Illinois Fans.....YOU'RE FIRED

Ok,  we have finally cleaned house at Illinois  Athletic Director Mike Thomas finished the trifecta and fired basketball coach Bruce Weber today.  So in the span of just 4 months he has fired the head football coach, Ron Zook, the women's basketball coach, Jolette Law and now Weber.  You see none of them managed to win enough games, so they got fired.

Interesting development.  Sometime in the past few years the Illinois fans started expecting winning to be the highest priority.  Maybe it was the first trip to the Final 4 in about 60 years, or maybe it was the 6 wins in a row in football at the beginning of the season, or the Rose Bowl trip a few years back.  But somehow the Illini Nation got it in their heads that winning and playing for championships was the highest priority. 

Graduation rates? Sorry not important.  Helping young men and women prepare for their futures? Forget it.  Being good stewards of their respective programs, acting honestly, fairly, and decently to the alums, fans, press and the world?  Nope, sorry that doesn't cut it.  Playing for the title is all that matters.

Is this realistic at Illinois?  History says no.  Sure we have teams that win Big 10 titles.  Sure we have teams that finish in the top 20 and compete with the best in the country.  But sustained winning?  Not recently. 

So, I have a suggestion for AD Thomas.  You should fire the fans.  Not just some of them, all of them.  You can give them a release.  Maybe pay them for their orange shirts, sweatshirts, shoes, gloves, etc.  You have $7 million to pay the former coaches, tacking in another couple million won't matter.  Give them information on joining booster clubs with schools that win.  Football, send them the Buckeye booster info.  Basketball, send them Indiana or Kentucky or Kansas info.  Then we can start over with the fan base too. 

Now fans, I want to warn you that some of the schools I just mentioned will break your hearts.  Ohio State, is on serious probation for cheating.  Indiana, they have their issues too.  But they win!  And after all that's what matters isn't it?   Oh now, they don't win the title every year, so you may have to fire your coaches every other year or so.  But you'll get a boost from winning the big ones!

As for me, I think I'm going to find a program to root for where the kids graduate.  Where they are decent kids learning to be better men and women.  Where honor and honesty and decency come first.  And where the coaches know that being great teachers and role models is what gets you an extended contract.  I'll bet you that there is a good chances coaches Zook, Weber and Law might be coaching there.

Sometimes I thank God for Unanswered Prayers! Merry Christmas

First, I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and holiday season.  And while Christmas is THE time to be with family, this year I won't be.  I'm not complaining, not one single bit.  But my family really comes together every other year, and this is the off year.  I could have gotten together with some family for sure, but it just seemed like this year, being in my home was going to be a good thing.  For one, I'm working tonight at the Virginia Theater where I'm one of the event managers.  The 1st. Presbyterian Church has a service there tonight and I will be one of the "hosts."  I'm happy I can help someone else take the night off and enjoy.  And after that my own church has 5 services, three tonight and two tomorrow.  I'm going to volunteer at two at least and maybe 3 or 4.  One of the downsides of always "going away" for Christmas is that I miss the services with my church family.  There are many there I love dearly and I'm just happy I can share this special time with them.  Tomorrow I have dinner plans with another special family in town and I know that will be fun as well.

So, this has been an amazing past 30 days for me.  I refinanced my house and credit card debt, thanks largely to the full time status I enjoy at work.  All in all I moved from over 6.75+ in interest alone to 3.5% interest.  Most importantly, the payments are 1/3 of what I was paying just last month.  Freeing up that cash allowed me to buy a new car.  I know, I should just save some money for a change, but truth be told, I have nursed my old car for 3 years longer than it should have run.  I got 195,000 from the Mountaineer in 14 years.  I drove it to Maine, and Texas, and Louisiana, and Georgia and many states in between.  It was a wonderful car, but it needed to retire!

In it's' place I got a new...yes new, Ford Fusion.  I had planned to buy used, but again, the offers for a new car are so good it's hard to pass up.  100,000/7 year warranty, 0% interest and no money down.  Oh, and free oil changes and tire rotation for 3 years.  That's amazing.  Just shows how the auto industry has to work hard to make deals.  I love the car and I'm know that my dad is smiling in heaven as I'll continue to drive a Ford for several more years.

