Family, Fishing and Fun at the Big Bass Splash presented by Sealy Outdoors. $500,000 Guaranteed in Cash and Prizes with 1st Place Overall winning a Phoenix 721 Pro XP powered by Mercury equipped with Minn Kota, Lowrance, Navionics, Power Pole and X2 Power Batteries; a RAM Truck plus $5,000 Cash. That yields a total GRAND PRIZE PACKAGE VALUED AT $100,000!

Fifteen places will be paid in cash each hour of each tournament day beginning with the 7-8 AM hour and continuing through the 1-2 PM hour for the fifteen single heaviest bass weighed in. Top prize each hour is $2,500. Hourly updates will be broadcasted live on KICKS 105.1 FM and once hour is official, results are listed on Facebook/BigBassSplash1984.

Contestant(s) weighing in the first 3.00/4.00/5.00 exact weight bass each day of the tournament will be awarded $5,000 at Sunday awards ceremony. In addition, all contestants are eligible to win a Phoenix 819 Pro powered by Mercury, equipped with Minn Kota, Lowrance and X2 Power Batteries. That drawing, deemed as the renowned “Elimination Drawing”, will be held during the Sunday awards ceremony and entrants must be present to win.

Optional Bonus Games such as the Bonus Card (aka “Insurance Card”) and Bonus Shirt Hours can win you additional cash.

Children ages 5-12 may participate in the Little Angler’s Division and can catch bass, catfish, crappie, or perch.

All participants and spectators ages 18 years of age and up can get in on the action.  Come out to the tournament site, enjoy the festivities, and get your free entry for the Open Drawing on Sunday May 22.

Registration is open online for the Lake Toledo Bend Big Bass Splash®. To enter, visit http://www.sealyoutdoors.com. Onsite Registration will be at Cypress Bend Park in Many from 10 AM-8 PM on Thursday, May 19. Registration will continue each morning starting at 5 AM on days of the tournament. Tournament Entry Fees are $165 for One Day, $215 for Two Days and $265 for all Three Days. The Little Angler’s Division entry fee is $10 per day.

The Big Bass Splash events are considered to be the World’s Largest Grassroots amateur big bass fishing tournament of its kind. Sealy Outdoors attracts thousands of amateur anglers to these weekend events. It’s what we call “Fishing, Family and Fun” for everyone. This event benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Sponsors includes Phoenix Boats, Mercury Marine, Minn Kota, Lowrance, T-H Marine, Power-Pole, Navionics, X2 Power Batteries, Weaver Motors of Kirbyville, TX, Costa, Shimano and Texas Fish & Game Magazine.

A Special Thank You to the Sabine Parish Tourist Commission and Sabine River Authority for hosting this event.  

SABINE:
William Manual Stewart
August 6, 1945 – April 25, 2022
Service: Saturday, May 14 at 2 pm at Warren Meadows Funeral Home in Many

Rosalie Alford
December 10, 1928 – May 7, 2022
Service: Thursday, May 12 at 10 AM at First Baptist Church of Florien

Billie Doris Corley Hammond
November 14, 1927 – May 8, 2022
Service: Wednesday, May 11 at 10 AM at Warren Meadows Funeral Home Chapel

NATCHITOCHES:
JR Davis
October 13, 1959 – May 9, 2022
Service: Thursday, May 12 from 6-8 pm at the New Life Evangelism Center

Pete Stewart
August 25, 1958 – May 9, 2022
Service: Saturday, May 14 at 1 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home

Dorothy Mobley Weeks
March 27, 1937 – May 7, 2022
Service: Wednesday, May 11 at 12 pm at Blanchard-St. Denis Funeral Home in Natchitoches

As soon as a team wins a championship, the question gets asked: can you win it again next year?

For the Many High softball team, that answer is an emphatic YES.

The Lady Tigers finally got a test in the state championship game Saturday, but teams that don’t score, don’t win. Port Barre could not solve the arm of tournament MVP Tia Holmes or the Many defense, and could not get on the board.

A 3-0 win was more than enough to end the 2022 season exactly the way the team and coach Keaton Booker planned from when they celebrated their 2021 state title, the first in the softball program’s history.

The 2022 Class 2A champions outscored their playoff opponents 62-4 in five games, including an 11-0 destruction of Doyle in Friday’s semifinals as Many blasted seven home runs to back up Holmes’ perfect game – no runs, no hits, and behind her, no errors.

