Poem by Richard Stahl

1998

STANDING FOR HONOR

For Dr. Calvin Wilks Burnett, Roger W. Emeis, Elmer Layden

These men are no strangers

to honor; they all know

how she tugs

at your collar like a soft breeze

on a still day to move

your careers closer to this new goal,

this Hall of Honor. You've pushed

your body with precision

through blocking and tackling, scrambling

beyond the secondary,

avoiding tacklers like a bear

evades a swarm of bees, to score

ever more touchdowns.

One of the four Horsemen

of Notre Dame, an All-American,

you were celebrated by induction

into the college Football Hall of Fame.

As Notre Dame's head coach, you kept

the winning tradition alive.

You inspired higher education too

when you jumped ball at Coppin State College

and played as President

for twenty-five years, one time against

a team who pressed to merge

with another school, but you held your eyes

on the rim and your hands on the ball,

handling yourself like a star

not to lose self-identity. Students

and community bonded under your easy style

to stand up and cheer

your winning shot. You're a gentleman

who's a real gentle man, a hero

on the business field who has led

his team at Emeis Automotive

and Adel Wholesalers by example,

integrity and fair play. As a CPA,

you have worked with numbers

like intricate strategies to support

people. Like a weather vane,

you pointed children towards careers

while yours stayed true

to the direction of hometown and

state. Collectively, these honorees have made us

all stand a little straighter

and taller and strong, lending

more dignity and honor

to the stature of our own lives.


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HOME Back to Hall of Honor 1993 1994-95 1995-96 1998		Poem by Richard Stahl 1998 STANDING FOR HONOR For Dr. Calvin Wilks Burnett, Roger W. Emeis, Elmer Layden These men are no strangers to honor; they all know how she tugs at your collar like a soft breeze on a still day to move your careers closer to this new goal, this Hall of Honor. You've pushed your body with precision through blocking and tackling, scrambling beyond the secondary, avoiding tacklers like a bear evades a swarm of bees, to score ever more touchdowns. One of the four Horsemen of Notre Dame, an All-American, you were celebrated by induction into the college Football Hall of Fame. As Notre Dame's head coach, you kept the winning tradition alive. You inspired higher education too when you jumped ball at Coppin State College and played as President for twenty-five years, one time against a team who pressed to merge with another school, but you held your eyes on the rim and your hands on the ball, handling yourself like a star not to lose self-identity. Students and community bonded under your easy style to stand up and cheer your winning shot. You're a gentleman who's a real gentle man, a hero on the business field who has led his team at Emeis Automotive and Adel Wholesalers by example, integrity and fair play. As a CPA, you have worked with numbers like intricate strategies to support people. Like a weather vane, you pointed children towards careers while yours stayed true to the direction of hometown and state. Collectively, these honorees have made us all stand a little straighter and taller and strong, lending more dignity and honor to the stature of our own lives.
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