THE KINDEST PEOPLE WHO DO GOOD DEEDS: VOLUME 7
Dedicated to Billy Sorensen, Billy’s parents and sister,
and to Steve Farmer
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All anecdotes are stated in my own words to avoid plagiarism.
The Kindest People Who Do Good Deeds: Volume 7
by David Bruce
Copyright 2011 by Bruce D. Bruce
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphics, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author. You may use brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. In addition, you may excerpt up to 10 anecdotes to use as an article, in an article, or as a sidebar provided you meet these conditions: 1) include a notice that the material is copyright 2011 by Bruce D. Bruce, and 2) include a notice that this book may be purchased at
<http://stores.lulu.com/bruceb>.
Exception: In Athens County, Ohio, the only medium allowed to use these anecdotes is The Athens News.
Front Cover Photograph
© Bobby Flowers
Agency: Dreamstime.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE
INTRODUCTION
COMEDIANS
SPORTS
AUTHORS
ART
MUSIC
DANCE
TV AND MOVIES
THEATER
EDUCATION
FAMILY AND FRIENDS
CHRISTMAS
HOLOCAUST
RABBIS
RELIGION
WAR
MEDICINE
POLITICS
ANIMALS
“ORDINARY” PEOPLE
CONCLUSION
BOOKS BY DAVID BRUCE
BOOK BIBLIOGRAPHY
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SOURCES
***
PREFACE
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 that I have encountered in my reading of books or of articles on the Web, and then retold in my own words. 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.
INTRODUCTION
Frugal and Generous
In Taiwan, Chen Shu-Chu works hard selling vegetables, getting up at 3 a.m. and staying in her stall until 7 or 8 at night. She is the first to arrive at and the last to leave the market. She is frugal and over the years has donated to charities NT$10 million (New Taiwan dollars), which is $321,550 in American money. A Buddhist, Chen says, “Money is only worthy if given to those in need.” Chen, who is unmarried, is humble, saying, “I have done nothing extraordinary and everyone who wants to can do it. There are many other charitable people; we just don’t know about them.” Chen adds, “I do not place great importance on money. When I donate to help others, I feel at peace and happy, and I can sleep well at night.” One of Chen’s largest donations was for a school library at her alma mater, Ren-ai Primary School. Making plans for the school library, which Li Guorong, a teacher, estimated would cost between NT$4 million and NT$5 million, Li asked Chen if she would be willing to donate NT$50,000. Instead, she donated all the money that was needed for the library: NT$4.5 million. The library is named “Chen Shu-Chu Library” in her honor. She has also donated NT$1 million to Ren-ai Primary School to help poor children financially. How can Chen afford to donate such sums of money? She says, “Spend only what you need, and you’ll be able to save up a lot of money!” Since 1996 she has sponsored three children in the Kids-alive International organization, donating NT$36,000 ($1,150), which is the money that she got from putting her loose change into three cardboard boxes each night. She says, “This is a simple act that can be done by anyone, isn’t it?” She adds, “My philosophy in life is simple: If doing something makes you worried, then it must be a wrong thing. If it makes you happy, then you must have done the right thing. What others say is not important.” (1)
COMEDIANS
Blisters and Missing Toenails
In 2009, British comedian Eddie Izzard ran approximately 1,100 miles across Great Britain to raise £200,000 for the charity Sport Relief, which brings together people from the sport and the entertainment worlds to raise money to help vulnerable people. Despite blisters and missing toenails, Mr. Izzard ran the equivalent of 43 marathons in 51 days at a pace of more than 27 miles a day, six days a week. After finishing the fundraiser at the National Gallery in London, an exhausted Mr. Izzard said, “I feel dead. Being here [with everyone] is very nice. When I left here seven-and-a-half weeks ago, there was nobody here and it was just another cold morning. And now there is a lot of people here—even in the rain. I think the worst part of the experience was the last three minutes sprinting down The Mall, which was really tough. I don’t think what I did was amazing. Anyone can do it.” Mr. Izzard trained for only five weeks before beginning his epic run. At first, he completed his daily distance in around ten hours, but as he got in shape, he completed it in a little over five hours. Mr. Izzard said about the running, “It’s changed my body.” One change that Mr. Izzard needed to stop after ending his intensive running was his food intake. He said, “I’ve been stuffing food [5,000 to 6,000 calories per day] in my mouth morning, noon, and night, and now I have to stop doing that. I’m completely exhausted, and I can’t sleep properly. The first three weeks were the toughest, when it started raining, but I’m a relentless idiot. I’m supposed to have an ice bath now. Then I am going to have a party somewhere dry, and then I am going to sleep for a week.” Mr. Izzard had help during his run: the services of a tour manager, a sports therapist, and an ice-cream van, which also gave away free ice cream to Mr. Izzard’s supporters. Mr. Izzard said that his feet did take a beating: “I had about five or six blisters at the top, and it’s now down to two on the outer toes. They look like aliens. And I lost my toenails on my outer toes as well. I don’t think I’ve lost weight because it turns into muscle, so you probably put on weight. I’ve probably leaned up.” Mr. Izzard may actually have temporarily lost a bit of height from the massive amount of running. John Brewer, a professor in sport at Bedfordshire University, said about Mr. Izzard, “He might actually be a little bit shorter. Studies have shown that marathon runners tend to lose between one and two centimeters in height because the spine constricts slightly. That is a short-term effect, and the height will come back up again.” A few people temporarily joined Mr. Izzard on his run. He once stopped at a fast-food place for a burger, and a group of girls ran with him for a while. Another time, a group of boys ran five miles with him. (2)
A Kind Father
Don Rickles’ father taught him everything he ever needed to know about making car repairs: Pay someone else to make them. His father was a very kind man. He sold life insurance, and when his customers could not afford to pay the premiums, often he would pay the premiums for them. When his father died, his customers showed their respect for him by paying back what they owed him. (3)