I got a paycheck yesterday, and don't have any bills to pay.  I don't remember the last time that happened.  I'll have mortgage payments and car payments again next month, but for now...I'll just enjoy having money in my bank account.

So, this year will end on an up note and I'll thank God for answering my prayers.  There were a few unanswered ones in the past few years, but I see now that was just a lesson in patience God was teaching me .  Reminds me of one of my favorite Garth Brooks songs:

Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers
Remember when you're talkin' to the man upstairs
That just because he doesn't answer doesn't mean he don't care
Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers

Merry Christmas everyone. 



You know your life is back together when you can afford new underwear!

"Itch" Jones was the baseball coach at Southern Illinois University and at the University of Illinois for over 30 years.  I had the true pleasure of working for Itch for 3 years at Illinois.  One of the things he would say to the players when things weren't going right was "you think playing a game, like baseball is hard?  Hard is when you have a house with a mortgage, a family with bills and you have lost your job."  "Hard is figuring out how you are going to get your next meal when you only have pennies in your pocket."  "Hitting a baseball is not hard."

I didn't really get that when he said it.  I mean at the time I had always had a job.  Always been able to pay my bills.  Pretty much always been able to do whatever I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it.  Not working was a function of not wanting to work, and not making enough money meant you weren't trying hard enough. 

And then the year 2007 hit me square in the face.  I started the year working for a residential management company that was building a new dorm on campus.  It was a great job, and add to that I was working part time in real estate and making extra cash as a referee.  About April my father's condition deteriorated.  This weighed on my mind constantly as our family tried to decide the proper care going forward.   I had a few other distractions as well, and eventually the company decided to "go another direction."  So I went back to real estate full time. 

A few weeks later my father passed away.  A month after that the stock market collapsed.  And by Christmas it became evident the real estate business was headed into a tailspin.  And so began a nearly 3 year change of lifestyle.  It's amazing when you really have to "watch your pennies" how some things just don't become important anymore.  Over the next two years I would cancel home phone service, Internet, subsciptions, and find a way where ever I could to cut back my expenses.  I had some good months and some bad months.  The bad months were often funding with my credit cards, and like a Vegas gambler I thought my next big sale would pay off the debt.

The next big sale didn't come, although I had enough smaller sales to pay the bills.  Over time I took on 4 part time jobs.  I was very fortunate that people with whom I had volunteered in the past offered me part time positions, getting paid, in areas of they controlled.  And it was enough to get by. 

So here I am four years later, head still above water, and still managing to get by.  A few weeks ago our managing broker offered me a salary position with benefits.  It truly was the answer to my prayers.  In fact I had prayed often during this time, putting my full faith in God that things would work out.  And they did.

So, a few weeks ago I did something I haven't done in more than 3 years.  I went out an bought some new underwear.  My old stuff, and trust me I had a lot of it, was finally wearing out.  And I was down to my last 5 or 6 pair.  There is something now about opening a new package of boxers that makes me feel things are ok now.  Funny, because in the past, I took it for granted.  When you take time to step back and really look at where you life as led you, the things that seem like a given can become a celebration.

Some people just have it figured out. Cub's starter Randy Wells Give Back

Randy Wells



char·i·ty (chr-t)
n. pl. char·i·ties
1. Provision of help or relief to the poor; almsgiving.
2. Something given to help the needy; alms.
3. An institution, organization, or fund established to help the needy.

If you aren't a baseball fan, or maybe a casual fan you may not recognize the name Randy Wells.  He is the third or fourth starter for the Chicago Cubs.  He posted the definition of charity on a Facebook page yesterday.  I think we all need a reminder that no matter how far we rise in our lives, we need to remember there are many who need help just to get by.  Randy remembers this, and demonstrates it on a regular basis.

I first met Randy when he was about 8 years old.  His older brother Forry played for the University of Illinois in both football, where he was a qb/punter and pitcher, 1st base, catcher, outfielder in baseball.  Forry was no doubt one of my favorite players I worked with and came from a family deeply rooted in the values you would hope all young men and women display.  Forry is a true "older" brother, 10 or 12 years older than Randy.  And like many younger brothers, Randy loved to watch Forry play, love to come to the park and play catch and hit in the batting cages and loved it when we asked him to be in the dugout as bat boy. 

