Episode 44-Bob Hauer

Brian catches up with an old friend. Bob Hauer currently works for iHeartMedia and is the Host for the Hershey Bears. Bob talks about how Lourdes impacted his life.

Episode Transcript

(00:09):
Hello to everyone watching on Facebook on the Lord's Regional
Facebook page. Brian Christiana here with my
good friend Lord's Alum Class of1998 and currently on the board
at Our Lady of Lord's Regional School, Mr. Bob Hauer.
Bob, how are you, my friend? I'm fantastic.
Usually I don't hear Mr. Howard without being followed by your

(00:30):
causing a scene. It's a weird day.
Bob, you are the man of many traits and many talents all
around Central PA and all over the world.
But we, we genuinely appreciate you giving us some of your time
today. So it's just great to have you
on. How's everything been going?
I look life, life is good. If, if I may dust off an old

(00:50):
chestnut, back to when you graduated.
Do what you love and you never work a day in your life.
And that's something I've reallylived by for a long time that
work wise, I'm I'm living beyondmy wildest dreams.
And then when you talk about thereally important stuff, you
know, raising a family with three kids, kid in college, like

(01:11):
these are exciting adventures, challenging, scary sometimes and
trying to figure out exactly what you're going to do, what
you're going to say. But I, I, I enjoy the challenge.
I think that that's been my, my favorite part.
I, I love waking up every singlemorning, seeing what opportunity
is going to be provided to me and how I can figure it out.
It's like getting a Rubik's Cube, right?

(01:31):
Get that Rubik's Cube and it's, you know, once you learn to
figure it out, great. But when you make one move, it
can affect something else. So I kind of like the challenge
of all of it with real life has to offer to kind of see, OK,
well, if I do this, what happensnext?
How's how's everything been going with the kids?
Great. You know, it's it's fun when you

(01:53):
when you really put it all into context.
We're coming off Father's Day, right?
And I talked to my dad, especially in the past couple
weeks, we've been talking to my dad a lot who's another Lord's
alum. And I talked to him now asking
him, hey, could you just help meunderstand if, if this is
normal, I feel a certain way as a parent, is this normal?

(02:14):
And, you know, I think there's always a temptation for advice
in reality, I just don't like, help me see if this is normal,
if this, what I'm going through is normal, that I, that I trust
my reaction to it, right? It's, it's different.
I have a, a 19 year old, a 14 year old and a nine year old.
So there are three very distinctstages of life dealing with all

(02:36):
sorts of emotions, good or bad, and how to how to handle them.
So yeah, I, I, I love that part.That, that is the why.
That's why I'm doing all the stuff I do.
The, the, the truth is that eventually this, this radio
stuff, this personality stuff, it kind of comes to a close,
right? But that's, that's my forever

(02:56):
project. Is, is being dad.
And the role evolves so much that someday it'll be my kids
calling me and saying, hey, dad,is this is this normal?
I'm like, yeah. And the way you feel you're,
you're right to feel that way. So Bob, you, you brought up your
dad, you brought up Lord's alum,your whole, a lot of your family
were Lord's alums. Can you please tell us about

(03:17):
that? Yeah, You know, it's I, I grew
up, I'm thinking I was part of some and it's look, it's, it's
Shamoka and it's cold Township, you know, But I, but I grew up
in my head thinking like I was part of some lineage, like I was
some part of something so important.
My mom would always impress uponus that your last name means

(03:37):
something and carry it like thatbecause the, the, the people who
have gone before you, whether itwas my, you know, my
grandfather, who would have beenthe, the St.
Edwards High School to, you know, my uncles Mike, Steve,
Ron, my uncle Joe, my dad, my aunts Anne Marie and Aunt Linda

(03:59):
all went through Lourdes. And then my cousins.
So Stevie, Mikey, Howard, Dave dressed, you know, my cousins
Matt and Christine and all the cousins that come after, you
know, we, we had Lourdes as partof our story.
So, you know, I, I, I always carried it like, wow, this is,

(04:19):
there's, there's been a lot of, and there are, there are
families like that, certainly with Lords, but it, it in my
head. I always kept that in mind that
I'm, I'm one of many that have been part of this story.
And then you get down to, you know, my brother Aaron and my
brother Dan, who, who went through Lords themselves and you
know, my, my cousin Mariah as well as like, I'm trying to, I

(04:41):
don't think I missed any of the rest of them who went through.
But like, it's, it's, it's pretty.
It's, it's amazing to me that that is something that I share
with so many of them based upon our faith and based upon the
quality of education that we allgot from Lourdes.
It is not just my last name thatcarries importance.

(05:02):
It's also that graduation year because we are all part of that
story, too. Bob, were you always a student
in Catholic education? Yeah, my my kindergarten year, I
think they did half the kindergarten at Shamokin.
And I had Missus Desney. And then I transferred and
started Catholic school 1st grade at Queen of Peace and I
had, you know, Missus Acorah in first grade.

(05:25):
I had sister. Oh, man, I'm sorry.
I had her for 2nd and 3rd grade.I keep want to say Sister
Patrizia and it wasn't her. And I want to say Sister had
Selma. I'd never had her.
But Sister Jeanette. Sister Jeanette.
That's OK. I was getting Jeanette and
Jacinta mixed up. So I assisted Jeanette in second
and third grade and 4th grade. I miss miss Schilling Ford in

(05:49):
fifth grade. I miss Ravito 6th grade.
We were that's what we bounced out to what is now the like the
the far end, the elementary wingof Lords, but middle school.
And I was there in, in, in 6th grade with, let's see, Maria
Graddy with Maria Bartle, Miss Bartle at the time.
But Missus Snyder, Mr. Mcdevitt,Missus Sznoski, Sister Jacinta

(06:13):
that I mentioned before, this iscoke as well.
And like, yeah, every every year.
I, I don't, I don't think I missed any of the main teachers.
I mean, of course we had, you know, Missus Huey, who I still
say stay so close today from themusic side of it as well.
You know, I just every part of my story, like I remember so

(06:35):
distinctly being in those classrooms, lining up in the
hallways and the, the, to me, the coolest thing was when we
transferred from Queen to Peace,'cause I would have been Queen
to peace at, at West Catholic was, yeah, Our Lady of Hope.
And then 8th, when I went from 5th grade to 6th grade, I was in
that school as a 6th grader and having the distinct comparison

(06:59):
of all these big high schools, high schoolers at the other end
of the hallway. And I'm looking up to them and
I'm like, you know, for my neighbors.
Vanessa Urich is one of my neighbors.
And I remember Vanessa, God, I Ijust was so like, I like I
idolized them, right. And you know, I had neighbors up
there too, the asynchax. And you know, as they're a lot

(07:22):
closer in age in some groups too, but like, I idolized them.
And like, that was really what built my love of Lords is I
looked at these students who were not that much older than,
but like they're big high schoolers and I'm watching them
listen to him go down the hall lunch every single day.
And I was like, I, I want to be that.

(07:42):
Like I just, I spent so much of my life aspiring.
I, I, I wanted to be, I wanted to try, I wanted to do, I looked
at what other people did and I'mlike, they look like they're
having fun. I want to do that too.
And that was just such a big part for me.
And I, I talk a lot about that side of it.
Like your dad, your dad is vitalto me.

(08:05):
Your dad is absolutely vital to me because your dad is a
baseball player, which is what Iplayed in Ferndale.
My dad was his coach. But your, your dad was the first
person that had an interest thatI had.
So I love to sing. And I was very lucky that from
Missus Shuey and then when I went to, to, to Lourdes, Mr.

