Happy Memorial Day. . .a Minnesota story

If you have read my blog for any length of time you will know that I love holidays.  I love the religious holidays like Christmas and Easter and look forward to those days for what they mean to my spiritual life.  I also love those days because several years ago I took it upon myself to send a group text to all the contacts in my phone with an appropriate greeting for that day.  I continue to do that every Easter and Christmas and those group text days have come to be days that I get a chance to catch up with people I see or contact very little over the course of a year, but this chore allows me to stay in touch.

And, I love our country’s holidays simply because I grew up in a small town where I learned that community comes above self and that many people in our country did things to pave the way for the life I am able to live.  I am very thankful for that.

Finally, for 33 years as a funeral director I have watched our nation’s veterans and the dignity they show to their brethren at committal services.  I’m still in awe of these men and women.  You see, I never took the opportunity to serve my country in that way and I regret that decision now.  For years I’ve been the funeral director in charge at many military funerals and have watched the honor guards serve.  I have often caught myself looking at these former warriors and wondered where and how they served our country.  I’m guessing that they all have a story that was extremely interesting to tell, but that they would tell it in a humble way. . . .  . that they were just doing their job for their country.

Today, I’ll share one such story. . . a story of one of Minnesota’s finest.  I grew up in Alexandria, Minnesota, and two of my friends were Scott Smith and Bruce Smith, Jr.  They grew up with their older sisters, Bonnie and Barb, on Geneva Road.  Their parents had moved to Alexandria to start a business in the community.

I was pretty young, between 6 and 9 years old when I got to know the Smiths.  I’d heard from my dad that Bruce Smith, Sr. was a great athlete.  And, later, I learned that that trophy they had on the floor, serving as a doorstop for the door between the kitchen and dining room on Geneva Road, was the Heisman Trophy – awarded to our county’s top college football player every year.  In Bruce Smith’s case, it was awarded to him in December 1941. . .only a couple of days following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

But this story is not about football. . . it is about Bruce Smith’s dedication to his country.  Only a short time after being presented the Heisman Trophy, he decided to skip playing pro football and enlist in the military.  He went on to serve his country and then play a little pro football prior to moving to Alexandria to start his business.

On our way to the Twins game – Aug/Sept 1967. The Smith brothers are in the middle back row — I’m the little guy in the front decked out for the game!!

Unfortunately, while I am still friends with Scott and Bruce, Jr. to this day, I never really got to know Bruce Smith, Sr. very well.  He died of cancer at age 49 in 1967 when I was 9 years old.  Our funeral home served the family and I can remember, and still have a picture of the day, in the days shortly after the funeral my father took the Smith boys, myself, my brother, and another friend to a Minnesota Twins baseball game. . . .my dad did a lot of things like that for children who had lost parents. . . and sometimes I got to be a beneficiary too!  (I did a little searching today and found that old photo!!)

Fast forward to today.  I now serve, as one of 12 people, on the board of Bruce Smith’s alma mater – the University of Minnesota.  Bruce Smith remains as our school’s only Heisman Trophy winner.  Athletics is not the reason I sought a seat on the board, but in my five years serving, I have come to enjoy the challenges of athletics, the opportunities for student/athletes, and the opportunities that athletics gives the school in exposure as the “front-porch” of the university.

Since I have been on the board we have hired an Athletic Director and a Head Football Coach who believe in much more than just winning. . .they believe in building young people academically, athletically, and socially and preparing them for a life beyond the confines of a campus.

To that end, field trips for learning are very much a part of the program.  Each year, our football coach, P.J. Fleck, brings the football team out to Fort Snelling National Cemetery to see the grave of Bruce Smith, Sr. and make sure that all the athletes understand the sacrifice that those buried at Fort Snelling were willing to give for our country.

Today is the day we remember Bruce Smith, Sr. and all the other veterans.  May God bless their memory.

Here’s a couple of one-minute videos you may enjoy:

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1 Comment

  1. Tom Vertin on November 20, 2020 at 5:00 pm

    This is a great story Tom, including the personal reflections. You should send a copy to
    Patrick Reusse. He’d like the Heisman being used as a doorstop! Tom Vertin



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