The Lady Tigers (29-4) got only one over the fence Saturday, a two-run shot by Camryn Ford in the bottom of the third. That came an inning after Kristen Martinez cracked an RBI double to put the champs up 1-0.

Port Barre’s best chance came in the top of the first when the Devils got runners on second and third with one out, but Holmes and the flawless Many defense came up with the outs and kept the losers (23-6) in neutral the rest of the way.

The Lady Tigers have won their first two state championships in the past two seasons. While some outstanding seniors are headed off to college, some to continue softball careers, most of the 18 girls on the 2022 Many team will be back on the diamond next spring, hoping to add to the fast-growing championship tradition.

Booker’s second season ended like the first one. He’s the first to share the credit with his assistant coaches: Josh Jenkins, Dayton Craig, and his wife, the Lady Tigers’ pitching coach, Emma Callie Booker.

Congratulations also should be extended to Sabine Parish’s other state tournament team, the Florien Lady Black Cats. They gave defending state Class B champion Holden all it could handle in Friday’s semifinals, but in a see-saw game, Holden made a late surge and eliminated Florien 10-6.

In the pre-GoogleMaps days, the late, great Paul Harvey liked to remind us that when people asked for directions, we’d often start by saying, “Well, go down two red lights and…”

“But that light is green,” he’d say in his lyrical, always optimistic voice, “as often as it is red…”

We have a way of coloring things dreary at first glance. Human nature. And while none of us would argue the world is not in dire straits — where to begin? — there is much more good news than bad.

All around and every day.

Each year at the annual springtime Volunteers of America North Louisiana “Cherish the Children” breakfast, I show up saying I won’t cry this year but … I do. A video from the after-school LightHouse program will usually do the trick. A talk from a homeless veteran who’s now employed and helping others in a circumstance similar to his when hope seemed lost. A newlywed couple with learning disabilities but a home and hope and friends who love them as they are and are helping them get to where they wish to be.

Also this spring was the VOA’s annual “thank you” luncheon, and I snuck in (sneaked in?) for selfish reasons: this is the kind of group you want to hang around if you want to feel better Right Then because …

Well, you meet members of the church congregation who’ve basically adopted an elementary school in their area and provide tutoring, books, supplies, and clothes to children with these insecurities;

Or old friends who pair up to help children after school by developing special reading projects for them or taking them to the library;

A group who takes children on an annual Christmas shopping trip;

An empty nester wife and mom who noticed early in the pandemic the increased vulnerability of senior citizens’ health and arranged for phone friends, grocery pickups, and a monthly surprise treat of a delivered meal or snack.

VOA serves more than 7,000 people in north and central Louisiana through 40 or so programs — but “programs” is just a word without volunteers.

I was lucky enough this spring to hit the Volunteer Trifecta since I snuck in (sneaked in?, again?) the United Way of Northeast Louisiana “Celebrating Excellence” breakfast too. More than 300 people, many of them volunteers, packed the Davison Athletics Complex on Louisiana Tech’s campus for inspiration from videos and testimonies, and to celebrate volunteers, another word for “servants.”

During the pandemic, which included a couple of storm disasters, the group realized its most donations ever. Compassion and forward thinking and responsive hearts are winning the day for neighbors who need help.

The light is green for each of us to do our part. No man is an island. And nothing can rob us of the joy of giving.

Today it’s “them” who need a hand. Tomorrow, it could be you and me. The bell tolls for us all.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu

Hans Augusto Rey was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1898. Following World War I, in which Hans served, he designed posters for a circus and studied art at Hamburg University. Hans struggled to make a living with the postwar inflation in Germany. In 1924, Hans accepted a job in Brazil where he composed commercial lettering for advertisements and offices and sold bathtubs along the Amazon River.

In 1935, Hans met Margret Elisabeth Waldstein, a fellow artist and Jew who was also from Hamburg. Their similar interests drew them together and they married later the same year. Together, the Reys began a joint career which consisted of magazine work, advertising, and illustrating books. The couple was so busy with work that they delayed their honeymoon. Finally, the Reys planned a honeymoon trip through Europe. They visited their homeland of Hamburg and eventually made their way to Paris, France. The Reys loved Paris so they kept putting off their return to Brazil. Four years later, still in Paris, they found themselves in a precarious situation.