Kind People
When Daddy Thomas was just getting started as an entertainer, he hitchhiked back and forth from Toledo and Detroit. He told a trucker he hitchhiked with about his desire to be an entertainer, and the trucker gave him free transportation. Each morning, the trucker picked him up at the Toledo truck terminal and gave him a ride to Detroit. Each evening, Danny waited for him at the Detroit truck terminal, and the trucker gave him a ride to Toledo. Danny repaid the trucker by telling him his funniest stories. Danny says, “The trucker was a good audience.” By the way, for decades, Janet Roth was Mr. Thomas’ secretary. As such, she did many duties, including taking care of the Thomas children whenever Mrs. Thomas visited Danny when he was on the road performing in nightclubs. Mr. Thomas and Ms. Roth had an agreement that was mutually satisfying to both of them: Mr. Thomas was not allowed to fire her, and Ms. Roth was not allowed to quit. (4)
Healing Those Who Fight, and Helping a Healer
Marlo Thomas once asked her father, the comedian Danny Thomas, if he had ever been in the army. He replied that for a year he had served as an entertainer in North Africa, Europe, and the Pacific with Marlene Dietrich. Marlo said, “Oh, so you weren’t a real soldier.” Her father replied, “No, we didn’t carry the guns, but we helped heal the boys who did. You know, Mugs [Marlo’s nickname], right after the Red Cross comes the U.S.O.” Danny was a kind person. When Marlo was in college, she dated a man named Jimmy Pugh, who was studying to be a dentist. Even after Marlo stopped dating him in order to go to New York to become an actress, Danny stayed close to Jimmy, who often came to Danny’s house for conversation. One day, Danny walked with Jimmy to Jimmy’s car after their visit was over. Jimmy had parked his car in the back because it was a “heap.” When Danny saw the wreck of a car, he said, “You’re going to be a dentist! You can’t let anything happen to your hands. You’ll beak every bone in your body in this wreck!” Danny happened to have a new pickup truck—the result of doing a favor for a company. He gave the truck to Jimmy, saying, “Here, take this. I’ll never drive it.” Danny kept the gift quiet—Marlo learned about it in a letter that Jimmy sent her after Danny died. (5)
100 Pennies
Al Shean was a popular comedian during the very early part of the 20th century. He endeared himself to children whenever he visited his young nephews who later became the famous Marx Brothers. Not only did he give his young nephews money, but also he would toss 100 pennies (back when a penny was actually valuable) into the street and let the neighborhood children scramble for the money. (6)
“Not Afraid of Anyone”
Chico Marx of the famous Marx Brothers married a woman named Betty, who traveled with the comedy troupe to be with her husband during their vaudeville days. One day, the usually mild-tempered Gummo Marx (who left entertainment to go into business before the Marx Brothers started making movies) got into an argument with a train brakeman, and the brakeman got so angry that he lifted a wrench and was going to hit Gummo with it. Although Betty was seven months pregnant, she grabbed the brakeman’s hand and held on long enough for Gummo’s brothers to come to the rescue. Chico proudly claimed afterward that Betty was not afraid of anyone. (7)
SPORTS
“Our New Olympic Hero is Bjornar Haakensmoen”
During the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy, the Canadian women’s cross-skiing team ran into trouble when one of Sara Renner’s ski poles broke during the sprint relay final. Bjørnar Håkensmoen, head coach for Norway’s cross-country skiers, was on the scene. He exhibited incredibly good sportsmanship by giving Ms. Renner one of his own ski poles. The Canadian team of Ms. Renner and Beckie Scott won the silver medal while the Norwegian team finished fourth. Mr. Håkensmoen insisted that he was merely following the Norwegian tradition of fair play. He pointed out, “We talked about it at our team meeting the night before. We are a country which believes in fair play.” Of course, the media gave his good sportsmanship immense coverage, and he became a hero in Canada. In its story about his good deed, Québec’s Le Journal de Montréal published on its first page a huge “TAKK” (which is Norwegian for “thank you”). Many Canadians wrote grateful letters to the English Web Desk of the large Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten. George Araujo of Port Dover, Ontario, wrote, “Our new Olympic Hero is Bjornar Haakensmoen.” He called Mr. Håkensmoen “a living testament to the true meaning of sport.” Bruce Norgren of Waterloo, Ontario, wrote, “There can be no better example of the Olympic ideal of sportsmanship than was demonstrated by Norwegian coach Bjornar Haakensmoen.” Mark Rice of Toronto wrote, “In a world gone mad … with even the simplest of misunderstandings leading to violence the world over, it’s heartening to see that we can still be human. The selfless act of Bjornar Hakensmoen, the Norwegian cross-country ski boss, in handing a new ski pole to Canadian Sara Renner, during the heat of competition, without thought as to how the outcome might have affected his own team, stands alone in my mind as one of the brightest moments I can recall in this, or any other Olympics.” And Geoff Snow of Waterford, Ontario, wrote, “In the eyes of Canadians, we took a silver medal, but Norway has won gold for sportsmanship.” The Canadians found a unique way to thank Mr. Håkensmoen for his good sportsmanship. Canada is renowned for its maple syrup, and the Canadians started Project Maple Syrup—a drive to collect maple syrup to give to Mr. Håkensmoen. The drive was very successful: The Canadians collected 7,400 cans of maple syrup (over five tons) and sent it to Mr. Håkensmoen in Oslo, Norway—many of the cans had messages of admiration attached to them. Both the Norwegian and Canadian governments waived import duties for the maple syrup. Mr. Håkensmoen said, “When you get this kind of response, it is, well, just enormous.” So does Mr. Håkensmoen like maple syrup? After trying it for the first time, he said, “It’s sweet, and a little unusual. We might have it from time to time, but not five times a day.” Of course, Mr. Håkensmoen did not keep all that maple syrup. He gave it to Chess Communications of Norway, which in turn donated 150,000 Norwegian Krone to the Norwegian Cancer Society. (In April 2011, 150,000 Norwegian Krone were worth $28,250 in American dollars.) (8)
