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Prayers for a hero Wednesday, Aug 6, 2008 By David J. Sanders Most of my childhood friends thought they would grow up to be professional athletes with their own basketball shoe or sports trading card. But, while I tried as a junior high linebacker to rush opposing quarterbacks as Lawrence Taylor might, I didn't long for a career on the gridiron. Instead, I wanted to grow up to be like another television star, who, instead of using brute strength to manhandle would-be opponents, relied on his keen intellect and skill as a debater - along with a brash style - to crush those who would try to match wits with him. I wanted to be like Robert Novak, the famed political columnist whose voice filled my living room nearly every night after dinner as I tuned into him on CNN's "Crossfire." My step-grandfather clipped copies of Novak's syndicated political column and saved them for me to read when I would visit. This continued into my high school and college years. Shortly after graduating from college, I crossed paths with my childhood hero. As a young College Republican state chairman, I was invited to attend a Republican National Committee meeting in sunny Palm Springs, Calif. While the event provided a virtual who's who of the Republican universe, there was a rather large contingent of media types who mingled with those whom they had been dispatched to cover. As luck would have it, Sheffield Nelson, who at the time was one of the state's representatives on the GOP's national committee, was not able to attend. He allowed me to carry his proxy, which afforded me all the benefits of the exclusive cabal. The national committeeman from Michigan invited me to a reception in honor of former President Gerald Ford. As I made my way into the large reception room, I noticed two large groups. On my left, President Ford greeted many of his old friends and supporters. On my right, Novak held court. Naturally I gravitated to Novak, who was busy responding to admirers' questions. I stood there frozen, listening to every conversation. Finally, Novak noticed me and introduced himself. Like most people that weekend, he was very engaging as he encountered a novelty - a young Republican from Bill Clinton's Arkansas. At the time I had given up on a media career. I thought working in politics was my future. But a few years later life's twists and turns put me back on the path to that childhood dream when I began writing columns. I appreciate Novak's work now more than ever. One of the highlights of my short career has been to serve as a journalism fellow with a Washington-based foundation on which Novak serves as a trustee. In fact, I saw him in May as we gathered for an event in the nation's capital. On Monday, Novak announced that he was retiring from the profession he had dominated for decades so that he could focus on fighting the cancer that has invaded his body. It was an abrupt and untimely end to an era, which clearly denotes the seriousness of his condition. My prayers are with my brash, combative, confident childhood hero who still inspires. ------- David Sanders writes twice weekly for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock and is a host of the Arkansas Education Television Network's "Unconventional Wisdom." His e-mail address is DavidJSanders@aol.com. |