In 1939, Paris began preparing for what they realized was an inevitable war with Germany. Paris underwent a drastic transformation. City workers dug miles of trenches in the city squares and parks that the Reys enjoyed visiting. Signs throughout the city pointed the way to the nearest trench. The city distributed gas masks to its civilians. Children were evacuated from the city into the countryside. The beautiful Parisian lights—Paris is still known as the City of Light—were turned off at night as a precaution against German air raids. Workers removed the stained-glass windows from the Sainte-Chapelle and placed them in storage. Curators at the Louvre, aided by packers, cataloged and transported major works of art in crates which were labelled only with numbers to disguise their contents. The works of art were transported in trucks at night in slow convoys with their headlights off. Historically significant buildings and architectural landmarks were surrounded by walls of sandbags. The city rationed certain foods and gasoline.

After months of waiting, the Germans attacked France on May 10, 1940. With each passing day, the Nazis drew closer to Paris. Eighteen days later, the British realized that France would fall to the Germans and withdrew their soldiers to the beaches of Dunkirk. While retreating British soldiers were being loaded onto ships, Germain airplanes attacked relentlessly. Refugees from the battle zone started pouring into Paris. On June 3, the Germans began bombing Paris and its suburbs. A week later, the French government fled Paris. Fearful Parisians followed their example and fled from the city using any means available including trains, cars, buses, wagons, carts, bicycles, and on foot.

In June of 1940, the Reys knew their honeymoon in Paris had come to an end. With no other means of transportation available, they fashioned bicycles out of discarded broken bicycles. They had no choice but to abandon most of their possessions. As they prepared to flee, Hans grabbed the manuscripts of a children’s book that he and Margret had written and threw them into a bag. Hans grabbed the bag and they pedaled their way through the throngs of people leaving Paris. The Reys eventually made their way to a ship which was heading to America. The Reys were unable to relax because they were aware the German U-boats and warships were targeting ships in the Atlantic Ocean. In the Fall of 1940, the Reys arrived safely in New York.

Within a month of their arrival, American book publisher Houghton Mifflin agreed to publish the Reys’ children’s book. In 1946, after the end of World War II, the Reys became American citizens. People so loved their children’s book, that they eventually wrote a whole series based on the two main characters. By 1997, at the time of Margret’s death and twenty years after Hans’s death, the books had sold more than 20 million copies in more than a dozen languages. The tales have been adapted for television, films, and video games. For the rest of her life, people asked Margret “were you afraid?” She always replied, “you don’t have time to be afraid.” In an interview with The Associated Press, Margret said, “Actually, it was fun.” The manuscript carried by the Reys as they fled Paris on makeshift bicycles told the tale of the man in the yellow hat and his pet monkey,… “Curious George.”

Source:
1. The Morning News (Wilmington, Delaware), November 19, 1953, p.13.
2. The Springfield News-Leader (Springfield, Missouri), January 17, 1997, p.22.

BOM was a sponsor of the 26th Annual Zwolle Loggers & Forestry Festival. Pictured left to right- BOM’s Ashley Parrie, Lela Malmay (Sponsorship Director and President), and BOM’s Tiffany Miller

FRIDAY NIGHT KICKOFF

7:00 – 8:15   Gerard Delafose and the Zydeco Gators (Zydeco)
8:30 – 10:00 L. A. Roxx (Glam Rock Tribute)

SATURDAY

1:00 – 2:00 Klockwork Band (Rhythm & Blues)
2:15 – 3:45 The Chase Tyler Band (High-energy Country)
4:00 – 5:00 Johnny Earthquake & The Moondogs (High-energy variety show band)
5:05 – 5:20 James Burton (Guitar Legend)
5:25 – 5:55 Marty Haggard (Country – “Tribute to Merle”)
5:55 – 6:25 Deshawn Washington (R&B vocalist)
6:50 – 8:20 Resurrection (Journey tribute)
8:45 – 10:15 The Commodores (Presented by Natchitoches Regional Medical Center and the Cane River Waterway Commission)

12:00 – 1:00 Dave Duplissey’s Sax in the Corner Band (Smooth Jazz)
1:15 – 2:15 The Nakatosh Rhythm Chiefs (Gypsy Jazz)
2:30 – 3:30 Dan Sumner Band featuring Coco York (Jazz/Pop)
3:45 – 4:45 Forsyth Jazz Collective (Jazz)

