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| 2003 State Finals- Press conference with 6 year old Allen. |
Tony Bennett's Core Values
Coach Tony Bennett at the University of Virginia doesn’t believe in having a lot of team rules.
Instead his teams are taught 5 core values that must be constantly demonstrated both on and off the court.
These same values were used by Coach Bennett’s father, Coach Dick Bennett at the University of Wisconsin – Green Bay for over 20 years.
1. Humility
Knowing who you are – not thinking too highly of yourself but not thinking too little of yourself either.
2. Passion
Are you hungry to compete and excel and be enthusiastic about the opportunity to do so? Will you be passionate when you don’t feel like it?
3. Unity
The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Basketball is a sport in which a team can come together and achieve greatness even without having the greatest individual talents.
4. Servanthood
Knowing your role and sacrificing as needed to make your teammates and your team better. It’s a key element to unity and greatness.
5. Thankfulness
Not only involves being grateful when things go well but also being thankful for what you learn during the hard times.
One of the best things about these core values is that they apply to all teams regardless of age, level, or gender. It’s impossible to live by these values and not become a better person, a better player, and a better teammate int he process.
Culture of Me vs Culture of We
After the Miami Heat won the NBA title, LeBron James in the post game press conference used the word "we" 0 times and the word "I" 18 times.
We reveal so much with our language!!
Championship Practices
CHAMPIONSHIP PRACTICES
ABSOLUTE CONCENTRATION
- no lapses of focus, attention to detail, little things matter
AUTHENTIC ENTHUSIASM
- genuine excitement, honest encouragement, real joy
RECEPTIVE TO COACHING
- nothing is personal, respond to critique, two ears one mouth
METICULOUS PREPARATION
- prepared to practice, eat/sleep/study balance, training room on point
POSITIVE BODY LANGUAGE
- non-verbals scream excellence, visible confidence, police each other
EFFORTLESS MOTIVATION
- team provides energy, player driven, coaches never address
TEAMMATES FIRST
- team B4 me, help the helper, respect is earned and given
COMPETITIVE FAMILY
- make each other better, leave it in the tunnel, leave it on the “W”
This is from Coach Neighbor's at Washington.
Purdue Camp
Purdue camp is the 8th college campus we have taken teams to camps for. Our visits have included- DePaul, Michigan, Western Missouri, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Notre Dame, and now Purdue.
Top and bottom lists for camp experiences....
Best Food- 1- Purdue, 2- Carolina, 3- Tennessee
Best Dorms- 1- Carolina, 2- Tennessee, 3- Michigan
Shortest Walks- 1- Purdue, 2- Tennessee, 3- Notre Dame
Best Arenas to Play in- 1. Carolina, 2- Tennessee, 3- Wisconsin
Best Hospitality- 1- Michigan, 2- Tennessee, 3- Purdue
Best Competition- 1- Carolina, 2- Tennessee, 3- Purdue/ND/Wisc
Our Silver (FS) team took 2nd in the JV division, losing twice to an AAU team. They had 11 players on their team and looked good as they pressed and ran.
Our Gold (JV) team played in the lower varsity division against some pretty good teams. While they did not win as many games as they would have liked, they kept working the entire time.
Our Black (Varsity) team played in the high varsity division, took 3rd in the league play and then 2nd in the tourney. We suffered two losses to a team from Ohio who won the camp championship, and then another loss a team from Indiana with a point guard who has been offered full rides to Purdue and to ND. While we were at full strength we looked pretty good. Unfortunately Haley Kelso injured her hand and missed one game on the first day and then two games on the last day. The group shows three very good qualities....
1- They compete- they really don't like to lose.
2- They have good chemistry- no cliques, no petty feuds. During games they really support each other but are not afraid to get on each other.
3- Offensively they are very unselfish- the ball is definitely not sticky- they pass well and get the ball to the open person.
Purdue Pictures
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| Team Building- untie the knot. |
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| Team Building- helping each other stand up. |
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| Black team |
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| Casey playing in the all-star game. |
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| Purdue coach leading team building exercises. |
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| Team building- helping each other stand up |
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| Gold and Black teams in Mackey Arena |
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| Taking a break in the luxury seats in Mackey. |
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| Maddy and Sami explaining how they became camp winners in shoe tying. |
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| Team Building- getting ready to stand up. |
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| Kaylah shooting a foul shot. |
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| Banners for All-American players in their practice facility. |
My view on caucus/primary change
Much has been made about the proposed changes to the Caucus/Primary system in Utah's Democratic Party. These changes will be voted on by delegates at Saturday's convention.