Here's a photo with Randy on the far right, and his grandmother, mom, dad and brothers at senior day.

When Randy was called up to the Cubs, one of the first things he did was send out a note to all his friends inviting them to Belleville after the season for a fund raiser.  A friend of his has a sister with juvenile diabetes, and he was committed to helping.  He did, and has held a similar outing each of the past 3 years.  Several hundred thousand have been raised to date with more certainly to come. 

But he hasn't just made a commitment to this project.  The Randy Wells Foundation has fund raisers throughout the year for many causes.  He held Boot Bash in October along with country music pal Stoney LaRue, supporting vets returning from battle.  He has raised money for the Chicago Children's Memorial Hospital, the Wounded Warriors Project and lent a hand to many other events showing up or donating to the cause.  I'm going to borrow a paragraph from his foundation website because it captures Randy's heart better than I could ever hope to.

Playing for the major leagues is a dream that Randy Wells lives out every day.  On the mound, Wells' main focus is concentrated on strikeouts. Off the mound, the major leaguer makes it a priority to strikeout obstacles that prevent children from achieving their dreams. He was forever changed after meeting five-year old brain cancer patient Carter Kettner. “Here was this boy who showed no signs of what he was going through.  His perseverance against these physical struggles was such an inspiration,” says Wells of the encounter with Kettner. “The fact that the team was able to brighten his day just touched me in a special way.” Randy developed a friendship with the Kettners. Sadly, things were put into perspective for Wells after Carter lost his battle to cancer in May of 2010. “I just realized there were a lot of kids out there like Carter who needed support and care day in and day out,” says Wells.

Here is a link to his foundation website:  http://www.randywellsfoundation.org/

A long time ago, maybe just maybe I helped 8 year old Randy touch his dreams for a day when we suited him up in a batboy uniform.  And while that doesn't even come close to the kind of things Randy has done for young men like Carter, it's a reminder that each of us have a obligation to do what we can, when we can. 

Thank you Randy for reminding us all that not every professional athlete is self centered and uncaring.  You are a hero to many, especially me!

Starfish on the Beach

So if you read my last blog you might ask if today's generation is so difficult to work with, why then do I continue to do it?  Well, in part it's because I'm mentally deranged.  I am certain my family and friends universally support that statement.  But in larger part it's because for every 100 or so young people you struggle to help move forward there is one who makes it all worth while.  There are some truly amazing young people just outside your door.  I'm not going to lead you on by saying that every kid I work with is amazing.  Most, in fact, are blatantly average.  Young people mostly tolerate adults, because in part they are a means to an end.  "This adult can help me get a job, help me get my project done, help me get my community service hours...etc."

But...then you meet that special kid.  The one with the wide eyes and the giving hearts.  And you quickly realize that this kid might just think what you have to say is meaningful.  That maybe you know something that might be useful.  And that maybe, just maybe,  if you spend some time together the world might be a little better for it. 

I want to introduce you to 4 I have worked with in the past 5 years or so.

Ari was an excellent high school athlete.  Somewhere along the way when he was competing in a lacrosse in high school he caught a lacrosse ball...in his throat.  Now this isn't necessarily the best place to catch a lacrosse ball.  And he lived with the after effects for quite some time.  He had several medical issues as a result, including reoccurring seizures.  His athletic days were over.  Faced with these types of problems, some would cash it in.  Take an hourly job just to get by.  Not Ari.  He refocused his life and his energy towards being the best he could be.

Now most people are good at recognizing problems, flaws in the system and spend most of their lives complaining about what's wrong with the world they live in.  Ari certainly sees the problems, but unlike most, he has the ability to see the solutions. And not just the simple solution.  Ari solves problems multi-dimensionally.  He is a leader who can see OZ and every brick in the yellow brick road.  I had the pleasure of working with him as he tackled the local fraternity issues relating to recruiting, scholarship and fraternity education.  And he was destined to be President of the chapter until another seizure pulled him back another notch, requiring him to give his full attention to academics and graduation.  I often wonder what mountains we may have climbed had Ari been at his full abilities for the 4 years he was an undergraduate.  But I'm thankful our paths crossed for the time they did. 