(08:27):
Carey and then Mr. Steyer who were there, both really helped
me that like I, I end up being able to go to college on a
scholarship to be able to sing. And, and like the, the
scholarship part, like it was anaffirmation that I'm good
enough. I'll, I'll say that.
But the, but I go back to your dad and your dad singing the

(08:47):
national anthem. I didn't know anybody else who
sang like, especially guys. I'll say it that way.
You know, we played baseball, they played football or they
played basketball. Your dad did the baseball piece
at least directly in my, my lineof eyesight.
And I'm and he loved to sing andI'm like, it's cool for him.

(09:09):
And the next thing you know, I'm, I'm singing.
It's church at Saint Joe's Our Lady of Hope.
And I start down this path. Your dad's confidence in doing
something he loved. I aspire to want to do that too.
And I and I like it's, it's amazing He never had to hold the
door open, but he led me by the example he set.

(09:30):
And like I, I owe him to this day.
And when we talk about the relationship you, I have, you
and I have, yeah, I'm paying himback by trying to work in the
same way with you. But so yeah, I, I, I think as I
ramble back to it, but like thattime transferring out to my
Catholic education out to Lords and the Queen of Peace, junior

(09:52):
high end. So at the time, like it was all
about aspiring and I watched these people that I wanted to
become and I worked hard a lot of mistakes along the way, but I
worked hard to want to do that. All I ever wanted to be was, you
know, a Lords Red Raider. I all I ever wanted to to to
feel the way that I viewed them as feeling about it.

(10:13):
Yeah, Bobby. And you brought up some of the
that you looked up to some of the people that were older than
you at the time. Who were some of those people
besides you? Said Vanessa.
But who were some others? Yeah, Vanessa, you're Vanessa.
New York was so cool. And, and I don't know that I've
ever even had this conversation with her.
And we're, we're, we were neighbors growing up.
I mean, yeah, she was older. I was probably, you know, this
awkward kid that probably had a crush on her at that age, you

(10:35):
know, cuz she's a high score andI'm like 6th grade.
But but Vanessa was one I lookedup to because I like she was
student body, student council vice president I think at the
time. We've talked before about Rob
Naylor. Oh, Naylor.
Yeah, it. Just, and these are people that,
I mean, I don't even know if they realized the impact they
had. Rob Naylor.

(10:56):
Rob Naylor, I remember the student council speech he gave
and it was funny and I, I becamestudent council president, but
in my senior year, they called me the Paper Tiger because I had
no power. But the Rob Naylor inspired me.
I, I look at people, especially on the music side.

(11:18):
I think that was a big part of it too.
Like I got to be surrounded by, so my, my mom would always say
steel, sharp and steel. So surround yourself with the
very best. If you do that, you'll elevate
yourself too. So even people closer in age to
me, like Stephen Bull and Kyle Snyder, like, like they were so
smart, right? And I and I, I was with them

(11:41):
with all the music stuff, every single day, the athlete stuff.
I remember Gabe Schwartz was on a baseball team and he was a
senior. I was a freshman and, and he
took care of me. And I thought, my God, for
somebody that actually wanted togive a give a crap about me to
do that. That's.
Great. You know, I, I, it's, it's hard
for me not to. We didn't go to in the building

(12:02):
at the same time, but it's hard for me not to walk into the gym
notorium and to look up at that state championship and see my
cousin Stevie's name. Yeah.
And. And Stevie, again, there's such
a huge gap at age for he and I granted his sister Christie, we
graduated together and we are family through and through.

(12:23):
But like, Stevie was another world, like another level.
Like, like, like the amazing stuff he did from the state
title to going out of this recordia to having an incredible
career. I mean, go to a Bucknell
basketball game, we see the Bucknell teams and you see he's
in some of those photos as part of their sports training team.

(12:43):
And now the the his career goingforward, his kiddos, they go to
to Southern, but like, they're incredible.
Like like I looked up to Stevie and sometimes it was those big
moments that really like that had like, I want to be this.
I want to be the guy, the personI probably look up to the most.

(13:04):
And we lost him a couple years back.
Deacon Marty McCarthy. Yeah.
And this, and this is so, this is so I, I think it was this
way. He was only Mr. McCarthy at the
time with me had health issues on and off.
It was one of the, one of the things that I connected with
because my dad had health issuesgrowing up.
So here's another male role model who's fighting health

(13:26):
stuff, right? But his his role in my life,
especially when you're a guy, like aside from Patrick
Mcdevitt, who's my 7th grade teacher in middle school, like I
had no, there were no dudes around.
It was, it was, I was only ever taught by women.
Nothing wrong with that. But when I had men as teachers,

(13:49):
it was a different thing. I was like, I can connect.
It just felt more connected. Deacon McCarthy knew I didn't
like to shut up, which I can tell here, even though I didn't
know what I was saying half the time.
And and he said, Hey, I think I got something I'd like you to
try. It's something called forensics.
And I didn't know what it was even this has been before CSI.
And it was like, not like that. It's no, it's, it's speech, he

(14:11):
said. One thing I think you could do,
and I want you to try is I want you to do what's called
extemporaneous speaking. It's a, it's a competitive
category and X temp. It sounds frightening.
OK, you go into the lobby into a, a library of a school with
other people and you are given like 3 little pieces of paper

(14:32):
and you pick one of those 3. And that's the topic you have to
give a 5 to 7 minute speech on and you have 30 minutes to give
that speech. Wow.
Yeah. So I remember like I would get
U.S. news and World Report. I'm a freshman in high school.
I would get like U.S. news and World Report and Time magazine.

(14:52):
And I would have like this, thisI I would call it like a lunch
camp. But it was like a like a file,
little file folder thing. But it was plastic and it was
heavy And I carried stuff with, it was all current topic stuff.
It was, it was current events and, and I wish going back, I'd
have paid more attention. This news cycle is so easy to

(15:12):
get all the information. But then it was like, you know,
I would read those magazines andthen go back like, OK, what do I
have? I could do a speech on.
And I I not that I was a champion by any means, but just
saying, you know, fearlessly, let's go do it.
Let's I'll give this speech in front of people I don't know.
Yeah. And I'm and I'm and I'm trying

(15:33):
stuff, test and stuff, trying toformulate, give it a speech.
I can't. I'm a freshman in high school
who probably was slow to blossomand bloom.
I was real little. And here I am doing some of the
stuff that maybe some of these other high schoolers that I
always looked up to, they would never would have done.
There are adults that would havebeen like, I'm not doing that.
But I, I looked up to him and I admired him.

(15:57):
And yeah, when I when I got to come out, I gave the
commencement address when you were when you graduated.
And I got to say it to him, I don't care.
I mean, who knows if it's a kid or not for him.
And I always say it that way because it wasn't like this,
this big touching moment. I mean, he taught how many kids
over the years? And we we lost him years after

(16:17):
that. And I got to talk to his
daughter who was a year ahead ofme too, and say, hey, you're,
he's really important. He really is.
He's an important part of my story because I was grounded on
people who believed and my mom and dad were the greatest
foundation. But it's hard to see other
people step up and say, you knowwhat, you can do this coach
builder Oba baseball absolutely there my camp like through and

(16:41):
through, but like Teican McCarthy was one that said that
absolutely elevated me. Absolutely put it that way.
Scott Carey music as well. And and and he's he's got this
awesome personality. It's not easy being a music
teacher with a bunch of snot nosed teenagers, right?
I can only imagine, you know, some of the tastes.