Triathlon Hero
On April 30, 2011, Teresa McCoy, 37, saved a life. She was competing in the bike portion of the Meek and Mighty Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Florida, when she saw runner No. 100, a man with whom she had spoken before the triathlon began, lying on the ground with two police officers by him. Ms. McCoy, who is a nurse at Tampa General Hospital’s cardiac lab, checked his pulse. He had no pulse, so she began to perform CPR on him and yelled for a defibrillator. A police officer brought her one, and she used it. She said, “As soon as we shocked him, he came to.” He was expected to recover from his heart attack. Ms. McCoy said, “I’m so glad he’s alive. I know that God put me where I was supposed to be today. It’s like I was his angel today.” By the way, after paramedics and an ambulance took the man away, Ms. McCoy finished the triathlon. (9)
“You Don’t Do Things Right Once in a While; You Do Them Right All the Time”
Lots of football players who played for the Green Bay Packers under Coach Vince Lombardi did not retire rich from football. However, many of them have gone on to become rich in part because of lessons that they learned from Coach Lombardi. Willie Davis earned an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago while he was playing for the Packers. At one point, he grew discouraged and wanted to quit. Many coaches today are likely to welcome such a decision, hoping that the player would then concentrate solely on football and not be distracted by academics; however, Coach Lombardi talked to Mr. Davis and said that he had never seen Mr. Davis quit and that he did not want him to quit now. After retiring from football, Mr. Davis made millions from radio. Max McGee founded Chi-Chi’s, the chain of Mexican restaurants, and grew rich. Many other Packers did not retire rich but are rich now. Jerry Kramer believes that all of Mr. Lombardi’s players learned from the coach. One thing that Mr. Kramer learned from Coach Lombardi was this: “You don’t do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time.” Mr. Kramer says, “Some of today’s players would probably scoff at this as a cliché, but any time I think of taking a shortcut, of just going through the motions, I hear Lombardi’s raspy voice, I see his shiny eyes, and I just can’t do it.” (10)
Guess Who Her Date Is
In 2011, Joslyn Levell, an 8th grader with spina bifida who spends most of her time in a wheelchair, got an impressive date for her end-of-school-year formal dance at Suncrest Middle School in Morgantown, West Virginia: J.T. Thomas, who had played football at West Virginia University and had been drafted by the Chicago Bears. That date was so impressive that it got a lot of media attention. Joslyn said, “I’m not used to the attention, but I like it. It’s been amazing. I can’t wait to hear what everybody has to say.” Mr. Thomas has a seven-year-old brother named Jared with autism who rides the same bus as Joslyn. Bus driver Jake Tennant invited Mr. Thomas on the bus and introduced him to Joslyn because he knew that Joslyn is a Bears fan. They talked, and Joslyn told him that all the boys she had asked to be her date to the end-of-school-year formal dance had turned her down. Mr. Thomas said, “I hugged her and signed a few things and we talked for awhile and she cried a bit. I gave her a hug and told her everything would work itself out.” Mr. Thomas decided to ask Joslyn to allow him to escort her to the dance. Of course, he wanted this to be OK with everyone; after all, he was 22 years old and Joslyn was only 14, so his stepmother, Rochelle, telephoned both the school and then Joslyn’s parents to get their permission, and then Mr. Thomas telephoned Joslyn. Calling someone for a date can be nerve-wracking. Mr. Thomas said, “I was nervous that by the time I reached out, she might have had a date and would have to turn me down.” Joslyn said, “After so many people turned me down, this was so big, especially because he asked me instead of me asking him.” Mr. Thomas gave Joslyn a bouquet of roses and a corsage, and at the dance Joslyn made sure that the boys who had turned her down knew that her date was a football star. (11)
A Good Deed for a Good Deed
On December 12, 2009, Edward Myers, who is 11 years old and lives in Greensboro, North Carolina, found a purse in a creek. He said, “I retrieved the purse, and we [he and his parents] looked through it and we found $2,000 in cash.” Edward and his parents telephoned the police, and the purse was returned to its rightful owner, who gave Edward a $100 reward. Edward bought a Carolina Panthers jersey, and a player on his favorite NFL sports team further rewarded him. Steve Smith, a wide receiver for the Panthers, learned about Edward’s good deed and wanted to treat him: He sent Edward four tickets to a game. Edward said, “Steve Smith wrote a letter and invited me to the last game of the season.” He added, “I got front-row seats. I get to see two teams go together—it’s gonna be a good game.” (The Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints, 23-10.) After the game, Edward said, “It’s been great to see all the players—it’s so amazing.” Edward said about Mr. Smith, “How thankful I am that he thought of me and my family,” adding, “I would have never thought in my life to take the purse.” Edward’s mother, Donna Myers, said, “I hope it shows someone that might not be making the right decision that good can come from doing the right thing.” (12)
An Intimidating Nice Guy
Chris Johnson, a native of Orlando, Florida, and a running back for the Tennessee Titans, won The Associated Press 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, and in early 2010, he did a small but nice good deed. Mr. Johnson ate breakfast at a Denny’s restaurant in Altamonte Springs, Florida. Before he left, he paid the bill for an elderly couple whom he did not know but who were sitting near him. Mr. Johnson may intimidate some people because of his dreadlocks and gold teeth, but this good deed shows that he can be a very nice guy. (13)
UGA Offensive Linemen Help Rescue Three People
