| Mr. Huth was my High School
Track and Football coach for my freshman and sophomore years. He
married my High School Algebra teacher, Laura Graham (Huth). Mr.
Huth was an excellent sprinter and hurdler, owning several track
records while at the University of South Dakota. I was not endowed
with any significant athletic skill, so sports that require any
degree of hand-eye coordination come to me with great difficulty.
Track, specifically the running events came a bit easier for me as
there was no real skill involved.
The interaction I had with Mr. Huth that made the most impact on
me was during football season of my sophomore year when the starting
defensive end was hurt and Mr. Huth suggested to the head coach that
I go in and take is place. As I recall the words were "He’ll
do the job" he told the head coach. This indirect encouragement
gave me the confidence to perform the tasks necessary to do the job.
A single word of encouragement can last a lifetime to someone who
does their best at whatever they does. The gift of encouragement is
given to all people but their sphere of influence may be limited to
only a few individuals.
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