The Kindest People
Who Do Good Deeds:
Volume 1
by David Bruce
SMASHWORDS EDITION
Copyright 2007 and written by Bruce D. Bruce
All anecdotes are stated in my own words to avoid plagiarism.
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Cover Photographs
Top: Unity and Strength
© Photographer: Joseph Helfenberger
Agency: Dreamstime.com
Bottom: Hands
© Photographer: Franz Pfluegl
Agency: Dreamstime.com
http://www.pfluegl.at
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE KINDEST PEOPLE
WHO DO GOOD DEEDS:
Volume 1
The doing of good deeds is important. As a free person, you can choose to live your life as a good person or as a bad person. To be a good person, do good deeds. To be a bad person, do bad deeds. If you do good deeds, you will become good. If you do bad deeds, you will become bad. To become the person you want to be, act as if you already are that kind of person. Each of us chooses what kind of person we will become. To become a hero, do the things a hero does. To become a coward, do the things a coward does. The opportunity to take action to become the kind of person you want to be is yours.
Many people in the arts, in religion, and in everyday life have done good deeds, and I am happy that such people exist in this world.
Tipping the Balance—Either Way
According to the Talmud, all of us ought to consider the world as being equally divided into good and evil. That way, we will regard our own actions as important. If we act evilly, we will tip the world onto the side of evil and all Humankind will suffer, but if we perform good deeds, we will tip the world onto the side of good, and all Humankind will benefit. (1)
“Don’t A T’ing Like Dis Make Ya Feel Good?”
Comedians Jimmy Durante and Eddie Cantor were very giving of their time to good causes. On New Year’s Day of 1943, Mr. Durante met Mr. Cantor while taking a walk. “Eddie,” Mr. Durante said, “I’m just thinkin’. This must be a tough time for the guys over there in that hospital. Here it’s New Year’s Day, they’re sick, some of ’em have amputations. What do ya say we go over and entertain?” The two comedians rehearsed for a short time, then entertained at the hospital from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Afterward, Mr. Durante said hoarsely to Mr. Cantor, “Eddie, tell me, don’t a t’ing like dis make ya feel good?” (2)
Stranded in Kent, Ohio
In Kent, Ohio, early in his vaudeville days, W.C. Fields found himself stranded. (At this time, he was still being victimized by tour managers who would abscond with their performers’ salaries.) He had six dollars, sold his coat for two dollars, then went to the railroad station to inquire about the fare to New York. The railroad agent told him that it was just over $10. (Ten dollars in 1894 was the rough equivalent of over $200 in the year 2000.) “Well, I guess I’m stuck,” Mr. Fields said. “I’ve got eight dollars.” The agent asked if he was an entertainer, and on hearing that Mr. Fields was, he said, “People don’t put much trust in you folks, do they?” (At this time, being an entertainer was about as low on the social scale as a person could be.) “We’re used to it,” Mr. Fields said. The agent then gave Mr. Fields $10 and said, “I’ve always wondered what there was to that story. When you get a little ahead, send this back.” That rare act of kindness impressed Mr. Fields so much that he sat on a bench and cried. Two years later, Mr. Fields was finally able to repay the debt. On Christmas Eve, 1896, he sent $20 to the railroad agent ($10 was for “interest”), then he stood in line at a free soup kitchen for a Christmas dinner. After Mr. Fields became a huge success, he looked up the agent, as did other famous show people who learned what the agent had done for Mr. Fields. (3)
Tennis Shoes and a Pink Umbrella
One book that Gilda Radner read and enjoyed was Disturbances in the Dark by Lynne Sharon Schwartz. The main female character in the book remembers that when she was a young girl, she, her sister, and her parents would go to the beach. So that the two young girls would always be able to find the beach umbrella their parents were using, her father tied a pair of tennis shoes to the umbrella. The two young girls felt safe and protected when they saw the umbrella with the pair of shoes hanging from it. The night before Gilda underwent her first chemotherapy after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, her husband, Gene Wilder, walked into her hospital room carrying a little pink umbrella to which he had tied some shoes. (4)
My Fellow Bums
While living in New York City, comedian Bill Hicks was shocked by the number of homeless people he saw, and he always left home with change in his pockets to give to the homeless. He pointed out, “I could have been a bum. All it takes is the right girl, the right bar, and the right friends.” (5)
Visiting the Wounded Troops
Comedian Al Franken goes into Veterans Administration hospitals to meet the wounded troops. He thought that it would be very difficult, but he was amazed by how cheerful many of them—including a woman helicopter pilot who had lost most of her left leg and part of her right leg—are. He asked a man with one leg what had happened to him; the man replied, “I came in here for a vasectomy, and when I woke up my leg was gone.” By the way, Mr. Franken says not to thank these wounded veterans for their service to the country—they imitate all the politicians who tell them that. Therefore, Mr. Franken uses humor. When he has a photograph taken with one of these veterans, he writes on the photo, “Thank you for getting grievously wounded.” (6)
