By Dixon Bledsoe
People are inundated with sad news, bad news, instant news, inconsequential news that goes instantaneously viral about somebody inconsequential like Paris Hilton. I make a motion that we take a break from the stupid congressman doing trashy things with his Smart Phone (perhaps we should program the Smart Phone to sound a piercing alarm when the owner does sometime stupid). The vote is unanimous – let’s focus on some good people.
Jan Bothum just retired from the Silver Falls School District after teaching first graders for 27 years. I have never seen a better, more dedicated teacher in my life. Anyone driving north on First Street in Silverton in the early dawn from September to June saw her car at Eugene Field. She got there to prep her room, grade papers, and organize the day’s lesson plans, and she usually started at 5:30 to 6 a.m. She often returned home after 6 p.m., ate dinner with husband Mike, finished up grading, and promptly fell asleep. On Sunday, she was back in the classroom getting ready for the coming week. She was a chameleon of sorts, changing methods and style with each new class because every new class was different, and every child was unique. Education is a not an easy job. Jan did hers exceptionally well. She is a genuinely warm, caring, talented person and the teacher with whom we entrusted our children. Well, done, Mrs. Bothum. You have a legion of fans. Enjoy the grandkids and have some fun.
If you are an Oregon State Beaver fan, you are well aware of Darwin Barney’s amazing talents on the baseball diamond, from his days on the Beaver’s national championship teams to his new career with the Chicago Cubs. But what a class act this young man turned out to be. Todd and Tara Boedigheimer of Scottsdale, Ariz., both graduates of Oregon State and Willamette Valley natives (Todd is from Silverton and Tara from Hubbard) have a beautiful baby boy named Drew. At two and a half, he is a great kid saddled with a bad heart. When the cardiologist said a transplant was crucial, the couple took Drew to Chicago for an evaluation. An avid baseball fan who knows the Los Angeles Dodger players names, numbers, and positions, Drew was to be evaluated on a Monday in early June. On the preceding Saturday, he went with his parents to a Chicago White Sox game, and on Sunday went into cardiac arrest and flat lined. His parents said there were 30 medical professionals working in the room with Drew as he made his comeback. On Monday he was put in the most pressing transplant category, and by Wednesday a donor heart had been located. By Thursday the donor heart was transplanted. One of the surgeons told the parents that he would try to get a major league baseball player to come visit the young fan with the huge smile and new heart. They suggested Barney since they were both OS grads and big fans. With a little daughter of his own, he readily accepted, under the condition that no press coverage was allowed. Barney was there for over an hour, playing catch with the little guy. He gave him a jersey with his number but Drew’s last name on back, and he literally gave him the jersey off his back (and signed it) along with a baseball signed by all the Cubs. Barney asked the family to let him know when the doctor cleared Drew for a Cubs game and invited them to meet the players. There is even talk of having the budding young baseball star throw out the first pitch at a future game.
Drew presented the Major Leaguer with a snow globe that played “Take Me Out To the Ballgame”, a present for Barney’s three year-old. A beautiful, bittersweet time, with a grieving family burying their own child but giving the gift of life to someone else’s baby. A wonderful little boy with a new chance to take the field, and a celebrity with a huge heart. Darwin, thanks for checking up on my nephew.
You have a fan for life.