On May 18, 2005, two University of Georgia football players helped rescue three people following a fiery four-vehicle car crash involving two tractor-trailer trucks and two pickup trucks. UGA offensive linemen Russ Tanner and Dennis Roland were driving a pickup to South Carolina to buy fireworks when the collision occurred. Mr. Tanner said, “We were coming up north on Commerce Road [U.S. 441] following the white semi when, for no reason, this pickup truck coming the other way came into our lane and sideswiped the semi. Both trucks lost control, and the pickup fishtailed around the semi and slid across the road straight at us, so I drove into the ditch to get out of the way, but it hit us anyway.” The white semi skidded and crashed into a ditch and then caught fire. The driver of a log truck hit the brakes to keep from hitting the semi, but the log truck jackknifed and went over on its side. Mr. Tanner said, “We jumped out and heard them screaming in the other pickup. The lady inside handed the baby to me, and I gave it to Dennis [Roland].” Mr. Tanner then pulled the two adults inside through the pickup window to safety, and Mr. Roland called 9-1-1. Then they ran to the white semi. A man and a woman stumbled out of the semi, and Mr. Tanner said that he and Mr. Roland “drug them into a ditch to get them away from the fire.” People were yelling about the overturned log truck, which had also caught fire, “Someone’s still in there,” but it was impossible to approach the truck because of the fire. Mr. Tanner said, “You couldn’t even see the truck anymore because of the fire.” The driver of the log truck died, and five people were injured. Russ Tanner and Dennis Roland were not hurt, although they were shaken by what they had witnessed. Mr. Tanner shook his head and said, “Some real bad stuff.” (14)
“Share and Care”
When Tiger Woods was five or six years old, he had a coin collection, the best piece of which was a $20 Canadian gold coin. He loved this coin collection almost as much as loved his golf clubs—regular adult-sized clubs that had been cut down to his size. One day, he and his father were watching the news when Walter Cronkite was reporting on a famine in Ethiopia. Young Tiger stared at the TV screen, scared because of the starving children he was seeing. His father tried to comfort him: “You know, Tiger, I have a doctor friend who is over in Africa right now, working to help those children.” Tiger replied, “That’s good.” However, he did not feel much better. He went to his room and looked at all of his possessions. Then he got his coin collection and took it to his father, saying, “Daddy, would you send these to your friend in Africa so he can help those kids and buy some food for them?” His father asked, “Are you sure, Tiger? I know how much you love those.” Tiger replied, “I’m sure, Daddy.” When Tiger was growing up, and even on the day that he was born, his parents told him, “Share and care.” (15)
Giving Away a Kidney—or Two
On Tuesday, March 1, 2011, Ladies Professional Golf Association player Beth Allen donated one of her kidneys to Dan Allen, her big brother. After the operation, she tweeted, “I’m all done! Feels like I’ve done 10 million sit ups but I’m ok.” Dan, who works at Mission Bay Golf Course, a par-3 facility in San Diego, CA, was feeling better, too. After the operation, Beth emailed Golfweek to say, “My kidney worked for my brother right away! I haven’t seen him yet, but my mom said that he looks better than he has in years.” According to Dan, the sacrifice that his sister made is “beyond words.” Before the operation, he was spending 10 hours a day hooked up to a dialysis machine. A person who donated a kidney in 2009 is Kathie McClure of Atlanta, Georgia. The recipient of the kidney was Dan Krinsky, chef at Tierra, a restaurant that serves South American food. Ms. McClure learned in her local newspaper that he needed a kidney. She discovered that she was a good, healthy match, and she donated her kidney to him. She says that she did get an important benefit from her donation: “I can go over [to Tierra] and have tres leches whenever I want .” According to Ms. McClure, donating a kidney is “like having a baby. When it’s over, you don’t really think so much about what you went through to get where you got.” (16)
“The Goalie is My Friend”
The son of a woman who posts messages using the name “Speedi” plays goalie on a hockey team in a small town. At one game he played in, Speedi sat next to a family with a son who is mentally and physically handicapped. Speedi’s son, the goalie, impressed the boy, who kept saying things such as, “Mom, look the goalie is going to get the puck now!” During halftime, Speedi told her son about the boy, and her son went into the stands and introduced himself to the boy. During the second half of the game, the boy was saying things such as, “The goalie is my friend. He is so nice!” After the game was over, Speedi’s son gave the boy’s father the game puck and asked him to give it to his son. Speedi says, “Needless to say, we are very proud hockey parents and our son is our new hero!” (17)
A Considerate Hockey Superstar
Dallas Eakins spent a lot of time in professional hockey as a character guy (a guy with a strong work ethic and a good attitude, but a guy who will never be a major star), but he did play three games at the end of the regular season with superstar Wayne Gretzky and the New York Rangers. He even skated during the playoffs, but of course he was a minor player on a major team. However, he roomed on the road with Russ Courtnall, a great friend of Mr. Gretzky. Occasionally, the two friends invited Mr. Eakins to go and eat out with them, and so he got to know Mr. Gretzky at least a little. During the summer, Mr. Eakins was hanging out with another minor player with the Rangers, David Oliver, when he got a telephone call from Mr. Gretzky, who invited the two players to play golf with him in Los Angeles and stay at his house. The two minor players eagerly accepted the invitation, and making up a fourth at golf was Olympic gold-medal-winning figure skater Scott Hamilton. Mr. Eakins says about Mr. Gretzky, “Here is the best player ever to play the game, and he had the heart and goodwill to pick up the phone in the middle of the summer and call the 23rd guy on the team to see if he wants to spend a couple days golfing. That says volumes about him.” As you would expect, Mr. Oliver was also very happy to hang out with Mr. Gretzky. The two men stayed in single beds in the kids’ room of the Gretzkys’ house. Mr. Eakins marveled, “Hey, Ollie, we’re staying over at Wayne Gretzky’s house!” Mr. Oliver responded by making “the biggest cheer” that Mr. Eakins had ever heard. (18)
Hockey Goodies
