Tim Russert Passed away today, he is one of my heroes.

My heart is heavy for your family.
Let the Q and A begin in heaven
God Speed Mr. Russert.

What irony. On the weekend in America when we honor our nation’s fathers we lost a great example of one. As a history teacher and follower of politics, Meet the Press is one of my favorite TV shows. Tim Russert’s preparation and execution of the Question and Answer for the weekly news show was unparalleled. During a time when politics have become more partisan than any time in recent history, Mr. Russert was the epitome of even handed and fair minded.

In both of his books and more importantly in his daily life the love of being a father to his son Luke, and loving his father, Big Russ was perfectly clear. I have been blessed to be able to have seen first hand in the Washington, DC bureau the filming of two episodes of Meet the Press with Tim Russert with students from St. Albans School of Public Service. On both occasions Mr. Russert took time to answer EVERY question these bright young people had for him. It was clear from each and every response he gave that he took his job very seriously and loved every minute of it.

As much as he enjoyed talking about politics there was a gleam in Mr. Russert’s eyes when he would talk about his family, specifically his father and son. Both times I heard him speak he talked about how during his preparation for the show he would ask questions his dad would want to know. He learned his values from his Dad, a WWII veteran with a 10th grade education who worked two jobs, trash man and truck driver.

Mr. Russert was everyman, which is why so many people tuned into his show. The stories he told in his fantastic book, Big Russ and Me, helped me more deeply appreciate my father and grandfathers. I feel honored to have met him. Mr. Russert would always make time for the kids of the program I worked with, a program where young people were spending a month in Washington, DC to study and learn about public service for our great country. One of the students once asked Mr. Russert what advice he gave his son as he went off to college at Boston College. The response he gave was simple as it was sage. Here is what Mr. Tim Russert, late moderator of Meet the Press, Buffalo Bills fan, husband, son, and father told his son, “Study hard, laugh often, and never lose your honor.” Advice we can all live by.

Mr. Russert, Happy Fathers Day. Let the questions and answer sessions begin in Heaven.

John Stephany Jr.

Here are some links to some posts I have done related to Russert.

Atlanta, Ga

While the rest of the family went to earn money and return to contributing members of the nation’s economy I watched the Today show and read the paper. Now for those worried about my sloth some ways I did contribute. I took Amy’s car in for an oil change and tire rotation. Owen picked me up we ate some Mexican for lunch. When the car was done I rolled over to an area of Atlanta called Little Five Points to walk around and explore.

After work I met Owen at the house and we picked up Emily and Amy and went for a walk in Piedmont Park. The park has a very interesting history. It seems that in this park the historic college rivalries of Georgia/ Georgia Tech and Georgia/Auburn were born with early games in the park. It even has ties to New York’s Central Park. We had a very nice walk around the park and then grabbed some dinner at an eatery near the park.

Peidmont Park in downtown Atlanta.

Owen, Amy, and Emily

Around 8:30 in the evening Owen and decided to head over to Home Depot to buy a shed for their back porch. The place closed at 9pm but luckily for us there is one Home Depot for every three square miles in Atlanta, OK slight hyperbole but there a lot of them. We founf the one he wanted and bought it. Slight problem was the fact that there was no way the box was gong to fit in Owen’s Forerunner. So being the problem solvers we are we took all the parts out of the box and shoved them in the back of the car. They did not exactly fit but we were able to get them to the house with only moderate risk posed to the great Atlanta community. It was one of the Rubbermaid shed so we were able to put it together in two beers.

Dangerously packed auto.

Engineering greatness.

Another great visit with Owen and his expanding family. Woke up on Tuesday morn and walked over to a coffee shop, sorry Tusky and Baruch, near the MARTA stop near their neighborhood. I then took the MARTA to the airport and back home to the “M” town.

Erie, Pa to Atlanta, Ga

Travel day. Woke up in Erie, Pa and hit the highway for the Akron/Canton airport. Dad was nice enough to give me a ride to the airport. We had a nice chat on the way. Although I do spend a lot of time with the rents it is nice to get some quiet talking time in with the old man. The flight was quick and pleasant. I was heading to Atlanta to hang out with my old college friend and roommate, Owen and Amy, his wife, along with the newest member of the family, nearly four month old, Emily.

When I arrived in Atlanta I made my way to the MARTA, Atlanta’s mass transit rail system. It was easy to find and use. An added bonus is the fact that MARTA drops me off less than a mile from Owen’s house. I knew there was change in the air when Owen picked me up at the station and his backseat contained a baby seat. I guess we are all growing up.

Once we got to the house I got to meet Emily. She is cute as a button. An added bonus was the fact the Owen’s Mom was there. Not only was it good to see here but it allowed Owen and Amy to go out for the night without a specific time restraint. Every time I get to Nashville I try to stop at her house for a visit. They have put me up for the night to numerous times to count. I even stayed there with my Mom for a few weeks when I was recovering from bad wreck over a decade ago, (Has it been that long?)

Emily, chllin' with Dad.

Nan and Emily sporting their shades

We had an awesome night. The first stop was at Charles and Angie’s house, college friends, to have dinner and watch the Belmont Horse race. Big Brown had a chance to win the Triple Crown, but greatly disappointed and finished in dead last. He had been hurt recently so it was not a total shock. After watching the horse race we went to see the Atlanta Braves take on the Philadelphia Phillies at Turner Field. Although the hometown Braves lost, it was a fun game. We had great seats and Chipper Jones, who is solidly hitting over .400 hit a home run to the delight of the home fans.

Turner Field

After the game we went to a downtown bar in the Glenn Hotel. The hotel has a rooftop bar that had a spectacular view of downtown Atlanta. Angie had read about a few weeks ago and she and Charles highly recommended the spot. We had a great time telling old stories and filling each other up on new ones. These folks in Atlanta are some of my favorite people. The all are just so genuine.

The rooftop bar atGlen Hotel.

The gang hangs out on the roof.

After we dropped of Charles and Angie the rest of us went to our favorite (mine and Owen’s, not so much Amy’s) late night dining establishment, Krystals. The K Burgers worked their magic and sleep ensued, A great time with great people.

Sweet, Sweet, Krystals..., mmmmh!