WHO IS JACK FINDLEY?

While viewing the Rose Bowl last week, my mind wondered a bit as the Trojans "kicked butt" and their band blasted out the famous "fight song" which signified victory.

The parade and the game reminds me of two of my favorite people. "The late John Findley and his son Jack"

John was a coaching collegue of mine during the Sixties at the well regarded CBC High School in Clayton MO at that time. Now they have a beautiful edifice on the outer drive of Highway Forty. John was one of the most scholarly and special educators I have ever known, so professional, not bombastic like the Bear, and a real gentleman. He was also a great influence on my philosophy of coaching.

I watched young Jack grow from a puppie into a fine young teenager, who was a part of our football program. Jack was short, not too fast and had to work hard to maintain a competition as a QB in our system. Later he was to move to the defensive side and was a creditable defensive player for the Cadets.

Jack graduated from high school and if I remember right, attended Westminster College in Fulton,Missouri and I lost track of him. Westminster, you might remember, is where Winston Churchill gave his famous "Iron Curtain" speech in the "Cold War" era.

Jack was to find his way to the West Coast, via Houston, as a reporter and later when I met up with him at a CBC reunion, the CEO of the Long Beach, California Newpaper. What an achievement!
I was so proud of him! His dad died many years ago and I'll always remember that they took his ashes out to the West Coast and I believe spread them in the magnificent state of Oregon.

And then it came to me: "Jack, do you have any pull with your Pasadena friends so as I might be able to land a few tickets to the Rose Parade. I did not ask about the game! Every New Year's Day, the Rose Parade is on the Bear's agenda: the bands, the flowers, that special warmth (its really not that warm when your there), the horses, the celebs, the spirit! It wows me! Jack indicated not only did he have pull, but his newspaper sponsored breakfast and lunch just two blocks from the parade route and yes, he could and would expect me the Bear, to be his guest.

Little did I know what was to come. As a result of a delay in our flight, we were treated by TWA to "first class" seats for the flight out there. Two nights before the game, Jack and his lovely wife Lynne, hosted us on the Queen Mary: It was delightful, delovely and so delicious!

On game day, we rose at 4:30 or so in the morning and drove from one of my favorite communities Seal Beach up to Pasadena and linked up with Jack. Sure enough, there was the tent and there was a breakfast and then it happened. A two block walk was to take us to VIP, I mean VIP seats which were located just down apiece from the first turn onto Colorado Boulivard, just in front of the TV people covering this world wide event. When it was time for the first participants to strut their stuff, the Marine Band turned the corner and headed our way playing "From the Halls of Montezuma To the Shores of Tripoli" and I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Then the floats from all over the United States, including our own St. Louis float (We have special ties to the parade), proudly passed in review, as the warmth of the mid morning began to take hold. Yes, both the Purdue Boilermaker and Washington Huskie bands rah rah rahed their way down the Boulevard. I remember Tom Brocaw of NBC News being the Grand Master and multi cultured persona of the day. I didn't want it to end but it did! It was back to the tent and to the accompaniment of a fine musical aggregation, lunch was served. Wow! Then it was a long and exciting walk to the "Grand Daddy" of Bowl games where the Washington Huskies took it to the Purdue Boilermakers admist a crowd of over 100,000 fans. To quote from the Koran: "God is great!"

And what about Jack Findley: When you pick up your Sunday paper and turn the front page, you'll find him listed among the credits in Parade Magazine. We will never forget the trip to Pasadena and the kindness and hospitality of the Findley family! Thanks again Jack!