Grant comes from a small town in west central Illinois.  Champaign was the big city for him and full of opportunities.  As a sophomore he and another student had the idea to start a philanthropy benefiting the youth in our community by providing scholarships to summer park district camp programs.  Our park districts have amazing programs in the arts, sports and education but of course not every student can afford to attend.  Grant had a vision to run a rock, paper, scissors contest on campus.  After working on it for several months, a serious road block lay in front of him to complete his mission.  We went to dinner and he spelled out the high hurdle he was facing.  We discussed it, he set a new course, and in the end his group raised more than $20,000 for the project.  It wasn't the project that impressed me so much as his resolve to find another path.  We forget sometimes that God puts road blocks in our path, not necessarily to stop us, but to make us rethink our approach and find better solutions. 

A few years later Grant had another vision.  Grant was three years into his undergraduate degree on his way to medical school.  He met with me to tell me about his plan to provide medical services to the lower income families in our county.  There were tests he could run on locals helping them to identify the potential for blood, heart and other ailments.  In order to get this done he needed to figure out a source for supplies as well as develop a network to conduct the testing.  I connected him to several churches and mission groups who dealt with the community he had envisioned reaching.  Over the course of the next two years he served hundreds.  And as a senior the Governor of the state recognized his efforts.  It's one thing to have vision, it's entirely another thing to selflessly transform visions into reality.  Ironically he is another who I hoped would be the leader of our fraternity, however why lead 100 men when you can save hundreds of lives? 

Eli and I crossed paths when he was a junior in high school.  As VP of the school's Interact club he was charged to organize and run the annual community service day in memory of a student slain in the Virginia Tech shootings.  I'm fairly confident Eli thought this would be a matter of putting together the pieces of a simple puzzle into the right form.  Little did he know the challenges in front of him. 

Certainly the pieces of the puzzle lay in front of him, however fitting them together was a far harder puzzle than he ever imagined.  He took on the role of contacting every agency we would serve.  He developed relationships with businessmen, volunteers, news media and his fellow students as well.  I'm fairly confident failure was not an option for Eli.  And through relentless determination he was able to gather more than 15 projects for 150 volunteers to work on.  He has the uncanny ability to deal with stressful situations as calmly as if he were sailing on a gentle ocean breeze.  And in that lies the secret of his success.  Successful leaders deal with stress like the rest of us deal with which channel to watch on tv.  When they see something they don't like, they simply flip to another station and move forward. 

When I meet kids who are Eagle Scouts or golf caddies, I know I probably won't be disappointed.  Eagle Scouts spend most of their youth reaching for stars most of their peers have long ago stopped even looking at.  I know I was a boy scout for about two years, then discovered baseball, football, basketball and high school.  Eagle Scouts dedicate themselves to achieving high goals and then spend a good portion of their lives achieving those goals.  Then there are golf caddies.  There are easier ways to make a living that hauling 50+ pound golf bags several miles a day.  Kids who caddy see the good and the bad of life.  They witness character flaws exaggerated as that tiny white ball flies off a club head to small hole on the horizon.  For some, caddying is just a job.  For others, it's a college level course in psychology.  They watch, they listen, they grow and they react to the people who own the bags they are carrying.

Nathan was a caddy in high school and college.  He would carry two bags at once when he could so he could earn a double fee.  I met him as a freshman.  He was as naive as an 18 year old could be.  His vision of life stretched barely beyond his nose.  And when we first met he was trying to move himself forward in the fraternity.  With his golf background he envisioned an alumni tournament at a nice course with proceeds going to the Acheson Endowment Scholarship, a fund near and dear to my heart.  He delivered on this project, raising more than $5000 for the charity.  And somewhere along the way he discovered doing things that help other people can be fun.

