Page 112 - some-stuff-i-wrote-and-some-stuff-i-didn't-(2011)-h-morris-williams

Some Stuff I Wrote (2001) H. Morris Williams

community.
PLAY WITH YOUR HEART... Local physician Ricardo Bedoya is one the “fathers” of
soccer in Lake City. Although he is a busy radiologist, he took the time several years ago to organize

some of the first soccer teams here, and he taught the sport to many kids who had never even heard
of soccer. A compassionate and philosophical man, he told his young players, “Play the game with

your muscles, your mind and your heart. Play as a team. An individual can do so much but a team
can perform a miracle.”

His young players grew up to compile the best winning record a CHS team had ever had. At
the players’ final banquet, they remembered their first coach with a beautiful plaque and a standing

ovation. Dr. Bedoya, a native of Bogota, Colombia, remembers that ovation as one of the happiest
moments of his life.

DAVID “SOMEBODY”... David is a black man who regularly wades the shallow shores
of Lake Isabella picking up trash, broken glass and other litter, and putting it in trash cans. He is not

paid to do this and nobody told him to do it. He just does it to beautify the area. He said, “I just like
to see our little lake and park look pretty so I try to do my part to keep it looking good.” When asked

his last name, David said, “Oh, I’m just somebody who likes to help.”
A small correction: David, you are not “just somebody.” You are somebody really special

and we could all learn a lot from your example.
FIRST THINGS FIRST_______ Geneva McLaren was the first secretary of Parkview Baptist
Church and she holds a remarkable distinction: she was hired before the first minister was selected.

Geneva was the perfect choice for her job and she stayed with the church for 23 years to oversee its
early growth. Now the church has nearly 1,200 members and a beautiful building complex. But

back in 1954, there was just a small band of worshipers meeting in the old VFW building across First
Street from the fire department on what is now the front lawn of NationsBank. E. L. Mixon was

their first minister. Geneva McLaren was there back then to be an important part of that early growth
and she is still the longest serving employee the church has ever had.

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