"Gene Morehouse"
I only met Gene Morehouse once. It was at an Ohio-Marshall game in the pressbox. He was busy, I was busy and I don't think we talked more than a few sentences. How are you to know that when you first meet someone that their fate will change the entire course of your life?
Within two years of that meeting, I was sitting at his desk. I had been recruited by Jack Lengyel to become the Sports Information Director at Marshall. Joe McMullen hired me, but Jack was the one that talked me into joining the Young Thundering Herd staff.
I recall opening up the middle drawer, one of those old wide metal types. Inside were letters addressed to Gene that had never been opened. Most were requests for media guides, nothing personal or of consequence. But they were for him, and no one had the heart to open them up. That told me that this would be a very personal journey. Over the next two years I enjoyed meeting his family, and having two of his sons work with Joe Wortham and me in the SID office. Mike and "little Gene" were great kids and I know I was too young to really understand what I should and could have done to really, really help them.
Over the next two years people who knew Gene would stop by the office and offer kind words. It was very apparent that people admired him and missed him. I think today he would be very proud of Marshall, his family, and would be so excited to be right there in that pressbox calling the play-by-play. Maybe he is.
Within two years of that meeting, I was sitting at his desk. I had been recruited by Jack Lengyel to become the Sports Information Director at Marshall. Joe McMullen hired me, but Jack was the one that talked me into joining the Young Thundering Herd staff.
I recall opening up the middle drawer, one of those old wide metal types. Inside were letters addressed to Gene that had never been opened. Most were requests for media guides, nothing personal or of consequence. But they were for him, and no one had the heart to open them up. That told me that this would be a very personal journey. Over the next two years I enjoyed meeting his family, and having two of his sons work with Joe Wortham and me in the SID office. Mike and "little Gene" were great kids and I know I was too young to really understand what I should and could have done to really, really help them.
Over the next two years people who knew Gene would stop by the office and offer kind words. It was very apparent that people admired him and missed him. I think today he would be very proud of Marshall, his family, and would be so excited to be right there in that pressbox calling the play-by-play. Maybe he is.
posted by Jack Yager at 5:42 AM
1 Comments:
It was nice to see Jack's words about my Dad and my brother Gene and I. The memories are still fresh of 1970. I was at school at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg when my girlfriend and I walked into a donut shop on campus for a snack. The radio was playing and all I heard were the words Marshall University and plane crash. We went back to her dorm room and called home. The line was busy. Tried again. Still busy. Finally got through. Spoke to someone...I don't recall who. They said there had been a crash and they didn't have any details. They told me to stay by the phone and they would call back. Don't know how long it was but then the call came back with the words "no survivors". A family friend and my younger brother Gene drove 4 hours to Blacksburg to pick me up and drive me to Huntington. After that, most of what I remember was numbness for myself and everyone.
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