On January 4, 2010, Pittsburgh Penguins fan Herbert Carlson died in Bonners Ferry, Idaho, of leukemia. He also had had heart problems for years. Approximately eight years before Mr. Carlson died, family member Jack Douglas, who is the Boundary County (Idaho) prosecuting attorney, let the Penguins know about Mr. Carlson’s health problems. In a letter to the editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune, Mr. Douglas writes that “the team sent a signed hockey stick, a Penguins jersey (it is beautiful) and other goodies. We have always been thankful as a family, and the Penguins brought Herb some real joy as he fought for life. You should be proud of the team, from the owners on down. God bless all of you. Please win a game in memory of Herb Carlson. He loved the Penguins and so do we.” (19)
Good Sportsmanship
In 1952, the New York Yankees won the World Series, defeating the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games. Mickey Mantle hit a home run to break a 2-2 tie in game seven, and then he drove in another run as the Yankees won, 4-2. Dodger Jackie Robinson recognized greatness when he saw it. After the loss, Mr. Robinson went to the Yankees’ clubhouse and shook Mr. Mantle’s hand. He said, “Mantle beat us. He was the difference between the two clubs. […] It was Mickey Mantle who killed us.” (20)
Forfeiting $12 Million
In January 2011 Gil Meche, a right-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, decided not to report for spring training camp, thus forfeiting $12 million that would gave been his through a guaranteed contract that meant he got paid even if he didn’t play. All he had to do was to show up for spring training camp and go through rehabilitation of a deteriorating shoulder. But Mr. Meche felt that he was no longer able to do the job the Royals had hired him to do, and he felt that the Royals had treated him well and had already paid him enough money, so he willingly forfeited the $12 million that the Royals would have had to pay him. Mr. Meche said, “When I signed my contract, my main goal was to earn it. Once I started to realize I wasn’t earning my money, I felt bad. I was making a crazy amount of money for not even pitching. Honestly, I didn’t feel like I deserved it. I didn’t want to have those feelings again.” Mr. Meche’s body had started to deteriorate, as shown in his starting nine games in 2010 and winning none. Still, in 2011 Mr. Meche could have served as a relief pitcher, and he could have been a leader of and role model for the younger pitchers, but he knew that he had been hired to start games. Because his ailing shoulder would not allow him to do that well, he decided to retire. Mr. Meche said, “This isn’t about being a hero—that’s not even close to what it’s about. It’s just me getting back to a point in my life where I’m comfortable. Making that amount of money from a team that’s already given me over $40 million for my life and for my kids, it just wasn’t the right thing to do.” Mr. Meche is divorced and has three children—two in Phoenix and one in Texas. Now he has time to frequently visit them. (21)
Cheerleader for His Fellow Handicapped
On January 28, 1958, Brooklyn Dodger catcher Roy Campanella had an accident on an icy road in the days before cars had seat belts. He tried to turn off the engine because he knew that the car might catch on fire, but no matter how hard he tried he could not move his arms; that is how he learned that he was paralyzed. When someone stopped to help, Mr. Campanella told him, “Would you please turn the key in the ignition? Turn off the engine. Please. I don’t want to burn to death.” With lots of hard work, Mr. Campanella regained some use of his hands and arms, but he was in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. At New York University’s Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, aka the Rusk Institute, he became a morale booster for other patients. One patient had a leg amputated. He was given a wooden leg, but he refused to walk on it, preferring to sit in a wheelchair and feel sorry for himself. Mr. Campanella told him, “You think you’re the unluckiest man in the world because a little thing like that has happened to you. But you’re wrong. You’re a lucky man. Just think how much worse off you could be. My goodness, I’d give a million to be in the condition you’re in. You can walk. Man, how can you sit there in a wheelchair when you can just get up and walk is beyond me. Why, you can walk right out of here if you’ve a mind to. All by yourself without having to depend on anyone else.” For two weeks, Mr. Campanella encouraged the man to walk on his wooden leg. Soon, the man did, and he walked out of the Rusk Institute with a cane and his wooden leg. Mr. Campanella made a good life for himself, hosting a radio show called Campy’s Corner, coaching occasionally for the Dodgers, and writing newspapers columns. He stayed positive, despite being in a wheelchair. He said, “I’ve accepted the chair, and I’ve accepted life.” (22)
Many Good Deeds
When Stan Musial was a minor-league pitcher (and hitter) with Daytona Beach in the Florida State League, he was newly married. The team manager, Dickie Kerr, and his wife, Corinne, befriended them. Much later, Mr. Musial said, “Dickie and his wife treated us like their own children. He was wonderful. What he did for my morale, I’ll never be able to repay.” Stan and his wife showed their respect for the manager by naming their first-born child after him: Richard. Another way that Mr. Musial showed his respect for Dickie and Corinne was by buying them a house after he became well paid when he became a star in the major leagues as a St. Louis Cardinal, although he was not paid nearly as much as today’s stars. Of course, every player has slumps, and in 1956, Mr. Musial experienced a bad one. Some fans once booed him when he came to bat, but the following day many Cardinals fans paid for a large newspaper ad in which they apologized for the way that those fans had acted. Of course, Mr. Musial bounced back from the slump and resumed his hard-hitting ways. Knowing his worth, he asked to be made the highest-paid player in the league for the 1958 season. The team general manager, Bing Devine, thought that this request was fair and offered him a contract for $91,000. However, the team owner, Gussie Busch, vetoed this contract—and offered Mr. Musial more money. Mr. Devine told Mr. Musial: “I’ve got pleasant news for you, Stan. Mr. Busch wants you not only to become the highest-salaried player in National League history, but the first to receive $100,000.” By the way, Dodger pitcher Preacher Roe once said, “I know how to get Musial out. Walk him on four pitches and pick him off first.” (23)