“Paid, and Thanks. Danny”
When British comedian Danny La Rue asked fellow entertainer Larry Grayson to entertain at his club while he went on vacation for two weeks, he showed much kindness to Mr. Grayson. First, he showed him his own dressing room and asked if any alterations needed to be made. Of course, everything was excellent. During the first week of Mr. Grayson’s vacation, Mr. Grayson ran up a rather high tab, but when he called for his bill so he could pay it off, he was surprised to be given a bill marked, “Paid, and thank you. Danny.” The next time Mr. Grayson was asked what he wished to be served in his dressing room, he said, “Just a coffee, please,” thinking that he would not run up his tab because Mr. La Rue would pay for it. However, when he was informed that this week he would have to pay his own bill, he ordered what he really wanted: a gin and tonic. At the end of the second week, Mr. Grayson again asked for his bill, and again it came to him marked, “Paid, and thank you. Danny.” Mr. La Rue had known that Mr. Grayson would not order what he wanted and would not run up his bill the second week if he had thought that Mr. La Rue would pay it, so he had left orders for Mr. Grayson to be falsely told that the second week he would have to pay his own bill. (7)
Homeless, Coatless, and Penniless
Before becoming a famous country comedian and star of Hee Haw, Archie Campbell was homeless, coatless, and penniless on a bitterly cold night in Knoxville, Tennessee. After getting thrown out of the bus station where he had fallen asleep, Mr. Campbell started walking in an unsuccessful effort to keep warm. Seeing an all-night restaurant, he went in and stood near a hot radiator. The owner, a Greek named Nick, asked him what he was doing. Mr. Campbell said that he lived nearby (a lie because he had no home), he had forgotten his coat (a lie because he had no coat), and he had dropped in to get warm (not a lie). Nick asked where he lived, and Mr. Campbell answered with the name of the first apartment complex he could think of. Apparently satisfied, Nick invited him to sit in a booth and get warm. Mr. Campbell fell asleep in a booth, and when he woke up, Nick set a huge, hot breakfast in front of him. Mr. Campbell explained that he couldn’t pay for the meal, but Nick said he didn’t have to—he knew that Mr. Campbell was homeless because he lived in the apartment complex that Mr. Campbell had named. After becoming rich and famous, Mr. Campbell made sure to stop in at that restaurant wherever he was in Knoxville. (8)
Comedian and Nurse
Martha Raye was a wide-mouthed comedian who played an important role in Charlie Chaplin’s 1947 black comedy, Monsieur Verdoux. She endeared herself—as did Bob Hope—by performing frequently for United States servicemen. In South Vietnam, her early training as a nurse’s aide came in handy. She arrived on the morning of a day on which there was a big battle. When wounded soldiers started pouring into camp, she put on fatigues and worked as a nurse for 13 hours. After getting some sleep, she worked as a nurse again the next day. For this action, General William Childs Westmoreland recognized her services as both a comedian and a nurse. (9)
Cold Winters
In Toledo, Ohio, in the early part of the 20th century, a man named John Mockett ran a clothing store. Every winter, he saw impoverished kids on the street selling newspapers, and if they needed an overcoat, he would give them one. One of the boys to whom he gave an overcoat was Joe E. Brown, who later became a famous comedian. (10)
Branded a “Red”
John Henry Faulk was a humorist who seemed destined for the big time, but he was branded a “Red” during the Communist scare of the 1950s, so CBS Radio stopped running his show, Johnny’s Front Porch. The famous journalist Ed Murrow mortgaged his house so that Mr. Faulk would be able to hire Louis Nizer, a famous attorney, in his fight for justice. (11)
Stage Time
Stand-up comedian Richard Belzer once came through for fellow stand-up comedian Judy Tenuta in a big way. Ms. Tenuta needed to audition for late-night talk show host David Letterman at the Improv, but she couldn’t get stage time. An appearance on David Letterman’s late-night talk show has enormous value in making a comedian’s reputation, and she was desperate to find stage time so she could audition. Mr. Belzer allowed her to perform for 15 minutes before his act at Caroline’s so she could do the audition there. At the time, Mr. Belzer didn’t even know her. (12)
Heckling the Hecklers
Comedian Danny Thomas made a reputation in Chicago, then he went to New York City to appear at Club Martinique. Several New York comics heard he was coming, so they decided to go to the nightclub and squelch the newcomer by heckling him. Because Mr. Thomas’ type of humor involved the telling of long stories, heckling would destroy his act. Fortunately, Milton Berle was in the audience. Mr. Berle liked Mr. Thomas, and whenever a heckler started talking, it was Mr. Berle who put the heckler in his place with a comic insult. Very quickly, the hecklers left Mr. Thomas alone, and he went on to become a giant of comedy. (13)
“Do Dollar Bills Come That High?”