(17:03):
He's just like, it's so frustrating.
But but he's somebody that that pushed me to do better than what
I was doing and not just accept just the the status quo.
Like I like those are, those arethe people that I'm like, wow,
like I, I see what they gave me now and I wish I had been more

(17:24):
confident to verbally tell them then because I, I think it's, I
think our, our teachers especially need to know at that,
at that juncture and and withoutfeel like the kids suck it up.
Like I think our teachers need to know, Hey, you're making an
impact on me right now. Unfortunately, with with
teachers in general, you don't see the you don't see how these

(17:46):
trees grow until 20 years down the road.
Miss Builder, who you're close with and other persons for
mental into me. And it's not, it's not from the
confidence piece. She was never one who told me,
Hey, you could do it. She expected to do it.
And I think that the expectationeven elevated.
So I didn't act at a fear with her, which I think some students

(18:08):
may have. And I think they missed the
point. Yeah, I think with Miss, with
Miss Builder, it was I'm demanding excellence for you.
I expect excellence from you because you should expect
excellence from yourself. Do you feel that helped you onto
your next stage in life? Yeah.
Oh, absolutely. I mean, and, and look, every day
is not a gold medal. Every day is not fantastic.

(18:33):
Every day is not my best effort.It's not ever.
And for most people, it's not right.
There are some days where it's ahome run and some days where you
screwed up four or five things, right.
I look at the drive to be great and coming from the fact that
I'm going to hold myself to thatstandard and there are other

(18:56):
people along the way that taughtme to love myself, forgive
myself when I fall short becausetrust me, early on I would just
start beating myself up. Why isn't this easy?
It should be easy. I'm supposed to be.
I come from this again, I build my head.
I come from this last name. I'm I'm part of the story like
it's manifest destiny, like I'm so why is it not?
And this is the immaturity side of me.

(19:18):
And I had to learn to kind of take it a little easy on myself,
too. But I think I think Great
Expectations from others promotegreat outcomes.
Nice. One of my favorite stories.
This is not as much a Lord's story, but it's one that sticks
through that that impression of my entire life.

(19:39):
It did not even happen directly to me, but it happened to my
brother Aaron, who was a graduate for the Class of 2000.
So Aaron was playing football for the Wildcats.
OK. Yeah.
Wildcat, OK, And he had a he hada football coach on that team
named Randy Duckworth. Randy had played for Georgia

(19:59):
Tech. Randy played in the in the game
against Rudy Rudiger against Notre Notre Dame.
And it was it was football coachjust coaching in like Cole
Township Shamokin and Randy passed away not too long after
this moment. But I remember Randy talked to
my brother Aaron and talked my mom and dad and let's say he was
in 6th grade, right? And said, hey, next season.

(20:25):
I think it's gonna be a good year for you.
I have high expectations of you and that Southern drawls and I
have high expectations you that stuck with our family forever.
Like I I say that stuff, my kids.
It was one line given to my brother that that caught our
whole family and set us on fire with it because we're like,
yeah, we I we should have high expectations of each other.

(20:47):
My brother Dan, who's a teacher at Southern, does amazing
things. Dan is a graduate note, too.
A couple years back, during a graduation at Southern, the
valedictorian shouted him out and said the most amazing story,
Valedictorian said in his speech.

(21:07):
You know the words matter, he said.
I remember my brother Dan's a kindergarten teacher.
I remember when Mr. Hauer pulledme aside.
I was in kindergarten, he said. I have high expectations for
you. You could be great.
And maybe Dan said that's all the kids.

(21:28):
That was what that's what the the the young man said.
But he said, I never forgot that.
And he said that drove me to overcome hard stuff because I
knew that someone believes that I could be great.

(21:48):
And words matter. That's why like I, I those
expectations or encouragements, that's what gets you through the
dark night of the soul stuff. That's what makes you think that
what you're doing matters. Because in reality, you know,
we're all we're all just one second closer to, to to move it

(22:10):
on. But yeah, those, those words
matter. Use use words of love and
encouragement. Set expectations of excellence
and let them know that they can do it, because when you set that
as the standard, and I think Lawrence has always done this,
at least he's always done this for me.
And, and, and I and I look at our teachers now and I and I, I

(22:31):
encourage them and we talk about, you know, with you and
the students like, you know, setthe bar, set the bar high and,
and they'll, students will reachfor it.
Let them know they can do it. And that's that overcomes so
much. It really does, Bob, and wow,
that, that was a that was awesome.
Thank you for for sharing all that.

(22:52):
And I feel like one of the big things you brought up especially
is trying to motivate others andtry to get the best out of them.
How, how did you get that mindset?
What? How did how do you come up with
words of encouragement like that?
Words are mine. They never have been.
And I'm not saying that that they're, they're always words
that somebody else wrote. Believe me when I say this, I

(23:17):
open my mouth up and there's more times than not, I prove
this. I open my mouth up and I have no
idea what's going to roll out. I, I, I don't know.
Yeah, I, I don't know. And I and I say it that way
because like, I OK, so my mom. Great, great mom.

(23:40):
My mom is a was a born again Christian, raised a non
practicing Jew, embraced her faith and, and through my, my
father's health. And then, you know, she became
the anchor for our whole family and my mom, and she does some
crazy stuff sometimes too. She literally legitimately, you
know, would staple Bible verses on the bottom of our shoes.
So we stood on the will of God. You know, she went, she she put

(24:02):
herself fully in now again with the health issues my father was
having, like we're going to do everything like whatever it
takes, right? But she as time has gone on with
her, she would start telling me that when she uses like her
social media, she's like, there's so much bad out in the
world. I, I just want, I want to share

(24:23):
positivity. I want to share joy Her her
mantra teacher because she's a kindergarten teacher.
I'd, I'd be a kindergarten teacher too if I wasn't doing
this. But her mantra was, who's going
to tell these children they're loved and worth loving?
Wow, you're right. And it's not just the kids, it's
the adults. Like I, I would think to myself,

(24:43):
like we do such a poor job as people to letting people know
they do a good job to do that, that they're doing right.
And that's not lip service. And I mean, like we, we don't,
we don't spend enough time telling people they did good.
And it's not like, it's not likeT-ball, everybody gets a trophy.

(25:05):
I think people do amazing thingsand they do them in relative
silence. People might watch, but they
don't speak up. It costs nothing to tell
somebody, hey, you did a really good job or I'm so impressed.
Dave Tamkus, who Lords grad, he just redesigned the Shamokin
logo and I reached out to him and I said, hey, dude, I said, I

(25:27):
love that and I completely out of left field.
I love that. I I think it's just the coolest.
It's such a, such a great upgrade.
And I said, I, I appreciate whatyou're doing on all these little
efforts to make our town, make our Shamokin more.
And I, and I, I say like, I'm soimpressed by you.
I'm so proud of you. And you know, I, I say that not

(25:52):
because genuinely not because I want the response back.
I say that because I want to make sure people realize that
the things they do matter and make an impact.
And just because other people don't speak up, Yeah, doesn't
mean other people don't notice. It's not about that I said

(26:13):
something. It's about that someone said
something. Because back to that words
matter thing for me. Like the little things along the
way there. There are times I had to
manufacture encouragement. That's OK.
I had it. It really made me prove this is
what I wanted. Brick walls are meant to keep
the other people out. Brick walls are meant to keep
other people away. My job is to overcome the brick
wall and figure out how I'm going to get around it.

(26:34):
Like that's that is built in me.But for some people who who I
won the parent lottery, I got a mom and dad who who pushed
positivity and grace encouragement with us.
Like I know that some people didn't get dealt that hand.
I want to make sure that they hear those same words.
Who's going to tell them they'reloved and worth loving?

(26:56):
And sometimes, like these are passion projects for people, Let
them know that it's a good thingthat it's a great thing because
they're making it an impact. It's not just a logo for a lot
of people like that logo for that school is pride and that
refresh to it is pride. And they're never going to build

(27:16):
a statue to any of us, but otherpeople are going to the phrase
is what here we are planting seeds that will grow trees that
we will never enjoy the shade of, but other people will.
So that's, that's what we are tasked to do, make this world
better and, and little things and big things.
But the encouragement we can share with others along the way,

(27:37):
I think that is so important. We can't sit on our hands when
people deserve to hear the applause because that clap might
be what keeps them going forward.
Silence will allow their head and their brain like tricks on
them. Nobody likes you.
Nobody cares about you. See, I told you nobody would

(27:58):
show up. They don't want, they don't want
anything to do with what you're doing.
It's not good. Like your brain is constantly
trying to sabotage. So be the voice that external
that that, that, that external impulse that that proof that
they're doing something of valueand people noticed.