From my understanding their are two options: leave the current system of requiring 60% of the vote at convention in order to avoid a primary, or ditch the caucus/convention system and go to a direct primary.
Like the Jim Matheson plan for Health Care Reform (where repealing or keeping ObamaCare seem like the only two possible options), the election reform plan is a false choice.
You see, there is more than one option available.
First, I dislike the way the system is now. Delegates are elected by their neighbors who are available on a Tuesday night and feel like doing something political in March, which isn't very many people. Furthermore, 60% seems too low a threshold and too arbitrary a number for a candidate to reach to get completely out of running a primary, especially in a two-person race. Also, when there is more than two candidates in a race, and nobody gets 60% on the ballot, there is a second ballot for the top two candidates, and there is a provision where there could be a third. Most delegates don't like sitting around for a second or third ballot that may or may not happen, so they leave. While I don't mind the food options that are an attempt to keep delegates in the building, I really think that this is foolish, and puts too much power in the hands of the super-involved.
Disbanding the caucus/convention system is a no-brainer then, right? Not really.
You see, those delegates are elected on a two-year cycle. Having the delegate system in place allows for less-engaged Democrats to have more engagement in the electoral process. If you don't get those people out to their caucus meetings, they won't ever come to a convention. I was amazed at how many delegates I spoke with at last year's convention were first-time convention goers. There were shocked to see a room full of Democrats. For some of them, it gave them the desire to help candidates. None of that would have happened if they didn't have any reason to go to the caucus meetings.
Also, delegates elect party leadership. If we do away with this system, will we have delegates to elect our leaders? If we do, will it be only the super-engaged people that become delegates? If we scrap delegates altogether, and just say "show up to convention and you'll be able to vote," won't it allow for bringing in unknowns to vote for a candidate like we've seen in past Young Democrats of Utah elections?
So, scrapping the system is not good, and keeping the system in place is not good, so what do we do?
Well, there is another way. This is a simple version that is meant to provide a path to real reform.
1) Make the threshold a two-thirds majority. 2/3 is a number that is used a lot in the legislative process, and is a great place to start. It's higher than the 60%, but not by much.
2) One ballot, and one ballot only. With only one ballot, it would be less confusing for newcomers to the process. Also, you cut down on the cost of food trying to keep delegates at the convention site. Plus, it's much easier to get people to your convention on a Saturday if you say "we'll be done at approximately this time" versus "We'll be done after the third vote that may or may not happen, so you'll be out at 1, or maybe 6, just plan on spending the whole day with us, doing nothing while we count the ballots."
3) This is really more a #2b, but we'll make it it's own line item: Instant Runoff Voting. Basically, instead of voting for only one candidate, you could rank your preferences. For instance, if there were 5 candidates, and you liked 4 of them, you could say "Bob's my number 1, Emily #2, Stacy #3, and Valerie #4, but I don't want to ever vote for Jeff." When the ballots are counted, the top line still alive gets the vote for that ballot. If nobody gets to the 67% threshold, the person with the least amount of votes is eliminated. The ballots that had that person as their #1 then get resorted by the next available candidate. This goes on until someone either hits 67% or there are two candidates left, at which point they go to primary. So, let's run an election scenario using the ballot above. There are 100 delegates in this district, so 67 is the threshold needed. The results, after round 1:
Stacy 30
Jeff 25
Valerie 20
Bob 13
Emily 12
Your ballot counted for Bob in this round, since Emily was the lowest vote total, she gets eliminated, and all of her votes go to those delegate's second choices. Round two results:
Valerie 31
Stacy 30
Jeff 25
Bob 13
none of the above 1
Your ballot again counted for Bob in this round, since he was your first choice. Of the people who had Emily at the top of the ballot, 11 voted for Valerie, putting her on top. One person decided that Emily was the only candidate they could support, so their vote goes into the "none of the above" category. These votes still count towards the total, meaning the threshold is still 67. Because Bob was the low vote total, he is eliminated. Round three results:
Valerie 34
Stacy 33
Jeff 30
none of the above 3
Since Bob was eliminated in round 2, and Emily was eliminated in round 1, your ballot counted for Stacy in this round. Since nobody can get to 67 votes, and Jeff would be eliminated, we wouldn't need to count the votes; Valerie and Stacy move to a primary.