A year later Nathan wanted to attend our national fraternity convention.  I was national director of philanthropy at the time and our convention was in New Orleans.  As this was the summer after Katrina we arranged to spend a day with the 500+ attending undergraduates working on the Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village.  Nathan rode with me to New Orleans, meaning he had to get there in time for the Habitat project.  He was somewhat reluctant, but willing to follow my lead.  He spent the day in the rafters of the house we were working on.  It was 100 degrees with humidity in the high range.  Miserable was an understatement.  It was hard not to be moved as you walked around the 9th ward and saw the writings on each home with the numbers of the dead from the aftermath of the hurricane.  But, Nathan got the community service bug that day.  He met the family who would start a new life and move into this house.  He came to the realization he could take a little of his time and change the lives of the people around him.  On the drive home he spoke non stop about the potential for organizing his friends to go back to New Orleans to continue to help those in need. Over the next two winter break Nathan organized groups to go back to New Orleans on work to help those still suffering.  These were people he did not know, and probably won't meet again in his lifetime.  But he knew he could give his time and change lives. 

When he graduated from college Nathan joined the Peace Corp.  He has spent the past two years in a small village in southern Africa teaching students about computers and math and music and life.  He now thinks about others long before he things about himself.  And I'm humbled I played a role in the lives he continues to change.

On my wall at home is a poem.  I'm sure you may have read it, but it really summarizes why I do what I do. 

The Starfish StoryOriginal Story by: Loren Eisley

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. 

Approaching the boy, he asked, "What are you doing?"

The youth replied, "Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don't throw them back, they'll die."

'"Son" the man said, "don't you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? You can't make a difference!"

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said
"I made a difference for that one."

So, why do I do what I do?  Because Ari and Grant and Eli and Nathan were just a few of the 'starfish' I have been able to throw back in my life. 

A Look at the "Entitlement Generation"

Back to school time is always a busy time for me as several of the student groups I work with set their plans for the upcoming school year.  We sit down and look at what went well last year and what didn't go so well and then try to come up with a plan for doing it better this year.  Now if you are in business this is something you do annually and probably even more often that that.  But for students, this is monumental.  The setting plans for the coming year isn't so hard, but the reviewing the results of last year is more painful than going to the dentist's office and pulling teeth without any Novocaine or pain killers!

Today's generation doesn't want to be held accountable for anything.  If they show up, that's good enough.  I"m thinking about a speech a friend of mine gives to student groups where he laments about all the "participation trophies" his son has on the wall.  When we were growing up, we got trophies for excellence: Winning the championship, achieving the MVP status or some other relevant achievement.  Kids today get trophies for just showing up.  "You were on the team, thank you, here's your trophy." And while showing up is certainly important for the success of any organization, whether a team or a extra-curricular group, it's not the most important thing. 

This generation really shys away from dealing with "tough" situations.  In part their parents have been so protective of them that these kids haven't learned the lessons they need to learn from failure. And as they don't want to deal with the possibility of failure, they often just let the problems continue to exist.   It is as if the stigma of failing is so great that today's youth are afraid to open the door to success.  NBA Great Michael Jordan says it best:

I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying.

And comedian Bill Cosby adds:

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.

In part I think one of the biggest frustrations teachers, advisors and mentors face today is that our youth just do not want to be held accountable for their mistakes when they do try and fail.  And not only do they not want to be faced with their own failure, they especially don't want to hold their peer group to mistakes they might make.  It's as if holding others to a higher standard might somehow create a higher standard for themselves they can't attain. 

Imagine a mountain climber who comes close to the peak, but doesn't quite make it to the top.  And then every other mountain climber saying, "that's just too tough!"   We all know that is not how life works.  Especially in mountain climbing.  One person's failure is another person's opportunity. 

In an article in WORLDmag.com, Anthony Bradley writes:
If the going gets tough, quit. One could also name this group the “Quitter Generation.” Virtues like patience and perseverance are absent from many in this age bracket. Coddled by affluence and sinfully flattered by parents and nice-guy teachers using speech meant not to hurt a child’s “feelings” or damage “self-esteem,” coupled with parents that refuse to let their children fail at anything, this generation bails quickly when the going gets tough or if there’s no guarantee for success. I had a student drop one of my classes once because he realized that he wasn’t going to receive an A. I’ve known students to give up and fail a class after receiving a series of bad grades instead of buckling down and working harder to raise their grades. It’s pathetic. 

