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On what was surely one of the all time perfect fall Fridays in mid Michigan, the meeting of the Downtown Coaches Club was called to order with a hearty “Go Green- Go White” shout out as the clock struck exactly 11:45am. After a filling lunch for all, everyone (the Downtown Coaches Club members that is) could be seen completing their U-Pickem contest forms to see who would reign as the champion of predicting the outcomes of 18 upcoming college football games. Announcements were made and we learned that the Downtown Coaches Club had open board seats (for those overachievers). This was followed by recognitions and announcement of special guests including Coach Perles, Coach Bullough, and former MSU football player John Shinsky. Additionally, the Rotary Club of Lansing guests were warmly acknowledged and welcomed.
The student of the week was then recognized, a charming 4th grader from the Elmwood Elementary School in Lansing. A basketball and baseball player, it was suggested that with her skills, if she could add about another foot to her size, she could probably also excel at football. This young lady, all 4’10” (my estimate) was then honored through a letter from her teacher. According to her teacher, she looks out for those who need help, is a good team player, a leader and an all around good example for others. It sounds like she would fit well as a future Rotarian, as she already lives our 4-way test. The club then gave her gifts including two tickets to this week’s MSU football game against CMU.
Back to the U-Pickem, Mr. Larry Johnson was recognized for picking all 18 winners on last week’s card. Now that is impressive! Members at our table spent all of about 10 seconds completing their cards. I’m sure there is a system, but I was not able to pick up on it today.
MSU Junior Wide Receiver R. J. Shelton was the club’s first speaker. An advertising major (naturally – that’s where I teach at MSU), he shared an inspired and confident talk on what MSU means to him. A Badger his entire life, the transition was interesting. But for RJ, this was a great opportunity to come to MSU. He praised head coach Dantonio and the entire coaching staff, because, as he said, “they do it the right way.” This includes academics as well as football. It is fun to play football on Saturdays at Spartan Stadium. Mr. Shelton is certainly a well spoken young man and a fine representative of the individuals representing our University. Responding to questions, we learned in high school he was a fine wrestler as well as a basketball player.
Next, Wide Receivers Coach Terrance Samuel stepped up to the microphone. Immediately demonstrating how wise he is, Coach Samuel acknowledged and thanked his wife. He immediately commented that after listening to student athlete, RJ Shelton, he was now even more impressed with him. His remarks then focused on the upcoming game with CMU. They will play hard. The CMU team could have won each of its first two games. In fact, MSU recruited some of the CMU players and they will be out to prove something. He next shared observations about the Air Force game last week. Responding to questions, Coach Samuel spoke about the learning curve for freshmen on the team, as well as how a team develops trust, learns patterns, acquires the ability to adjust and the importance of chemistry. Yet he also acknowledged that the time also comes in a game to let the players just go out and play. The toughest role though, is that of the receiver who knows he is not going to receive a pass, and his need to play hard on every play. He concluded by sharing, with a smile on his face, how we would all be astonished if we knew how many mistakes there are on every play.
Radio talk show host Hondo Carpenter then gave his assessment of the meaning of life…on the football field that is. He shared his expectations for MSU this weekend as well as what to watch for from both the Spartans and Chips. He also commented about how Coach Dantonio told his team that they would not run up the score in the 4th quarter against a military academy last week. Don’t know about you, but it sure made me proud to be a Spartan.
With the preliminary card now complete, the featured speaker, Kelly Dean was introduced. A Spartan through and through, Kelly shared more than 40 years of accomplishments, observations and stories in about 30 minutes. I’m not sure he even took a breath during that time, but his sincerity and down to earth approach captured and held everyone’s attention. Receiving his BS degree in Education and his MS degrees in Special Education – both from MSU, Kelly has given back to this community for many years. Coming to MSU to play football for Duffy Daugherty in 1971, Kelly has never forgotten his roots in Pontiac and has never forgotten what MSU did for him.
As Kelly shared stories, he reminded the club that it was the Downtown Coaches Club which first had the idea to take fans on the road to see MSU at away football games. Dean Transportation has taken a lot of fans to a lot of games since this idea began here. In 1971 he came to MSU, a time that the aura of the National Championship teams still echoed at MSU. He went on to list a number of his teammates who went on to great accomplishments and successful lives. At the end of his football career at MSU, Kelly went to work at the Beekman Center, a job which changed his life and created a focus on special needs kids still to this day, as evidenced by his work as a director of the Area Special Olympics. He worked at North Elementary School under the direction of legendary people like Mildred Richardson and Elda Henderson. At North he learned more about special needs kids and began working with the Rotary Club of Lansing and our annual Christmas party for the kids at North School by coordinating the event and eventually providing the transportation.
Kelly spoke about the decades of coaches at MSU who forgot about the traditions and the football players who made MSU great. He acknowledged it was Coach Perles who recognized the importance of tradition and family and brought back the Duffy Daugherty era. With Coach Perles, it was Coach Bullough who brought back past players to be a part of the program that meant so much to them. Kelly then shared how it was Coach Norm Parker and his son Jeffrey that led to the community’s involvement with the Special Olympics under the leadership of Coach Perles, Peter Secchia and Attorney General Kelley and Bobby Popp. Their golf outing is now in its 28th year, raising $70,000 last year for Special Olympics, and more than $1.5 million since its inception.
But of all the accomplishments and memories, Kelly concluded with an acknowledgement that his best memory of MSU revolves around the friendship he developed with fellow player John Shinsky beginning in 1972. He shared John’s story of growing up in an orphanage in Ohio and how he persevered when life could have directed him in so many directions. John excelled at football at MSU. He has been a true inspiration for Kelly and others. John wanted to give back and has by creating an orphanage in Mexico for abandoned kids. Sharing some of the work and details of today’s Dean Transportation, Kelly has been an inspirational leader for the Lansing Promise Scholarship program as well as many other programs to give back to the people of our community. He made a point to thank Lansing Rotary for being one of the first major groups to step forth to support this important program for the students of our community, and the results are there.
Kelly covered a lot, and reminded us that it all started with football and MSU. He thanked his lovely wife, Marilyn, the strength of his family. At the conclusion of his inspiring and uplifting talk, Kelly was presented with a plaque from the Downtown Coaches Club honoring the work that he and Dean Transportation have done to make this a better place to live. As the club moved on with awarding door prizes, Lansing’s Rotarians quietly worked their ways to the exits to take in just a little more of this beautiful Friday afternoon before returning to work, home or play. And so ends another Rotary Friday.
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A. Brad Schwartz is the author of Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles's War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News (Hill and Wang, 2015), which draws upon a trove of long-lost listener letters to explore the infamous 1938 "panic broadcast." The book is based on groundbreaking research that Brad conducted as part of his senior honors thesis at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he earned his B.A. in History and Screen Arts & Cultrues in 2012. Brad also co-wrote a 2013 episode of the PBS series American Experience about the War of the Worlds broadcast, based in part on his thesis research. He lives in East Lansing.
