Pa and Bobbie

This Weekly Salute is for two people: my grandma who I affectionately call "Bobbie" (you'll find out why in a minute) and my grandpa, J.T. White, otherwise known as "Pa" to all of us. They were grandparents on separate sides of my family. My grandma on my mom's side and my grandpa on my dad's. They both meant so much to me so I decided to write and celebrate their lives.

First, my grandma. Let me start off by saying I feel kind of bad I didn't salute her earlier but now is a good time to do so. She was an amazing person! She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill (smart lady) and became a RN (registered nurse). I started calling her "Bobbie" several years ago after changing it from "Baba" which was what I called her when I was younger. I'm not exactly sure why I called her "Baba" but it stuck ever since the first time I did so. She was also a great woman of faith and an active member of Grey Stone for over a decade. In fact, I have her to thank for introducing my mom and I to the church; so every Grey Stonian reading this has her to thank for that, haha! I have to mention that I get two things from her: love (of sorts) of school and being on a soapbox. Those were two distinguishing characteristics of her's and I think she passed them right down to me! She died in February of this year but I will always remember her and the great legacy she left behind.

Next, my grandpa. He was one tough customer but he also had a caring side and would help you out anytime you needed him to. He served in the Navy during WWII and even saw Gen. Douglas McArthur sign the Treaty of San Fransisco, ending the allied occupation during the war. Funny thing was he was so proud of all that, he bragged about his service right up until he passed away. He was married to my grandma for sixty-seven years and they seemed to have a very happy marriage. One lasting memory I will have was the time my high school, Northern, had a lockout and subsequent fights outside. When we were finally released from school, I saw my grandma and grandpa outside waiting. Normally, if was just my grandma but he was there too and he grabbed my hand as we walked to the car. I'll never forget the display of how much he cared for me that day.

Although these two wonderful grandparents are gone, I know they're in a place that's much better than our world and I will see them again someday. So, rest in peace "Bobbie" and "Pa" you will be missed!

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Best Interests?

I'm sure you've all heard of the big scandal going on at Penn State. In the wake of that, both the university president and legendary head football coach, Joe Paterno, have been fired. This sparked outrage among students at PSU who subsequently rioted in the streets. Paterno had already announced his retirement shortly before the news of his firing came but it obviously wasn't enough. In case you've been living under a rock and didn't know, this who scandal began after reports surfaced that a former head coach under Paterno, Jerry Sandusky, sexually abused boys in the PSU locker room. Now, eight years after the incident, the scandal came to life. Paterno came under fire because this happened on his watch and he was notified of the situation. He told Penn State officials of the incidents and pretty much did nothing else in response.

The Board of Trustees fired Paterno as well as the president which begs the question: why was then graduate assistant (now assistant coach) Mike McQueary not penalized? In fact, he gets to keep his job and even coach at the Nittany Lions' game against Nebraska this Saturday. I may be ignorant on some of the details of this situation but how come nothing was done with McQueary? I mean, he was the one who saw these alleged incidents happen. He did notify Paterno and other officials but, still, he should've notified the police about this. I guess all could have (and should have) notified the police but if one goes they all should. McQueary should be fired as well. It's almost like the board is setting a double standard. They fired Paterno and others for not reporting this to authorities while not firing McQueary who supposedly saw it happen and did not report it to the police.

All in all, I think everyone involved did wrong and I just hate it for the kids who were involved. It's ashame that things like this happen in our world so much!

UPDATE: Penn St. put McQueary on paid administrative leave Friday. Reports say that he has left State College, PA as a result of receiving multiple threats. It's still just a slap on the wrist (not to mention he gets paid as well).

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The Will To Play Golf

In one of my PRT classes, we're studying about social issues that surround sport on a daily basis. One in particular is people with disabilities. As a homework assignment, we had to watch an ESPN "E:60" video about a man, Mike Reeder, who fell in love with golf and had one big dream: to play "The Old Course" at St. Andrews. In case you didn't know, St. Andrews is the most storied golf course in the world. Located in Scotland, the "Old Course" has hosted numerous legends including Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

So, what was stopping him? He served in Vietnam and ended up being involved in an attack that amputated both of his legs instantly. After two years in the hospital and numerous surgeries, Reeder was released from the hospital, married, and found a job in the music industry. While in the music biz, he worked with the likes of Carlos Santana and was even nominated for a Grammy.

