When Things Get Real
April 2, 2020 at 11:19 p.m.
When Things Get Real
By Mark Howe-
It doesn’t have to be a close, personal friend. Over the course of a lifetime I’ve met hundreds, if not thousands of people, and I hope most of them, when my name is mentioned, smile. (No one bats 1.000 in that category, and I am by no means an exception to that rule.)
Until Tuesday, I had dodged that particular bullet with the coronavirus. As I write, it has not been confirmed West Noble Athletic Director Tom Schermerhorn has the virus, but he was taken to a hospital in Fort Wayne and needed assistance from a respirator to breathe. It’s been reported he is now breathing on his own, and that’s good news for everyone.
I met Mr. Schermerhorn the first time I applied for press credentials for a basketball sectional at his school. Not to say any athletic director is rude, far from it, but some are exceptional, and Schermerhorn is known among is colleagues for standing out in that way.
When I arrived at West Noble, I tracked him down and, I asked what would be the best way for me to get around with minimal disruption to the game and fans. When he saw I use a cane, bent over backwards to accommodate me. It’s hard not to notice when you know someone has a ton of things to do, all urgent, and yet time is taken to make another comfortable.
I can count on two hands the number of times his path and mine have crossed since that sectional four years ago, and yet he called me by name every time. It’s hard not to be impressed by that, and it’s folks like that who, regardless of the endeavor, are successful professionally and personally.
So when I saw Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell’s Tweet, my heart sank.
Even if it turns out it’s not the virus that hospitalized Schermerhorn, we do have to realize we are all in this together.
Like most everyone by now, I’ve tired of seeing all the public service announcements, and I’m not especially fired up about adding to them.
The reality is, arguably for the first time since before Adam ate the apple Eve picked, we are all in this together.
There is nothing convenient about this situation, and the world will change in many ways between the beginning of 2020 and it’s conclusion nine months from now. It’s been drummed into our heads how to do our part, and each of us has a choice to make, every single day. I want to encourage everyone to do their part, as they see fit.
If we don’t, sooner or later we will all know someone who’s life is on the line.
Here’s hoping Schermerhorn is the last person I know who is suspected of having the virus. It sucks to be on a respirator, but more so to need but not have one.
Note: As of Thursday, Schermerhorn's wife, Dee Dee, said he was still on a respirator, but "each day it has been lowered a bit." She also aid he is "making slow and steady gains."
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It doesn’t have to be a close, personal friend. Over the course of a lifetime I’ve met hundreds, if not thousands of people, and I hope most of them, when my name is mentioned, smile. (No one bats 1.000 in that category, and I am by no means an exception to that rule.)
Until Tuesday, I had dodged that particular bullet with the coronavirus. As I write, it has not been confirmed West Noble Athletic Director Tom Schermerhorn has the virus, but he was taken to a hospital in Fort Wayne and needed assistance from a respirator to breathe. It’s been reported he is now breathing on his own, and that’s good news for everyone.
I met Mr. Schermerhorn the first time I applied for press credentials for a basketball sectional at his school. Not to say any athletic director is rude, far from it, but some are exceptional, and Schermerhorn is known among is colleagues for standing out in that way.
When I arrived at West Noble, I tracked him down and, I asked what would be the best way for me to get around with minimal disruption to the game and fans. When he saw I use a cane, bent over backwards to accommodate me. It’s hard not to notice when you know someone has a ton of things to do, all urgent, and yet time is taken to make another comfortable.
I can count on two hands the number of times his path and mine have crossed since that sectional four years ago, and yet he called me by name every time. It’s hard not to be impressed by that, and it’s folks like that who, regardless of the endeavor, are successful professionally and personally.
So when I saw Purdue volleyball coach Dave Shondell’s Tweet, my heart sank.
Even if it turns out it’s not the virus that hospitalized Schermerhorn, we do have to realize we are all in this together.
Like most everyone by now, I’ve tired of seeing all the public service announcements, and I’m not especially fired up about adding to them.
The reality is, arguably for the first time since before Adam ate the apple Eve picked, we are all in this together.
There is nothing convenient about this situation, and the world will change in many ways between the beginning of 2020 and it’s conclusion nine months from now. It’s been drummed into our heads how to do our part, and each of us has a choice to make, every single day. I want to encourage everyone to do their part, as they see fit.
If we don’t, sooner or later we will all know someone who’s life is on the line.
Here’s hoping Schermerhorn is the last person I know who is suspected of having the virus. It sucks to be on a respirator, but more so to need but not have one.
Note: As of Thursday, Schermerhorn's wife, Dee Dee, said he was still on a respirator, but "each day it has been lowered a bit." She also aid he is "making slow and steady gains."
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