Shelby Foote famously wrote once that there are people put at a specific place, and at a specific time so that others might see from their light. He was writing, without knowing, about people like Bill Wells.
My friend, and the friend of all things Ohio State University, Bill Wells, was laid to rest yesterday morning near his boyhood home in Monroe County.
Those kind of days are sad, and this one was no exception. I’m not going to lie. And I’m not going to wax eloquent, or attempt to further eulogize Bill, or write pretending that I’m at peace with this; because I’m not. And I know there are a lot of others just like me.
That business about the tincture of time…that healing comes with the understanding that each day someone’s gone is just one day closer to being with them again? I’m not sure that does justice to the kind of relationship that those closest to ‘Wellsy’ had. Nor does it bring them comfort.
He was a kind and generous benefactor to Ohio State University, the city of Columbus, and countless other endeavors that he supported. And in particular, he was generous to the Ohio State baseball program, being instrumental in the construction of Bill Davis Stadium, and recently the work to upgrade and enlarge the locker room facilities.
His support for Buckeye athletics was immeasurable, and I’m not speaking of money, although he did more for baseball financially than anyone I ever met in my 52 years as a player, alumnus, and now a writer covering the program.
In short, Bill was that guy who saw the value in “paying forward”, a term that’s often used loosely and without adequate appreciation. And in my brief relationship with Wells I can honestly say he showed me, with appreciation, what the term really means.
In my Wednesday column this week about his passing I mentioned about going to Gettysburg with him in July of 2019. In fact, we visited more than one Civil War field together and Wells was always fascinated with the history and the landscape…to the point of just standing by himself for long periods, and staring, as if to record a mental picture.
He didn’t say much, but he would marvel over the sacrifice and commitment of the 600,000 Americans who died in the Civil War, fighting for a cause that history has yet to unanimously justify.
Said Wells, “It’s hard to believe that anyone could have done what those people did for our country. And they didn’t question. They just followed orders. We don’t appreciate that kind of commitment enough, anymore.”
Wells was an investor who saw the value in ‘paying forward’ in every sense. And what he talked about at Gettysburg, even 150 years after the fact, was how those veterans paid forward, considering the future dividends from that period in history. It’s not easy, because you can’t know the payoff. You just trust. You follow orders.
This is how Bill lived, not just talked, and when someone mentioned this week that he was one in a million they weren’t exaggerating. They just used a convenient figure of speech.
When I played baseball at Ohio State in the 70s I can accurately say there wasn’t anyone paying attention, let alone paying forward like Bill Wells, who was ten years old at the time. Like most schools, no one talked about a vision for baseball then, or sports that fell beneath football and basketball in the pecking order. Baseball was an obligation as a conference member, part of the schedule. But when Wells came along he would make it an investment.
He was your friend, regardless of your hat…in 2018 with former Ohio State pitcher, and now pitching coach at Penn State University…Josh Newman.
How that has paid off. In the past quarter century countless young men have gone through that program and on to the pinnacle of their chosen life paths because someone took the time, and made it his passion to improve the profile, facilities, and the percentages of living one’s dream.
Author Shelby Foote once wrote in his three-volume compilation on the Civil War that those who fought, who died, and paid the ultimate sacrifice for future generations were like ‘stars in their courses’ a reference to the Old Testament history of the battle against Sisera, where fate placed one individual in position as to show others what might be accomplished.
Bill Wells impressed more than a few with his vision of what can be accomplished…if one takes the time to look around, view the landscape, and give a damn.
Not a million dollars, necessarily….just give a damn.
Someone who’s looking for a reason to succeed, will, by our investment.
Wells (above, center) with friends Tom Randall (left) and Terry Peake (right) at the Antietam battlefield in April, 2019. (Press Pros Feature Photos)