The Kindest People Who Do Good Deeds, Volume 4, 250 Anecdotes
By David Bruce
Dedicated with Respect to Mimi Hart and Tom Mantey
Copyright 2007 and written by Bruce D. Bruce
SMASHWORDS EDITION
All anecdotes are stated in my own words to avoid plagiarism.
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The doing of good deeds is important. As a free person, you can choose to live your life as a good person or as a bad person. To be a good person, do good deeds. To be a bad person, do bad deeds. If you do good deeds, you will become good. If you do bad deeds, you will become bad. To become the person you want to be, act as if you already are that kind of person. Each of us chooses what kind of person we will become. To become a hero, do the things a hero does. To become a coward, do the things a coward does. The opportunity to take action to become the kind of person you want to be is yours.
This book is a collection of stories of good deeds. Most of them I have encountered in my reading of books, and then retold in my own words. A very few come from other sources. This book is organized by topic. Many people in the arts, in religion, and in everyday life have done good deeds, and I am happy that such people exist in this world.
I hope that you enjoy reading this book, and I hope that you are inspired to do some good deeds of your own.
Light a Candle
The disciples of a Hasidic Rabbi complained about the presence of the forces of darkness in the World. The Rabbi counseled them to take brooms and sweep out the darkness. They tried to sweep out the darkness, but they were unsuccessful. Next he advised his disciples to shout away the darkness. They tried to shout away the darkness, but they were unsuccessful. Finally he advised his disciples to meet the challenge of darkness by lighting a candle. Each of his disciples lit a candle and the darkness was gone. (1)
The Golden Rule
Paul Krassner remembers comedian George Carlin as a very kind man. Occasionally, Mr. Krassner would perform in Los Angeles, and Mr. Carlin would send a limo to pick him up and would let him stay in his home. When Mr. Krassner opened for Mr. Carlin at the Warner-Grand Theater in San Pedro, California, the two hung out together in Mr. Carlin’s dressing room. Mr. Krassner was also able to see Mr. Carlin interact with fans: “I watched as he continued to be genuinely gracious with every fan who stopped by. If they wanted his autograph, he would gladly sign his name. If they wanted to be photographed with him, he would assume the pose. If they wanted to have a little chat, he indulged them with congeniality.” Mr. Krassner said to Mr. Carlin, “You really show respect for everybody.” And Mr. Carlin replied, “Well, that’s just the way I would want to be treated.” (2)
“Well-Played, Anonymous Ticket-Finder”
On Saturday, April 12, 2008, Jon Sorak of Park Forest and his significant other, Melinda, were looking forward to seeing Jerry Seinfeld at the Chicago Theater in, of course, Chicago. They ate dinner at Harry Caray’s, then took a few photographs on State Street, and then found out that their tickets were missing. Mr. Sorak realized that the tickets had probably fallen out of his pocket when he had taken his camera out, so they searched for the tickets in that area but did not find them. They then talked to a security officer at the Chicago Theater, who directed them to the Will Call office, and their tickets were handed to them. Mr. Sorak says, “In a city where scalping is the norm, someone was honest and kind-hearted enough to [turn in the tickets]. Our thanks and prayers to this Good Samaritan.” Movie critic Richard Roeper, who wrote about this good deed in his blog, adds, “Well-played, anonymous ticket-finder.” (3)
“Alas, Poor Yorick”
When improvisational comedian Del Close died, he left this provision in his will: “I give my skull to the Goodman Theatre, for a production of Hamlet in which to play Yorick, or for any other purposes the Goodman Theatre deems appropriate.” However, when he died, Charna Halpern, his partner at ImprovOlympic, was unable to get his head, and therefore Ms. Halpern had his entire remains cremated. She ended up buying a skull from the Anatomical Chart Company in Skokie, Illinois. To make the skull as much like Mr. Close’s as possible, she pulled out several of its teeth before presenting it to Robert Falls, the artistic director of the Goodman Theatre. Mr. Falls keeps the skull on one of his bookshelves, and no one is bothered by the truth of whose corpse it originally belonged to. According to Kim “Howard” Johnson, author of a biography of Mr. Close titled The Funniest One in the Room: The Lives and Legends of Del Close (Chicago Review Press), “The attitude of most of Del’s friends is that if it wasn’t originally Del’s skull, it is now.” (4)
A Promise to Help Each Other
As young adults studying acting at Julliard in New York City, Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve became friends, and they promised that they would come to each other’s aid if either of them needed help. Of course, Mr. Williams became a famous comedian and actor, and Mr. Reeve became a famous actor who was best known for playing Superman in a series of big-budget movies. Mr. Reeve also started competing in equestrian events, and he was severely injured in a fall at one of these competitions. Mr. Reeve had good insurance, but even good insurance may run out when an accident is severe, and Mr. Reeve’s accident was severe, putting him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life and forcing him to rely on a breathing tube. Mr. Williams, as he had promised, came to Mr. Reeve’s aid, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for Mr. Reeve’s medical expenses and care. (5)
Staying Faithful
Country comedian Jerry Clower grew up in the South at a time when white people thought they were better than black people. He grew up racist, but he changed. One of the reasons he changed was the behavior of a black man he worked with. Both he and the black man sold fertilizer, and they got to talking together about their families. The black man’s wife was mentally ill and had been in a mental institution for 25 years, but he had remained faithful to her for those 25 years. Mr. Clower says, “I don’t know whether I could be faithful for 25 years to a lady after the doctor told me she wasn’t ever going to get out of the mental institution.” (6)
A Coffee Cup Suspended in Mid-Air
Comedian Danny Thomas received his greatest compliment from Mike Todd, who was in a nightclub while Mr. Thomas was performing. Mr. Todd had lifted his coffee cup from his saucer when Mr. Thomas went into the dramatic part in his “Ode to the Wailing Lebanese.” Mr. Todd felt it was inappropriate to put the coffee cup to his lips at such a dramatic moment, and he was afraid that he would make a noise if he set the coffee cup back down. So he held the coffee cup suspended in mid-air for three minutes, until the dramatic part was over. (7)
