A Tribute

Hundreds of texts, tweets, Facebook posts, phone calls spread the sad news, EHTHS lost one of its own. George, Mr. Wilk, Coach, however we referred to him, he was ours and we will treasure him for so many things that touched us in so many different ways. For me, every time he walked up to the podium, I knew George would make us all laugh. George and I shared the experience of chronic illness and we could talk about the challenges of that. Once I started working in the library, George would come visit to talk, that common denominator (George would be impressed with word usage) made us friends. I haven't seen George for a year.
We spoke a few times but he was in the midst of battling his cancer. By October, the tides were turning for me as well. George wouldn't give up. His wife, of whom he loved, was right there with him. I still don't know how they found their strength, but I was and am inspired by the way George lived out his life. He continued to encourage and inspire us to never to give up. Yes, we lost the physical, larger than life presence, of one of us, one of the best of us. His legacy will continue to reach so many people. I will continue to think of you, take courage from you and hope that you are at peace. I've searched for a picture of George, one that would do justice to him. Maybe someone who reads the blog and has one will post it under comments.