From my understanding their are two options: leave the current system of requiring 60% of the vote at convention in order to avoid a primary, or ditch the caucus/convention system and go to a direct primary.
Like the Jim Matheson plan for Health Care Reform (where repealing or keeping ObamaCare seem like the only two possible options), the election reform plan is a false choice.
You see, there is more than one option available.
First, I dislike the way the system is now. Delegates are elected by their neighbors who are available on a Tuesday night and feel like doing something political in March, which isn't very many people. Furthermore, 60% seems too low a threshold and too arbitrary a number for a candidate to reach to get completely out of running a primary, especially in a two-person race. Also, when there is more than two candidates in a race, and nobody gets 60% on the ballot, there is a second ballot for the top two candidates, and there is a provision where there could be a third. Most delegates don't like sitting around for a second or third ballot that may or may not happen, so they leave. While I don't mind the food options that are an attempt to keep delegates in the building, I really think that this is foolish, and puts too much power in the hands of the super-involved.
Disbanding the caucus/convention system is a no-brainer then, right? Not really.
You see, those delegates are elected on a two-year cycle. Having the delegate system in place allows for less-engaged Democrats to have more engagement in the electoral process. If you don't get those people out to their caucus meetings, they won't ever come to a convention. I was amazed at how many delegates I spoke with at last year's convention were first-time convention goers. There were shocked to see a room full of Democrats. For some of them, it gave them the desire to help candidates. None of that would have happened if they didn't have any reason to go to the caucus meetings.
Also, delegates elect party leadership. If we do away with this system, will we have delegates to elect our leaders? If we do, will it be only the super-engaged people that become delegates? If we scrap delegates altogether, and just say "show up to convention and you'll be able to vote," won't it allow for bringing in unknowns to vote for a candidate like we've seen in past Young Democrats of Utah elections?
So, scrapping the system is not good, and keeping the system in place is not good, so what do we do?
Well, there is another way. This is a simple version that is meant to provide a path to real reform.
1) Make the threshold a two-thirds majority. 2/3 is a number that is used a lot in the legislative process, and is a great place to start. It's higher than the 60%, but not by much.
2) One ballot, and one ballot only. With only one ballot, it would be less confusing for newcomers to the process. Also, you cut down on the cost of food trying to keep delegates at the convention site. Plus, it's much easier to get people to your convention on a Saturday if you say "we'll be done at approximately this time" versus "We'll be done after the third vote that may or may not happen, so you'll be out at 1, or maybe 6, just plan on spending the whole day with us, doing nothing while we count the ballots."
3) This is really more a #2b, but we'll make it it's own line item: Instant Runoff Voting. Basically, instead of voting for only one candidate, you could rank your preferences. For instance, if there were 5 candidates, and you liked 4 of them, you could say "Bob's my number 1, Emily #2, Stacy #3, and Valerie #4, but I don't want to ever vote for Jeff." When the ballots are counted, the top line still alive gets the vote for that ballot. If nobody gets to the 67% threshold, the person with the least amount of votes is eliminated. The ballots that had that person as their #1 then get resorted by the next available candidate. This goes on until someone either hits 67% or there are two candidates left, at which point they go to primary. So, let's run an election scenario using the ballot above. There are 100 delegates in this district, so 67 is the threshold needed. The results, after round 1:
Stacy 30
Jeff 25
Valerie 20
Bob 13
Emily 12
Your ballot counted for Bob in this round, since Emily was the lowest vote total, she gets eliminated, and all of her votes go to those delegate's second choices. Round two results:
Valerie 31
Stacy 30
Jeff 25
Bob 13
none of the above 1
Your ballot again counted for Bob in this round, since he was your first choice. Of the people who had Emily at the top of the ballot, 11 voted for Valerie, putting her on top. One person decided that Emily was the only candidate they could support, so their vote goes into the "none of the above" category. These votes still count towards the total, meaning the threshold is still 67. Because Bob was the low vote total, he is eliminated. Round three results:
Valerie 34
Stacy 33
Jeff 30
none of the above 3
Since Bob was eliminated in round 2, and Emily was eliminated in round 1, your ballot counted for Stacy in this round. Since nobody can get to 67 votes, and Jeff would be eliminated, we wouldn't need to count the votes; Valerie and Stacy move to a primary.