Bradley's reference to coddling hits home with me.  There are so many age 16-21 who need hand holding to accomplish even the most basic tasks.  And if they get a little pouty you can be sure an adult will come and wipe their tears away and "make things better."  I can't imagine my high school coaches, teachers or my father treating me this way. 

So part of the frustration is that our youth doesn't "practice failing."  Learning how to fail and accepting that sometimes things just don't go right helps you become more accountable for failure.  Imagine a baseball player going into a deep funk everytime he made an out.  The best hitters ever were only successful 2 out of 5 attempts.  And the average player  has one of 4 successes.  People make mistakes.  Everyone who knows me knows I have made my share of mistakes.  Abraham Lincoln's life is a true inspiration to me.  I have this on my wall at work:

In 1831, Abraham Lincoln failed in a business venture.

In 1832, Lincoln was defeated as a candidate for the state legislature.

In 1833, Lincoln failed once again in another business venture.

In 1835, Lincoln's fiancee died, shattering him.

In 1836, Lincoln suffered a nervous breakdown.

In 1843, Lincoln was defeated as a candidate for the U.S. Congress.

In 1848, Lincoln once again was defeated as a candidate for the U.S. Congress.

In 1855, Lincoln was defeated as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

In 1856, Lincoln was defeated as a candidate for U.S. Vice President.

In 1859, Lincoln once again was defeated as a candidate for the U.S. Senate.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States of America.

Can you imagine the roller coaster his life must have been?  And he summed it up better than I ever could:

Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.    
  - Abraham Lincoln -

So I guess my thought for today is don't be afraid to try.  Don't be afraid to fail.  And don't be afraid to try again. 


Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt

26 years ago...hanging with Willie, John Cougar, BB, Johnny and the rest of the Farm Aid Gang

So somewhere just off stage to the left in the picture I was hanging out with a lot of fun people.  It was the very first Farm Aid concert and it was held at Memorial Stadium on September 22, 1985.  I was fresh off the Michael Jackson tour and got assigned to negotiate a sponsorship with the organizers of Farm Aid. 

Most of you weren't born in 1985, so let me give a little historical perspective.  The advent of cable tv brought the possibility of a few international "telethon"/"monster concerts".  Networks had hours of free air time they had to fill and the mega concert was a great way to fill the air and raise money while they were at it.  Live Aid and Farm Aid were the first of the Mega Concerts.  And Farm Aid was truly MEGA. 

I got to thinking about this largely because B.B. King is in town tonight and I got to spend several hours with BB backstage.  More about him later, but just let me say he was one of the most gracious to appear at the event.

As I said I was assigned to negotiate a sponsorship with the Farm Aid organizers.  I was working for Pepsi at the time.  Pepsi owned the pouring rights at Memorial Stadium but wanted to get some visibility at the concert.  Farm Aid was to be broadcast from start to finish on several cable networks and there were evening live feeds scheduled on the major networks.  Pepsico wanted to be "seen". 

At the time, Memorial Stadium was the largest outdoor venue in the country.  The seating configuration allowed for a stage to be set on the north end of the stadium and with the field seating there were more than 80,000 seats to be sold.  So it was an attractive venue and over time many major touring acts, Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, The Rolling Stones to name a few, all tried to negotiate concerts there.  Only Farm Aid was successful. 

So in my first meeting with "Farm Aid" I walk into a suite at the old Chancellor's Hotel and sitting at the table were John Tyson of Tyson Foods, Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp.  Talk about star struck!  My goal was to get prominent Pepsi banners on the stage.  I had $30,000 to spend and the amount I gave was contingent on the exposure.  It was an interesting series of negotiations, Mellencamp wanted NO signs; Nelson and Tyson wanted ALL the money.  We came to a happy medium, for $20,000 every performer who brought a drink on stage had to bring it out in a Pepsi Cup.  Whether they were drinking Pepsi or not. 

