I remember

We lost a local hero recently. He was from my old neighborhood, and my family knew his family.

He was a Navy man in Korea. "Cold, cold." was all he would say about it. But beneath the wavy dark locks turned white was a smile that lit up the room. He was a hero on the seas of war, and on the sports fields.

Eventually, this government employee turned sports coach led NCAA championship teams, not once, not twice, but for years. He became a legend at my alma mater, PrivateU. Legions of kids in town went to his sports camps to learn from the youngest man who played on a legendary team that brought down an international power house in one of the biggest upsets ever.

But to me, he was a neighbor, a friend, a man who told a good story about what our town was like in the old days, when ethnic groups stayed close together for support. How the community went wherever they needed to help each other. Because Mom said, "I want you to always be a good person."

After I heard the news, I went online and I watched the interview I recorded for the local historical society and smiled.

His stories live on in a web site dedicated to the area, for a man who was a hero, father, family man, neighbor, coach, and friend.

Godspeed Tom....and may you get all the goals in Heaven, before the clock runs out.