Putting Down a Racist
In 1946, British comedian George Formby and Beryl, his wife, went on tour in South Africa. There, they entertained black audiences and even embraced adorable (and adoring) black children. Because South Africa was following the segregationist policy of apartheid, Daniel François Malan, who was then the leader of the South African National Party, became angry at the non-racist actions of George and Beryl. When he complained about how George and Beryl were acting, Beryl told him, “P*ss off, you horrible little man.” (8)
Starting Your Own Peace March
Comedian Bertice Berry and her cousin once traveled to a peace march, but they couldn’t find it. At first, they started to get upset, but then they decided to have their own peace march. The two of them started marching, chanting, “We want peace. We want peace.” Quite a few people came up to them—they were also looking for the peace march. Ms. Berry says, “I found out that a lot of people looking for peace are simply lost. We’re all lost. And once we find each other, there will be a lot of power in coming together and working for change. But we have to do it in humor and in love.” (9)
Defending the Comedians
Enrico Banducci, owner of the hungry i, a club that nurtured rising comedians, was also the club’s bouncer and a fierce defender of the comedians who worked there. Anyone who heckled a comedian was quickly given their money back and thrown out—in groups if necessary. Comedian Irwin Corey remembers Mr. Banducci telling a group of hecklers, “You noisy bunch of mothers! … Have respect for the acts or don’t come here!” He once fought a couple of lumberjacks who wanted to fight him, and he once threw out an entire audience. (10)
Nurturing Women
For a book, Susan Horowitz interviewed Lucille Ball, Carol Burnett, Phyllis Diller, and Joan Rivers. Of course, her friends asked her what these celebrities were like in real life. She says that they were all nurturing women—Lucy fed her tea and cookies, Carol gave her a big lunch, Phyllis gave her a huge fruit basket to take home, and Joan cooked scrambled eggs and made toast for her. (11)
“Hey, Are You That Nut on TV?”
Early in her career, Carol Burnett volunteered to work with handicapped children at New York University’s Medical Center. Every week for the next four years—until she left for Hollywood—she volunteered there. The first time she volunteered, she found it difficult because many of the children were terribly deformed. A boy with no arms or legs recognized her and asked, “Hey, are you that nut on TV?” Ms. Burnett replied, “Sure, I’m that nut. But do you mind calling me Carol?” (12)
Good Scotch
Lou Costello could be very generous. Glen Adams created still photographs that were used to publicize Abbott and Costello movies. He once said he liked some Scotch that Mr. Costello was serving him; when he returned to his car, he found a case of the brand of Scotch he had praised. Another time he said he liked a shirt that Mr. Costello was wearing. As a gift, Mr. Costello sent him a dozen of the shirts. After that, Mr. Adams was very careful not to praise things when he was around Mr. Costello. (13)
Helping an Injured Man
When comedian Jimmy Durante’s longtime friend and partner Lou Clayton was severely injured in a serious automobile accident, racking up medical bills of $70,000 (a lot of money now and much more over six decades ago), Jimmy took out personal loans to help pay Mr. Clayton’s medical bills, his first wife (Jeanne) sold valuables from her safe-deposit box to help pay Mr. Clayton’s medical bills, and the Durantes’ housekeeper (a wonderful woman named Maggie Arnold) offered to work without being paid so that the money thus saved could be used to help pay Mr. Clayton’s medical bills. (14)
An Insensitive Practical Joke
Comedians Eddie Cantor and Bert Williams and some other Ziegfeld Follies stars were invited to eat at the home of fist-fighter Jack “Twin” Sullivan, who unfortunately played an insensitive practical joke on Mr. Cantor, who was Jewish. Mr. Sullivan served pork chops, which everyone but Mr. Cantor ate. Seeing that Mr. Cantor wasn’t eating his pork chops, which of course as an observant Jew who kept kosher, Mr. Cantor would not do, Mr. Sullivan offered to bring him a sandwich. However, the sandwich was made out of ham, which of course Mr. Cantor did not eat. Mr. Sullivan then offered Mr. Cantor eggs, but when he brought the eggs out to Mr. Cantor, they were covered with bacon and bacon grease. At this point, Mr. Williams felt that the joke had gone far enough, so he revealed that he had brought a present for Mr. Cantor. The present turned out to be a sirloin steak that Mr. Williams cooked for him in the kitchen. Of course, the joke was insensitive, but to Mr. Sullivan’s credit, he did invite a Jew to eat in his house at a time when much prejudice against Jews existed. In addition, he invited Mr. Williams, an African-American comedian, to eat in his house at a time when many public restaurants would not have allowed Mr. Williams or any other black person to eat there. By the way, one day Mr. Williams walked into a bar and ordered a drink. The bartender told him that the price would be $50—an even more exorbitant price in the early 20th century than it is now. Mr. Williams, a highly paid entertainer, put $500 on the counter and said, “I’ll take 10 of them.” (15)
“Hi, Jay Leno’s Teacher”
Comedian Jay Leno once wanted to do something special for Hattie Hannigan, an English teacher he had studied under while attending Andover (Massachusetts) High School. He gave her a videotape, on which 16 Hollywood stars, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Debbie Reynolds, and Linda Gray, sent her greetings. (16)
Super-8 Movies for a Celebrity
B-movie actor Bruce Campbell, star of the Evil Dead movies, started his acting career in Super-8 movies that he made with a bunch of his friends in high school. As an apprentice in summer stock, he met star comedian Tommy Smothers and invited him to view some of the Super-8 movies. Mr. Smothers accepted the invitation—to Mr. Campbell’s amazement—and had a great time laughing at the movies. Later, he even sent $500 so Mr. Campbell and his friends could make more movies. (17)
Keeping an Ex-Star Under Contract
Charles Chaplin and Edna Purviance made many silent films together, but after he directed her in the 1923 drama A Woman of Paris, she stopped starring in his films. Nevertheless, although she seldom appeared in his films, he kept her under contract as a way to help her financially. She did appear in small roles in his movies Monsieur Verdoux (1947) and Limelight (1952). (18)
A Fan from San Diego