Good Deeds
Jon Farrar, age 12, who played in the Pony League in the tiny town that is Pleasant Plains, Arkansas, had a dream. He wanted to see his favorite team, the New York Yankees, play in Yankee Stadium. Jon said, “Baseball is my life. I live, eat, sleep, dream it. When you step on the field, you can just feel it. And just knowing that every pitch could be the one that goes over the fence.” Jon saved his money to achieve his dream: “We’ve been saving for two years. Part of my birthday money, part of my Christmas money would go into the Yankee account, is what we called it. And whenever I did chores around the house, I’d get a little bit of money put in and so it ended up equaling about a thousand dollars.” However, Jon also values other things, such as his middle school, where he knows the names of all of his classmates. In January 2006, Jon learned that the middle school was scheduled to be shut down. He said, “Just the fact of knowing that I could be miles and miles away from [my classmates], I just couldn’t imagine that.” The citizens of Pleasant Plains liked the school, and they held a fundraising drive to keep the school open. Jon decided to donate all of his money to the fundraising drive. He said, “I prayed about it, and my heart told me that was the right thing. No one would ever think that a small community like this could raise that kind of money, but little towns can band together, and I think we’ve proved that.” Publicity about Jon’s donation brought in more donations, and $400,000 was raised in 30 days to keep the school open. Charles Vondran, Midland School District superintendent, said about Jon, “He moved the community to do what needed to be done to save the school district.” One person who heard about Jon’s donation was George Steinbrenner, owner of the Yankees, who sent Jon a letter that said, “Jonathan, I couldn’t be more proud of you […] it takes quite a man to give up his personal dream for a higher purpose.” Mr. Steinbrenner repaid Jon’s money—and he invited Jon to Yankee Stadium to watch the Yankees play. Jon said, “He is going to give me a free, personal tour and allow me to get on the field during practice.” He added, “It was just amazing. I wasn’t expecting anything. And sure enough, all of a sudden I am going to get to go to New York, my school is saved, and so we just really got off real good.” (24)
A Returned Wallet
In 2004, Danny Graves, a pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds, lost his wallet containing his credit cards, driver’s license, and money on a bus that took him and his team to the airport during a field trip through the West Coast. However, the man who cleaned the bus found the wallet and mailed it to him. The man even took precautions to make sure that the cash would get to its proper owner. Mr. Graves said, “The guy kept the cash and exchanged it for traveler’s checks so it wouldn’t get stolen through the mail. It was like $1,400 in cash. He did say, ‘I borrowed $26 to overnight it to you.’” The man also asked for an autographed baseball for his father, but Mr. Graves said, “He’s going to get a little more than an autograph.” (25)
The Kindness of Dave Winfield
When Suzyn Waldman became the New York Yankees radio broadcaster in 1987, she was sometimes self-conscious around players and sports journalists and she sometimes made errors in statistics. After outfielder Dave Winfield had an outstanding game, she asked him a question for her next broadcast, but with the tape recorder running she made an error in his statistics as she asked the question. She was thinking, Do I keep going, pretend I didn’t notice, and not be able to use the tape, or do I stop the tape and make it clear to everyone here that I made a mistake? Mr. Winfield knew that she had made an error, and he knew that she was self-conscious, so he put his hand on the tape recorder and stopped it, saying, “I don’t like the way I started to answer that. Can we do it again?” Ms. Waldman says, “My mistake led to an incredible act of kindness by a relative stranger.” (26)
Baseball Gifts
In 1998, Mark McGwire hit 70 home runs to break Roger Maris’ 37-year-old record of 61 home runs in a single season. Mr. Maris, who died in 1985, had realized that someday someone would tie and then break his record, so he had left something behind for that person. Mr. McGwire received a cap that was signed by Mr. Maris with two 61’s on it. Mr. McGwire also is capable of giving good baseball gifts. When he became the first player ever to hit 50 or more home runs three seasons in a row, he signed a baseball for each of his teammates. On each baseball, he wrote “50-50-50.” He also personalized each baseball with a teammate’s name and wrote the date. In 1990, when Mark McGwire won his first Rawlings Gold Glove, he gave it away—to his optometrist. Mr. McGwire was considerate in other ways, also. When he broke Mr. Maris’ record, members of Mr. Maris’ family were in the crowd. Mr. McGwire made sure to go to them in the stands and hug them. Roger Maris Jr. said, “For him to come up there and do that, let us partake in that moment, it is outstanding and something we will never forget.” (27)
Lou Gehrig’s Disease
After Lou Gehrig was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is now known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, he acted bravely. At Yankee Stadium, fans and baseball personnel came out to honor him. He said, “Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about a bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” He also spoke about it being an honor for him to have associated with the players, managers, and officials of baseball. Lou continued to travel with and cheer the Yankees. Lou’s roommate was Bill Dickey. Some people worried that Lou might be contagious, and they advised Bill not to room with Lou, but Bill refused. He even tied Lou’s shoes and lit his pipe when Lou’s hands refused to do what Lou wanted them to do. But watching Lou’s disease progress affected Bill’s game; 1940 was Bill’s worst year in baseball. After leaving baseball, Lou dictated letters to people who had written him because they had the same disease that he had. He encouraged them to be brave and to have hope. (28)
“The Guy Wins the World Series—What Does He Do? He Stops to Help”
