In Memory of a Friend's Friend

 

 

On Monday February 2^nd we remembered the passing of a friend and colleague, Jack Waldvogel. Jack and I first met in 1990 and there was something about his joie de vivre that made us friends right away. When I retired, he asked me to join Rotary again and also to add my weird metaphysical thoughts to the Wednesday night gathering of the Charles Krauthammer Sports and Metaphysics discussion group.

 

In all great faiths, after death, there comes a fork in the road where a soul is recognized for its earthly contribution. Unless the left lane was painted red, I’m pretty confident Jack went to the right. Jack certainly had a mischievous personality well chronicled by his two sons in their stirring tribute to their Dad. I know there may even be some naysayers that now believe Jack is selling Fire Insurance.

 

Eric Metaxas in his recent Wall Street Journal article called “Science Increasingly Makes the case for God” develops a compelling argument for the statistical probability of a guiding intelligence to the creation of our life-sustaining Earth. So where is Jack now?

 

I believe he is at the right hand of that guiding intelligence. Why? Well a blocked kick in the MSU game, Ohio State National Champions, and the last 15 seconds of the Super Bowl lead me to believe that the greatest Patriot I’ve ever known is now Heaven’s new Sports Commissioner.

 

The program handed out at Jack’s Memorial service ends with Winston Churchill’s famous quote “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.” Here’s to you Jack. (Put on Ohio hat) I wouldn’t do this for anyone else and I’m only doing it once. Thanks Jack, we’ll take it from here.

 

David Thomas wrote this tribute and read it at the Noon Rotary Club of Petoskey Meeting on February 4, 2015