Comedian Flip Wilson received a letter from a teenaged girl in San Diego who told him that her mother was a big fan of his, so he decided to drive to San Diego and surprise them. The girl’s mother answered the door, and shocked, asked, “Flip Wilson, what are you doing here?” Flip explained that her daughter had written him a letter, and they had a nice 20-minute chat. (19)
A Nice Hot Cup of Tea
Many people knew and liked tennis star Arthur Ashe, ranging from celebrities such as Bryant Gumbel to his next-door neighbor, an elderly woman who set a kettle of water on the stove whenever he returned home from a tennis match so they could sit and have tea together. (20)
Telegrams of Condolence
Shohei Baba was an amazingly popular pro wrestler in Japan and a very honest businessman. When he died of cancer in 1999, so many telegrams of condolence were sent to his family and to his business office that the main Japanese telegraph company was forced to close after running out of paper. (21)
An Appetizer Instead of a Full Meal
Sportswriter Jim Murray once wrote that a lifeguard “would rather lose his life than a customer’s.” As evidence to back up this assertion, he tells about lifeguard Dale Strand, who in 1953 saw a shark swimming in circles around two girls. Mr. Strand saved the girls’ lives by grabbing the shark’s fin and tail and holding on as the two girls made it safely to shore. Mr. Strand kept the shark from getting the full two-course meal it was after, but the shark did get an appetizer: a chunk of Mr. Strand’s thigh. (22)
Free Thanksgiving Turkeys for Life
The rival baseball teams of Keene and Hinsdale (both of New Hampshire) hated each other. In an 1898 game played at Keene, Hinsdale player Alfred G. Doe batted against Keene pitcher Bill Griffin. Mr. Griffin threw the ball and hit Mr. Doe in the ribs, and then Mr. Doe threw the bat at Mr. Griffin. Mr. Doe and Mr. Griffin were fighting when Mr. Doe suddenly became aware that several angry Keene fans were starting to come after him, so he ran clear out of the ballpark. Being a sprinter, he outdistanced the angry mob, but he was growing tired when he spied a house with the front door wide open. (This was before air conditioning and daily TV crime horror stories.) He ran through the open door and convinced the lady of the house, Mrs. Tom Finan, to let him hide from the angry mob there. Afterward, for many years, Mr. Doe sent Mrs. Finan a turkey just before Thanksgiving. (23)
Visiting Leo the Lip
Playing a visit to someone in the hospital can cheer him or her up—so can a joke. Baseball manager Leo “The Lip” Durocher and umpire Tom Gorman had some memorable arguments on the diamond, but they got along well off the baseball field. Once, Mr. Durocher was in the hospital, so Mr. Gorman gave him a call. They talked for a while, then Mr. Durocher said, “The troubles we’ve had. You’ve chased me out of so many games. The fights. The arguments. I never expected you to call me. It’s unbelievable. I told everybody at the hospital about you. This really pleases me. Let me ask you something, Tom. Why did you call me?” Mr. Gorman joked, “Leo, I wanted to see if you were dying.” (24)
“Hey, Kid. You’re Pressing Too Hard”
When Cal Ripken, Jr., first joined the Baltimore Orioles, he was not a star baseball player. In fact, he played so poorly that he wondered if he had what it took to make it in the major leagues. The player who turned things around for him was not even a Baltimore Oriole—it was Reggie Jackson, who was then a California Angel. During a pause in a game, Mr. Jackson told Mr. Ripken, “Hey, kid. You’re pressing too hard. Don’t try to be Babe Ruth. Just be yourself. Do what Cal Ripken can do.” Mr. Ripken thought about it, and the next day he got two hits. (Mr. Jackson, sitting in the visitors’ dugout, gave him a thumb’s-up sign.) And the day after that, he got two more hits. And in the days that followed he became a star. (25)
Giving Up a Home Run on Purpose
During the Jim Crow days, African-American George “Mule” Suttles was playing against the Tigers, the local black baseball team, in Claybrook, Arkansas. A white man with a gun ordered Mr. Suttles either to hit a home run over the fence or to find a hole in the fence and run away through it. The pitcher for the Tigers noticed what was going on and did what he had to do to ensure that Mr. Suttles did not get shot. He threw Mr. Suttles’ favorite pitch, and Mr. Suttles hit a home run over the fence. (26)
The Only Candy He Got
Babe Ruth got into trouble when he was a boy, and so he had to go to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys. He worked in the shirt factory, and the money he earned he spent on candy at a little store on the school premises that was open for an hour in the evening. Babe used to buy a hatful of assorted candies, and then pass it around to the boys who lacked parents and friends. One such boy was Lou Leisman, who for two years received candy from Babe. That was the only candy he got. (27)
“If I Ever Hear that Word in Here Again, This Bat’s Going to Go Across Somebody’s Skull”
Even early in his career, while still in minor-league baseball, African-American Hank Aaron won a lot of games with his bat. However, as all players do, he occasionally messed up, and whether he messed up or not, he often got abuse from racist fans—and sometimes from racist teammates. In one game, he booted a ball, a mishap that lost the game for his team. The pitcher for his team said after the game, “You know, you can’t trust a n*gger. When pull comes to tug, they’re going to go in the tank every time.” Jim Andrews, a white player on the team and Hank’s friend, grabbed a bat and hit a locker, and then he said, “We got enough aggravation outside. We don’t need it here. I’m just going to say this once and only once: If I ever hear that word in here again, this bat’s going to go across somebody’s skull. I don’t care much what happens to me. It doesn’t happen in here again.” And it never happened again. (28)
Helping an Opposing Player Get a Home Run
