Remembering a Hero

When you are a little boy in the fourth grade you are always looking for a hero. When I was growing up most heroes for boys that age were found in the form of an athlete.

I certainly had a hero. And he was quite an athlete.

He wore number 42 on the basketball court. He was a catcher on the high school baseball team and he was a runner and a pole vaulter on the track team.

And he just wasn’t a little good at these sports. He was really good. He set the standard for the rest of the athletes on the team.

His name was Mike Brunson. He graduated from Reynolds High School in 1964.

And believe me I watched his every move.

I have been trying to remember what made him so special in my eyes. When I look back I know that there had to be other qualities besides being so good at sports that caused me to look up to him as a little boy.

I do remember that Mike was very humble. He would dominate in all sports but his athletic success never went to his head. He was always just Mike off the field. He was very laid back and it took a lot to get him excited. He just seemed to take everything in stride.

He also had a contagious smile.

The thing I remember the most is he took up time with me as a little boy. I absolutely loved visiting the Brunson’s house with my Mama. Mike would take me upstairs to his room and make me feel like I was the most important person in the world. He was 8 years older than me but he treated me like I was his equal.

I never forgot that.

Mike left Reynolds and went on to become a pharmacist. He married his high school sweetheart, Sandy Hinton, and they owned a drug store in Columbus for many years. They raised two beautiful daughters.

Mike and Sandy became people of great faith. They made a huge impact in their world through their church.



Now he became a greater hero in my eyes.

Mike and Sandy eventually sold their drug store in Columbus and moved to Kansas.

Exactly six years ago today, Mike was working in a drug store in Kansas and started to feel like something was wrong. In his normal unassuming manner, he did not want to alarm anyone so he decided to drive himself to the hospital. He suffered a heart attack on the way and did not make it.

He was 54 years old.

For the past six years, I have remembered Mike Brunson on September 7. And I say a prayer for the family he left behind.

When I remember him, I am reminded that I should never be too busy to take time for a child.

And I am also reminded that humbleness is a sign of greatness.

And that's the kind of stuff of which heroes are made.