When Jamie Masada started The Laugh Factory in Los Angeles, he asked his friend Paul Mooney to emcee. Happy to help, Mr. Mooney did just that—and he brought Richard Pryor with him. Mr. Masada had made the vow that he would always pay any comedians who performed at his club, even if all he could afford was three or four dollars. Mr. Pryor, a gifted and moneyed and generous comedian, wouldn’t take any money, but instead gave him a $100 bill, saying, “Good luck. You’ll need this for your rent.” Mr. Masada was shocked, in part because he didn’t know that dollar bills came in denominations higher than a twenty. Hearing this, Mr. Pryor got a good laugh—and handed Mr. Masada four more $100 bills. (14)
A Gift for a Brother
Like many famous people who started out making little money, comedian Fred Allen was well aware of the price of consumables. He enjoyed smoking a certain cigar that cost 10 cents each, and each week he bought two boxes—one for himself, and one for his brother. When the price went up to 15 cents a cigar, he seriously considered not buying that brand but continued to buy two boxes a week. When the price went up to 20 cents a cigar, Mr. Allen felt that the price was too expensive, so he bought only one box of cigars each week—to send to his brother. (15)
A Weekly Check for $25
Gracie Allen had an aunt who was fairly well off until the stock market crash of 1929. When George Burns and Gracie Allen were just breaking into vaudeville, Aunt Clara used to send them a check for $25 each week, a habit she continued even when the comedy team of Burns and Allen was making thousands of dollars a week. In the stock market crash, Aunt Clara lost just about everything she had, but she never knew it, because Ms. Allen used to deposit enough money into Aunt Clara’s checking account each month to cover all her expenses—including her weekly $25 check to Burns and Allen. (16)
Lost and Hungry
While in Colorado, comedian Henry Morgan and a friend were driving around, lost and hungry, when they spied a farmhouse with a decrepit sign saying “Restaurant” out in front. They stopped, ordered breakfast, and ate it, then Mr. Morgan asked the old woman who had waited on them how much they owed. “Nothing,” she answered, then she explained that the farmhouse hadn’t been a restaurant for 30 years. Mr. Morgan writes, “The old darling couldn’t let a couple of nice kids starve.” (17)
A Gang of Seven Tough Men
When African-American comedian Dick Gregory was just breaking into show business and making $30 a week, he took his girlfriend and her mother and siblings to a drive-in movie, spending every dime he had—and trying to keep that fact secret from everyone else. When the movie was over, snow had fallen, and his car and the other cars got stuck. A gang of seven tough men—all white—began pushing cars that were stuck, but they charged $5 for each push, and Mr. Gregory was broke. But he got out of the car, explained the situation to the men, and they pushed his car for free. One of the men even dropped a $5 bill in his lap. (18)
More Generosity in a Snowstorm
African-American comedian Dick Gregory could be very generous. He once performed at the Village Gate in New York while a snowstorm was raging. Because of the snowstorm, only about 10 people were in the audience, and Art D’Lugoff, the owner of the club, was facing a big financial loss due to Mr. Gregory’s salary. However, Mr. Gregory looked at Mr. D’Lugoff and said, “Don’t worry, Art—this one’s on me.” (19)
A Rich Comedian
Malcolm Scott was a British music-hall comedian who had the good fortune to be rich. Often, he used his money to perform good deeds. After completing his performance late at night, he would go to a poor quarter of town and seek a stall where people sold coffee and food. His habitual practice was to buy the entire contents of the stall, then hand out free coffee and food to the needy. Once, he noticed a small boy and small girl in a soup line on a very cold day—the girl was standing on the boy’s cap to keep out the cold from the stones of the path. He immediately took them to a shelter and made arrangements for them to be taken care of. (20)
Comedic Charity
As part of his act, comedian Jack Benny had a reputation for being cheap; in real life, he was generous—but in a funny way. Once he gave a million dollars to charity—then he pretended to faint. Jack Benny would also attend charity auctions—and raise the bidding one cent at a time. This made the other auction-goers laugh and put them in the mood to bid ever higher. (21)
“This is for Dessert”
After Jack Benny declined to attend a fund-raising dinner with his friend Eddie Cantor, Mr. Cantor went alone. As the dinner was ending, an envelope was brought to Mr. Cantor. Inside was a signed blank check, with a note from Mr. Benny: “This is for dessert, Eddie. Fill in the amount. Love, Jack.” (22)
Showing Kindness to a Remarried Divorced Woman
Country comedian Jerry Clower’s mother got divorced from her husband because he was an alcoholic who had abandoned his family. Despite the good reasons for the divorce, many people—including people in the church—shunned her because she was divorced. When she remarried, a neighbor who never set foot in the church and was considered a pretty rough character came by and gave the newly married couple a bushel of sweet potatoes for a wedding present, saying, “I hope y’all are happy. I’m digging my potatoes, and I don’t have anything else to give you.” This impressed Mr. Clower, who is a sincere Christian: “I thought it was interesting that a man who never went to church would be one of the few who was nice to my mama.” (23)
“Everybody, Get Down!”