12:00 – 1:00 LA Sweet T (Latin Rhythms)
1:10 – 2:10 The Kelli Roberts Band (Rock & Roll variety)
2:20 – 3:20 The Sundown Band (Rock & Country)
3:30 – 4:30 Armadillo Jackal Band (Americana/Folk)
4:45 – 5-45 Jesse Cole (Alternative Rock)
6:00 – 7:00 Josh Hyde and The Lost Parish (Original NOLA-Style Blues)  

Friday, April 29, 2022 was a rough day for Wall Street. All markets suffering major losses which has been a trend for the last several months. Many stocks taking back all of the gains from 2021 and early 2022. The market is responding to worldwide and political issues. However, what you should know is that the markets are not the ONLY place you can grow your retirement dollars.

There are volatility buffers available. These financial vehicles offer safe, no risk growth. Historical ten-year average growths range from 6% to 10% returns. Yes, you read that correctly…. Zero market risk with good growth that keeps up with or out paces inflation.

Looking for better options on CD funds. Well, here you are. The safety and security of a CD with real gains AND access to funds. Oh, not to mention the interest credit is tax deferred. No more annual 1099’s to concern yourself with.

Looking for security, zero stock market risk WITH good growth… give me a call!

rfoster@reinettefoster.com
318-481-6539
www.ReinetteFoster.com

MANY, LA – The first Louisiana rural electric cooperative to enter the internet business will begin construction next month on a broadband service for its 11,500 members, thanks to approval Wednesday by the Louisiana Public Service Commission.

“History is being made here today,” LPSC member Foster Campbell said in supporting a $45-million loan request by Northeast Louisiana Power Cooperative of Winnsboro.  The commission, meeting at Cypress Bend Resort near Many, voted unanimously to authorize the borrowing for NELPCO’s “Volt Broadband” subsidiary.

Jeff Churchwell, NELPCO general manager, said Northeast and Volt will partner with Conexon Connect of Kansas City, Missouri, to conduct a two-year build-out of the fiber-based internet service.  Conexon partners with electric cooperatives to offer broadband service in Colorado, Georgia, Missouri, Mississippi and Florida. 

Initially skeptical of the proposal and concerned about its impact on co-op electric rates, Campbell said he asked former CenturyLink executive Glen Post of Farmerville to investigate.

“(Post) was originally skeptical too, but he called several co-ops, and to his surprise he learned he was wrong, and now he says the deal can work,” Campbell said. 

“For me, that was the icing on the cake.”

Luke Piontek of Baton Rouge, attorney for NELPCO, said members of the Winnsboro co-op will be able to sign up for internet service during the two-year construction phase.  He said pricing will start at $59 per month.

CoBank of Washington, D.C., lender to the nation’s electric cooperatives, will furnish the $45-million loan.  Piontek said Northeast will have the option of selling its interest in the broadband project to Conexon should interest in the service among Northeast members be less than anticipated.

“We surveyed our members at the request of Commissioner Campbell and found overwhelming support” for entering the internet business, Churchwell said.  A follow-up mail survey of all 11,500 NELPCO members confirmed their interest, he said.

“The biggest thing missing in northeast Louisiana is being connected to the world,” Churchwell said.  “We are delighted to be able to provide this service.”

Campbell said he expects Claiborne Electric of Homer and Concordia Electric of Jonesville will be the next Louisiana co-ops to offer internet service.

“I want all of the people of North Louisiana connected,” Campbell said.

Lambert Boissiere, New Orleans-area commissioner and LPSC chairman, said access to high-speed internet service for Northeast members marks their entry into the 21^st Century.

“At some point you have to acknowledge that the legal requirements are met and it’s time to move forward and get this done,” Boissiere said

Kaitlyn C. Foshee, a Nursing Student at Northwestern State University, was recently inducted into the Honor Society of Nursing as a member of the Beta Chi Chapter at NSU. She also received the 2022 Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award from the Sigma THeta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, Beta Chi Chapter. Kaitlyn is a 2019 High School Graduate of Florien High School. She will graduate in December 2022 with her nursing degree.