(28:23):
I say go be the best part of somebody's day.
Sometime being the best part of somebody's day is holding a door
open for them. Think about how bad one. 100%.
Right, that's a that's a bad dayfor somebody.
If I go home and I say the way the best part of my day was,
well, somebody held a door open for me, but that's still the
best part of their day. Yeah.
And. And it acknowledges they're
alive and they're present. And if it if it holds them to

(28:46):
say, hey, you know what, OK, I'mstill here.
I, I just got to get you to the next day, the next opportunity,
because the dawn comes, the sunshine, the sun rises.
If it's home, we're bound home is just over that mountain.
Don't quit now. So that's, that's why I think
you got it. Spend time encouraging others

(29:09):
and, and it's, it's not about you're an important voice to
them. It's about that it's a voice
that acknowledges them. That's what makes the
difference. Bob, do you ever feel, and maybe
it's not even Lords related, butsomeone gave you words of
encouragement besides, I mean, you brought up Deacon McCarthy,

(29:30):
but has there been someone else that has really given you words
of encouragement that really sparked you, really lit a fire
under you? Let's.
See who else would be there on that.
You know, I, I, I'm trying to think of the repeatables.
Randy Duckworth again, not even to me, but when I, when I I

(29:52):
picked up along the way. Sometimes it's weird sometimes
like the words find me and it's not intended for me, but it's
like, wow, I, I keep thinking ofwhat after I left Lords, I went
to the sales university. It was Allentown college and I
graduated from Susquehanna and it's a it's a radio.
I transferred my first radio joband and pushed through right.

(30:14):
But I I quote them a lot and it was words not meant for me, but
I didn't know it going in Saint Francis de Sales, right?
Yeah, I know this one. Yeah, be who you are and be that
well, and it's like I did. I didn't know that ever, ever.
I was going out there and I and it and that found me and it

(30:35):
found me in a moment. I needed it.
Now there's as they've enhanced their campus, there's this this
gorgeous statue. And and I don't call it a
shrine. I don't think it's necessarily
shrine worthy, but but it's this, this moment at the top of
the hill, right in where their their TV and studio is in their
theater, because I was ATV student there.
It says there at the bomb, be who you are and be that well.
And it was just like those wordslike stop trying to be someone

(31:00):
else because back to that, you know, I strive.
I, I thrive, I want to achieve. I, I, I aspire like as a as a
young person, I aspire to be that person.
Like that was where I initially started as I got older.
I aspire to do the thing they make that feeling what to be me.

(31:22):
And that was a that was a, a hard transition probably from
the age of like 20-3, maybe up until about 30 where I was
trying to be something else. I was trying to fit.
I was trying, I was trying to bewhat other people wanted and
that and that's exhausting. Never I I I put value into it,
but I, I, I don't know that I really hit being me until well

(31:44):
after my 30, well after being 30, maybe 3233 and I started at
least recognizing what I'm in mylife and I work a ton and it's
not work, but it's it's I, I puta lot of hours in, but my job,
if anybody asks what my job is, my job is just to be me.
I'm like as as that, that phrasereally dawns on you.

(32:05):
And if you're watching this, I want you to think about how
important that would be. Like if if you said, what's your
job? My job is just to be me.
Like that. That isn't that's, that is
something that I, I, I don't know that I would have aspired
to. I wouldn't have thought it was
real. Yeah.
Actors job is the actors. Their job's not to be an act

(32:28):
themselves. Their job's to be somebody else,
right? Yeah.
You know, it's their job is to be some and I and I look at what
I do and the way I can, the way I, I'm able to spend time with
people like my job's just to be me.
Is that not the most mentally healthy and I'm not always
mentally healthy, but is that the most mentally healthy
perspective ever? That your job is just to be you

(32:49):
and be the best version of you. And when you're not having a
good day, that's OK because it'sstill all some of the parts.
It's the growth mindset that thestruggles of today become the
successes of tomorrow. Like like if I, if I talk to my
kids on that stuff, that's I, that's why I say like, just be
you, be who you are and be that.Well, I think that phrase jumps

(33:10):
out at me and and I'm and I'm, you know, I don't know, like I
attribute a lot of things to my parents and I think sometimes
there are things that they wouldsay.
I don't know necessarily that it's always phrased as
eloquently coming out. I mean, you know, sometimes
maybe it is. But yeah.

(33:31):
My mom talking about who will let them know they're loved and
worth loving like that's so they're perfectly.
But there are there are so many things because of the character,
the individuals that raised me like I could tell you, I could
I, I could incept lines that my dad would say.
And you believe it because my mydad is this strong, you know,
not just physically, he's stronger with one arm than most

(33:52):
men are with two. But but like, just he is just
this, he never quit. And I and I could I there like
without him putting the words together like this.
There's something he like, oh, it makes sense.
It makes sense coming from him. So I, I think that sometimes I,
I, I kind of build some of those, those lines.
Yeah, but I don't know, like back when I said a little bit

(34:16):
ago, I opened my mouth and the words come together.
Yeah. And I don't, I don't know what
that comes from except somethingthat my mom, it's a it's a
prayer. My mom would, as we again went
through a lot of stuff. She she came up with her own
words for us. And the one thing she would say

(34:37):
is always pray to make me an instrument.
OK. Oh, yeah.
Yeah. So, so give me give me the words
to say and the things to do be an instrument of your glory.
That was part of the things thatthat we would pray as a family.
Is that. So look, here I am, Lord, I'm
going to I'm going to open my mouth.

(34:59):
I have no idea what's going to come out.
I I don't. And somehow the synapses in my
brain connect one to one. I, I don't know.
And maybe it's stuff, you know, I would have seen somebody say
before they're just getting inspired by.
But when you pray something likegive me the words to say and the
things to do to be an instrumentof your glory and you sit back

(35:22):
and you're like, OK, let's go. Let's say yes.
And the words come out. I heard sometimes I'll sit back
and like, wow, like even I'm like, I don't know, I had that
in me it, but it just, it made sense, at least to me.
And maybe it maybe again, maybe there's a little narcissist
there too, where I'm like, everything I say is freaking
awesome. That may not be the case, but in

(35:44):
my head in that moment, like I try really hard.
I thought my my son Brody ended up being a 19 year old is not
easy. But he said to me once I
actually, I said to him, I said,bro, you have to realize his
parent and and parents, you're watching this.
You get this. None of us know what we're
doing. We have no clue what we're
doing. Really.

(36:05):
No, not at all. So that's the secret.
All right, OK. No clue and but it's and every
parent's like we have, we have no clue.
We have no, we'll learn from onekid.
Hopefully that helps us next one.
We have no clue. We're we're figuring it out as
we go along and we make a ton ofmistakes.
And Brody said to me, they said,dad, you always have.
And I'm like, sorry to ruin the,the specter of it all, bud, but

(36:29):
I'm just, I'm trying the best I can, just like you.
I wanted to, and I say that to him.
I wanted to humanize it because I wanted to make sure he knew
that, hey, look, it's not easy. And sometimes we walk, we walk
by faith and not by sight. So it's like, don't worry about
a thing. Every little thing is going to
be all right, my 3 little birds.But for him to say like you

(36:51):
always have the words, like we'll be away.
And, and I remember that again, be a Lord that made me an
instrument of glory, gave me thewords to say the things to do.
And those are his words that that come out of me.
So they're not, they're not my words.
But if if they meet, are meaningful and they help, I'm
glad that I have the chance to be the conduit.