That done we worked with Tyson Foods to maximize our exposure.  Tyson built a travelling kitchen to feed all the performers and the staff supporting the concert.  I'm guessing there were more than 3000 volunteers the day of the event.  Between feeding the entertainers, volunteers, stage hands, and support staff, it was a major undertaking.  And truthfully the kitchens opened a few days before the event as it took more than a week to set it all up. 

I was set up stage right in a tent loaded with Pepsi and Budweiser products.  My job, enforce the "Pepsi Cup only" policy.  I must say, it was an easy job!  :)  When you are the keeper of 100's of cases of beer at an outdoor festival you gain a certain degree of notoriety.  And the majority of the performers came by "just to say hello" and grab a beer too. 

Our station was set up for the dress rehearsal the night before.  A private event, this was the most fun for me of the whole event.  Performers came by to check their set ups, talk to the sound engineers and just get a feel for the event.  Bob Dylan, Hall and Oates, Nelson, Neil Young, Mellencamp and many others played during the rehearsal.  However, what made it especially fun was the rehearsal for Van Halen.  Sammy Hagar had recently joined Van Halen and this was their first live performance.  They rehearsed for over an hour, playing lots of music they didn't play at the concert.  It was great music in a very casual setting with about 100 on lookers.

The next morning things started early.  At about 8 AM Willie jumped on stage and Arlo Guthrie joined him singing "Good Morning America."  A perfect start.  Jon Bon Jovi, only about 25 at the time, was next and he was about 50 feet off the ground with excitement.  He was mostly unknown at the time and was on fire singing before what he called "more people than he had ever sang to in his life...combined.."

Backstage I stayed the whole day.  Johnny Cash came in and politely asked me for 10 cases of beer to take back to his bus.  Mike Love from the Beach Boys was gracious.  Sissy Spacek and Timothy Hutton hung out a long time.  And virtually everyone you can name, from Tom Petty to George Jones, stopped by and said hello and grabbed something to drink.

Three special memories stand out though.  John Denver was just standing around taking it all in.  He was a joy to talk to and share with.  I was a huge JD fan in high school and college.  So meeting him was everything I would hope.

Ken Kragen and I talked for over an hour.  I'm sure you don't know who he is, but he was Harry Chapin's agent in Harry's last few years.  Ken was Kenny Rogers agent, and was there for Kenny's appearance.  And as you may know Harry had died the summer before.  So we had fun sharing "Harry stories" and while we had only spoken on the phone in the past, we started a great friendship.

Finally BB King was the last of the best memories.  BB even then had a hard time getting around.  BB found a chair in our tent and with all the cold beer at hand, he settled in for a few hours.  Everyone came in to say hello to this legend.  BB is loved by all and he loves them all back.  I totally enjoyed hanging with him a good chunk of the day.  Running for food for him and getting him a golf cart to take him around when he needed to play.  There was a cover photo after the event with BB on the cover surrounded by a lot of celebs they shot next to my tent.  I'm sure the photographer saw the crowd BB was drawing and had the idea for the shoot.

I don't remember many regrets from the event.  I know I wanted to meet Billy Joel as he was one of my favorites, but he snuck by.  And I didn't see a lot from the front, but saw most of what I wanted to see.  I think they were able to raise over $9 million at this event and Willie, Mellencamp, Young and now Dave Mathews have kept it alive all these years.  Here is a list of the performers, most of whom I met, but as I said, not all:

Artists performing at the First Farm Aid concert included: Alabama, Hoyt Axton, The Beach Boys, Jon Bon Jovi, Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, David Allan Coe, John Conlee, Charlie Daniels Band, John Denver, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, Foreigner, Vince Gill, Arlo Guthrie, Sammy Hagar, Merle Haggard, Daryl Hall, Emmylou Harris, Don Henley, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joel, George Jones, Rickie Lee Jones, B.B. King, Carole King, Kris Kristofferson, Huey Lewis, Loretta Lynn, John Mellencamp, Roger Miller, Joni Mitchell, Willie Nelson, Tom Petty, Charley Pride, Lou Reed, Kenny Rogers, Brian Setzer, Sissy Spacek, Tanya Tucker, Eddie Van Halen, Debra Winger, Neil Young.