Salem Trip
Matt Wheaton- Galesburg Summer League
It’s not really hard for Galesburg High School girls basketball coach Evan Massey to figure out how long he’s been organizing the Galesburg Summer League.
“This is the 27th year we’ve done it,” said Massey, who is entering his 36th season at the helm of the Silver Streaks. “The only reason I know is you put it at the top of the sheet and the next year you change it.”
Massey started the league for a simple reason.
“What I found was people in Peoria, the Quad Cities and Chicago were getting chances to play and we weren’t,” Massey said. “Starting out, we invited some teams to play on a couple of Saturdays and from there just expanded it to do more dates that way. I would say it grew to where it was at its largest five to 10 years ago. On weekends, we might have 40 to 50 teams here and now we get maybe 10 to 12 on a weekend.
“There are just so many more places to do things now. There are colleges that run things and other high schools do, too,” he added. “The Tuesday-Thursday night part of our league, we are having usually 20 to 25 games a night on those nights. It’s still big that way. As far as size and stuff, we are the largest downstate summer league.”
Massey said if one were to draw a circle 25 miles around Galesburg most of the schools within it participate in the GSL either with a varsity team or a varsity and a sophomore team. Some schools field a varsity, sophomore and junior high team and others may have one of the three types of teams participate.
“We probably have 15 to 20 varsity teams that are regulars,” Massey said. “They either come once a week or twice a week and we’ve got 10 to 12 fresh-soph teams that are the same way. Then, we’ve got another 10 to 15 that come to certain dates. By the time the summer is over, we will have probably 40 varsity teams and 15 sophomore teams come through and play at some time or another.
“When they sign up, they also sign up for what kind of competition they want. They can say, ‘we want to play the best, we want to play just good competition or average,’ ” Massey added. “You try to match up people that you think are going to be similar in ability. It’s completely a development league. We can’t do it completely but we try to avoid having conference schools play each other.”
Western Big 6 Conference foes Moline, United Township and Rock Island Alleman regularly play in the GSL.
“We’ve been in it ever since I’ve been a coach,” said United Township girls basketball coach Justin Shiltz, who is entering his fifth season at the helm of the Panthers. “It’s a good league. I don’t know how Coach Massey does it and gets all those teams down there. It is good for us, because we get to play two games in a night and it breaks up our week a little bit. It is a well run league and we haven’t had any issues with it.
“We want to play the best teams,” he added. “He gets the bigger and the smaller schools down. We see a lot of variety and face well coached teams. It’s good for us and that’s why we go down there. If we aren’t playing a bigger school then we are playing a smaller school that is solid. For a summer league on our side of the state, I think it is pretty good. He gets a lot of good teams with a lot of variety.”
While the GSL benefits their WB6 opponents, it also helps future and current Silver Streaks.
“The biggest thing that has helped us is getting different levels playing,” Massey said. “We’ve got a varsity team, a JV team, three combination fresh/soph teams and three combination seventh/eighth-grade teams. The nice thing is we can move kids around. I would say 90 percent of the high schools have their top eight to 10 varsity kids play in leagues and tournaments in the summer and the rest get nothing.
“You might argue that the league is more important to our freshmen and sophomores than it is to our experienced varsity kids because it’s an opportunity for our younger kids to get a chance to play,” he added. “For us, seventh through 12th grade, we’ve got something like 65 Galesburg kids who are getting to play this summer. It’s a pretty good deal because they never have to travel. You get to play right here. I don’t think there is probably anyone else in Illinois that gives that kind of opportunity to kids.”
And the chances Massey provides are meant to be enjoyable.
“I think the other thing that is nice about the league is I’d like to think it’s a recreational thing, too. It’s not a higher pressure thing. It’s the opportunity to play in a little bit more relaxed atmosphere,” Massey said. “In terms of the number of hours in the spring that it takes to get the league up and running it takes more hours than really I wish that it did but it is something that on a personal level I’m really proud of. It is something positive within our program but I think it is also a positive within our community with the number of people we get involved in playing, the number of people involved as far as referees and everything else.”
Another Night of Improvement
It was another good night at Summer League. We had over 60 Galesburg players from 7th thru 12th grade playing bb. Our JH team lost by one to a FS team. Our two Frosh teams battled in their games. Our FS level team defeated Illini West FS team and then beat a varsity team. It is very exciting to see the potential of our JH age and FS age players- if they continue to work, they can do some great things.
Our JV team defeated ROWVA's varsity and West Central's varsity. They have made so much progress in the 3 weeks of this summer.
