His life was gentle; and the elements
So mixed in him, that Nature might stand up,
And say to all the world, THIS WAS A MAN!
About 8-10 years ago, when I was waiting tables at Marie Callender's in Northridge, Mr. Wooden was one of the regular customers. He would come in and eat at least every other week, sometimes every week, on (IIRC) Monday evenings. Usually sat in the same booth up front.
One of my favorite stories of that time happened right before Father's Day. We struck up a conversation and he asked about my dad -- I told him how my dad was a coach as well, mainly in soccer, but also baseball and basketball. He finished his dinner, and came back an hour later with a brand new basketball autographed and addressed to my dad. Mr. Wooden did that on his own for no reason other than he's a really nice and generous man.
One of the funnier things about it was that he also handed me the receipt for the ball. He had bought it across the street at the sporting goods store (when it was still Sportsmart), and told me (tongue-in-cheek) that if I didn't like it, I could return the ball. LOL. Yeah right.
Aaron, what a treasure you have--not just the basketball but all those times you had the opportunity to speak with John Wooden. My cousin, Tony, was his main caregiver this past year and had alternated caring for Coach Wooden with Coach's family members for several years. UCLA had given Tony, an athletic trainer, this new post when they realized Coach Wooden needed extra care. Tony couldn't say enough commendable things about Coach Wooden.
ReplyDeleteI would like to link your story to my blog post or to post it with an introduction. Is that ok?
You can email me.
Janis