The editor is a local gal and she emailed me a few weeks ago and asked if I would do a human interest story on a 70-year-old who ran in the Senior Games in State Capital. The gentleman is a retired pastor who hired a personal trainer to help him run faster. He came within 2 seconds of breaking a long-time State record. I accepted the assignment even before learning he was our retired pastor and the story was a beautiful story of an older white man and a younger African American man working together for a common goal.
Bob was quite competitive even as our pastor. He held new member classes at our church on a quarterly basis and added a great number of members to the church. He wrote a weekly column in the local paper that was widely read by Christians and non-Christians alike. When he retired 5 years ago, there were several letters to the editor saying the folks would miss his columns. In true form, he did not go home to sit but began teaching in and directing the Doctor of Ministry program at the local seminary.
When I write a story, the most challenging part, and the best part, is figuring out how to angle the story. It's like figuring out a puzzle. Being a sudoku/crossword/anagram junkie, this is just more fun for me.
I record all my interviews on a digital recorder. (Doggone, I bought mine just before they came out with one that will connect to your pc via a USB. I have to erase all my interviews rather than save them.)
When writing the story, I listen to the interviews once and make an outline of the key points. As I study the outline the approach typically comes clear. Then, as I actually write the story, I replay the interviews over and over to get the quotes exactly correctly. It's fascinating to watch myself from afar and see how the story emerges; how the key items rise to the top, like cream. (Apologies to all you homogenized young people.)
I got the assignment only a week before the magazine's deadline, but, being a quarterly, she needed the story in this issue before it got too stale. I quickly called Bob and scheduled the interview. That Sunday I was concerned to see him on the prayer list and asked our current pastor what was going on. He shared that Bob was scheduled for surgery on Wednesday -- the very day on which we had scheduled our interview.
I called Bob that afternoon and reminded him we needed to reschedule our interview. The magazine's deadline was Friday, and I had Leadership day at our local Chamber of Commerce on Thursday. (If you are ever considering participating in a Leadership program, you need to be aware it is basically a hostage situation. There are few breaks and your total attention is needed the entire day. If you miss any time, even an hour, it is considered a half-day, and you can't graduate if you miss more than 2 half days. Not complaining, it's a great program, but still, I feel a little like a captive.)
Bob, being the champ he is, agreed to have me into his home Thursday morning at 7am for the interview. I figured I could be as late as 8:20 without being noticed at Leadership as the first half-hour is coffee and mingling.
I arrived at his home at 6:58, very prepared, spare batteries for the recorder and all, and he was quite prepared, had his photos and letter out and ready for me. He was in his robe and slippers, having had surgery the day before. He had the coffee on and we held the interview. I could tell he was physically uncomfortable, but as he warmed up to his story, he forgot most of his pain. We finished the interview in 48 minutes and I got to Leadership by 8am.
I called the Coach from outside Leadership on my cell phone during potty break. Fortunately I had his cell number and more fortunately, caught up with him. He agreed to a phone interview at 5pm.
Leaving Leadership and driving across town to Little One's tennis match, I put my cell phone on speakerphone and laid it in the console of my car next to the digital audio recorder. The recorded picked up my questions and the Coach's answers as it heard them from the cell phone.
I stayed up late that night getting the story done and sent it to the editor in a timely fashion, and, having scanned in Bob's photographs, sent them in, too.
I had asked her to let me know when the magazine was printed so I could come by and get a few. She called today and gave me 12 copies. I took 4 to Bob's house. He had had more surgery yesterday and was not feeling well; his wife assured me this would definitely cheer him up. I also took several to the Coach. He met me at the parking lot in his high school. As I drove off, I saw him and his buddy eagerly reading the magazine there in the parking lot.
Tonight when we got home from our last tennis match of the season, we had voice mail from Bob. His voice sounded strong and he made no references to his current discomfort. He loved the story and wanted me to know. Ended his message with, "God bless you all." (Doggone it, my phone recorder doesn't have a USB either.)
I am sharing this story because it is one I shall never forget. This is why I write: I get to meet people and learn things and have experiences I would never have otherwise. Yes, it's about the writing, but on a larger scale, it's about the adventure. I am so thankful for the opportunity.
Here is the story in its entirety. Photos are at the end.
“Dear Mr. Steele,” the letter begins, “When I asked someone who he would recommend as the finest track coach of sprinters, he immediately said, ‘Robert Steele.’ He told me you are the best.”
“I am not your usual challenge,” the letter continues. “I am 70 years old and headed to the finals in the North Carolina Senior Games in September…”
Not your usual challenge, indeed. The letter is from Dr. Robert M. Lewis, “Bob” to all who know him. Born in Tennessee, Bob ran track in high school and college. He served for 24 years as Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Salisbury, retiring in 2002. Eschewing true retirement, he immediately began teaching in and directing the Doctor of Ministry program at Hood Theological Seminary. Bob is a go-getter in the truest sense, and particularly on the track, he loves to go.
The letter continues: “In the local Senior Games, I did the 100 in 14.66 and the 200 in 32.25, without any competition – both times were better than what won the state last year. Yet, I want to make my times better.”
Coach Robert Steele responded by letter.
“Mr. Lewis,
I would be honored to work with you. I coach the AAU track team at Salisbury High. We practice on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 6:00pm. If you would like to come to our practice, I will work with you.
Robert Steele”
The two Roberts appear to be quite different. Dr. Lewis, with his fair complexion and white hair, is muscular and strong, weighing only a pound or two more than he did in college. His posture is straight and his gaze is direct. Coach Steele, an African American man, is not as lean as Dr. Lewis, and stands a bit shorter. His broad smile indicates a big heart.