Our varsity level squad looked pretty good in a 20+ win over Illini West. I am extremely happy with how well they pass the ball. Our point guard tandem of Haley Kelso and Raina Gully are really seeing the floor well. Right now our strength is we have a very good passing team- our guards and posts are playing with unselfishness.
After beating the older kids last week by 30, we brought in our old practice player star, Logan Scott. He again challenged the girls with his quickness. We lost by 15 but it was good to work vs. the combination of men and women's players. Again extremely impressed with our pt guards ability to get us in offense, all of our guards ability to pass, and our posts finished well inside. So pleased with this groups chemistry and willingness to receive coaching.
Our JV team defeated ROWVA's varsity and West Central's varsity. They have made so much progress in the 3 weeks of this summer.
Our varsity level squad looked pretty good in a 20+ win over Illini West. I am extremely happy with how well they pass the ball. Our point guard tandem of Haley Kelso and Raina Gully are really seeing the floor well. Right now our strength is we have a very good passing team- our guards and posts are playing with unselfishness.
After beating the older kids last week by 30, we brought in our old practice player star, Logan Scott. He again challenged the girls with his quickness. We lost by 15 but it was good to work vs. the combination of men and women's players. Again extremely impressed with our pt guards ability to get us in offense, all of our guards ability to pass, and our posts finished well inside. So pleased with this groups chemistry and willingness to receive coaching.
Streaks Going to Purdue
The varsity is scheduled to play West LaFayette HS. It is interested that former Streaks star, Molly Watson is an assistant coach with West LaFayette.
Wisconsin Recruit Visits Thiel
Obviously summer ball can be a grind for a player. Happ showed good ballhandling skills for his size. But as you can see from the picture he had a huge height advantage in the Galesburg game and he was not able to a dominant factor.
Trip to Salem
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| Salem gym was a neat old gym with balconies around it. Veteran Streaks fan, Steve Bryant said it reminded him of old Steele Gym in downtown Galesburg. |
It is always nice to go some place where you play people you don't see. I think this enables players to be more focused on their game and their team vs. being worried about other teams. The competition level in southern Illinois is outstanding.
Our FS age squad went through the weekend with a 7-1 record. Our JV squad went 4-2 and has shown very good improvement.
Our varsity age squad went 5-3, with losses to Flora, Edwardsville, and Belthalo Civic Memorial. Our first day we went 2-1 but did not show great toughness. On the second day we went 1-2 and it may have been our best day of the summer. Vs. very good teams in Edwardsville and Civic Memorial, we showed much improved focus and toughness handling quality opponents. On Sunday we finished by going 2-0, including a very impressive win vs. Salem.
Hope the girls enjoyed it, it was a good basketball weekend for Galesburg.
Jason Shay Works w/ Teams
I have had the opportunity to watch Jason work with FS level girls on up to work with pro players like CJ Watson. His approach never changes. He focuses on details and demands accountability when it comes to execution. With the varsity boys Streaks team he worked on offensive skills, and then with the Streaks girls he worked on defensive skills. He took one morning and for 2 hours went thru the defensive progression drills they used at Tennessee and now at NWF. Impressive!!
But the best part of his work are the insights he shares about approach and goal setting. His conversation with the varsity girls about toughness and remaining focused on championships will hopefully have an impact with our girls both on and off the court.
William Allen- Teacher & Soldier
The following is a sermon which was given at First Presbyterian Church in Galesburg on Memorial Day 2013 in honor of William Allen who gave his life for his country in WW2.
Time To Remember
I did not attend theology school but I will have you know, I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express. Some probably expect me to give a sermon connected to sports. I did think about a sermon entitled “Jump Shots and Jesus”, but my wife vetoed that. I even thought about one entitled “Wisconsin and Heaven- The Same Area Code”, but Carl Strauch warned I might be excommunicated.
I really appreciate the opportunity to speak this morning. I am going to share a story involving the death of a soldier in war. This week we saw a tremendous tragedy take place in Oklahoma. The story of my soldier and of the Oklahoma tornado, beg the question, ”Why?” In the book, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People,” Harold Kushner states, “It is not because God intended it or planned it. Bad things happen to good and bad people because we live on earth, and earth is not a perfect place.”
For us as Christians, the Bible is pretty clear that faith in Jesus and in Christianity does not guarantee a good life, but the opportunity for a perfect eternity.