(37:13):
Good stuff, man. That's, that's deep.
I'm trying to think. And you know what, I'm just
going to go straight up. What was it like going from
Lourdes Shamokin going to Allentown?
Scary, scary. Everything is bigger than the
Shamokin. Everything.
Yeah, everything is is big city compared to Shamokin, downtown

(37:38):
Harrisburg is bigger. Like, Oh my gosh, you can't
drive down there and come on. But no, it's every everything is
psychologically bigger. I remember when my parents drove
me out there to drop me off for class as my first, my first day.
And it was that, that moment. And I'm the oldest.
There's no, like there's no guidance from some Big Brother
to put his arm around me. And I remember hyperventilating.

(38:01):
I'm coming down Interstate 78 toward that.
And we're about to hit the Route379 exit.
And I hyperventilate, start crying, like I don't know what
I'm doing. I'm so scared how to be tough
for my mom and dad to watch because we're like, what are we,
what's going on now? We're about to leave this kid
and, and he's, he's going through like I'm working through

(38:21):
it. At that moment I got there, I
was always a little socially backward.
And again, you know, I, I makingfriends is hard until you figure
it out. Yeah, everybody's struggling.
I'm going there. I'm like, I don't know anybody.
I'm like, I'm like, I'm all alone and I want to do
something. At the time, my my goal was I

(38:42):
wanted to be on ESPN. I wanted to be on SportsCenter,
which I said this to my dad. I said, how did you guys even
let me do that? Did that sound like it was some
cuckoo bananas coming out of my mouth at the time?
You know, you think about the 90s like this kid wants to be on
SportsCenter. I mean, we don't have TV at
show. Like, like, come on, how's that
going to how's that going to happen?
And he said, yeah, OK, this is what you want, go for it.

(39:05):
Wow, do it. And and like, and I'm like, like
that seemed like such an unachievable ring to reach.
And I went to that college and their TV film department that I
was at was only its second year.One of the greatest benefits of
my life only in second year is rather small.
So I'm active right away and everybody has different

(39:27):
interests. I'm the outgoing 1.
So like I go from like, Oh my gosh, crying, not really sure
how I'm going to do this all alone.
Like I'm like, I'm, I'm so unable to do this.
I'm never going to make it like in the first six weeks I'm
hosting ATV talk show. Wow.
It's, it's so like, and they're,it's like this is our first one.

(39:48):
OK, ready to speak out? What was that?
Like it was, it was like great. It was like, and there's nobody
to tell me how to do it. So I'm figuring it out as I go
along And like, while there's teachers, like there's, there's,
there's nobody do this. Don't think that right?
I, I never really had that role in my life either, But I never
had somebody that was truly the guide.

(40:11):
I had people that showed me it could be done.
I had people that might be able to give me some good advice on
some things to to to shift through this or that, But I
never had somebody to hand me the book and say follow these
steps. Like I made it all up as I went
along. And even the TV thing it like I
like, this is bananas. It's like I I can't, I'm doing a

(40:32):
talk show and I'm sitting here with with four professors from
the school and we're talking about like real life topics.
And you know what prepared me for that, for Separania speaking
with Dean McCarthy and and like,so I have the pressure being on
camera, the pressure putting on makeup for the first time.
And if you're a guy on TV, you do put on makeup.

(40:54):
How do I do this? Right?
And, and here I am, I'm I am on camera, I am the guy and I'm a
freshman and, and there were other programs on the show.
So I don't I don't want to make it seem like it, it became this
huge thing because it was only short and it was on to something
else. But like, I was the I hosted the

(41:15):
first show that they're TV studio put together and they're
still running and growing today and doing things.
But like, give me the words to say and the things to do.
Put me in the right places. I found I found great
friendships. It, it didn't dawn on me how

(41:36):
important one element of my timeat Lourdes was until I was
there, because I always saw myself as the little kid, even
at Lourdes and my freshman, my sophomore, my junior, my senior
year, I backed that social awkwardness, right.
I, you know, I, I never felt I fit in even with my own class.
And, and today, like we're all, we're all friends and
everything, but I, I think we, Iwould never know what was going

(41:59):
on beyond their eyes either. But at the time, like I would be
picked on or everybody's going through stuff.
But I I think if they were honest, you know, that class
like, yeah, kind of, you know, Bob wasn't the in Group to say
the least. Who are some of the people in
your class? Bob.
I and. I have some, I have some, There
are some so impressive people. One of my best friends in the

(42:20):
world is, is Doctor John Doroba.John Doroba, who has been my
best friend probably my entire life and his loyalty, I, I, he
is a far better friend to me that I have been to him.
And that's and I, and I feel regret that because he is an
amazing person. John's job is to tell you how
many fish there are in the sea. Like his job, he is given a a

(42:42):
fish and he sets the Creole limit, which is how many they
can harvest for your landing. Wow, like he he tells you how
many fish there are in the sea, right?
I can only imagine how you do that job right.
Look, my, my cousin Matt, my cousin Matt, you know, he wanted
to be a career musician and he moved, went to Berkeley College

(43:03):
music, which is like the MIT of music.
Wow. And he and he left there and
moved to Nashville and latched on with a band, a band, a band.
And he grow, grow, grow. And he's touring with Thompson
Square. He's playing with the Van Zandt
boys. Like like, come on.
He's if they're if they're playing Scared Sweet Home
Alabama at a concert, He's the guy with a guitar riff like,
like, this is my cousin who I I'm like, Oh my God, right.

(43:28):
And you know, I look at, you know, Michelle Patrick is in A
and she lives down in in Florida.
She's married recently. So we're going to be if I'm only
using her maiden name, but Michelle is a is a veterinarian
and dedicated her life to that. Just became a mom not too long
ago. And my friend Danielle bride and
Danielle and I were probably theclosest in personality for some

(43:49):
of the stuff. I mean, Danielle has reinvented
herself in this awesome way. I and you know her, she lives on
the West Coast now. And Danielle does like some,
some of the coolest things, likeshe will design and make her own
clothes and it's good, right? And she's she's a a a dietitian

(44:10):
by by nature. And she does that.
She is, she is totally who she'ssupposed to be.
Be who you are and be that. Well, there are so many others
that I I'm not intentionally omitting it.
It's it's more about like, even like Matt Dahansky.
Matt Dahansky. Like, Oh yeah.
I, I, I look at Matt and I'm blown away.
And there's, there's a a person who's had to overcome struggles

(44:32):
and, and, and fights these everyday.
Yeah. And he's going to try it and
he's going to. And he, he puts him whole, his
whole self in his whole self into this and is making it and,
and making it work. Is it going to be the greatest
wine in the world? Maybe, maybe not.
But it's something he took from scratch from something is like,
hey, this is a pretty good idea.And and like that blows me away.

(44:58):
It blows me away more. And not, this is not me speaking
out of school for him. It blows me away more of what
he's had to overcome and there are so many others when you when
you could dive in and you know like the the personal stuff
that. Many people.
Have like they're, that inspiresme.
It really does. Like I, I look at other people
who have, who have hit their brick walls and they have gone

(45:21):
over it or gone around it. Like that to me is just like,
that's what I want. I want people to not quit.
And, and there are some who, whohave, and it's not my class, but
there are some who have. And, and you know, dealing with
addiction is horrible. And very many times, I'll tell

(45:42):
you this, if you're somebody whowants to believe the otherwise
dealing with addiction is often times not the individual's
fault. And I think we need to, we need
to even shift this around. Not everybody who has an
addiction is a drunk or is, is an addict or, or is a junkie.
I should say. There's a lot of ways their path

(46:02):
put them and it's hard. I feel my heart breaks.
They found himself in that spot and and they fight it everyday
and I and I go back to hey, look, my dad developed cancer at
the age of 19. You know, I lost his arm to
cancer. He did nothing to get that stuff
happens sometimes and you and and you can't stop, right?

