Sunday, April 15, 2018
I first met Al when I started working for the Northern Lakes School Division in 1980. At first, he was one of 100 staff and 1800 students I was trying to sort out, but I soon came to recognize Al as someone who stood out from the rest of the staff as a teacher, as a coach and eventually, as a very good friend. I feel that what made Al the extraordinary person that he was was the way that he interacted with students.
Al was known to the students of Rabbit Lake for his amazing ability to know interesting facts about everything, not just in his subject areas. [“Encyclopdia Al” was one of the names I heard the students refer to him by] In a world where people, including the president of the US, routinely make up facts and figures to fit their needs, Al actually knew what he was saying, whether it was to tell you what year Ford stopped producing flathead V8s or the year that the US invaded Panama.
In the world of sports where winning is everything, when I watched Al's basketball teams play, it was about the joy of playing and competing. Al wanted his team to win, but at no point did I ever see him use or encourage any sort of unsportsmanlike conduct. In one game, the opposition had very few players and eventually, after a player fouled out, they were reduced to playing with 4 players . Most other coaches would have used this advantage to pile on points, but Al responded by pulling one of his players so the teams were even. Eventually, they ended the game playing three on three after yet another player fouled out. When one of Al's better players was recruited by a city team, most coaches would have resented losing a player that he had developed -Al instead looked upon it as a compliment to his program and an opportunity for the player.
You've heard about Al's love of virtually any sport, as a participant, a coach or a spectator. I did not realize the level of respect Al had among coaches in Saskatchewan until one of our new principals was concerned about the level of apathy at her school. I suggested she look at starting a basketball team to get students involved and excited about coming to school. Her father-in-law was the coach of the U of S Huskie basketball team and he told her there was a retired guy in her area who was a legendary coach in basketball circles and she should try to get him involved. Al declined the offer, but I was impressed by the high regard in which he was held by his fellow coaches.
Those students who played for Al's teams probably remember the road trips with Al, Gail. Glen and Patty all over Saskatchewan in Freethys 15 passenger van or a beat up bus. Al counted it as a good weekend if he got to sleep on a couch in the staff room rather than on the gym floor. They also should remember one of the big motivators for coming to school was the basketball program. Shortly after Al retired, Rabbit Lake school closed. I personally felt, as I watched the students choose to go to other, bigger schools, that they had lost the reason to come to a small school when the basketball program faded without Al there to run it.
On a personal note, our family spent many good times at Freethys farm and after our children left, my wife and I spent many hours visiting and playing cards with Al and Gail. Al enjoyed winning, but I think that it was the same as in sports -no matter what Al was dealt- bad cards or average players -he tried to make the best of them and -win or lose -there was always - and this is the way I will remember him -a big smile.
