In recent weeks, my good friend Rich Johns has been inducted as a member of two halls of fame. First he was recognized for his contributions by the Saratoga Springs City Schools’ Sports Hall of Fame for the success he had as a coach and classroom teacher. This past Saturday, he was inducted into the South Glens Falls School District’s Hall of Fame, his alma mater.
Lately it seems we have been seeing a lot about Richard in the news. He has fostered and established a non-profit organization called “Act With Respect Always,” with the message of “paying it forward.”
He has developed a noble program that has a theme of acceptance of our fellow human beings, with a message for having empathy and compassion for each other.
People associate Richard and I as sidekicks. We are good friends and have a very strong connection. We both have great respect for each other, as friends, coaches, and for the most part, we have learned to feed off of each other.
I have learned a lot from what he has done as a tennis coach, not only with the game but how he connected to his teams and players. He is a man of great character and has a lot to offer and share. On the other hand, he has picked up some of the things I have done as a coach in my career.
At the South Glens Falls ceremony, my friend Rich gave a speech that hit home for me. He talked about how numerous people and his environment effected and affected him in his life and how his journey got him to where he is today. He was reminiscent about his parents, teachers and coaches who gave him options and influence in choosing his life’s path.
He spoke of living on Jackson Street in South Glens Falls, and the environmental influence that shaped his life, which is sometimes forgotten. He pointed out that where you lived, during your youth, more often than not, helped mold your personality.
He was so appreciative of his hometown and what it meant to him growing up in the close-knit community of South Glens Falls. This is an American story, and it might be only a story of Americana that possibly does not exist globally.
It’s American folklore of the small town theme that still exists throughout the communities across our nation. Like in the movie “Hoosiers,” these towns thrive on their high school sports programs, inter-locking the community with a common cause of the school teams that are a product of their social lives, a catalyst if you will, of a web of community pride.
I sat next to the beautiful Mrs.Tessier, Rich’s high school math teacher. She’s 93 years old. She is the cutest lady and she would ask me questions about the six inductees. Don’t know if I helped her, but I did my best.
Many people at the ceremony came up to her to express their gratitude for what she did for them through her influence as their former math teacher. She was overwhelmed by their commendations.
Coach Johns mentioned how one man had a major impact on his life because he introduced him to the sport that influenced a big part of his life’s existence: tennis.
He was the late Stewart “Stew” Stearns, a former social studies teacher at South High, and tennis coach. Stew began a legacy of tennis for the Bulldogs, and under his guidance and tutelage the South High Bulldogs became locally known for an outstanding high school tennis program.
A legacy from the seed planted by coach Stearns, Rich Johns carried forward the South High tradition, during his tenure, to Saratoga Springs City Schools. Rich really appreciated what his tennis coach did for him. It has become the Johns’ signature.
When Rich was younger, a sophomore in high school, he was into basketball, but one day, during school, Mr. Stearns pulled him aside and suggested that he should give tennis a try.
He did, and in a matter of weeks Johns fell in love with the game of tennis. The rest is history.
Here is where Rich’s point is right on target! Most of us have had a coach, teacher or someone from our community who has had a positive effect on our lives. It could have been a parent, grandparent, uncle, aunt, a friend, a sibling and of course a teacher or coach.
This was coach Johns’ message to the 100-plus people at the ceremony. It was a message of appreciation for those who did just that in Rich’s life, a direction of guidance in finding a path in the pursuit of one’s destiny.
Mr. Johns’ non-profit has a message, in his Act With Respect Always genre— “pay it forward.”
It’s obvious that he wears what he preaches on his sleeve. He gave so much credit to his “Wonder Years” growing up as a young boy in South Glens Falls, and how, as the man Rich Johns, landed as a teacher/coach in Saratoga.
His message from AWRA is his gift from his life’s journey that he wants to share with those willing to listen and benefit from his vision and experience.
He deserves what he has earned. He demonstrated to me how he understands how he (we) got to where he is (we are) from the guidance, whether subliminal or openly obvious, of those who helped him (us) mold a path into who he is (we are) today.
Hopefully, we as adults can mentor the youth of today who might need a nudge on their path to a successful and prosperous life. Let’s face it, it’s the American way to lead by example.
I’m sure you all can relate to what I’m saying. I have two little grandchildren, and I hope I can always be there for them when they need me.
Congratulations to my friend, Rich Johns, for the recognition of his achievements and to the woman who helped guide him for the past 43 years, his wife Karen.
