I remember well the mid-April day in 1968 when CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite interrupted the regular television programming to inform the residents of this country that Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot and killed in Memphis, Tennessee. My dad and I listened to the report in silence as the sad details of the day unfolded before our eyes. Being just 7 years old at the time, I didn’t comprehend the immense gravity of what had taken place. King had begun a crusade to reshape the way Americans thought and acted toward one another. Now he was gone.

Later that same year, in June, we all dropped to our knees when news that Bobby Kennedy had been gunned down in a hotel lobby in Los Angeles. Kennedy was the Democratic nominee to be the next President of the United States. His very simple campaign slogan was, “We can do better.” The country was hopeful, but now another dream had been stolen from men much too young to have left us.

It was a summer afternoon in, I believe, 1969, when my brother Tom came home to my parents’ house after being notified by the draft board that he would not have to serve the U.S. army in a country in Southeast Asia called Vietnam. He was relieved to the point of being near tears. We all were. I know personally, families here in Glenwood who lost brave sons and brothers in Vietnam. Whenever I meet a veteran of any war, I thank them for their service. They are heroes of the highest order in my eyes.

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Believe it or not, this entire column was rambling around in several of the empty spaces in my head as I walked the aisles of City Market last Saturday looking for bargains. An “excuse me, sir” from a kind lady jolted me from my lengthy stare into space near the fruit and vegetable section of the store. You see, I was blocking the way for more than one shopper as I pondered what words to piece together and what the title of this particular writing should be. When I snapped out of my daze, I was actually quite relieved that the passerby had been so courteous to me and had chosen not to shake her fist and flip me off like many motorists are motivated to do these days.

 By the time I got to the bakery section to pick up not one, but two filled long johns, I had decided this column should be titled, “The Monument Men.” Just a few weeks back, I realized that every one of my coaches at Glenwood Springs High School now had a gymnasium, football field, or street named after him. In past columns, I have talked at length about the impact that Bob Chavez, Harlan Spencer, Nick Stubler, and Don Miller made on my life. Their message was always the same and it was a very simple one: The foundation of your life, your core, should be based on a work ethic, honesty, integrity, an attitude of a champion, and a willingness to put the good of the team ahead of your personal success.  

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 I never played football in high school, but Coach Don Miller was a friend of our family and he drove the school bus for the basketball team, of which I was a part of. Miller also served as the school’s athletic director during the time that my brother and I coached the boys and girls basketball teams at GSHS. He was always at the home games and most of the road games to support the kids and coaches in whatever they needed. He drove the bus for us on many occasions to places like Steamboat, Craig, and Rangely. Life was much easier for all of us coaches having Coach Miller as the AD.

 In teaching and especially coaching, I don’t hide from the fact that I am a throwback to the 60’s and 70’s and to the people who shaped me during this time. From family, to friends, to teachers and coaches, I am forever grateful for their time, wisdom, and guidance.

 Still coaching in the year 2025, I am often reminded and advised that I need to be more in tune with the fact that kids are much different today than when I was young. The old school approaches aren’t always in fashion with this generation. I get that, and I am always mindful of giving residence to more modern methods that have relevance to the teenagers I am in contact with. Kids will listen and work extremely hard, but what motivated me back in the day, doesn’t always resonate with today’s youth. It’s a different day and age.

 But I also think it’s important for us oldsters to keep in touch with the basis for what has guided us through life to this point. You can’t really compromise the principles that have been your anchor and shelter from the storm. Maybe it’s a case of don’t gain the world and lose your soul.

 I’ll be hopeful in 2025. As long as I wake up each morning with health and something worth jumping out of bed for. I think things will be good. I know they will be the same for you. Happy New Year.

 It’s not goodbye, just so long for now.

                                                       Prep Basketball Roundup

  All of the Garfield County teams have completed their pre-holiday schedule, and here is a brief recap of how the teams are faring to this point, and what lies ahead as league play starts to heat up in the new year.

Glenwood Springs Demons: The Glenwood girls (4-5) and Demon boys (3-6) finished off 2024 with a 3-game tournament in Montrose. Both teams will be springing back into action on Tuesday, January 7, when they will host the Grand Junction Tigers.

Rifle Bears: The Rifle boys (2-5) will start off the new year on Monday, January 6 when they will host the Grand Junction Central Warriors. The very next day, the girls (1-5) will travel to Junction to take on Central in a non-league tilt.

Coal Ridge Titans: Coach Paul Harvey’s boys (4-3) will host the Steamboat Sailors on Thursday, January 9, and the girls (1-6) will face off with the same team to open the evening of hoops on the 9^th.

Grand Valley Cardinals: The girls (2-3) and the Cardinal boys (1-7) will open up play before the school bell rings and classes start up again. A trip to Moffat County will be in order on Saturday, January 4 for the Cardinals.

Roaring Fork Rams: Coach Jason Kreiling and his boys (5-2) will also hit the hardwood before classes are in session. A trip to Basalt to face the rival Longhorns will await them on January 4. The Roaring Fork girls (7-0) will kick off things at 2:30pm that same day in Basalt.