(46:25):
So like, yeah, there's so many in that class, in my class, in
the class below me, in the classes that my brothers, Aaron
and Dan, father John Sawicki, who's my brother.
Aaron's class like he hyped you up at graduation this year.
He's. Such a good dude.
And he goes go to Hershey Bears games and messages me and I and
I say I'm so it's hard for me toto not make it sound strange

(46:48):
when I say I'm really proud of you because I'm telling an
adult. And granted, I still look at at
John, you know, like he's like, he's two years younger than me.
He's not my kid. That's not at all what I mean.
But like, like I'm blown away. Blown away by by what?
For the diocese and his dedication and passion to it.
When we did the event, the reunion all year, the all year

(47:12):
event, the all year reunion, andhe did the history of Lourdes
and it blew me away. Like things I'd never heard
before. And that was.
Eloquence and the humor. And I'm like, I, this is the kid
I do, but this is the kid I knewwho's doing what he where he's
meant to be like. There are just so many.
That was phenomenal. And I really the, the, the, the

(47:32):
challenging part is, is that I hope if you're one, I'm someone
I, I didn't mention that you don't feel slighted because if
you, if I sat back, we could do this all day.
We, we could, I could, I could talk about so many of these
students that I'll give you one last one here and we'll stop on

(47:54):
the student side. But there are three who are more
important to me than they ever will realize.
OK, OK. Kelly Kulick, Jenny Kulick,
Angie Kulick, the Kulick sisters.
OK. If you graduated with me, Kelly
would have been maybe 4-3 years older than me maybe.
And Jenny is 2 years older than me.

(48:14):
And Kelly, I apologize if I'm ifI'm off on the on the age range
there with you, but these are three of the funniest women I
have ever met in my entire life.I mean, just the way they
interact with each other, the way they interact with other
people. And this was high school and
today, like I've kind of watchedfrom afar watching them interact
and and their mom and dad the same type, like just hilarious.

(48:38):
And it's not trying like I remember, I remember how it was
just like a switch and it was sonatural for them.
And I like they are the I mean these, these sisters, these cool
look sisters, three of the funniest women I had ever met.
And they're funny together. And they must obviously love
each other beyond any any it's it's it's that that sister bond.

(49:03):
Like they are so close, but likewhen you get them together, like
how could you not want to be a family on the wall?
This is this is where when I, when I go back and I think about
those days, This is why I kind of sat back.
It was this admiring stage because I'm like, there are so
many amazing people here. There's so many super talented
people here. Like I, I don't know where my
talents lie. Yeah, I'm surrounded by all this

(49:26):
talent. Like my mom said, steel sharp
and steel and Lourdes. My time at Lourdes was
surrounded by so many. Incredible talented even if they
didn't realize their talents. Yeah.
I I had to elevate myself and myeffort if I was to keep up with
them if I try to and and like itwas awesome because they

(49:51):
included me like like they were.I I think of it.
We OK. I'm not doing any more students
there. It was a Bobby Chesney story as
a freshman and it's just that a coach Chesney at JMU now playing
baseball with him like they shouldn't even have known my
name. You know what I mean.
I was just this dirty little freshman and he was just
hilarious and funny and energetic and always felt

(50:13):
included and like I've surround and Lourdes.
The only consistent thing is I was consistently surrounded by
greatness. And because of that, I would
like to think that I have achieved some level of great.
This is not Brian, where you have to jump in and and affirm
it, But this is really where I'msaying like, like, I don't know

(50:36):
that that I had an option. I think that there was, there
is, there has been so many people who've done so many
incredible things. How could I not achieve
incredible things along with them?
I I wanted it as bad as that andlike, like to me like there's
there's a lot of luck along the way for me, no doubt about it.

(50:59):
I won the parent lottery and that was the first thing that I
had nothing to do with that. That set me apart.
I I had an advantage from birth because I had my mom and dad and
it is I will I will claim that everyday that is something I did
nothing to get and I was incredibly lucky.
But I don't know, Brian, that the outcome could have been any
different at Lourdes. Teachers who cared about me,

(51:21):
teachers who who cared enough tochallenge me.
They're not making, you know, they're not making bank, right?
I mean, they're, they're teaching because they're
passionate about it. Teachers are challenging.
Teachers who held me accountable, teachers who pushed
me, teachers who who, like Mr. Gilgar, would, would make sure
when somebody came in that did anything adjacent to a career, I

(51:42):
wanted to do that. I got the chance to meet him.
He did that himself. One of the best people ever to
step foot in this building. How could I not?
How could I not be in a positionto succeed that way?
No, I didn't have anybody to guide me and point the path, but
I had so many people around me to showing me it can be done and

(52:03):
to telling me that I can do it. And that was, that is, that is
absolutely my Lord's story. It's phenomenal stuff.
Bob, you, you brought up a the big word I always take when when
you talk about Lord's greatness.And can you tell the outsiders
what makes this place so great besides the people?

(52:24):
Have you ever been somewhere where you know this is where
you're meant to be and that is that it?
When you walk past that Mystic Grotto spring, that was the
first thing I remember going to watch TV, play basketball when
when he was on the state championship team.
And we're walking past the grotto like this is different.

(52:45):
This is so different. And, you know, I, I was at least
aware teaching when I think my sophomore year is when it
really, really became aware whenwe had we had a teacher and all
understandably, Mr. Hartman tooka job at Shamokin and.
And income. And that's what I really kind of
understood like, Oh my, yeah, like the the income side for

(53:06):
teachers. And it it's hard because we're,
we're based upon the tuition of,of students.
Yeah. So it's not like we're
subsidized in any other way. So math has to add up.
Nobody's getting, you know, fat stacks of cash.
These are all teachers that really wanted to be there and
none of them in my room. The way I remember it, I don't

(53:29):
remember any. When I said taking a day off, I
don't mean vacation. I mean, I don't remember any of
them mailing it in. Yeah, I don't remember.
Any teacher that I encountered that mailed it in, you know, Mr.
Adams had an awesome career and he was freshman science.
Mr. Welker, as unique as that man was brilliant, crazy in a

(53:49):
lot of ways. Probably, you know, Mr. Mr.
Lubo, like Mr. Lubo, I think he really truly believed like this
was his life's worth and his jobwas to prepare.
Especially I always say young man, but I mean, it's everybody
like, like I'd go up and down the hall.
Missus Fisher, God, I love that woman.
But like, I could go up and downthe halls and I, and I think

(54:10):
that I don't remember 1 teacher giving us an easy day.
And, and I don't even make it say challenging, but it was, it
was never no teacher acted like it was a low paying job.
Maybe, I maybe better say it. Every teacher saw this as their
calling. And again, I won't put words in
their mouth. But when you walk past that

(54:32):
grotto, that Mystic grotto spring, you feel like you're
hearing you're part of somethingspecial.
And you you around these teachers that are putting their
effort in are are putting the work in.
Yeah, they I maybe they felt at the time they're part of
something special. Maybe they're in their twilight
or teaching career or on their their way up.
But like their their job is to elevate these kids.

(55:00):
I I the the spiritual component of me of of my my time there was
in the presence of that remindedme that I am the same place
where my mom would put Bible verses on my shoe.
I so I stood on the word of God and I and I that that didn't

(55:23):
necessarily have to come from great evangelization with you
know, every everything is biblical like it.
You knew when you were in there,in that building, that building
where my uncles and aunts walked, that that their
heritage, their history was there.
I truly believed I was walking on holy ground for me, that this

(55:48):
was the place that was going to take me, where I wanted to go
next. And if I am able to do it with
the people around me and the teachers who supported me and my
parents who have my back, that the only challenge for me is
going to be how do I ultimately pay back what was given to me.

