Flower Power
/I joined the Burlington, Iowa Jaycees in 1974. The organization’s mission was to help young adults develop leadership skills and business connections. It was also just plain fun to be part of.
In 1975, I was asked to chair their annual Bosses Night banquet. My goal was to showcase our club in a way that would make the bosses proud.
Step one was to find the right restaurant. As Dad always said, “If you can’t go first class, don’t go at all.” In Burlington, that meant one choice…PZAZZ! The classiest venue in the tri-state area. I booked the banquet room, locked in the menu, and was feeling pretty good. My last task was to get a the guest speaker that wasn’t the traditional boring local politician. I figured I could do better.
The name that was on every Iowa sports fan’s lips was Bob Commings, the brand-new Hawkeye football coach. In just his first season he stunned the sports world when the hapless Hawks, 24-point underdogs, snapped a 12-game losing streak to beat #12 UCLA, 21–10.
The mere idea of getting him to speak our small Mississippi River town seemed impossible. The club’s committee chuckled when I suggested it. Still, I couldn’t shake the thought.
On Monday, I called his office at the University of Iowa. “Coach is unavailable,” I was told.
Tuesday — same answer.
Wednesday — still no luck.
Thursday — nothing.
By Friday morning I decided to up the offense. My play was to send his secretary a dozen red roses with a card that read: “Go Hawks! See You in Pasadena!”.
That afternoon I called and the gatekeepers’ voice was pleasant and warm. I knew she was smiling when she said “Please hang on, I’ll put you right through to coach “.
When Commings came on the line the first thing he said was, “I admire your persistence and by the way, the roses made my secretary’s day.”
Then, without hesitation, he agreed to speak at our banquet…at one half his regular fee!
The head Hawk was a hit. Coach’s stories brought the house down. The JayCees loved it. And most importantly, so did their bosses!
A few weeks later, I was named Jaycee Director of the Year.
That’s the year that I learned to think outside of the box. Or in this case the telephone!
By Don Gardiner
From: United States