Country comedian Jerry Clower has a lot of respect for Delta Airlines and its employees. One day, his daughter was flying Delta. She had to change planes at the Dallas/Fort Worth airport, and a crazed man with a gun grabbed a young boy and starting yelling and shooting the gun in the air. A Delta employee yelled, “Everybody, get down!” He then stood between the gunman and the passengers. Several other Delta employees came running up and locked arms with the first employee, forming a human barricade to protect the passengers—the only way the gunman could shoot the passengers behind the human barricade was to first shoot the Delta employees. (Fortunately, the gunman was overcome, and no one was hurt.) (24)
A Very Great Artist
Charlie Chaplin, like many other rich and famous people in the days before such helping programs as Welfare and Social Security, dispensed pensions to friends and acquaintances who were aged and impoverished. When Mr. Chaplin was young, a magician used to entertain him on the streets of London. When the magician became aged and impoverished, he wrote Mr. Chaplin for help. Immediately, Mr. Chaplin put him on his pension list, saying, “He was a very great artist.” (25)
Expensive Gifts
Comedian Fanny Brice (famous for her Baby Snooks character) had a favorite friend from her Ziegfeld Follies days, Ann Pennington. Ms. Brice continued in show business and big bucks, but Ms. Pennington got out of show business. Ms. Brice enjoyed buying Penny expensive gifts, but she worried that Ms. Pennington would feel bad about accepting them. Ms. Brice solved her problem by buying Ms. Pennington expensive clothes, ripping out the brand-name labels, and sewing in the labels of a less expensive brand. (26)
Anonymous Tuition
Carol Burnett wanted to go to UCLA after she graduated from high school with good grades. Unfortunately, her family was poor and so there wasn’t enough money for her to go. After all, tuition cost $42 (it was a long time ago), and books also cost money. One day Ms. Burnett went to the mailbox and found an envelope with no return address but with her name on it. She opened the envelope and found $50—even after becoming famous, she never discovered who had sent her the money. At UCLA, she began to study acting and later became rich and famous as a comedian. (27)
God has a Way of Compensating
While growing up, Geri Jewell wanted to be a comedian, but because she had cerebral palsy, no one gave her much chance of achieving her dream. She wrote TV comedian Carol Burnett and asked whether Ms. Burnett thought she could make her dream come true. Ms. Burnett wrote back, “I really admire your dedication in pursuing a career as a comedienne, and while no one can guarantee success, I would say you are on the right track by realizing your handicaps and assets. God has a way of compensating those who have been handicapped, Geri. Whether or not you turn ‘pro’ I know you will always enjoy good humor, and live life to its fullest. Don’t give up. Get involved in acting in any capacity.” Ms. Jewell did become a professional comedian, and she landed a recurring role on the TV series Facts of Life. (28)
Joking with the Dying
When Jim Backus, the voice of Mr. Magoo and a star of Gilligan’s Island, lay dying, comedian Milton Berle stopped by and entertained him with corny jokes for two hours. When Mr. Berle left, he told his friend, “I hope you get better.” Mr. Backus joked, “You, too.” (29)
A Toothless Old Man
Comedian Fred Allen was an amazingly generous human being. One day, he ran into a toothless old man whom he had known in vaudeville, so he told him to see a dentist, get a set of false teeth, and have the bill sent to him. The old man was reluctant, but Mr. Allen said, “Go get some teeth, Irving—one of these days you might want to laugh at something.” (30)
An Old 1934 Ford Pickup Truck
While in high school, comedian Jay Leno bought an old 1934 Ford pickup truck. He worked hard to get it in shape, and his parents bought him new upholstery for it. One day, he slammed a truck door and shattered the window. Although he didn’t have the money to replace the window, he continued to drive the car to school. While he was sitting in class one day, a big storm blew up and Jay looked at his car through the schoolroom window, knowing that the rain would ruin the upholstery. Suddenly, he saw his parents drive up and put plastic over the broken window to keep the rain out. His father had left work and picked up his mother so they could save Jay’s upholstery. Right there in class, Jay started crying. (31)
Fire!