In 2009 manager Joe Girardi’s New York Yankees won the World Series. A few hours later, he was helping a woman in a badly mangled car following her crash into a wall. Westchester County (New York) police officer Kathleen Cristiano had congratulated Mr. Girardi on his World Series win as he passed a police checkpoint. Fifteen minutes later, she responded to an emergency call and was surprised to see Mr. Girardi helping the woman who had crashed. Ms. Cristiano said, “The guy wins the World Series—what does he do? He stops to help.” Mr. Girardi said that he was “really concerned” when he saw the mangled car. His wife called 9-1-1, and he approached the car to help. The driver of the car, 27-year-old Marie Henry, was shaken, but unhurt. Mr. Girardi said, “She had no idea who I was. I think the important thing is, you know, obviously there’s a lot of joy in what we do, but we can’t forget to be human beings where we help others out. I think that’s the most important thing we can do in life.” Mr. Girardi took a risk when he helped Ms. Henry. To get to the car, he had to go across some lanes of highway near a blind curve. County Sgt. Thomas McGurn said, “He could have gotten killed. Traffic goes by at 80 mph.” (29)
“It Gets Better”
In response to a series of suicides by gay youths who were victims of anti-gay bullying, many people, famous and non-famous, posted videos on <YouTube> that bore the message “It Will Get Better.” Among these people was United States President Barack Obama. The first professional sports team to decide to create and post such a video is the 2010 World Series Champions San Francisco Giants. San Francisco is known for having a visible gay population, and gay San Francisco resident and long-time Giants fan Sean Chapin posted an online petition to persuade the Giants to make the video. Mr. Chapin wrote online, “The San Francisco Giants are in an extraordinary position to lead the rest of the professional sporting world and possibly make the most important ‘It Gets Better’ video yet—not just as the recent world champion of Major League Baseball, but also as ambassadors of an iconic city, revered for celebrating diversity and differences with open arms.” Over 6,000 people signed the online petition, which was successful. Giants spokesperson Staci Slaughter acknowledged that the online petition had speeded up the Giants’ decision to make the video, something that they had been considering doing. The Giants appreciate their gay fan base. In 1994, the Giants began to dedicate a game each year to raise awareness of AIDS and to raise money to fight AIDS. Other pro athletes also support gay rights, including the right to be safe. Some pro athletes have filmed public-service announcements denouncing anti-gay bullying. For example, Grant Hill and Jared Dudley, both of whom play for the Phoenix Suns NBA basketball team, filmed a public-service advertisement against anti-gay bullying for the “Think Before You Speak” campaign. (30)
“When I Saw the Car Flip, I Didn’t Think Anyone would Survive”
Pittsburgh men’s college basketball coach Jamie Dixon helped passengers escape from an overturned car in October 2010 after he saw a car strike a wall and roll over. The accident occurred on Interstate 279 in Pittsburgh. He said, “It was one of those things where you just react. I think a lot of people would have done the same thing. When I saw the car flip, I didn’t think anyone would survive.” He added, “It flipped a few times. There weren’t a lot of people on the road. I pulled over and ran to the car. There was smoke coming out, which I was later told by the firemen … was from the air bags being deployed.” The windshield had shattered, and he cut his hands assisting people out of the car. Mr. Dixon said, “A woman was trying to get out and was kicking at the windshield. I grabbed her by the feet and pulled her out. That’s when I cut my hands since the windshield was already broken. At that moment I didn’t know if it was a man or a woman. And then when she got out, she ran. There was another woman in the car who was unconscious. She wasn’t responding.” By this time, other people, including a corrections officer and a woman, had stopped to help. Mr. Dixon said about the unconscious woman, “She eventually responded when the firemen got there and they had to get her out.” Pennsylvania state trooper Erik Fisher said about Mr. Dixon, “He was a Good Samaritan. That’s the way people are supposed to be. By all accounts he did exactly what a decent person should do.” Mr. Dixon was the first person to stop and help, but he pointed out that other people also stopped and helped. Mr. Dixon said, “There were a number of people who helped out. We had a number of people who stepped up. A lot of Pittsburgh people would do the same thing.” (31)
David Beckham (and Another Good Samaritan) to the Rescue
In February 2011 the car of Paul Long broke down in England. Mr. Long said that he was “petrified” by worry over the safety of his children, eight-year-old Fabian and six-year-old Josephine, who were in the car. He said, “It was hair-raising having children in the back. We had been there for ten minutes. I couldn’t do anything—cars were whizzing past.” Fortunately, help arrived. The road was near the home of soccer star David Beckham. Mr. Long saw an Audi pull over, and then a man in a hoodie came over to his broken-down car. Mr. Long recounted, “Then the hood slipped down to reveal him in a bobble hat. He had negotiated his way through the traffic on foot. I wound the window down and said, ‘You’re David Beckham!’ His next words were, ‘Are you OK?’ I said, ‘Yes, but can you push us over to the side?’ He said, ‘I'll try.’” Mr. Beckham and another Good Samaritan helped push the car to a safe location, and Mr. Long said, “The emotion of it all got to me. I said, ‘Thank you, David. I love you, mate!’ I think he was slightly embarrassed. My kids were awestruck.” (32)
Two World Cup Good Deeds
South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament. Germany’s World Cup team performed a remarkable good deed by inviting 300 schoolchildren from poor areas of Durban, Port Elizabeth, and Johannesburg to each of its first-round games. In addition to buying the tickets, the team gave the children and their teachers transportation to and from the games and bought them food at the stadiums. A spokesman for the team said the cost of the good deed was more than $100,000. In addition, Italian captain Fabio Cannavaro and the other members of the Italian World Cup team made a donation to fund a ceremony in 2011 marking an important anniversary of Italy’s unification—the 150th anniversary. (33)
AUTHORS
From a Very Bad Thing can Come a Very Good Thing