NATCHITOCHES:
Shane Warren Atkinson
March 23, 1978 – April 30, 2022
Service: Saturday, May 7 at 10 am at Bellwood Baptist Church

Jessie Cole
July 28, 1939 – April 29, 2022
Service: Wednesday, May 4 at 10 am at Blanchard St. Denis in Natchitoches

Robert Rogers
June 18, 1956 – April 24, 2022
Service: Friday, May 6 at 1 pm at Parkview Baptist Church in Metairie

WINN:
Terry Jordan Ray
January 6, 1958 – May 1, 2022
Service: Wednesday, May 4 at 12 pm at Big Creek Baptist Church

There have been several ATV and rod & reel thefts across the parish in recent weeks. Our neighboring parishes and counties in East Texas have also reported similar thefts in the past few months.

Patrol Deputies are beefing-up patrol and Detectives are following leads and using all available resources to determine the person(s) responsible and to prevent future thefts from occurring.

Sheriff Mitchell is asking everyone to keep your property and valuables secure and out of sight. Please do not make it easy for thieves to steal your property.

Sheriff Mitchell also encourages citizens to install a home/property video surveillance system to monitor any suspicious activity. Systems have become more affordable in recent years. Sabine Parish Sheriff Detectives have solved numerous cases with the help of personal and business video recording systems.

If anyone has any information about these recent thefts, please contact Sabine CID at 318-590-9475 or submit a tip through our Sabine Parish Sheriff App.

Anna Marie Ferguson (age-50) of Florien took approximately $12,285.50 from the Village of Florien from the end of 2020 until March 2022. Florien’s CPA noticed the irregularities and it was reported to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office. Ferguson was placed on paid leave in March, then she was later fired.
Ferguson was accepting cash payments from traffic citation fines and keeping the money. During the investigation by Sabine Parish Sheriff Detective Don Flores, Ferguson admitted she took the money.
Ferguson was arrested and booked into the Sabine Parish Women’s Jail on Monday, April 25, 2022, for Theft $5000-$25,000 and Malfeasance in office.

Brenda Dianne Crocker Frederick (age-53) formerly of Noble took approximately $7,463.00 from the Village of Noble from February 2020 until August 2021. Noble Mayor Lynn Montgomery noticed the missing funds and reported it to the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office. Frederick was fired in October 2021.
Frederick issued numerous checks to herself and forged city officials’ signatures. During the investigation by Detective Flores, Frederick admitted she took the funds.
Frederick was arrested and booked into the Sabine Parish Women’s Jail on Thursday, April 21, 2022, for Theft $5000-$25,000, Forgery, and Malfeasance in office.

The sun rose on Billie Faye Alverson Dyess’ life on April 21, 1930 and set 92 years and 3 days later April 24, 2022, when she took her first breath in heaven. Mrs. Billie, as she was affectionally known by many, was blessed as she put it with a good life. Billie was born to William Burnie Alverson and Ella Mae (Nutt) Alverson and spent her childhood in East Texas with her older sister Alma Fountain and younger brother, Frank “Bud” Alverson. After graduating from Port Neches High School, she went to work at Jefferson Chemical Refinery, it was there that this spunky, beautiful red head met the love of her life, Edwin Dyess. They were married for over fifty years when he went to be the Lord in 2002. Together they raised six children. Wanting to rear their children in a more rural setting in the country, Billie and Ed moved to the piney woods between Many and Zwolle, this is the place Ms. Billie called home for the last 70 years. Billie was a faithful member of Zwolle First Baptist Church until her health kept her from attending personally, despite that her love for the Lord and faith was unwavering. Billie will be remembered, by those who knew her as a devoted wife, mother, sister, and friend. Billie loved her children unconditionally and always tried to encourage them to develop their strengths. Billie was an excellent cook and businesswoman. Billie and Ed opened one of the first marinas, Shady Lane, on Toledo Bend. There she ran the marina while her boys served as fishing guides. Billie loved to prepare large meals from vegetables grown from the family garden and friends and family were always welcome. When asked in later life, she would always say, if I were a younger woman, I would love to have a family restaurant.

Billie is survived by six children, Kenny Dyess (Bonita) of Monroe, LA; Marilyn Laramy (Howard) of Natchitoches, LA; William “Dan” Dyess (Desiree) of Natchitoches, LA; Harold Craig Dyess (Hazel) of Zwolle, LA; Jerry Dyess (Patricia) of Bronson, Texas; Darryl Dyess (Lisa) of Converse, LA. She was blessed with Grandchildren:12, Great Grandchildren: 13, and 1 Great, Great Grandson; her brother Frank “Bud” Alverson and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends she considered family. She is preceded in death by her parents Bernie and Ella Mae Alverson, her husband Edwin Dyess, an infant son Rusty Dyess, her sister Alma Fountain and sister-in-law Betty Alverson.

