of the artificial turf off the field to figure out the wind, thinking the field was regular grass! Jim was born in 1947 in El Paso, Texas and later moved to Cincinnati where he played high school football at Aiken High School and then went on to play college football at the University of Cincinnati after being unable to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy due to an ulcer he developed during high school. Jim led the nation in scoring his senior year at Cincinnati. He caught 74 passes for 1,107 yards and 12 touchdowns during his college football career. He also played basketball for the Bearcats. Jim played for the Baltimore Colts from 1970 to 1972 and the Detroit Lions in 1973. He also played wide receiver, catching the bulk of his career passes during the 1972 season. His short career was less than stellar, posting a 55.6% success on field goals. This was caused in large part due to an injury he sustained in a bar fight that was not his fault, where he sustained a cut cornea that affected his eyesight and visual acuity. After football, Jim became a project manager for a real estate company in the Los Angeles CA area. Here’s to Jim O’Brien and his “kick heard round the world.”!
Don’t you just love these Spring days? A perfect day is a Spring day with a temperature of about 70 degrees with a “zephyr” blowing. What’s a zephyr you ask?
Here’s the word definition for the day:
Zephyr: “A soft gentle breeze.”
Here is the thought for the day:
“I don’t know any other way to lead but by example.”
—Don Shula, legendary Baltimore Colts & Miami Dolphins football coach
Here’s to a great Tuesday and “Cinco de Mayo” day!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)