Have a Coke and a Smile

Back in the early '80s, I attended Kingsley Elementary School. The school was a small part of a K–12 building; today, Kingsley has three separate buildings due to growth. But I want to talk about a cool employee at the school. I had some great teachers (Mrs. Stenman, Ms. Lewis, Mrs. Zehner, Mr. Ehlers, Mr. Schramski) in those early school days. I had started at Clarkston Elementary, but moved toward the end of my first grade year. At Kingsley, I developed a love of reading, writing, and baseball. Passions that I carried forward throughout my life.

I remember one day, when my football (football?) ended up on the roof of the school. Sheepishly, I asked a janitor (yea, they were called janitors then) named Al to retrieve the ball for me. He went on the roof and got the ball and gave it back the next day. I thought it was so cool and told my mom. We went up to the local party store and bought Al a pop. Not just any pop, mind you, but a Coke. In a glass bottle. This being around 1981, can you imagine how good that bottled Coke would still taste, even today.

We took Al that Coke and gave it to him as a "thank you" for getting the ball off the roof. I learned three lessons that day:

• Everyone plays a role in school; not just teachers and principals

• Coke can make anyone happy, especially when it's their favorite

• Thanking people is not only nice, but mandatory.

Thanks again, Al.