Comedian Frank Fay exhibited coolness during a fire at the Schubert Theatre in New York. As smoke swirled around him, Mr. Fay walked out on stage and spoke calmly to the audience. He announced that there was a fire, but that he would personally press anyone’s suit if it got wet from the hose of the firemen. Everyone laughed, no one panicked, and everyone got safely out of the theater. (32)
Food for a Hungry Family
When Jackie Robinson was very young, his father abandoned the family. Therefore, his mother moved the family from Georgia to California, where she worked very long hours for not very much money. The family sometimes ate only two meals per day, and sometimes they would not have eaten at all if his mother had not brought home leftovers from her job as a housekeeper. Fortunately, other people helped the Robinsons. A baker did not keep his shop open on Sunday, so on Saturday afternoons he gave the Robinsons the leftover bread. A milkman also helped by occasionally giving the Robinsons extra milk. In 1924, Jackie and Willa Mae, his sister, often went to school hungry—so hungry they sometimes found it difficult to stand up. Their teachers—Bernie Gilbert and Beryl Haney—helped by bringing them sandwiches. (33)
Stopping Racial Abuse
When Jackie Robinson became the first black man to play in baseball’s major leagues in the 20th century, he was subjected to torrents of racist abuse from fans and opposing players. At one game, Mr. Robinson’s fellow Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese, a white man, stopped the abuse. Mr. Robinson was standing at first base, and Mr. Reese walked over and put his arm around him. (34)
“I Don’t Care if the Guy … has Stripes”
When Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in major-league baseball, he made it possible for other African-American players to join the major leagues—and to start cashing some major-league checks. Willie Mays once said, “Every time I look in my pocketbook, I see Jackie Robinson.” (Mr. Robinson had some help breaking the color barrier. Leo Durocher told the white players on the team in 1947, “I don’t care if the guy is yellow or black or if he has stripes like a f**king zebra. I’m the manager of this team, and I say he plays.”) (35)
A Superstar of Sport and a Scared Rookie
In 1964, Rico Carty started playing baseball for the Braves. Mr. Carty came from the Dominican Republic, and manager Bobby Bragan wanted him to room with someone who would teach him English, so he asked for a volunteer. Hank Aaron volunteered, greatly impressing Mr. Carty when he heard through a translator what the great home-run hitter had done. A superstar of sport had made a scared rookie feel welcome. (36)
“You Know You’ll Never Get That Back, Don’t You?”
Baseball manager Larry Gilbert of the Southern Association was known for his many good deeds during the first half of the 20th century. Once, a man who had played baseball for him and who was almost always short of money got in a jam and asked him for a “loan” of $100—a lot of money back then. Mr. Gilbert gave him the money. Later, a friend of his told him, “You know you’ll never get that back, don’t you?” Mr. Gilbert replied, “That’s all right. He played mighty good ball for me, better than I expected. Maybe I owe him a little something.” In addition, a number of untalented young ballplayers showed up each spring to try out for his team and spent all their money without making the team. Mr. Gilbert always gave them railroad fare so they could get home. (37)
“If They Lose, I’ll Walk Home”
On June 8, 1989, Pittsburgh Pirates TV announcer Jim Rooker was so sure that the Pirates would end a 6-game losing streak after they opened up a 10-0 lead over the Philadelphia Phillies that he said that he would walk home all the way from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh if the Pirates lost the game. The Pirates did lose, 15-11. Mr. Rooker did walk home—not right away, but after the season ended. From October 5 to October 18, 1989, he walked the entire distance from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, picking up donations for charity all the way. (38)
“Tracey is on Cloud Nine”
In the 1981 World Series, the Dodgers played the Yankees. Retired Dodger pitcher Carl Erskine attended one of the games, where he talked to an old teammate, Clyde King, who now worked as a Yankee. Mr. Erskine mentioned that he knew a 12-year-old boy named Tracey Gustin, a Little League catcher who was a Yankee fan and who had terminal bone cancer. Of course, Mr. Erskine was hoping that one of the Yankees would give the boy a telephone call. Yankee star Reggie Jackson overheard the conversation and said, “Get the number, Clyde. I’ll do it.” Later, Mr. Erskine got a call from Tracey’s mother, who told him, “Guess what happened. The Yankees called Tracey from Yankee Stadium just now—Bob Lemon, the manager, Catfish Hunter, Reggie Jackson, Goose Gossage, Yogi Berra, and Clyde King all talked to Tracey. … Tracey is on cloud nine.” (39)
“Keep It and Make Some Money”
Sal Durante caught the baseball Roger Maris hit to break Babe Ruth’s single-season home-run record of 60. Mr. Durante, a nice guy, offered Mr. Maris the record-breaking baseball. However, Mr. Maris, also a nice guy, told him, “Keep it and make some money.” Mr. Durante did, selling it for $5,000. The buyer, the owner of a restaurant, yet another nice guy, also threw in a couple of trips to the West Coast. (40)
“Hey, Pop!”
When baseball player Joe Garagiola’s father was ill and dying, he watched his famous son speak on TV at a dinner in honor of Senator John F. Kennedy, who was running for President. Many, many VIPs were present, including former President Harry Truman. Joe knew that his father was dying, and he knew that his father would enjoy seeing him with all these VIPs, so he asked President Truman to stand beside him, and next he asked a Senator and a Governor to come and stand beside him. Finally, he put his arm around a couple of the VIPs, including Harry Truman, leaned toward the TV camera, and said, “Hey, Pop, I just want you to see who I’m hanging with.” This made his father very happy and very proud. (41)
A 62-Year-Old Major League Pitcher
In 1968, at age 62, Satchel Paige was signed as a pitcher-coach by the Atlanta Braves for exactly 158 days. Why? The owner of the Braves, Bill Bartholomay, knew that Mr. Paige needed to work for exactly 158 days to be qualified for a pension. (42)
“You’re Out of the Game!”