In a note left by Billie to be opened at her death, her parting words ring true to her character, “Do not grieve for me, I had a good life. Trust in the Lord and Be Happy! Love Moma

The family would like to especially thank Billie’s only daughter Marilyn Laramy and Howard who selflessly relocated to Louisiana from Tampa, Florida who for the past 17 years has devoted her life to taking care of her mother. Taking her to all her doctor’s appointments and making sure her daily needs were met. Her caregivers over the years, Roxann Faircloth, Carolyn Cates, and Debra Faircloth who treated Billie like their own mother. Allowing her to spend her senior years in the comfort of her own home. All the Doctor’s and Dr. Hogg and his staff whose excellent care gave us many more precious years, and Hospice of Natchitoches for their compassionate care these last few months. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to NSU Dyess Family Scholarship or a charity of your choice.

Her funeral services will be held on Wednesday, April 27, 2022 at Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home, 9891 Texas Highway, Many, Louisiana with Bro. Bobby Russell officiating. Billie’s visitation will be from 12:30 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. with the funeral beginning at 2:00 p.m.; interment will follow at Progress Cemetery in Pleasant Hill, Louisiana.

Condolences can be made to the family at www.rose-neath.com

Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home
Many Chapel

BOM is a sponsor of the Many High School Project Graduation. This event will provide an exciting fast-paced, all night party that is free of alcohol and drugs, where students can celebrate their achievement in a truly safe environment. Pictured left to right: BOM’s Linda Guay, MaKynli Miller, Addison Hable, and BOM’s Tiffany Miller.

His mind is cracker-jack sharp but the frame of our favorite orthopedic surgeon is failing him now, a casualty of hard work and 80-plus years, roughly a half century of that used to heal the wear and tear on his patients, including thousands of student athletes at Louisiana Tech when he was its team doctor from 1973-2013.

The University’s most recent recognition of Dr. Billy Bundrick was Saturday when a life-sized statue of “Dr. B” was unveiled and dedicated by the softball field named in his honor — Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.

The players affectionately call the field “The Billy,” a playful nickname its honoree heartedly approves of since Dr. B has always been about competition and winning and spreading the joy.

The University could dedicate 10 statues and probably still fall short of recognizing all Dr. B has done for the school. A three-time football letter winner and the team’s captain in 1959, Dr. B made a career of taking one for the team. Dr. B, his remarkable and imminently likeable assistant Spanky McCoy, and longtime Tech athletic trainer Sam Wilkinson formed a mortal but formidable holy trinity to combat frayed nerves, hurt feelings, busted ligaments, and broken bones for three decades.

“It’s unbelievable how good Dr. Bundrick was to Louisiana Tech and how much he’s meant to us,” Wilkinson said.

Former athletic director Jim Oakes, who, as Tech’s lead football manager in the mid-’70s had a front row seat to Dr. Bundrick’s influence, called his friend “the greatest sports medicine doctor to ever serve a university athletic program.”

Dr. B is a Tech Athletics Hall of Famer, a former Alumnus of the Year, and everything in between.

“The numerous honors he’s earned only scratch the surface of his significance to us,” University President Dr. Les Guice said. “His greatest contribution has been in the service of others.”

He did it one knee and one back and one foot at the time, each stitch a soft-spoken encouragement.

Dr. B’s biggest fan, physically and figuratively, is likely Karl Malone, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer; his family’s donation made the statue a reality. Bundrick has been an advisor to Malone, a quiet encourager and his most trusted confidant, since before Malone was the famous “Mailman.” In the flamboyant NBA, Karl always had a posse of one: Dr. B.

If that’s hard to understand, or if you’ve never seen a 6-foot-9 teardrop, you could have seen one Saturday as Malone’s emotion for his friend was evident.

“You,” Malone said to a smiling Dr. B, “are my hero.” He spoke for many in the crowd.

Walking to the soccer pitch next door or to The Billy, Tech’s student athletes would be wise to consider the statue and copy what it represents, a monument to caring and leaving it all on the field, the definition in bronze of a selfless and smooth operator.

Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu