Honoring the memory of a special person in a special way
This week marks the ninth anniversary of the loss of our oldest grandson, Zack Wansley. And, yes, it hurts as much today as on the day he collapsed and died while training for a marathon.
Zack was special. He was a true scholarathlete. He was president of just about every significant organization in his high school. He won the Journal Cup as his school’s Outstanding Senior. Zack was proof that one could get a quality public school education if willing to work for it. He is one reason that I am so hawkish on public education and remain intractable regarding those politicians who would rather cut- andrun from what ails our public schools rather than try to fix the problems. I saw what Zack accomplished in the classroom and know it can be done.
Zack was also an unrepentant and unapologetic Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket in a family of Georgia Bulldogs. He was a Tech man through and through and, as usual, he was excelling academically when his life was cut short.
As this week approached, I asked myself how could I best honor his memory. I could wallow in selfpity or I could try to do something that would please the dickens out of him; something upbeat and more in keeping with his sunny personality. Zack didn’t do moping. He enjoyed every minute of his life and expected everyone else to do so, as well.
So, I thought what if his grandfather, himself an unrepentant and unapologetic Georgia Bulldog, invited a couple of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to his home to talk about Zack and about his beloved school? Talk about the ultimate sacrifice. I felt Zack would be impressed that his grandfather loved him so much that he would endure a couple of hours of listening to Tech talk. Greater love hath no grandfather.
Guy Arledge was a colleague of mine at BellSouth and a 1971 graduate of Georgia Tech. One of his claims to fame — other than surviving my mercurial management style — was the creation and construction of a toy model of the Ramblin’ Wreck automobile and giving the idea to the Georgia Tech Alumni Association, which hadn’t thought of it but has since sold tens of thousands of the replicas. Typical of Guy Arledge, he a live ESPN pregame didn’t demand a cut of show and when he coldthe proceeds. He just cocked another team’s thought it was the right mascot at halftime, a thing to do because he blowhard Yankee who loves his alma mater. had previously derided
Rep. Bert Reeves, a him and referred to him 2000 graduate of Georgia as Forrest Gump.) Tech, is an attorney and Arledge and Reeves a second-term member had never met until of the Legislature, they showed up at my representing t he house. Even though Marietta area. I got they graduated in to know him after his different decades, herculean effort to their experiences were update Georgia’s arcane remarkably similar adoption laws only — professors who to see his good works were to become great high- jacked at the last influences in their lives, minute by opponents of classroom challenges same- sex marriages. they weren’t sure they
In our conversations, would survive but did, I was impressed with his and the satisfaction knowledge and passion they feel from having for the subject and his attained their degree commitment to improve from Georgia Tech. our state’s adoption As hard as it is to processes. I found him admit, it was a fun session a serious and buttonwith a lot of stories and downed young man who a lot of laughs. It was the gives politics a good perfect way to honor the name. memory of Zachary Earl
What I didn’t know Wansley. There is no is there was another doubt he was listening Bert Reeves. This one in that day and beaming went by the name of all over. Buzz, the Georgia Tech As they were leaving, mascot, and he was I felt it my ethical duty anything but serious to inform them that I and button-downed. “My had taken copious notes job as mascot was to — with a red-and-black push the envelope,” he UGA pencil. I can assure said, “and sometimes I you that Zack would pushed it a bit too far.” have expected no less Nonetheless, his antics from his grandfather. got him named an AllYou can reach Dick American mascot. Yarbrough at dick@
He regaled us dickyarbrough. com; at with stories about his P. O. Box 725373, Atlanta, experiences as Buzz, Georgia 31139; online some of which can’t at dickyarbrough. com be repeated ( except or on Facebook at www. when he totally — and facebook. com/ dickyarb. accidentally — disrupted