I find myself distracted slightly today. I have a ton of pictures to share with you and a number of upcoming blogs. A review of and pictures of the class I took with David Tejada, some golf courses that I have had the pleasure to play. I put all of those aside when I read this. Though old it still struck a chord with me. I will get to all of the 'fun' stuff, but for a moment I want to share a story.
I did not know Johnny Stallings. I did read the book Another Season and enjoyed it. Gene Stallings is not me. His reactions were not mine. He was/is a father from a different era and a different person. I did understand many times what he thought and felt as he watched his son grow up. I have walked that path with "Buddy" and still see some glimmers. Gene Stallings and I do share another bond. Johnny was his only son and "Buddy" is mine.
Though we never met nor was I a fan of any of the teams that his father coached. I was sadden to see that Johnny had passed for no other reason than the moments through reading the book that I spent looking into his life and the depth that was there.
I share the obituary from the Dallas Morning News.
John Mark 'Johnny' Stallings: 1962-2008
12:00 AM CDT on Tuesday, August 5, 2008
John Mark "Johnny" Stallings defied the expectations of both his lifespan and his likely impact on the world following his 1962 birth.
John Mark Stallings was often by his father, Gene, who said: 'I say John is lucky, but actually we've been the fortunate ones.' " height="123" width="175">Doctors told his father, Gene Stallings – then an up-and-coming football coach – that his baby had Down syndrome and wasn't likely to live to his 5th birthday.
Johnny not only lived nearly 10 times longer, he did so with a caring flair that seemed to capture the hearts and minds of people he met throughout his life.
He developed legions of friends and created good will as he moved with his father's legendary career – which included coaching national champion Alabama and the Aggies, and serving as a Cowboys' assistant.
Mr. Stallings, 46, died Saturday at Paris Regional Medical Center of a congenital heart condition related to Down syndrome.
Services will be at 5 p.m. today at Lamar Avenue Church of Christ in Paris, Texas. He will be buried at Hike-A-Way Ranch, his family's home in nearby Powderly, Texas.
"He just had a genuine impact on people, really because he cared," said his sister, Laurie Vanderpool of Brentwood, Tenn. "He would focus in on the people for who they were and what they were doing for him. He didn't care about their success or their status."
Mr. Stallings was also a good listener, who remembered the names of people he met and details of their lives, his sister said. One of five children, he was the family's only son.
"He would remember what had been going on in your life," his sister said. "If any of us sisters had been going through something hard, he would call us and ask about our friends and how they were doing."
As a famous football coach, Gene Stallings could open doors, allowing his son to open hearts. Johnny had his photo taken with three presidents.
In 1987, the father-son team taped a public-service announcement for the United Way that aired during NFL games. The league reran the popular announcement a second season. Gene Stallings personally handled many calls from new parents wanting information about Down syndrome.
Gene Stallings co-wrote a book about raising Johnny: Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son.
Johnny enjoyed fishing and helping his dad, "Pop," on the ranch, or occasionally accompanying him on the football sidelines.
At the University of Alabama, the football equipment room is named after Johnny. A playground at the campus' RISE program for disabled children is also named after him. In 2001, he was one of four recipients of Abilene Christian University's Change the World Award, an honor given to people who inspire others.
Mr. Stallings was born in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where his father was an assistant football coach at the University of Alabama. The family later moved to College Station so his father could coach the Aggies, to Dallas so he could serve as a Cowboys' assistant coach and to St. Louis and Phoenix, where Gene Stallings led the Cardinals.
"Where ever the family's been, that's where Johnny's been," his sister said.
In 1988, Gene Stallings spoke to a Rotary Club luncheon in Paris, Texas, on behalf of a home for disabled children.
"Johnny's lucky because he is with us," Mr. Stallings said at the time. "But there are a lot of other poor retarded children who don't have anyone.
"I say John is lucky, but actually we've been the fortunate ones," Gene Stallings said. "This was very difficult at first. We didn't want to believe it. But the good Lord knew what was best for us. Our lives have been very, very good. We have been blessed. He has put sweetness in our lives."
In addition to his father and sister, Mr. Stallings is survived by his mother, Ruth Ann Stallings, also of Powderly; three other sisters, Anna Lee Young of Heath, Jackie Chalk of Argyle, and Martha Kate Gunn of Waco.
Memorials may be made to the RISE program at the Stallings Center, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Ala. 35487; the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 9400 North Central Expressway, Suite 1201, Dallas, Texas 75231, or the youth program at Lamar Avenue Church of Christ, 3535 Lamar Ave., Paris, Texas 75460.
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