On the last day of the season, Frank Lary, a pitcher for Detroit, which wasn’t going to play at all in the playoffs that year, wanted to go home on a 3 p.m. flight even though the game started at 2 p.m. Of course, he was expected to be at the game and stay there, even though he wasn’t pitching, so he asked umpire Ed Runge for help. Umpires are often nice people, no matter what fans yell at a game, so Mr. Runge agreed to help. On the very first pitch of the game, Mr. Lary yelled, “Hey, Runge, what kind of a call is that?” Mr. Runge yelled back, “You’re out of the game!”—and Mr. Lary made his flight with time to spare. (43)
My Sister Back in Kansas
Known for his fast balls, baseball player Walter Johnson was also known for being a gentleman. One day, a couple of people recognized him and talked to him for 20 minutes. His friend and teammate Joe Judge asked what they had been talking about. Mr. Johnson replied, “These men were telling me they knew my sister back in Kansas.” Surprised, Mr. Judge said, “I never knew you had a sister.” Mr. Johnson replied, “I don’t.” (44)
An Anonymous Good-Deed Doer
Joan Joyce fielded and hit well as a softball player on the United States’ best team—the Raybestos Brakettes—but she was not a pitcher. She could throw hard, but she had no control. Fortunately, one day a telephone lineman saw her throwing. He came down from the telephone pole and advised her to throw not with a windmill motion but with a slingshot motion. She followed his advice and acquired control to go with her speed, becoming a superstar pitcher with 123 no hitters and 37 perfect games! (45)
Letting Children Wear an Olympic Gold Medal
In 1996, Dorothy “Dot” Richardson was a member of the United States women’s softball team that won the gold medal at the Summer Olympics. Immediately after winning the gold medal, she had to fly to Los Angeles where she was completing her residency at a hospital. (Today, she is an orthopedic surgeon.) Fortunately, the hospital gave her another week off so she could do such things as meet the First Family and appear on David Letterman. Of course, she made up the hours of work she missed, and she gave children in the hospital a chance to wear her gold medal. (46)
Three Dozen Red Roses
Ohio State University Buckeyes football coach Woody Hayes frequently performed charitable acts. One day, a woman presented Mr. Hayes with three dozen red roses at the Columbus, Ohio, airport when the team returned after a game. He asked his defensive coordinator, George Hill, to show up at the studio at 11 p.m. to prepare for the Woody Hayes Show, but Mr. Hayes himself didn’t arrive until 11:20 p.m., explaining that he was late because he had been giving away the roses to a number of elderly patients at University Hospital. Mr. Hayes said, “There are little old ladies in that hospital, George, who are worried about whether they’re going to live or die, and all we’re worried about is a d*mned football game.” (47)
A Hard Man to Figure Out
Coach George Halas of the Chicago Bears was a hard man to figure out. Brian Piccolo bargained for months with him before getting a $500 raise, but after Mr. Piccolo got cancer and racked up thousands of dollars in hospital bills, Mr. Halas paid them. (48)
A Hug for a Competitor
Olga Korbut’s revolutionary gymnastics feats astonished the world at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Nevertheless, she was not always perfect. After receiving the low score of 7.5 on the uneven bars, she sat crying. None of her friends were around to comfort her because they were busy competing in their own events, so a member of the German Democratic Republic team, Erica Zuchold, came over and gave her a hug. (49)
“I Have One Final Gift for You”
After Mary Lou Retton won the all-around gold medal in women’s gymnastics in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, she became a celebrity and needed an agent. Her coach, Bela Karolyi, investigated some agents and recommended one who was acceptable to Ms. Retton and her parents. The percentages worked out this way: Ms. Retton would get 75%, the agent would get 15%, and Mr. Karolyi would get 10%. However, as soon as the contract was signed, Mr. Karolyi told Ms. Retton, “I have one final gift for you,” then he signed over his 10% to her. (50)
A Father and a Machete
Professional golfer Chi Chi Rodriguez grew up in poverty in Puerto Rico. One day, his father noticed a boy stealing bananas from a tree in his yard, so he asked Chi Chi to bring him his machete. Chi Chi did so, thinking that something terrible was going to happen. However, his father used the machete to cut some more bananas from the tree for the boy. (51)
“What a Stupid I Am”
Roberto de Vicenzo had a good shot at winning the 1968 Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia. He and Bob Goalby finished tied with a score of 11-under-par after four days of play, and they appeared to be heading for a playoff. Unfortunately, both Mr. Vicenzo and his playing partner, Tommy Aaron, made errors. Mr. Aaron was keeping score for Mr. Vicenzo, and he mistakenly wrote “4” where “3” should have gone. Mr. Vicenzo then made the mistake of signing the scorecard instead of checking it over first. According to the rules, if a player signs an inaccurate scorecard that improves his score, that player is disqualified. But if a player signs an inaccurate scorecard that lowers his score, the player must accept that lower score. Because of the incorrect scorecard, Mr. Goalby won the Masters. Mr. Aaron felt bad because he had marked the wrong score, but Mr. Vicenzo, in a display of impressively good sportsmanship, blamed only himself. He told reporters, players, and fans in his broken English, “What a stupid I am!” A couple of years later, he won an award for good sportsmanship. He accepted the trophy, studied the inscription, then said, “Golf writers make three mistakes spelling my name on trophy. Maybe I not the only stupid.” (52)
Stunningly Good Sportsmanship