On April 26, 2008, Western Oregon faced Central Washington in a softball game. Up to bat for Western Oregon was Sara Tucholsky, who played in the outfield occasionally and who had only three hits in 34 at-bats that season. In the 0-0 game she hit a home run with two players on base. Excited—make that really excited—Sara missed first base and turned back to tag the base. That’s when her knee gave out, and she crumpled to the ground in pain. Of course, Western Oregon coach Pam Knox wanted Sara to get the home run: “It’s her only home run in four years. I didn’t want to take that from her, but at the same time, I was worried about her.” Obviously, the Western Oregon players couldn’t pick Sara up and carry her around the bases. According to the umpires at the game, the Western Oregon players and their coaches weren’t allowed to even touch her while she was an active runner. Therefore, because Sara was obviously injured and unable to run the bases on her own power, it seemed that the only option was to put a substitute runner on first base and have what should been a three-run home run recorded as a two-run single. Just then, opposing player Mallory Holtman, who played first base, said, “Excuse me, would it be OK if we carried her around and she touched each bag?” Mallory, holder of many, many offensive records for Central Washington, also wanted Sara to get credit for her first-ever home run. Therefore, Mallory and fellow Central Washington player Liz Wallace, a shortstop, carried Sara around the bases, letting Sara gently touch each base. After the game, which her team lost because of Sara’s home run, Mallory explained, “Honestly, it’s one of those things that I hope anyone would do it for me. She hit the ball over her fence. She’s a senior; it’s her last year. … it’s the right thing to do. She was obviously in agony.” The game was played at Central Washington. What did the spectators think about this selfless act? They cheered in a standing ovation. Western Oregon coach Pam Knox said, “There wasn’t a dry eye anywhere in the stadium after that. That was one of the most amazing things that I have ever seen in softball, and it says so much about Central Washington and the kids that they have.” By the way, after the game, the umpires learned that they had misinterpreted the rules of the game. According to the 2008 NCAA softball rule book, “If an injury to a batter-runner or runner prevents her from proceeding to an awarded base, the ball is dead and the substitution can be made. The substitute must legally touch all awarded or missed bases not previously touched” (page 105, rule 8.5.3.2). Therefore, a substitution could have been made and Sara would have gotten her home run. This, of course, does not change the selfless nature of the act by the Central Washington players. (29)
An Ambassador of Politeness
During the Munich Olympics, swimmer Mark Spitz always wanted to eat the same breakfast: eggs and hot cereal. The waiters soon learned his preference, so they began to prepare a tray for him before he even arrived at the cafeteria. Unfortunately, this meant that Mr. Spitz’ breakfast was always cold by the time he got it. Mr. Spitz said later, “I didn’t have the heart to return it as the waiters were beaming because of their own thoughtfulness. After all, we were supposed to be ambassadors, too.” (30)
An Error in the Scoring
At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Canada, Margaret Murdock appeared to have won the gold medal in the small-bore rifle competition by out-scoring fellow American Lanny Bassham, 1,162 points to 1,161 points. However, the Olympic officials discovered an error in the scoring. One judge had recorded a 9 instead of a 10 for Mr. Bassham. Now the two were tied at 1,162 points apiece. More drama ensued. The tiebreaker awarded the gold medal to Mr. Bassham, leaving the silver for Ms. Murdock. However, Mr. Bassham felt that since the two scores had been equal, Ms. Murdock deserved to stand at the top of the podium with him. At the awards ceremony, he clasped her hand and helped her to the top of the awards podium, and they stood together as the “Star-Spangled Banner” played. Mr. Bassham said afterward, “I wanted to show that I felt that her performance equaled mine. There was no way she deserved to stand lower while the anthem was played.” (31)
Help in Winning a Gold Medal
Vince Matthews was able to win a gold medal in the 400 meters at the 1972 Olympic Games in part because of a bank in New York, where he lived. The U.S. trials for the Olympics were held in Eugene, Oregon, and Mr. Matthews did not have the money to go there. Fortunately, the New York bank, which wanted to remain anonymous, gave $700 so that Mr. Matthews and another athlete could go to Eugene, Oregon. A high school also helped Mr. Matthews win the gold medal. Boys High School, which was close to where Mr. Matthews lived, had a good field to train on, so Mr. Mathews would climb three fences—one 15 feet high and the other two seven feet high—to get to the field and train. Officials at Boys High School were aware that Mr. Matthews was not a vandal, so they chose to ignore the situation and let him train on their track. (32)
Racing to Save Two Lives
At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, high winds made sailing dangerous. In fact, Singapore teammates Joseph Chan and Shaw Her Siew were thrown into the water and injured in a competition. Sailing in a different race nearby was Canadian Lawrence Lemieux, who immediately stopped racing to win a medal and instead started racing to save two lives. He first hauled Mr. Chan aboard, then sailed to rescue Mr. Siew. After rescuing the two men, victory was impossible for Mr. Lemieux, but he finished 22nd out of 32 boats. The authorities decided to award Mr. Lemieux second place for this, the fifth race of a seven-race competition because he was in second place when he started his dramatic rescue. All competitors agreed that this was fair. Unfortunately, Mr. Lemieux did not win a medal at the Olympics; however, at the ceremony for the medal winners, the President of the International Olympic Committee told Mr. Lemieux, “By your sportsmanship, self-sacrifice, and courage, you embody all that is right with the Olympic ideal.” (33)
Giving Back to Society
In 1980, speed skater Eric Heiden won five gold medals in individual events at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, New York. This made him the most marketable athlete of that Olympics, and he could have spent the rest of his life making a living as a sports celebrity. However, he made a few endorsements that he considered tasteful, then he devoted himself to something more important than cashing in on his fame. He attended Stanford University as a pre-med student, and in 1991 he graduated from Stanford Medical School. Today, he is a practicing orthopedic surgeon like his father before him. He says, “Now I’m giving back to society, doing something important. I’m now what I consider a productive person in our society.” These days, Dr. Heiden occasionally loses track of the locations of his gold medals. One was missing for a while until he found it in a closet, buried under some clothing. (34)
Cops for Kids
When she was a teenager, speed-skater Bonnie Blair had a problem. She wanted to go to the Olympics, but the skating rink in her hometown—Champaign, Illinois—was too small for her to properly train on. The nearest big rink was in Milwaukee—too far away for her father to be able to afford to send her there to train. Fortunately, she had heard about a program called Cops for Kids, and she spoke to the head police officers to see if she would qualify for their help. One officer remembers, “We had no idea what speed-skating was, but we told her, ‘You skate. We’ll raise the money.’” They did exactly that, selling candy, washing cars, and holding bake sales—and raising $7,500 for her to start training in Milwaukee. Ms. Blair did make it to the 1984 Olympics, and she finished 8th in the 500-meter speed-skating event. But she kept training, and kept competing, and in future Olympics she earned five gold medals in speed-skating. (By the way, when she first started skating as a toddler, her family could find no skates in her size, so she wore her regular shoes inside the skates.) (35)
