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I cant remember whether we were studying Greek myths in particular. Or creative writing. Probably a combination. I definitely dont think it was math or social studies or anything like that.

I do know that it was 50 years ago, and I was in seventh grade. The assignment was to write something in the style of a Greek myth. Im sure our teacher, Mr. McKee, must have said that the subject matter didnt matter.

What these past five decades have not erased from my foggy brain is the fact that I wrote about football specifically, an NFL game involving my favorite Minnesota Vikings beating up on my least favorite Dallas Cowboys. In these days of AI, after a few quick keystrokes, you could have something like that whipped out and at your disposal in milliseconds. In those youthful, pre-computer, prehistoric days, the only intelligence we had was not artificial it was between our ears.

I wish I still had that paper, but I sure dont who keeps papers from seventh grade? Im guessing I wrote about a clash of titans where the Vikings completed their odyssey and smote (or is it smited?) their nemesis via a Herculean effort.

Or something like that.

Whatever words I used, Mr. McKee gave me an A for the endeavor, and hand-wrote this note on the top of the paper: You should think about becoming a sports writer.

My SI (for Super Intelligence) response: Huh?

I mean, it was seventh grade. What are we, about 12 or 13 years old at that time? I hadnt thought about becoming anything at that point, other than maybe the top home run hitter in our neighborhood Wiffle ball league.

But a sports writer? Hmmmm. Actually, it didnt sound too shabby. I loved sports, all sports. And I loved reading and writing even made a few homemade newspapers (some of which I actually do still have thanks to Mom preserving them).

So, probably that very night after surely slugging three or four homers over the telephone wires in the street out in front of my friends house I started really thinking about it.

And that led me to concentrating more in writing and English classes in junior high and high school, which led me to joining the school newspaper in high school, which led me to working internships for my local weekly and then daily newspapers, which led me to majoring in journalism in college, which led me to becoming sports editor and then editor-in-chief of my college paper, which led me to first general news reporting, then sports writing and a professional career in journalism, which led me to the very seat that I occupy today as I write this Pub Chat, publisher of the Finger Lakes Times.

To quote Spencer Tulis favorite band, the Grateful Dead, what a Long Strange Trip its been, and all because Mr. McKee took a little extra time and instead of just marking a grade on that paper, wrote that simple sentence all those 50 years ago.

He has since passed and is now teaching in heaven. I never got the chance to thank him for inspiring me, but my sister knew him later in life. I told her this story once and asked her to thank him for me if she ran into him, which she said she did.

What got me traveling down this road in todays Pub Chat is the fact that while Independence Day is bearing down on us, it also is commencement time around these parts. Managing Editor Alan Brignall is working diligently putting together our special graduation section, which will be published in next weekends July 8 edition of the FLT. Its intended to be a keepsake for all members of the Class of 2023 from our area high schools and their families, and my hearty congrats go out to all those students who are ready to embark on the next exciting chapters of their lives, whatever those chapters may be.

But I also wonder how many Mr. McKees are out there teachers, educators, parents, other adults who went maybe an extra mile, maybe just an extra yard or two, to spark an interest, to suggest a path, to light a fire in a young person that changed or influenced his or her life. High school graduation is a testament to them, too.

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PUB CHAT: Changing lives congrats to all grads and those who ... - Finger Lakes Times