I agree with Jewish Rabbi, Jerome Epstein who says, “My understanding of God does not permit me to accept that every bad or good thing that occurs is a reward or punishment. There are times when bad things happen to good people. We need consolation, not anger; love, not hate. The God I serve and pray to daily has charged me not to blame but to help.”
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
Time is so hard to deal with. When we were young, the clock never seemed to go fast enough. We couldn’t wait to get our driver’s license. We couldn’t wait to get out of high school.
As we have gotten older, often the clock seems to go too fast. We may even wish we could turn back the clock. As we get older, there are people we miss. We never quite get over the loss of our loved ones.
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| Ben & Ruth Allen putting flowers on Bill Allen's grave. |
The highlights of life are in our relationships with people. Memorial Day should be a day of joy. We should be celebrating the blessing God has given us in our relationships. Memorial Day is a great opportunity for us to reflect and become inspired by memories of our ancestors.
I would like to share the story of my wife’s uncle, William Allen. Bill was born in 1917 and died in 1945. I never met him but his story inspires me.
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| William Allen at age 26 joining the Army for WW2. |
In part, I am drawn to his story because of a series of things he and I seem to have in common. He was born on April 16 and myself on April 17. He grew up in a small town, and I grew up in a small town. We were both raised in Protestant families, him a Presbyterian and me a Methodist. We both graduated from Knox College, and then both went on to teach at Galesburg High School. And his little brother Benny, became my father-in-law.
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| Bill Allen with his little brother, Ben. They are in front of the family farmhouse in Alta. This would have been the last time Ben saw his brother. |
Bill Allen and I were of different generations, and our lives took very different directions.
I grew up in the ‘60’s during the Vietnam era. My generation learned to question the government, authority and war. The Ecclesiastes verse we read today was used by me in a youth sermon in 1970. My sermon was an anti-war sermon saying there was not a time for war. I had a 2S deferment as a college student so I didn’t HAVE to go into the military.
Bill Allen was part of Tom Brokaw’s “The Greatest Generation.” In 1943 at the age of 26, he was living comfortably as a teacher at Galesburg High School.
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| The "old" Galesburg HS, located in downtown on Broad St. |
He did not HAVE to join the Army but he chose to. Since first hearing the story of Bill Allen, my question has always been, “Why did he choose the Army when he did not have to?”
Being an English major, Bill was a prolific letter writer. He wrote letters to people in Galesburg and to his family, describing his experiences in World War II. The Allen family saved the letters, and later published them in a book. Those letters and conversations with Ben have helped me to try to understand Bill Allen.
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| Book of Bill Alen's letters- published by his family shortly after the war. |
I was intrigued as his letters revealed parts of his personality. He had an enjoyable sense of humor.
· During basic training, he reported, “There’s one thing I don’t understand about the Army. They issue you a good comb, and then cut off all your hair.”
· He described his training in a Concealment and Camouflage Course. He wrote to GHS faculty members, “Now I know many ways that I can hide from the principal when he comes after me.”
When Bill had decided to join the Army, he delayed his entry. He waited until he finished directing “A Christmas Carol,” the GHS fall play. He did not want to let his students down.
While waiting to be shipped to Europe, he expressed joy in being able to go to plays on Broadway, as well as later seeing movies in a small theater in England. He expresses appreciation for the beauty of the Atlantic Ocean, of English flower gardens, and the French landscape as well as the wonderful figures of French women.
As I read about Bill, so much still did not make sense to me. He did not seem to fit my stereotype of a soldier’s personality. Why did he enlist?
Proverbs 19:21 “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Going to war was not his plan. He put aside a comfortable life as a teacher and drama coach, and plans for going to Northwestern to law school.
R.V. Lindsay, Supt. Of Schools in Galesburg described Bill’s decision. “He was an artist, creative, and imaginative. The war in all of its horrible aspects came as an awful shock to Bill’s finer nature. There was nothing in military that appealed to anything in his sensitive nature. Yet an inner voice in Bill would not let him rest.”
Early in his basic training, he wrote how discouraging it was to realize how few of his fellow trainees really understood the principles of Democracy and Freedom they were going to fight for. This made him aware that when he returns, he can “serve his country best” as a teacher. It appears to me, Bill Allen was always wrestling not with what HIS plan was, but rather what THE plan for him was.
Psalms 29:11 The Lord gives strength to his people, the Lord blesses his people with peace.