Professional golfer Jack Nicklaus showed stunningly good sportsmanship at the 1969 Ryder Cup. Mr. Nicklaus was playing against Tony Jacklin, and if Mr. Nicklaus won, that meant the United States won. On the final hole, Mr. Jacklin needed to make a three-and-a-half-foot putt for Great Britain to tie the United States. Although putts of that length are not normally conceded, Mr. Nicklaus conceded it, and the two friendly nations ended up tied. (53)
Showing Respect to a Defeated Opponent
When golfer Payne Stewart won the PGA Championship, beating his friend Mike Reid, he was super excited. His friend and fellow golfer Peter Jacobsen saw him in a restroom, where Mr. Stewart was so excited about winning that he was trying to run up the restroom wall. Mr. Jacobsen decided to talk to him because he worried about him showing too much inappropriate excitement in public. He told Mr. Stewart, “You just won the PGA Championship. That’s huge. And I’m ecstatic for you. … But you have to gather yourself. While you’re jumping up the wall, a friend of ours is probably dying inside from having blown the tournament. When you go out there, you can’t be butt-slapping and doing high fives. You have to talk about how your friend Mike Reid played great, and would have made a great PGA champion as well. You need to show some respect for him ….” Mr. Stewart took the advice and gave Mr. Reid a lot of respect and did everything the way it ought to have been done. This is a good example of one person giving wise advice and another person being wise enough to take it. And when Mr. Stewart made a great shot at Pinehurst to defeat Phil Mickelson at the U.S. Open, Mr. Stewart didn’t need wise advice to do the best thing. He comforted Mr. Mickelson, whose wife was about to give birth, by telling him, “You are going to be a father. That is the greatest thing that can happen in your life. You are so lucky.” (54)
Lots of Help from Others
Althea Gibson received much help in her careers as a tennis and golf player. An African-American, Ms. Gibson broke racial barriers by winning Wimbledon in 1957 and 1958. Among the people who helped her was boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, who served as a positive role model and encouraged her to get an education and to pursue a career playing tennis. In addition, Dr. Hubert A. Eaton let her live with his family in Wilmington, North Carolina, while she attended high school and college and trained to be a tennis player, and Dr. Robert Walker Johnson let her live with his family in Lynchburg, Virginia, from which she traveled to play in tennis tournaments. Another boxer who helped Ms. Gibson was Joe Louis, who helped support her financially when she played in her first Wimbledon tournament in 1951—she lost in the third round. Also helping support her in that first Wimbledon competition was a group of blacks in Detroit who held a variety show and raised $770 for her. After Ms. Gibson began to break racial barriers in women’s professional golf, Leonard Wirtz, director of the Ladies Professional Golf Association, supported her. Occasionally, while Ms. Gibson was allowed to play on a golf course, she was not permitted to enter its clubhouse because of her race, and so she did not have a place to eat lunch, take a shower, or change her clothes. When that happened, Mr. Wirtz pleaded her case and if that didn’t work, he took stronger action. Three times, he moved a tournament from a prejudiced golf club—as shown by the club’s treatment of Ms. Gibson—to a golf club that was not prejudiced and that treated Ms. Gibson well. (55)
“Would You Like to Learn to Play?”
The best African-American tennis player in Richmond, Virginia, in the 1940s and 1950s was Ron Charity. One day, he noticed a little boy watching him as he practiced, and he asked the boy, “Would you like to learn to play?” The boy did want to learn how to play, so Mr. Charity taught him. Eventually, Mr. Charity was so impressed by the boy’s talent that he made sure he received training at a tennis camp run by Dr. Robert Walker Johnson, a physician in Lynchburg, Virginia. When the boy, whose name was Arthur Ashe, grew up, he became the first African-American man to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon. (56)
U.S. Open Tickets
Tennis great Arthur Ashe once suffered a heart attack and ended up at Cornell, where his cardiologist practiced, but even then he did not forget his friends. He called up Seth Abraham and offered him his tickets for the United States Open on Super Saturday: men’s semifinals and women’s final—a wonderful event for tennis lovers. Mr. Abraham was astonished. Later, he said that he told him: “Arthur, you’ve just had a heart attack and are in the critical-care unit of the hospital, and you’re worried about your blankety-blank tickets?” Mr. Ashe replied, “Yeah, I didn’t want them to go to waste, and I knew that you could use them.” (57)
A $50 Consolation Prize
John L. Sullivan used to fight all comers barefisted for a $1,000 purse; because he was such a great fighter, he was never beaten, but the person who lasted the longest in the ring with him got a consolation prize of $50. One day, a first-year Massachusetts Institute of Technology student named Alfred I. du Pont showed up to fight Mr. Sullivan—not for any glory, but because he needed the money. Mr. Sullivan was sympathetic to the student’s plight and made sure to spar with Mr. du Pont long enough for him to pick up the consolation prize money. The two men became friends, and after Mr. Sullivan had retired and spent all the money he had earned from prizefighting, the now extremely wealthy Mr. du Pont gave him a monthly stipend and a small farm to live on. (58)
A Women’s Prison
Muhammad Ali has done many good deeds, such as visiting a women’s prison in California, where he kissed all the ugly women prisoners but did not kiss the pretty women prisoners. Asked why, he replied, “The good-looking ones ain’t got no problem. But them ugly ones, who’s gonna kiss them? If I kiss them, they got something to talk about for the rest of their lives.” (59)
“Give Me My Room!”
