News — Perseverance

Growing up I wanted to be Michael Jordan. I didn’t want to “be like Mike,” I wanted to be Michael Jordan. (I was young, OK?) The Bulls dominated the NBA in the 90s and I was right in the age range for kids looking up to MJ. I also grew up in Massachusetts and there was no love lost for the Los Angeles Lakers because of their historic rivalry with the Boston Celtics. As much as I loved the Bulls, my allegiance was always with all Boston teams. And their enemies, especially the Lakers and the Yankees, were my enemies. ...

When Jimmy Valvano accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the Espy's he was fighting cancer. How he fought that battle is a lesson in not just courage but so many other noble virtues. His love of both his family and life was on display during that battle. His perseverance certainly shined through, as it did when he coached basketball at North Carolina State University. And lastly, peace. He was at peace with the fact that he was going to die. He wasn't going to go down without a fight, but he had no allusions. As we all should. He may have been...