Wow!  Tonight I had the opportunity to attend a fundraiser for the United Way. The guest of honor was Ernie Harwell - The Voice of the Detroit Tigers.  A Hall of Fame broadcaster!  Right here in Toledo, Ohio!  Wow!  And a truly gentle man.

While I can't say I'm a huge fan of baseball, nor do I know much about it, I truly will cherish the memories of Mr. Harwell's stories, his modest demeanor and his wonderfully simple, yet elegantly eloquent, stories. 

For those of you that are interested in baseball, I urge you to read up on Ernie Harwell.  His beginnings are modest, his life is absolutely remarkable.  His only interruption in a distinguished broadcast career was a 4 year tour with the US Marine Corps.  

Mr. Harwell regaled us with stories about Jackie Robinson and how Robinson broke through the color barrier of professional sports and paved the way for all races/ethnic groups to participate in major league sports.  It's a story that can only be told by Ernie Harwell. 

The life lessons that this man shared tonight were painfully simple.  And I say painfully because they were based on basic principles that most of us were taught as children.  And. sadly, these lessons are often overlooked in todays world. 

A big thank you to Mr. Harwell.  Thank you for sharing your wonderful stories, for reminding all of us about what it means to treat each other with respect, and for your insight and inspiration to those that will follow in your footsteps. 

***Images from Google Images/hbaweb.org/ss.webring