Psalms 23:4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
The loss in World War II was horrible. There is a plaque near the entrance to Galesburg High School to honor 63 students and 1 faculty member who were killed in WW2.
It is hard to put the magnitude of this loss in perspective. In Galesburg during WW2, there was a funeral for a member of the GHS community every 15-20 days.
Bill’s letters describe the many challenges and horrors of war. He describes wearing the same clothes and not being able to bathe for over a month, spending the night in a German house with Nazi soldiers in the house across the street.
He talks of the anguish of witnessing death of both friends and enemies. When he was filled with despair, it was his Aunt Mabel he chose to write. He explained this to her, “Not sure I want my mother to think about these things so you are the goat. Today was one of those days which will forever haunt my nightmares.”
He goes on later to tell Mabel about dealing with his best friends death. He writes, ”That’s another shocking thing about this war- a hero, contrary to fiction and Hollywood, seldom dies a hero’s death. It’s just an unlucky hit which gets him when he doesn’t even have a chance to fight back.”
As the war went on, several times Bill expressed concerns about how the soldiers would be able to go from being in war to going back to becoming civilians. He lamented, “We all have a lot of planning for the future and I’ve done a lot of thinking along that line myself. I fear that I’ll never be able to go back to the classroom and earn a living there again.”
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| Christmas card to little brother Ben. He teases Ben that he shot Santa's reindeer in the Louxenburg forest. |
He wrote the following to his Aunt:
Germany
Christmas Eve, 1944
Dear Aunt Mabel,
I should be writing home tonight, but my mood is not conducive to uplifting the home front morale. I'm thinking of all the Christmases of the past and what the day has always meant to our family. Partly because I'm sentimental and it's such a hard time of the year to be so far away from all those I love and the prospects of ever returning seem so remote and partly because I needed the emotional release after living under so much tension of late; I took advantage of the opportunity awhile ago and sneaked off by myself and shed a great many tears. I'm good for another year now and do realize that I've been one of God's favored. To be alive and whole is all one can ask for these days and that is my blessing.
Love, Bill.
What gives someone the toughness to handle this?
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| On this picture sent home, Bill writes, "This is what made the Jerry's run." |
When I asked Ben this question, his reply was, “Bill always said he could not have handled it if he didn’t believe this would be the war to end all wars.” Clearly he was committed to a cause which he thought was bigger than himself. If we believe in something, we don’t just talk the talk, but we walk the walk.
1 Peter 4:10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
It was only in passing, as if it were not a big deal that Bill wrote to his parents to tell them he had earned a Bronze Star for heroism. It may be that part of his motivation for down playing his acts of heroism was to save his mother from any more worry than she already had. But his humility points out he did not join the Army for personal glory. His humility sends the message, “It is not about me.”
As they fought in France, liberating the country, Bill wrote, “I’ve been flower bedecked and kissed by enough teary eyed civilians to repay me for all that I’ve gone through to bring me this far. I might be just sentimental enough to believe that what I’m helping to do now is by far the most useful thing that I ever hope to accomplish.”
He was describing the satisfaction he felt in bringing joy to others. I am sure in the dark days of battle, one of his inspirations had to have been the images of the grateful French people.
Bill’s Platoon had landed in Normandy a few days after D-Day. Bill was originally a machine gunner on the front lines through the battles as they went across France, Luxenburg, Holland, and eventually to Germany. Later he was in reconnaissance where his job involved exploring positions for troop movement. In January of 1945 he was given an opportunity of taking a promotion to desk job away from the front line. This would certainly mean much less risk.
Bill wrote about this chance, “It’s the old conflict of whether I think more of my own hide than I do of the cause for which we’re supposedly fighting. Sgt. Allen’s skin is mighty important to Sgt. Allen, but as I lay the cold, hard facts out on the Belgium snow it seems rather foolish to take a qualified man out of the field and have him win the war with a fountain pen.”
He stayed fighting with his platoon, his “buddies.”
John 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
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| Information on picture of William Allen at Knox Memorial Gym. Bill referred to his platoon as his “buddies.” At the end of WWII as they approached Berlin, the battles were tough. Often the kitchen crew stayed farther back, so the norm was to just live on C Rations- simply canned, cold food. If they were to get hot food, someone had to go back to the kitchens to get it. |
As his troop was fighting within miles of Berlin, Bill Allen volunteered to go back to the company kitchen to obtain hot food for the members of Company D. After the meal, he again volunteered to return the equipment to the kitchen. In the darkness, he took a wrong turn. His jeep ran over an American land mind placed to protect the rear of the troop. He died on April 19, 1945, just 19 days before VE Day.
