CHAPEL TALKS : SHAMAR HESTER
Heroes are important and most of us have them in some form or another. A hero may be a famous historic figure like Martin Luther King. A hero may be a religious person such as Mother Theresa. A hero may be a philosopher who puts his/her philosophy into positive action like Mahatma Gandhi. Sports figures can also serve as heroes—for example, Walter Payton. In my case my hero is Clarence Hester, an exuberant, goofy, childlike man who just happens to be my grandfather.
The first quality I admire and try to model from my grandfather is his dedication to hard work. Now, some of my teachers here at Summit might think that I could be more hard working, but I really do know how to expend hard work—mostly on the football field or weight room. And after I was injured and had ACL surgery last year I came back faster than anyone thought possible. The reason for this rapid come back was based on my hard work in physical therapy and that happened because I knew stories about my grandfather and similar recoveries. When he was a young man working for the City of Toledo he had an accident. A cement block fell from a building and onto my grandfather’s foot—the foot was broken almost in half, just dangling there. His doctors had serious doubts as to whether he would ever walk without a limp ever again, but he worked and worked at rehabbing it and today you’d never notice any change in him unless you saw the scars on his bare foot. Just last year he performed a similar comeback after a stroke, heart complications, and a cancer scare. It took some hard work, but he’s back as good as new. As pastor of a church in Toledo, he works hard to be always available to his congregation. When one of the men told him he had no money for more than a sandwich on Thanksgiving my grandfather went to work and got together a complete turkey dinner for him and his entire family. Even at 65, a time when lots of people retire, he is an active pastor, preaching every Sunday without a miss. What a hero for me!
His next quality is his never give up attitude. My grandfather is the oldest of 17 children and he has never given up his responsibility of being the big brother who set the bar for all the rest. While some of his siblings may be bigger and stronger than he is, his word is the law, even today. A few of them have had their ups and downs, but my grandfather has never given up on them and is always there for them no matter the situation. He has had set backs, but he has never given up on his faith in God. His philosophy is that everything happens for a reason and if God does not think a person can handle situations He will not put that person through it. Therefore, giving up is not an option for my grandfather and it’s not for me either. When I came to Summit I was basically told I could not do the academic work and that I probably would not last. Of the two new varsity football players who arrived last year I was the one wasn’t predicted to last. As you can see, even though I’ve had to struggle some with academics, I’ve lasted. About three weeks into my first semester here I told Mr. Towers that I just couldn’t do his physics class work. He said, “Shamar, you can do anything you put your mind to—you can do it.” I ended with a B+ for the year. I couldn’t speak French, either, but at least Mrs. Feldhaus has taught me to count to 11. She made sure I did my work and kept me going and my head humble. Oh, and that other player? He left in the second semester. But I’m standing here in the Chapel today and you can be the judge on whether I gave up or not.
While I could go on for ever about my grandfather, I’ll just mention one more reason he is my hero. He is nice to everyone he meets and never loses his smile. Some of you may have met him at football games and if you did you’d have to agree he lights up the atmosphere. You’d know him because anytime I do anything good out there on the field he says, “That’s my boy!” He made it a point to meet as many of my teachers last year as he could. Back in Toledo he has a reputation in town and it’s hard to go anywhere with him and not have people come up and greet him and enjoy a chat. I love to see him smile and play practical jokes and pranks; they are never mean, just the little tricks of a nice little kid who likes everyone and is liked by everyone in return. I’d like to think I’m exactly like him. I try not to be mean to anyone and I smile a lot. When I first came to Summit last year I knew I had to make friends because I had left my family and Toledo friends behind. I thought of Pawpaw Hester and how he might approach the situation, and before long I knew most all of you and hope you like me, too. I feel I’ve made lifelong friends here at The Summit. I didn’t think it was possible at first, but it is true now. I thank the teachers who have helped me by staying after school to answer questions and by believing in me. Mr. Dennis and Coach Copeland have been life coaches, helping me to grow up, making me face truths I might want to ignore. If I want someone to talk to, Mr. Dennis’s door is always open. Coach Copeland has driven me to school and back, to tutoring and to my ACT tests on Saturdays. He has always kept me on the right track. I appreciate that. When I told him I wanted to be great he said, “GREAT people work at a higher level—they go through more than GOOD people do.”
The advice these people have give me is just like what my grandpa has told me as life lessons ever since I was little. I’m lucky to have found some Clarence Hesters here in Cincinnati.
So, yeah, I admire Martin Luther King, Mother Theresa, Gandhi, and Walter Payton. They are fantastic heroes and represent the best in humanity. But I also think Clarence Hester is well worth following and I hope to be a hero just like he is someday.