Yet they have similarities, too. In Lewis’ career as a pastor, he guided people on their life travels, providing encouragement and direction to those who looked to him. Dr. Lewis attracted many new members to his church and wrote a weekly column for the Salisbury Post.
Steele is proud of his career as a track and football coach, providing encouragement and direction to thousands of young men. A 1971 graduate of East Rowan High School, he has coached for 31 years. He’s coached 12 state championship teams, 100 individual state champs, and 1 national record holder. He coached 5 champions who competed abroad, representing the US, and has been selected National Coach of the Year on two separate occasions. He is proudest of the 5 state sportsmanship awards his teams have won; he values being a good sport.
Dr. Lewis met with Coach Steele three days a week throughout June and July while he coached the AAU teams, and strictly followed his regimen. When the AAU teams were finished for the summer, Dr. Lewis asked the coach, “What now?”
“Now it’s just you and me,” replied the coach. So Coach Steele continued to train Dr. Lewis, preparing for the State Senior Games in September.
“He timed me from the start,” says Lewis. “I wasn’t aware of it at first, but he timed me on everything. We seemed to always be working on the 400, even though I had planned to run the 100 and 200 as well. One day I asked him. ‘We seem to be focusing on the 400,’ I said. ‘The 400 will be your best race,’ he said. …And I won it handily.”
The state record for the 400 is 1:13 and change. Lewis’ time this year was 1:15. The photo of him crossing the finish line does not show any runners behind him. They’re back there – just not within the range of the camera.
“He knew the 400 would be it because of my endurance, speed and endurance. I didn’t have blazing speed, where I was setting records on the 100. But I have endurance. So next year he says we are going to the 800, the 400 and the 800.”
Lewis also won a bronze in the 100, using it as a warm-up for the 400. The 200 followed the 400, and as Lewis says, “I had spent it all on the 400.”
It’s a miracle, or a testament to his determination, -- or a little of both -- that Dr. Lewis is running at all. In 1995 he had surgery for prostate cancer, followed by 34 radiation treatments. Last year, neck surgery kept him out of the state finals. Having won the local competition in April, he was set to go to states in the fall, but a nagging disk problem in his neck required endoscopic surgery.
As soon as he recovered from the neck surgery, Lewis began running again, but could not help but notice a tightness in his chest when he ran – on the left side. Returning to the doctor’s, he took a treadmill test, which showed that the upper part of his heart was not receiving enough oxygen. This implied blockage of his blood vessels, and surgery again, this time to place a stint in an artery leading to his heart.
Undaunted, he took to the track again as soon as he could. The letter, dated May 14, 2007, shows his determination. Qualifying in locals again in the spring, he trained all summer and won the 400 in Raleigh in September.
Yet more health problems loom over his goals. Gallbladder surgery, repair on a stomach hernia, and removal of a small lump have just been completed. Just out of the hospital, he interviewed for this story while still recovering at home.
Still, the neck is not well. The doctors want to fuse two vertebrae in his neck. “I’ll have to have it done soon, really soon, so I can recover. I have to qualify in the end of April, so I have to have the surgery, recover, and train prior to that. Then I go to the state finals in the end of September in Raleigh. You see, next year is a qualifying year for the nationals, so I want to win the State and go to the Nationals in San Francisco in 2009.”
Dr. Lewis seems undaunted by the prospect of even more surgery. He simply wants to get through it so he can run again, and he definitely plans to train again with Coach Steele.
“We’ve become pretty good friends. At one point, there near the end, I asked him, ‘Why would you want to do this for an old white guy?’”
He smiles his recognizable smile and his eyes sparkle. “And you know what he said? He said, ‘Just as one human being for another.’ ” Lewis leans forward, his smile broadening. “Isn’t that great? ‘One human being for another.’ That’s why he helps me!”
Coach Steele has mutual respect for Dr. Lewis. “I told my daughter about Bob as a life lesson,” he says. “I tried to share what it means to be totally dedicated to a cause. Dr. Lewis’ dedication, at the level he has it, is quite rare. Those individuals who have that drive, determination, are willing to pay the price, for the level of success they are seeking, they do the things winners do.”
“I have been very fortunate to be around some very successful athletes, and Dr. Lewis is definitely one of them.”
He continues. “I believe Dr. Lewis will run the 800 next year if it is humanly possible. We will really take our time, just have to do things the way the doctors want them done. It’s important to me that he continues to remain healthy. I believe he will run the 800, but we want him to do it safely.”
Coach Steele reflects on what he’s learned in working with Dr. Lewis. “I have had the privilege of working with a great many athletes, but rarely have I seen the kind of drive Dr. Lewis has. Dr. Lewis has given me greater motivation. I’ve always been highly motivated; seeing someone want to reach a goal that badly, inspired me. I have a great deal of respect for Dr. Lewis based on his dedication to his cause.
So why does Lewis still want to run?
He thinks for a moment. “That’s a great question. It’s my way of celebrating life. I have always run. I ran in high school, and in college. But the real joy came after my cancer surgery in 1995. That year, I did not run in the Peachtree Classic in Atlanta. I have always run it with friends and family, but that year I did not. The following year, when I went back to the Peachtree, it was a great celebration of life: celebration of another day, another year. These afflictions that I’ve had, the cancer, the heart, now my neck, I need something like this to look forward to.” He reflects for just a moment. “It’s a celebration of life.”
The other runners are back there -- way back there.
The 2 Roberts could not appear to be more different.
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