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| Register-Mail article on Bill Allen's death. |
Bill Allen died during a voluntary mission doing something he thought would boost morale of his “buddies.” He died serving others.
So why would a school teacher choose to go to war?
Did Bill Allen feel hate for the Nazi’s? From the letters, it is obvious he hated what Hitler and Germany had done and what they wanted to take away. From the letters it is clear he felt anger toward Hitler for how he had twisted the minds of young German boys, the same age he had taught at GHS.
But I really believe the story of Bill Allen and the answer to my question is love. He loved the principles of Democracy and freedom. He loved the beauty of the ocean, and of the flowers in English gardens. He cared for the French people they liberated. He loved his drama students and wanted to take care of them before he left. He loved his family, and he loved his “buddies”.
Love is at the foundation of Christian life. Service is an expression of love for others. Love is what allowed Bill Allen to sacrifice so much and to give so much.
Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.
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| Bill Allen's grave. |
Bill Allen was born in a “Small Town” with small town values that influenced his life, but unlike in the song, Bill was not buried in the same small town. Bill’s remains are buried in Margraten, Holland along with his brother-in-law, Bob Arnold.
Before their deaths, Bill and Bob had dinner with a grateful family in Holland. The daughter of this family, Pauline Roukin was five years old when she met Bill in the middle of WW2.
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| Pauline Roukin. |
Sixty-eight years later, Pauline still tends to the graves of Bill and Bob. It is a story of love and service to others. This summer our family plans to visit Holland, and Allen will be one of the fourth generation of the Allen family to be hosted by Pauline and her family.
I would like to close by sharing something written by a student of Bill Allen’s. Jack Brooking was a GHS student of Bill’s. Jack went to Holland for Memorial Day in 1952. Brookings wrote an article in the Register-Mail where he closed with:
“Nestled somewhere in one of his letters, Bill said, ‘I think of you people often, and how much you did to make my months in Galesburg among the happiest of my life. I’ll be back again someday…’ Brooking’s then finished with, “I should like to think that today he is.”
Let us prayer….
Thank you Lord for our ancestors. We know we are where we are today because of their love and sacrifices. During our busy lives, help us to find time to remember. Give us the strength, the discipline, and the love needed to live our lives in such a way that we keep Your spirit and the spirit of our ancestors alive.
Lord, centuries ago You taught our ancestors this pray. And our ancestors passed this prayer down through the generations to our grandparents, who then taught our parents, and who then taught us your prayer. So as part of our heritage as Christian families, we prayer the following just as our ancestors did:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever.
Amen.
Silent Auction- Wed June 5
Streaks Silent Auction
5:30-7:30pm
Buffalo Wild Wings
First Round- Bids Completed by 6:30pm
1- Smokehouse Feast- from CR Smokehouse
2- Bears vs Chargers, August 15- 4 prime tickets
3- 2 GHS All-Sports Passes
4- 2 Foot Party Sandwich from Lieber's Boxcar Express
5- CR's $10 certificate
6- 24 Wings from Side Trax
7- Hoodie from Go Van Gogh's
8- Collage of 2013 Senior Streaks by Ray Mendez
9- Threediculous t-shirt
10- Streaks Women's Nike Jacket
11- Pink Out Streaks Shirt
12- Streaks Baseball Cap
13- Seahawks Jacket
14- Dri-Fit Puma Shirt
15- Streaks Dri-Fit Nike Shirt
16- Summer League Complete Set of T-Shirts
Streaks Silent Auction
5:30-7:30pm
Buffalo Wild Wings
Second Round- Bids Completed by 7:15pm
17- Entire winter of snow plowing by Eric Lieber (private drive)
18- Letter jacket w/ embroidery from Breedlove's
19- 1 round of golf w/ carts at Soangetaha for 4
20- CR's $10 certificate
21- Sully's 24 wings
22- Mendez Photographic- Free picture collage of your athlete
23- Bears vs. Browns- August 29- 4 prime tickets
24- $20 gift certificate to Budde's pizza
25- Firestone- oil and filter change plus tire rotation
26- 2 foot party sandwich from Lieber's Boxcar Express
27- Pink Out Streaks T-shirt
28- Streaks Men's Nike Jacket and Pants
29- Streaks Chair
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