[NU Sports] Stunned sadness (fwd)

[Jeff Beamsley]

I was similarly stunned this morning to read of Randy Walker's passing.  

He is moving on to the next stage of his journey and hopefully is
experiencing the joy of gaining greater understanding of his purpose and his
maker.  

We are left to empathize with is family and friends who grieve their loss
and cherish his memory.  They will be in my prayers over the next days.

What will be is always hard to say and now really isn't the time to think
about it.

Thinking about what has been, I am happy that his family is able to take
some comfort that he is receiving some of the public recognition now that he
didn't particularly seek during his life.  As others have mentioned, beyond
just winning football games, hopefully his legacy will be setting a standard
of loyalty for future coaches.

Jeff

-----Original Message-----
From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On
Behalf Of NEONRye at aol.com
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2006 10:48 AM
To: nolan at romaine.tssi.com; nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com
Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Stunned sadness (fwd)

One of Randy Walker's strongest points--at least for this 'Cat fan--was
that he WANTED to be the Coach of Northwestern University.  He didn't have
"wanderlust", he was proud to be wearing the Purple and White, and he put
true roots down in Evanston.  Given the "stepping stone" that the NU job was
before he arrived (and I am not just thinking of Gary Barnett, but going all
the  way back to Ara Parshegian and then his successor, Alex Agase, the
Coach when I was a freshman and sophomore, who left for Purdue and found
that the pasture was  not "greener"), RW established a precedent and a
legacy that will hopefully stand forever and in many ways eclipse even the
wonderful record his teams produced on (and off) the field.  He may have
been short in stature  (although not compared to this alum), but his shoes
will be tough to fill.  
 
And to hear his players at the Press Conference (which I just viewed online

thanks to Joe T.), you saw what a teacher and role model he was to them.
The 
only thing that fills me with hope for the future at this sad time is that I
have faith in Mark Murphy and President Bienen to make a wise and reasoned
choice--after the appropriate period of mourning has passed (and the true
mourning shall carry on for a long, long time)--on how to go forward.
 
 
 
 
 
Paul Levinson
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