Found out today about the death of one of my Jr. High teachers, and a great softball / basketball coach, Terry Early. His accomplishments as a coach are well documented and speak for themselves. He was also, more importantly, a teacher, and he directed my 8th grade class to read The Hobbit. I was not into science fiction and didnt have a clue as to who J.R.R. Tolkien was, but Terry did. I thoroughly enjoyed that book (mostly because of his class) and I went on to read just about everything Tolkien had written. In fact, long before the movies were popular, I found the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the library of my first U.S. Navy ship, dusted them off, and read the entire collection while underway in the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean. As a disruptive 13 year old, I used to get yelled at or sent to the principal (a lot). Terry always took responsibility for the situation and kept me in line. He always treated me right and earned my respect. If Id have known the sectional tournament in Pilot Grove some time ago would be the last time Id get to speak to him, Id have gotten around to telling him all this. Thanks, Terry, and rest in peace, pal.
Posted on: Fri, 14 Feb 2014 04:10:26 +0000
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