“It was Better Than Being Well”
In 1988, Ekaterina Gordeeva suffered a stress fracture in her foot and had to stop figure skating until she healed. Her skating partner (and future husband, and fellow Olympian) Sergei Grinkov knew that she missed the feeling of gliding on the ice, so he picked her up and skated with her around the ice rink. Ekaterina said later, “It was better than being well.” (36)
Standing Up for a Judge
At the 1976 Olympics, Canadian judge Suzanne Francis placed Canadian figure skater Toller Cranston first in the free-skating event. This appeared to be national bias because most of the other judges placed the British figure skater first. However, Ms. Francis felt that the British figure skater’s program was simpler than Mr. Cranston’s and she judged the way she felt—and ended up being suspended for it by the International Skate Union (ISU). Mr. Cranston stood up for this judge. An ISU official became very upset because Mr. Cranston refused to sign up for an ISU tour through Europe. According to the official, the ISU regarded Mr. Cranston as the best free skater in the world, and it had used Mr. Cranston’s name to sell the tour. Mr. Cranston said to the ISU official, “If I’m the best free skater in the world, why have you suspended my judge?” Mr. Cranston did not go on the ISU tour. (37)
The Team of Destiny Gets Unexpected Help
The 1960 United States Olympic hockey team is known as the Team of Destiny. No one expected the team to win gold, but it did, defeating two teams favored to win: the Canadian team and the Soviet team. In the title game, they played the Czech team, but by then they were tired. After two periods, the Americans were down 4-3, and now they were exhausted. Suddenly, they got help from an unexpected source: Nikolai Sologubov, the Soviet team captain. He walked into their locker room at halftime and in broken, difficult-to-understand English, advised the players to breathe oxygen. They did, and then they scored six straight goals in the fourth period to the Czech team’s none to put away the game and win the gold. (38)
“I Helped Send the Millers to Barcelona”
In 1992, the people of the great state of Oklahoma performed a remarkable good deed. Oklahoma’s Shannon Miller was going to participate (and, as it turned out, star) in the Barcelona Olympic Games. Unfortunately, her family did not have the money to go to the Games to watch her. Several fundraisers were set up for the Miller family, and many Oklahomans ended up wearing T-shirts that said, “I helped send the Millers to Barcelona.” The end result: Shannon’s parents, Ron and Claudia, and her siblings, Tessa and Troy, went to Barcelona. In fact, way too much money was raised for them, and the extra money was donated to the Oklahoma Special Olympics. (39)
“I Will Be the First to Sign the Letter”
At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico, where she was known as the “Bride of Mexico,” gymnast Natalya Alexandrovna Kuchinskaya won gold on the beam and bronze in the all-around competition. After retiring from competition, she became a gymnastics coach for small children in Kiev. The gymnastics facilities were overcrowded, and so one of her co-workers wrote a letter asking that the overcrowding be remedied by constructing new facilities. A question then arose—who would be willing to sign the letter? Ms. Kuchinskaya said, “I will be the first to sign the letter.” (40)
Small, But Tough
Gymnasts tend to be small, but very tough. As a teenager working at McDonald’s, Kurt Thomas noticed a strange-looking man harassing a woman at the counter. Mr. Thomas knocked him out with one punch. When the police arrived, they asked who had hit the man, and Mr. Thomas confessed. The police then looked Mr. Thomas over—he was 5-foot-3 and weighed 115 pounds at the time—and laughed. (41)
“I was Loyal to Them Because They were Honest and True to Me”
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Duante Culpepper was adopted at birth by Emma Culpepper, who had already raised 14 other adopted children. Ms. Culpepper adopted Duante at the request of his birth mother, Barbara Henderson, who was serving a prison sentence for armed robbery. Ms. Culpepper raised Duante well, and he started playing pee-wee football, then moved into higher forms of organized football. In the 7th grade, he started playing at wide receiver but quickly was moved to quarterback after he demonstrated his strong arm. The team’s quarterback threw a football that went over Duante’s head and then bounced 30 yards downfield. Duante ran after the football, scooped it up, and then threw it—on the fly—back to the quarterback. Of course, Duante played well in high school, but his grades looked as if they would keep him out of college, and many of the big football colleges that had been recruiting him started to ignore him. Fortunately, a recruiter at the University of Central Florida, in Orlando, came up with a way for Duante to get his gpa up. Duante started retaking classes in order to get a better grade, even though that meant that he, as a senior, had to sit in some freshman courses. It worked, Duante got his gpa up, and the big football colleges started to pay attention to him again. So where did he play his college football? At the University of Central Florida. Mr. Culpepper said about the college’s recruiters, “They really helped me get my act together in high school, so I wanted to reward them and pay them back. I was loyal to them because they were honest and true to me.” Mr. Culpepper also stayed loyal to another person who was honest and true to him. When he signed a contract to play professional football with the Vikings, he bought Emma Culpepper a new house in a good neighborhood. He said, “I could never repay her for all that she has done for me. I was just so happy that I could do something that would make a difference in her life. She had worked so hard to take care of so many people, and it felt great to know that now I could take care of her for the rest of her life.” (42)
“That’s It. Pack Your Bags. Get Your Books. You’re Coming with Me”