Author Deepak Chopra was born and grew up in India, and when he was a father, he took his children to visit India. Among other people, they visited their nana, which in India means their mother’s father—that is, their maternal grandfather. Soon, Deepak noticed that Mallika, his little daughter, would always eat most of her food, but not all of it. Then she would excuse herself from the table and take her plate outside. Soon she would return with an empty plate. Deepak found out that her nana had told her some of the family history. Because of a war 100 years ago his ancestors were forced to flee their home. They got on a boat, and a severe storm struck. During the night, one of their five children was washed overboard. They never saw him again. Mallika’s nana explained, “To remember that child we leave some food on our plates every evening. Then we go out into the street and give that food to a homeless boy or girl.” (34)
More Than One Good Deed
When she was a young woman, Charlotte Zolotow needed a job during the Great Depression. She wanted to be in publishing, and one way to break into publishing was as a secretary, so she studied touch-typing and shorthand. She applied for a job at Harper’s and immediately flunked a secretarial test that Marianne Brindwell gave her. Fortunately, Ms. Brindwell was a kind woman who told her, “Dear, I think you’re nervous. Why don’t you come back tomorrow and try again?” (Ms. Zolotow says, “Imagine anyone doing this today!”) She did come back the next day, and this time she passed the test and soon became the assistant to Ursula Nordstrom, editor and publisher of books for children at Harper’s. One of the people whom Ms. Nordstrom published was Margaret Wise Brown, author of Goodnight Moon. Ms. Brown was a kind woman. Harper’s offices were not air conditioned back then and so the offices were sweltering on hot summer days. Whenever Ms. Brown came in for a summer meeting with Ms. Nordstrom, she always brought three ice-cold Coca-Colas for Ms. Nordstrom, Ms. Zolotow, and herself. As you may expect, Ms. Zolotow adored Ms. Brown, and once she had a story idea for her. Ms. Zolotow lived near Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. At different times of the day, different groups of people went to the park. Ms. Zolotow wanted Ms. Brown to write a story about the park, so she wrote a memo to Ms. Nordstrom about giving this idea for a book to Ms. Brown. Ms. Nordstrom asked her to expand on the memo. Ms. Zolotow did so, and Ms. Nordstrom told her, “Congratulations! You’ve just written your first children’s book!” She then added, “You must never, ever, ever tell a writer what you think would make a wonderful book. The idea has to come from the writer. What you have here is your book, not Margaret’s.” (35)
A Nice Guy
Newspaperman Heywood Broun was a nice guy. During the Great Depression, Morris L. Ernst used to go with him to visit people standing in breadlines and, he said, “Heywood would put his hand in his pocket and hand out a twenty-dollar bill exactly the same as a dime.” (During the Great Depression, $20 was a lot of money.) Heywood was a strong supporter of unions and helped to unionize his fellow newspapermen by creating the Newspaper Guild of New York. Once, the waiters at a nightclub were thinking of going on strike, and Heywood told one waiter, “Tell me who your favorite customer is, and I’ll write him a letter and tell him to stay away.” The waiter replied, “You are, Mr. Broun.” (36)
ART
Even the Homeless Support Art
A homeless panhandler named Don (who did not want his last name released) begged for two years in front of the Blue Room Gallery, a non-profit art gallery in San Francisco. When his long-estranged mother died, she left him $187,000. Don quickly wrote a check for $10,000 for the art gallery and gave it to the Blue Room Gallery’s owner, Paul Mahder, to thank him for his kindness. Mr. Mahder started crying when he received the check. He said, “We both stood there crying. Me, because I knew how much this meant to Don. And Don was crying because, I think, he was able to really do something big for something he really cared about.” Don said, “They’ve been good to me for years at this gallery, and I wanted to pay them back. I know I haven’t led much of a life to be proud of, and I can’t even remember half of it. But for once, I wanted to do something right.” Don’s life has not been good. He has abused alcohol and crack, and he has been a criminal and served time. Mr. Mahder has been good to Don, who said, “When I had a heart attack and wound up in the hospital a year ago, who was the only person to visit me? Paul [Mahder]. And when I needed a doorway to sleep in over the past couple years, who let me? Paul. He gave me respect and hope when I needed it the most, and he never judged me. He treated me like a human being. That’s something you don’t forget.” Don spent $35,000 on a trailer so he can have a home, and he had plans to pay five years of rent in advance to a trailer park. He also bought a Rolex watch and gold bracelets and necklaces, and he tipped cab drivers $100. In addition, he started drug and alcohol counseling. Don said, “I never had anything, and now all of a sudden being hit with all this money is a shock. Even little things are strange—like now I can afford to do laundry the right way, you know, washing some things hot, some things cold, watching what bleeds into other clothes. Never thought of these things before.” Social workers at Conard House, which helps people with mental illness, are trying to help Don make the adjustment to not being a homeless beggar. Seth Katzman, a director at Conard House, said about Don, “He’s trying very hard to get his life in order, and we want to make sure he makes the best use of his resources. These windfalls do happen now and then—usually not this big—and the important thing is not to waste it. Once, one guy insisted he get a new car, so he did and promptly wrecked it with minimal insurance. Boom—$25,000 went away just like that.” Mr. Mahder said, “There are certain homeless people you just stay away from, but it was clear from the first moment that Don was different. He was real, didn’t ask for a lot of money, was a nice guy.” Mr. Mahder also said that Don “loved the art so much he became sort of a marketing person for us—he told everyone he met that the gallery was great and that they should come see it.” Don was happy to give Mr. Mahder the check for $10,000. He said, “Ten thousand bucks only begins to say the kind of thanks I need to say to these guys. They saved my life when I was at the absolute bottom.” (37)
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