He later quit the music biz to be a stay-at-home dad, where he soon became fascinated with the game of golf. He met another man who quickly became his friend and playing partner. They made a pact to go to Scotland and play at St. Andrews. However, his friend died from lung cancer before they could make it there. But, with determination, Reeder did make it to St. Andrews and became the first person in a wheelchair to play the course. Congrats to Mike Reeder who gets my Weekly Salute!

P.S. My words alone can't describe this remarkable story. Please take the time to watch the video of the full story below...

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That's Gotta Hurt

You see this a lot in movies but rarely in real life. A Fayetteville man was arrested and charged after hitting a woman on the head with a frying pan. Police said it started when the woman allegedly threw a grape jelly jar at the man's head after he told her she could not take his bags while they packed to leave.

The man struck back by hitting the woman on the head with the frying pan. The woman, who was in a recent car accident previous to this incident, was taken to the hospital and released. Detectives charged the man with assault with a deadly weapon and assault on a woman. He was released after posting bond.

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Magical Performance

The new show "Anderson" hosted by journalist Anderson Cooper, featured a group of kids who all stuttered. One of the kids, sixteen-year-old Phillip Garber, said on the show that he was told by one of his professors to keep quiet during class so he "wouldn't disturb" the other students. Despite this, Garber and a few of his counterparts going through the same thing got together and formed a singing group called Our Time. Let's just say that professor might backtrack on what they said after this!

I chose this as my Weekly Salute because it really touched me. I'm taking a class on diversity and inclusion in school this semester and we've been talking about including everyone regardless their race, gender, religion, disability, etc. We've also talked about educating those who may not be comfortable with including people like these kids in normal, everyday activities. It's very important that, regardless of who the person is or where they come from, we treat them all with dignity and respect.

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Unconstitutional?

This is just crazy. Utah Congressman, Bob Bishop, is also the chair of the House subcommittee on that oversees national parks and other federal lands. The only problem, though, is he said it's unconstitutional for the federal governement to own those lands. Although he would like to see most federal lands in the West turned over to the states, he said the federal government can keep them because "they're not moneymakers anyway." It gets even better. The congressman went on to say to Think Progress, a nonpartisan arm of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, that he supported mining near the Grand Canyon and thinks that neither the water nor tourists would be affected by it.

Ok, what? It sounds to me like this guy is worried about who controls the national parks but, at the sametime is not. It really doesn't make sense to me at all! I did a little research and found some interesting points on how much Americans gave to philanthropic causes, including the national park system; according to the National Park Service and the American Association of Fundraising Counsel:

• Americans gave over $290.89 billion to their favorite causes in 2010 (including national parks) 
• Total giving, when adjusted for inflation, was up 3.8 percent
• Gifts from individuals represented 73 percent of all contributed dollars, a slight increase from 2009 figures

I think Bob Bishop needs to check his information again. National parks make a lot more money than he thinks and they are much more important than he believes. Why is he the chairman of this subcommittee in the first place? Congrats to Rep. Bob Bishop of Utah for getting my Oops Award of the week!

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Attitude

"Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference"

                                                 ~Winston Churchill

As a sport management major, I've already learned quite a bit of the business side of sport. I guess that's really what sport management is in a way. One big part of not only being a good manager but being successful in business altogether is having a good attitude towards your clients, customers, and fellow employees. This is something that the Entry Department at the NC State Fair seems to have trouble with. I had to go there and pick up my photo today and I was not at all pleased with the attitude of the person who helped me. I will say that almost everyone who works in the Entry Department is over the age of 50 and everyone I've come in contact with the past couple of years has this attitude problem. Now, I don't think this is the reason behind the attitude problem but I do think it's wrong for them to have this type of attitude everytime.

Here's what I'm talking about. I walked in to the Entry Department and told the person that I needed to pick up my photo. I said my name and she asked if I had my claim ticket. I said I didn't because I actually turned in my photo before the turn in dates to the office of the competiton manager (I was in Nashville at that time). She then asked if I knew the exhibit number and, once again, I told her I didn't. This next part is what I had a problem with. The person got pretty upset and almost acted like it was my fault that this happened. I immediately said to her in an equal tone that it wasn't my fault and went on to say the competition head ok'd it for me to do this in the first place. After that incident, I went to the front office next door and, just as they were paging the competition head, that same person from the Entry Department came over with my picture. She said they had looked up my name and found it.

Now see? How hard was that? Instead of creating a problem she could've simply looked up my information and find the picture. All of the attitude and such was not necessary. I'm writing this to offer advice to those of you who are thinking about getting into business: always try to keep a good attitude yourself and make sure you employees do the same. This is, in my opinion, not only a key to managing a successful business but it's also a key to living a good, wholesome life.

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