Frank “Moose” Machinsky was a very good football player and a very mediocre student. He played at Ohio State University for Coach Woody Hayes, who valued both education and football—but education more than football. Mr. Machinsky had a good time at the beginning of his student years at Ohio State; he drank lots of beers and chased lots of skirts, and his grades showed what he was concentrating on. Coach Hayes drove his car to Mr. Machinsky’s fraternity, and he told Mr. Machinsky, “That’s it. Pack your bags. Get your books. You’re coming with me.” Mr. Machinsky lived with Coach Hayes until he brought his grades up; each night, Coach Hayes checked over Mr. Machinsky’s homework and tutored him when needed. Coach Hayes worked harder than he worked Mr. Machinsky. Once Mr. Machinsky got up at 3 a.m. to go the bathroom, and he heard the sound of a film projector coming from Coach Hayes’ room. Mr. Machinsky says, “I could hear that damned projector going at three o’clock in the morning. He was doing film in the middle of the night!” (43)
Following Mother’s Teaching
As a player for the Chicago Bears, Chris Zorich invited a few children to attend Chicago Bears home games at his expense. After the game, he treated them to dinner at Planet Hollywood. He did this as a result of growing up poor and having to stand in line to get free food. His mother, a wonderful woman, supported him on $250 a month in public assistance money. Mr. Zorich says, “Besides teaching me to always give my best effort, my mom taught me to help others who are deserving and in need. Without her inspiration, love, and support, I would never have had the opportunity to graduate from Notre Dame and become a Chicago Bear.” These days, Mr. Zorich does much charitable work through his own nonprofit organization: the Christopher Zorich Foundation. (44)
Being Nice to Fans
Walter Payton was a Chicago Bears superstar who liked his fans and who did many good deeds. Jill, the young daughter of Joseph Weintraub, was standing at the checkout counter of a store so she could pay for some cosmetics she wanted to buy. Suddenly, a huge arm reached out and handed the checkout person enough money to pay for her purchases. She turned around and saw that the arm belonged to Mr. Payton. Later, Jill fell in love with a Chicago Bears fan named Michael. Seeing Mr. Payton again by accident, she approached him and asked if he would telephone and talk to her boyfriend. Mr. Payton agreed, and after convincing Michael that he was in fact Walter Payton, Mr. Payton and Michael had a good talk. (By the way, Jill and Michael later got married.) (45)
“Who are They? Lawyers?”
After Nate “Tiny” Archibald played for the Boston Celtics, he stayed active in the inner city and did good deeds as the recreation director for the Harlem Armory Shelter. Once, he got six free tickets from the New Jersey Nets, which he gave to some residents of the shelter. All of them dressed nicely in suits and ties for the game, and afterward Tiny took them down to the Nets dressing room to meet the members of the team. One of the players asked Tiny about the people he was with: “Who are they? Lawyers?” (46)
Being Helped While in Poverty
NBA star Allen Iverson grew up poor. At times, he had to wear shoes continually in his family’s home because raw sewage could sometimes be found (and smelled) on the floor of the two-room apartment where his family and 13 cousins, aunts, and uncles lived. At times, teachers, coaches, and a school secretary gave him money so that he would be able to buy food to eat. Allen and his family were evicted from their home when he was 14 years old. His mother and sisters were forced to move into a shelter, and Allen moved in with Gary Moore, his high-school football coach. Mr. Moore made Allen make his own bed and do his homework each day. Allen got in trouble when he was 17 years old at a bowling alley when a brawl broke out, and he was sentenced to three years in prison. However, Allen was ordered released from prison after four months, although the judge would not allow him to play organized sports until he had graduated from high school. Fortunately, while in prison he met Sue Lambiotte, a tutor. Even after he was released from prison, he went to her house to study so he could graduate from high school and play organized sports in college. For six months, he studied at her house six hours a day, five days a week. On the day he passed his last exam and earned his graduation, she held a special graduation ceremony for him: he and she were the only ones at the special graduation ceremony. Later Allen’s conviction was overturned because of insufficient evidence to justify a finding of guilty. Of course, Allen became a basketball star at Georgetown University, where John Thompson coached him, and he turned pro early—an easy decision to make because he became a millionaire by playing in the NBA and so he could help his family, who had been so poor for so long. Mr. Iverson has worked hard to become a success, and he had help to do so. (47)
Bill Bush: Unselfish Player
Bill Russell played for unselfish teams during his career, including the Celtics of Boston and the Dons of the University of San Francisco, a small Jesuit school. At the beginning of the 1954-1955 season, the USF Dons played well, but lost to powerful UCLA, 47-40. Before a rematch with UCLA, USF player Bill Bush said, “Teammates, I have an announcement. I’m first string. But I believe if you put Hal Perry in my spot we will be a better team.” Giving up a starting position is definitely unselfish, but in addition to that, Mr. Bush was white and Mr. Perry was black, and at the time much prejudice existed against blacks. The coach, Phil Woolpert, made the switch and the team benefited. Mr. Bush made his contribution by coming off the bench, and the USF Dons won the NCAA Tournament for the first of two consecutive national championships. (By the way, in the rematch with UCLA, USF won, 56-44.) (48)
Visiting a Stroke Victim
For many years, Dave Bing played basketball for the Detroit Pistons. One day, the man who kept the team records for the Pistons, Morris Moorawnick, had a stroke. Although the two men had been acquaintances for years, they were not especially close. Nevertheless, Mr. Bing paid Mr. Moorawnick a visit in his hospital room. Afterward, Mr. Moorawnick said, “He’s that kind of person. I would expect that of Dave Bing.” (49)
Sponsoring a Reading Contest
In 1995, Chicago Bulls professional basketball player Scottie Pippen sponsored a reading contest for over 80 children. He treated the 33 winners to a pizza party and to tickets to a Chicago Bulls game. In addition, he signed the children’s favorite books. (50)
Twenty Mothers
Heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis was generous with his money, giving much away to charities, including Detroit’s Phyllis Wheatley’s Home for Old Ladies. Mr. Louis once said, “They all call me ‘son.’ That gives me around twenty mothers.” (51)
Good Deeds Throughout Life
