Community Involvement

Coaching and Public Speaking

The church wanted me to be involved in the life of the community.  That led me to coach a softball team of seven-year olds.  Little did I realize that most seven year olds can’t throw the ball from one base to the other.  It was virtually impossible to find a pitcher who could get the ball across the plate.  One day I pulled my pitcher out during the middle of the game, and put in one who was worse.  I didn’t have a third boy who could come anywhere close to the plate.  We lost every game by lopsided scores.   No one asked me to coach a second year.   I served as an assistant coach later on when Elliott was in elementary school, but those are the only times I’ve ever attempted to direct sports teams.

It was a different story when I delivered a baccalaureate address at the high school.  In those days a baccalaureate service was held on the Sunday night prior to graduation in most small communities like Rosebud.  The responsibility for conducting the service was passed around through the local churches, and we got our turn during the time I was in Rosebud.   It was the largest crowd that I ever addressed in that community.  

My topic looks a little ridiculous in retrospect.   Somewhere I read that most democratic governments don’t make it more than 200 years.  We were just a few years away from the nation’s 200^th anniversary, so I questioned whether we would still have a country in 200 years. I ended with a challenge to the senior class – “Quo Vadis – Where are you going?” It went over big with most students and I think it scared the adults. Of course it looked a little ridiculous when the country was still intact during the nation’s bi-centennial.

Years later, when I lived in Minden, Louisiana, I met a man named Boe Cook, who owned the local radio station. Boe was asked to deliver a graduation address.  At the end of his address, the class president handed him a $25.00 check as an honorarium.  Boe graciously returned the check to the class with appreciation for the thought.  The class president then announced to the group, “We’ll give the money to the junior class, so they can invite a better speaker next year.”  I wasn’t offered an honorarium when I finished by address at Rosebud, and I’m kind of glad.  I’ll never know if they would have used the money for a better speaker the next year.  It’s better not to know some things.