(56:10):
And that's how I've spent at least the last 15 years of my
life, if not more, trying to find more ways to support Lords,
to help the school, to share what I have, what I've been able
to do. Yeah.
Whether it's mindset or encouragement or belief or
positivity, I have a huge debt to repay to 2001 Clinton Ave.

(56:38):
That that, that, that I could not pay while I was there.
And, and it may not always be anincome, but I will not waste
what was given to me by those teachers, what was given to me
by my classmates and challengingme.
I'm not going to waste that, that.

(56:59):
That place is far too special. From that Mystic Grotto spring,
that alma mater. I still break down in tears and
it wasn't because we won big games and it wasn't because
Young Manners Red Championships,it was part of our our story.
But it was because that place accepted me and encouraged me
really to be who I am and to be that hell.

(57:22):
And so far, I am doing the best I can to continue living by that
mantra. And I was very, very lucky that
I got to call that place home. And I still try to call it home
every time. For sure.
And it's it's really cool right now, Bob and you and I talk a

(57:44):
lot. A lot of the teachers in this
building are alums and you talk to each one of them and they say
the same thing. It's my way of giving back.
And honestly, like right now, this conversation you and I are
having is my personal way of giving back.
And I, I, I love that you do this.
I love that you share these stories.
And there are so many others. We, we talked about that they

(58:07):
have incredible stories to tell and they're unique to them.
But like, this is, this is not to say that our other school
districts in the area don't haveelements or attributes to this.
It's, it's, it's not. But what I will tell you is I
was fully prepared for what happened next because I went to

(58:30):
Lawrence. I was fully prepared and a
school that did not offer AP courses, that did not offer all
of the programs that that the public schools did.
The one thing that I had that I,I, maybe it's a differentiator,
but it was differentiator for meis I had the confidence that

(58:53):
what was about to come was whereI belong.
Lourdes gave me that and I thinkthat the track record of lured
students as we go on in life andand there's a there's a
percentage deviation no matter what either way.
But like we, we know our history, we know at our school

(59:13):
what we've accomplished and we know what we're going to
accomplish. Our next generation will be our
best generation. And these teachers who are the
ones that are planting these seeds that'll grow trees under
which they'll never grow, enjoy the shade.
They'll inspire kids become adults to do the very same
thing. And that is in the Lord's story

(59:37):
since the beginning, since Lee Korbich, his family put that
that spade shovel in the ground.Yeah.
And and we broke ground in this building.
It is always, always been this special place that will continue
to, to consistently produce special people.

(59:59):
Yes, there are high achievers and this there are those who you
may look at the measurables and you may see differently.
And, and I I mean this, there are as many successful
individuals as there are successful moms and dads and the
both those jobs are equally as important.

(01:00:19):
The intelligence does not degrade one way or to another.
Leading your family in faith andbe in the spiritual center of
it. Like, like.
The outcomes that Lourdes produces are measurable when it
comes to jobs and immeasurable when it comes to what they do

(01:00:41):
for our communities and our families and our kids and our
future. That is like a Swiss Army knife
when it comes to to changing ourworld for the Yeah.
And Lord, it starts. It starts in this one hallway.
Wow. I'm gonna be honest with you,
Bob, We're get, we are getting close, but I have a few easy

(01:01:02):
questions for you. Can you tell us about that state
championship basketball team, what it was like watching them?
I loved it and I again, just I remember we traveled to every
game. I remember driving home in a
snowstorm from Mart's Hall as wewatched one of the games.
I remember the only game I thinkI missed that season was the one
loss they had against the Haven with Jason Killian.

(01:01:25):
That's the only game, the only game I don't think we went to.
And I said to my dad, we have togo there for these.
We are the good luck. But I remember that.
And I remember just sitting there and cheering.
And I remember the, the, the guys on that bench that like,
there will be times where, I don't know, me and my brother
would go down, just sit behind the bench just to be near these
kids. And, you know, they, they like,

(01:01:47):
it wasn't like they were playingsignificant minutes, but we're
like, they were gods, lowercase G They were gods to us, looking
at that. And then I'm looking at like my
cousin Stevie and John Laziki were 65.
Yeah. Out there with Matt Ryperish and
Matthew Rossini and Mike Long and Brian Derrick and you know,

(01:02:08):
and they're again, I, I Lebeski was on it might have been Greg
was on that team, but there are so many.
I remember him and I idolize andI remember that that state
championship game that is burning my brain.
I live very close to Hershey. So I live very close to Hershey
Park Arena and I I'll go there and I remember where I sit.

(01:02:30):
I remember a couple years ago, actually, I went back, I sat
down in the seat I was in when Iwatched them win that state
title game over Kennedy Christian.
And when their coach or player, somebody called a timeout that
they didn't have. And I remember it was so back
and forth, so tight, like 5554. I think the game was something
close to that. I still have my ticket at 44

(01:02:52):
years old. I stole my ticket.
And it's in like my mirror, likemy bedroom mirror.
And I look at that and sometimesit reminds me that great things
can be achieved even from even in small situations.
Sometimes it reminds me of, hey,that's your past, but your
present has to go forward because you couldn't just stop
in that moment. Life had to continue.
But I mean, it was just phenomenal.

(01:03:14):
And, and, and I, I think I said this to you too, I look at when
you get to be my age now and look at high school basketball
players and stuff like that. I'm like, now they look like
kids. Yeah, they do.
They were Titans to me, Titans to me when I was that eight
years old, right? And now I look at and these are
like, these are little kids. Yeah.

(01:03:38):
So it's it's the perspective changes.
But like, it was the most important moment as a kid.
It was just like they that we did it and I, we didn't do it.
They did it. Coach Korbich and that team,
they did it. But I carried that.
I still carry that with pride. Again, yes, it's not my full

(01:04:00):
name, but it's my last name hanging up on that board.
And I pray it hangs up there foreternity because that has always
been the inspiration for me, that great things can be
achieved. From a tiny little school in
Coal Township, PA, with a group of kids who played local CYO
ball. Yeah.
Playing basketball together. Yeah.

(01:04:21):
Laziki was 65. Stevie was 65.
That's big for, you know, soccergames in.
High school, you know? Yeah, it is I.
Mean that that's men I don't know, but like like great things
can be achieved and it's the effort it's the opportunity and
it's the belief that it can happen and in private I without

(01:04:44):
being in the locker room, probably pretty pretty easy in
that game that back and forth that it wasn't going to happen.
Lawrence was not going to win that one.
We're probably pretty easy because we look at everything
through scale, like this is Hershey, like this is big,
right? And we're only little.
It'd been big to let the moment become too big for us.
Like that Hoosiers moment where Gene Hackman measures the rims

(01:05:05):
and measures the the foul, the foul line says.
You'll notice that these are thesame measurements we have at
home. Like how they overcame that
story was just amazing. And to be still to this day,
like I, I still so fondly remember it.
And I was just a kid in the crowd.

(01:05:26):
Bob and I don't know if you and I actually have ever talked
about this in detail. How did the commencement speech?
Come about. So if I remember, I believe
Bishop Gaynor got sick. This is how it all all came
through. So for years, and you will not,
you will totally believe me. I said for years I've wanted to

(01:05:48):
do the commencement press and I would try things I would do,
like a Facebook group. I know this sounds really shady
and stupid, so forgive me. But it was really important to
me. And I've always believed it's
something you want. You got to find a way to make it
happen. Yeah, I really wanted to do it.
And working in media of like, OK, I think, I think there's
there's something to me that could make it worthwhile.