When Joe Louis started making money as a fighter, he was very generous. He bought his numerous siblings and stepsiblings clothing and wristwatches. He bought toys for the students at the local elementary school he had attended. In addition, he gave the city of Chicago a check for $270: the amount that his stepfather had gotten in relief checks during the Great Depression. Mr. Louis continued his generosity throughout his life. While he was serving in the Army at the same time he was heavyweight champion, he discovered that some of his fellow African-American soldiers could not afford to buy tickets to one of his fights; therefore, he spent $3,000 of his own money to buy them tickets. (52)
Making an Author Feel Important
James Herbert, writer of such novels as Creed, knows celebrity photographer Richard Young, whose work appears in many celebrity-conscious newspapers and magazines. Mr. Herbert occasionally attends film premieres and parties where real celebrities are present, and he says that Mr. Young “always takes the trouble to photograph me just to make me feel important.” Mr. Young does this even though both he and Mr. Herbert know that the newspaper and magazine photo editors are never going to print Mr. Herbert’s photograph. (53)
“Ample Security”
In 1895, African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar wanted to publish his first book of poems, but the publishing house of the religious organization United Brethren declined to do that unless he could give them $125 or had “ample security” for the money. Back then, $125 was a lot of money, and Mr. Dunbar had neither that much money nor ample security for that much money. Fortunately, the business manager of the company, William Blacher, saw how dejected Mr. Dunbar looked, and so he gave his personal guarantee to the company that the $125 would be repaid; therefore, Mr. Dunbar’s book of poetry—Oak and Ivy—was printed. Also fortunately, a number of Mr. Dunbar’s friends from high school gave him their support. Mr. Dunbar personally sold copies of his book at work and to friends, and two weeks after receiving the copies of his book, he was able to give the publishing house the $125 he owed it. After all, he had sold all of the copies of his book! (54)
A Kind Friend of the Family
After Ralph Waldo Emerson died on April 27, 1882, Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women, eulogized him, remembering how his kindness had greatly helped the impoverished Alcott family when she was growing up. He used to visit the Alcotts and leave money for them that he hid behind a candlestick or under a book on a table. He also sometimes helped them to get housing or lent money to her father. (55)
Helping Others
In February of 1938, floods struck the San Joaquin Valley. To help people, author John Steinbeck worked with Tom Collins, who managed a camp for people who had migrated to California during the Great Depression to look for work. Together, they found a mother and her children. The mother was near starvation because she had given all the food to her children. Mr. Steinbeck walked two miles to a store to buy food for the mother and her children. Some public health nurses who had visited the area had left because they felt that the problem was too big for their efforts to make much improvement. Mr. Steinbeck disagreed with this view, saying that “the argument that one person’s effort can’t really do anything doesn’t seem to apply when you come on a bunch of starving children and you have a little money.” In 1939, a university student asked Mr. Steinbeck what was his philosophy of life. Mr. Steinbeck replied, “I don’t like people to be hurt or hungry or unnecessarily sad. It’s just as simple as that.” (In 1940, Mr. Steinbeck did another good deed after being awarded the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction for his masterpiece, The Grapes of Wrath. The Pulitzer Prize included a cash award of $1,000, and he gave all of the money to another writer to help him in his career: Ritch Lovejoy.) (56)
A Surprise for a Tailor
Beatrix Potter once heard of a tailor who needed to finish an elegant coat so that he could deliver it the next morning. Unfortunately, he was exhausted from working on the coat and went home to sleep before he could finish his work. Fortunately, he was a good master and his apprentices worked on the coat all night as a surprise for him. When the tailor returned to his shop the next morning, he discovered that the coat was finished except for one buttonhole. In the buttonhole was a piece of paper bearing this message: “No more twist.” (Twist was a special thread used for finishing buttonholes.) Ms. Potter visited the tailor shop, took notes, and made the story into a children’s book: The Tailor of Gloucester. (In Ms. Potter’s story, some friendly mice finish making the coat, except for one buttonhole.) (57)
A Good Person in Whom to Confide
Lesléa Newman, lesbian author of Heather has Two Mommies, worked with gay Beat poet Allen Ginsberg when she attended Naropa Institute’s Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics. One of her duties was to help Mr. Ginsberg answer his mail. She would read each letter out loud, he would listen, and then together they answered each letter. Ms. Newman says, “What impressed me was the way he considered every piece of mail of equal worth, whether it was from an important editor, a senator, or a farm boy in Kansas who thought he might be gay and didn’t know who else he could confide in.” Mr. Ginsberg, of course, was a good person to confide in. Later, he came to Ms. Newman’s adopted hometown—Northampton, Massachusetts—in order to read his poetry publicly, and he asked her, “So who are you into now, boys or girls?” By this time, she was out of the closet, and when she told him that, Mr. Ginsberg hugged her and told her, “I’m happy for you.” Ms. Newman says, “Since my own father, born the same year as Allen, hadn’t had such a joyful response, I greatly appreciated his gesture.” (58)
Helping a Mentally Ill Friend
Poet Ezra Pound suffered from mental illness late in his life, and he began to sympathize with fascists. During World War II, he lived in Italy and spoke out in favor of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. When Italy fell to the Allies, Mr. Pound was arrested and put on trial for treason. Mr. Pound’s attorney came to E.E. Cummings, a poet and friend of Mr. Pound’s (and definitely not a fascist sympathizer), to ask for help. Mr. Pound’s money was under the control of the U.S. government, and his wife’s money could not be taken out of England due to wartime restrictions. Mr. Cummings had $1,000 that he had earned from selling a painting, and he gave the money to Mr. Pound’s attorney, saying that he (Mr. Cummings) didn’t need the money. Actually, Mr. Cummings did need the money. His wife had big medical bills due to rheumatoid arthritis, and Mr. Cummings rarely earned money from painting. Mr. Pound was found to be too mentally unstable to be tried, and he was committed to a mental hospital, from which he was eventually released. (59)
“Out of All the Letters Your Entire Class Sent, I Was the
ONLY Author Who Wrote Back?”