Belly dancer Jodette had traveled to New York City to teach a dance workshop, but unfortunately, she discovered that the hotel had lost her reservation and given her room to someone else. Because Muhammad Ali was fighting Ken Norton, the hotels in the area were packed, and Jodette knew it would be difficult to find another room. She stood there and cried, shouting at the hotel staff, “Give me my room!” At that moment, Mr. Ali walked by with his entourage, and he ordered, “Find her a place.” They found her a suite at the Hilton Hotel, and Mr. Ali paid for it. He also gave her ringside seats for his fight with Mr. Norton. A few years later, Jodette was in the Los Angeles International Airport, trying to get to Cairo, Egypt. Again, her reservation had been lost, and her seat had been given to someone else. Again, she stood at the ticket counter, crying and saying, “Give me my seat!” She felt a tap on her shoulder, turned around, and saw Mr. Ali, who asked, “Now what’s going on?” He invited her to have lunch with him and his secretary, and by the time lunch was over, Jodette had a first-class airplane ticket to Cairo, paid for by Mr. Ali. (60)
Spending Money to Help People
Muhammad Ali made a lot of money, and he spent a lot of it to help his people. One winter day, an old man wearing rags arrived at his home to ask for money: a couple of hundred dollars. Mr. Ali asked what he would do if he got the money, and the old man answered, “Go home.” Mr. Ali handed over $200 and told him, “Don’t stop along the way.” It wasn’t just his people whom Mr. Ali helped. He once heard on the news that a home for elderly Jews was going to be shut down for lack of funds, so he stopped by and wrote a check for $100,000. In addition, he helped old-time fighters who needed a job—fighters like Kid Gavilan and Ike Williams. He had no real need to put them on his payroll, but they had a real need for a job, so on his payroll they went. (61)
“You Tell Uncle Ellie I Was Asking About Him”
In the early 20th century, Benny Leonard was both Jewish and the lightweight champion of the world. This made him the hero of the children of the Caplin family, one of whom would grow up to become Al Capp, creator of Li’l Abner. Al had an uncle named Ellie, whom he loved and who claimed to know many of the famous sports stars of his day, including Benny Leonard. Al never had a reason to doubt this claim, so when Mr. Leonard appeared at a theater in his town, Al waited by the exit so that he could meet him and tell him that he was the nephew of his friend Uncle Ellie. Things went as planned, and young Al told Mr. Leonard, “I’m Uncle Ellie’s nephew, Benny.” Mr. Leonard paused, recognized that this boy’s uncle had tried to make himself a hero in the boy’s eyes by pretending to be his friend, and said, “How is Uncle Ellie? You tell Uncle Ellie I was asking about him. Send him my best. OK, kid?” Uncle Ellie was understandably nervous later when Al said that he had met Benny Leonard, and he was understandably relieved when Al said that Mr. Leonard had sent him his best. (62)
Helping a Dance Troupe
Heavyweight fighter Joe Louis was very generous with his money. Whenever dancer Norma Miller needed money, she knew that she could talk to him and get help. One day, she and her dance troupe were broke. They had a dance date coming up, and they needed to get their costumes out of the cleaners, but Ms. Miller had no money to pay the cleaners’ bill. She called Mr. Louis, and he came right over with some of his friends. Mr. Louis was wearing a loud tie, which his friends made fun of, so Mr. Louis took off the tie and dropped it in Ms. Miller’s lap, leaning over for a moment to whisper, “The money’s in the tie.” (63)
“It’s Coming Back to You”
Julie Snellings was a wonderful female jockey in 1977. In that year she wrote a letter to an old boyfriend named Jackie Fires, who was also a jockey and who had been paralyzed when he took a spill off a horse at River Downs. The letter was hard to write, and she began it by writing, “You’re the toughest guy I ever met.” As preparation for writing the letter, she tried to feel as if she had to get out of bed although her legs were paralyzed. She also wrote Mr. Fires, “If anyone can do it, you can.” A month later, she took a spill off a horse and was paralyzed. Soon after, she received a telephone call from Mr. Fires, who told her, “Remember the letter you wrote to me? I put a return address on it, and it’s coming back to you.” (64)