Responding to students’ letters can be a good deed. Children’s book author Barbara Park was once flattered in a Texas classroom when a student told her that out of all the authors the students had written to for an assignment, she had been the only author who had written back. Wanting to hear the flattering news again, Ms. Park asked, “Really, you mean, out of all the letters your entire class sent, I was the ONLY author who wrote back?” The student replied, “Yes, all the other authors were dead.” (60)
Sharing the National Book Award
In 1974, poet Adrienne Rich was awarded the National Book Award for Diving into the Wreck; however, she declined to accept the award by herself. Instead, she insisted that two other writers—fellow nominees Alice Walker and Audre Lorde, both of whom were African Americans—also be given the National Book Award. This helped show her recognition of how important a community of women is—it is more important than an individual. Together, the three women writers wrote a speech in which they accepted the “award in the name of all women whose voices have gone and still go unheard in a patriarchal world […].”(61)
An Impressive Present
African-American writer Alice Walker married Mel Leventhal, a white, Jewish civil rights lawyer. While they were living in Jackson, Mississippi, Mr. Leventhal used his legal expertise to do such things as desegregate Jackson’s schools. In addition, he helped bring about the removal of “Whites Only” and “Colored” signs in restaurants, and he helped make it possible for blacks to vote. Of course, he had many good reasons for doing such things, including a personal reason. He wanted to give their six-year-old, biracial daughter, Rebecca, a racially safe Mississippi as a present for her birthday. (62)
Studying at Spelman College
As a young woman, Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple, wanted to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, but she didn’t have the money to travel there. Fortunately, her neighbors took up a collection and raised $75 so she could buy a bus ticket. (63)
Sharing at an Airport
After 9-11, things went wacky in the United States, with elderly women being forced to partially disrobe at security checkpoints at airports due to fear that old ladies may be terrorists. And, of course, no one could take liquids in carryon luggage on board planes because liquid—even if it is a bottle of port wine or of limoncello lemon liqueur—is thought by people with power—such as politicians and airport security guards—to be capable of being an ingredient in explosives. Even absurd regulations, however, do give rise to the chance to do good deeds. Columnist Mark Morford, a man of wit and intelligence and a vigorous writing style, once made the careless mistake of putting a bottle of very good port wine in his carryon luggage. Of course, airport security found it, but the security guard did Mr. Morford the very good deed of allowing him to drink some of the wine before boarding the plane. No, this was not a chugging session; Mr. Morford had an hour and a half to take a few sips—or more—of the wine. He drank half of the bottle, then he offered the rest to an elderly man to take home. It turned out that the elderly man had never tried port wine, but he was willing to give it a try: “Well, sure. I’ll try some of that. What the h*ll. Thanks very much.” And a friend of Mr. Morford’s mother returned from a vacation in Italy, carrying a bottle of limoncello lemon liqueur in her carryon luggage. Again, the liquid was forbidden, and rather than toss it, she headed for the women’s restroom, the only place available to drink some of it. There she found a woman literally shaking because of fear of flying, and she offered some of the limoncello lemon liqueur to her. Together, they drank most of the bottle, with the results that the fear-of-flying woman became sufficiently liquored up that she could board the plane, and that the friend of Mr. Morford’s mother had an interesting story to tell for the rest of her life. (64)
Coming Through in a Big Way
When Bangor, Maine, needed a new baseball stadium for Little Leaguers to play in, its most famous resident, horror writer Stephen King, came through in a big way. He donated $1 million for the construction of the stadium, which Bangor residents called the Field of Screams after its completion in 1993. The stadium is so nice that a minor-league baseball team asked to rent it, but the offer was politely declined because the stadium is for the use of children only. (65)
Declining to be Bribed
Some reporters do a very good deed by uncovering corruption—and by declining to be bribed. In addition to being a very talented writer of such short stories as “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” Ambrose Bierce was a hard-hitting journalist for the San Francisco Examiner. One of the targets of his wrath was big railroads that sought deferments on government loans despite making lots of money. One executive, whose railroad was seeking a deferment on a $75 million government loan, tried to bribe Mr. Bierce to keep him quiet. However, Mr. Bierce told the executive, “My price is seventy-five million dollars. If, when you are ready to pay, I happen to be out of town, you may hand it over to my friend, the Treasurer of the United States.” (66)
A Red Rose
At New York University, Judy Blume took a course in how to write from children’s author Lee Wyndham. The course must have been effective, because Ms. Blume soon sold a story to a children’s magazine. To celebrate the sale, Mr. Wyndham gave her a red rose during a class. (67)
Gaining Freedom Legally and Permanently
As an escaped slave, abolitionist Frederick Douglass was in danger of having his freedom taken away from him. However, a group of English abolitionists contributed enough money to pay his former master for him and so Mr. Douglass gained his freedom legally and permanently. (68)
Overcoming Racism
Benson Blankenship was the older brother of Tom Blankenship, who was the main basis for Mark Twain’s character Huckleberry Finn. One day, Benson discovered an escaped slave hiding in a swamp. A reward of $50 was offered for the slave, and $50 was a fortune to Benson; however, he brought food to the runaway and did not turn him in. Unfortunately, eventually racist white men found out about the escaped slave, they chased him, and he drowned while trying to avoid capture. Mark Twain himself grew up in a racist society, and as a result he was racist, but he managed to reform himself. He paid for several black students to attend college, including Warner Thornton McGuinn, one of the first blacks to get a degree from Yale Law School. Mr. Twain also paid the expenses of black artist Charles Ethan Porter to study art in Paris. (69)
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