(01:06:10):
Yeah. And I remember he got he got
sick and it's every other year. I think the Bishop would do the
speech. So we were in a pinch and it was
late and I got a call from Miss Builder who asked me the
questions, are you Catholic, in good standing?
You have a good relationship with our school, You take pride
in your Catholic education from Lords and would you be

(01:06:31):
interested? I think these are the questions.
And would you be interested in getting the commencement
address? And it was like this whole world
I. Was about to say, what was that
moment like? It was getting that call from
one of yeah. Somebody.
Somebody was important to me. Yeah, like this is that's one of
those like you've arrived moments.
And and it's, I mean, like, I understand terminology and I

(01:06:53):
understand what was happening. I mean, there's a Simpsons line
that, you know, like I was I washomecoming king when I was a
senior because nobody else ran, right.
So I I the greatest I went Homecoming king by the greatest
2 words in the English language of quote The Simpsons default.
Hey, it's like married with children.
How many touchdowns did he score?
4 touchdowns in one game. There you go.
So I got that call and even though it was a tough situation,

(01:07:15):
it was like, OK, this is what I've, this is yes.
And it was thinking like, what do I want to, what do I want to
really come up? What do I want to say?
And that was a little hard. I, I started like, here's what I
did, what I knew I wanted to do when I ran for student council
president when I was a junior going to the senior, I read AI
read a poem that I once read in the Reading Eagle.

(01:07:37):
And it's a it's a very well known poem, but at the context
was it was like the giants coachDan Reeves put this in when he
was retiring or leaving the giants or something like that.
It was the man in the glass. When you get what you want, your
search for self and the world makes you king for a day.
Go to the mirror and look at yourself and see what that man
has to say. It isn't your father or mother,
wife upon his judgement, whose you must pass.
It's the fellow whose reflectioncounts most of your life as a

(01:08:00):
fellow. Pat stare you back in the glass.
He's the one to please. Never mind that we're at rest.
So he's with you clear to the end.
You've passed life's most dangerous, difficult test.
If the man in the glass is your friend, you could fool the whole
world downward the years and getPats on the back when you pass,
your final reward will be heartache and tears and you
cheated that man in the glass. It just dawned on me that poem

(01:08:25):
like this moment, Brian is be who you are and be that Well,
I'd never put that together in my whole life like this.
I, I never like, I was at my grandparents house on Vine
Street. They got the reigning eagle on
Sundays and I remember reading that poem and I'm like, I like

(01:08:47):
it. And I remembered it.
I, I took the paper home and cutit out and then I gave my, my
student council speech and I waslike, well, everybody says, hey,
good morning, sister, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
And I did something different. I'm like, I'm going to come out.
I'm just going to go right into it.
It's like we talked about like adisrupt when it comes to videos
now, but I, I went right into the poem different than

(01:09:10):
everybody else. And then I gave my my speech and
I, I forget some of some of the things I say.
I think I tried doing a joke in that speech.
It didn't go over, but you know,it was just that poem, right?
Still really important and not many things you remember about.
So I knew that when I came back to my site, I addressed the

(01:09:34):
class that I wanted to make surethat I did that.
And then I I built off of by theone, the one next step that
everything is but I have delightful joy.
So I'm thinking to myself, it must be what I'm doing to do
because I still didn't let me that.
Well, the last thing I kind of acknowledged on putting them all

(01:09:55):
together is I know I want to thank my parents, my teachers,
and I want to thank Miss BuilderDeacon McCarthy.
I knew also that I wanted to have a moment.
That I wanted to talk to the parents and, and the I forget
what caused this, but I wanted to talk to the parents because

(01:10:18):
while I was really lucky having a relationship, I have I I knew
as I'm raising kids. Yes, they're young at the time.
Like not all parents get along with their kids.
Not all kids like their parents.Sometimes their personalities
are so similar that they end up hating each other.
And and sometimes these parents who again, we're figuring out

(01:10:40):
our own, make very childish mistakes.
There's no guidebook where maybethey weren't prepared to be
parents, right? So I knew I wanted to say that
in that moment that right now, mom and dad, you're feeling
tears. Let them flow.
Don't hide them from your kids because those tears are going to
be an affirmation that you care about.

(01:11:01):
And maybe you're not really goodat that, but let me see it.
And I said, and I said, I remember saying something to the
effect of and maybe your relationship hasn't been as good
as you hoped it would be. Today is a great day for it to
start. Tell them you're proud of them.
Tell like, tell them because they need to hear it from you

(01:11:22):
right now. They need to, I remember they
need to see your tears. They need to hear how proud of
you they are, how proud of them you are.
Had to work that out. So I knew I wanted to get that
that piece in and I wanted to make sure that I had something
to keep everybody interactive. So there were short little
segments. Yep.

(01:11:42):
And I repeat you repeat after me.
Be who you are, sorry about being you are.
Do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life.
And I knew I wanted to segment it, and I wanted to grab you and
keep it in. Nobody remembers their
commencement address. It really doesn't happen.
I thought I'd have a chance to at least keep your attention if
I keep making you talk. It was a teacher thing.

(01:12:06):
So I, I got through the whole speech and then the way I closed
it, the way I closed it was, is so personal to me.
So my son Brodie, who's 19, you know, I had married at 23,
divorced at 27. Brodie was a year and a half
when that started. So we've, we've had quite a
journey together and through theups and downs.
One of the challenging things isbe a parent, have to say goodbye

(01:12:28):
to your kid, whether it's for a night or for a weekend or
whatever. Hardest thing in the world and
spiritually, because I had my mom and dad who like we said
prayers together every single night, every night we all went
to bed at the same time. And I remember that family
prayer almost like, you know, wetalked about, you know, the
goodnight John boy, like those types of shows had that.

(01:12:49):
It was it was a prayer and I thought, OK, I have to come.
I call them my last words and they're they're not meant to be
like the the life's last words, but like without with me not
knowing what tomorrow's going tobring.
So so I gave you the seven things that are my last words
that I say to Brody to this day.Remember, I love you.
Jesus loves you more than I do. Remember to let Jesus take the

(01:13:12):
wheel. Let him be in control.
Remember, I love you this much. The context of what that really
means is it's it's hard to define.
Remember 3 little birds, the BobMarley.
Don't worry about a thing because every little thing is
going to be all right. Be a hero, be a hero, do great

(01:13:36):
things, not just good things. Don't try to go and do something
great. And the last thing is never
forget that I believe in you. And I said that because like
Brody, like I don't want withoutknowing the future was going to
be. Those are the things that if I

(01:13:57):
can pass along to him, well, he knows where I stand.
I know we're OK. I know he's OK because he's
gotten those seven things that can that everything else in my
life to do is to teach him and reinforce that.
But those words read and I thought if I leave you guys in
your graduating class with anything, I wanted to give you

(01:14:19):
those same 7 things. Remember, I love you, but Jesus
loves you more than I. If you knew how much your
parents loved you, you put in context by saying that this
spiritual being, that Jesus, that God loves you more than
that. Like that's how loved you are.
You know, these words may never been spoken to members of your

(01:14:45):
class and for whatever reason, but you need to know we love
you. We believe in you.
Sad things will happen, but it'sgoing to be OK.
We want you to do great things. We expect you to do great
things. We have high expectations of you
and above all, we believe in you.

(01:15:06):
That's that is. That was the encapsulation of a
speech that I was told I had 7 minutes and I went 13 minutes
and 47 seconds. Oh man.
That is, that is how I got to where I was.
Yeah, I, I, I said thank you andtribute to the people who
mattered most to me. I wanted to to show the world

(01:15:27):
that your world, that the thingsyou could do could be achieved
no matter what or how ridiculousit might be.
I wanted to talk to your parentsto make sure they knew, to make
sure they knew that just becauseyou weren't getting along with
your teenage kid, because nobodygets along with teenagers.
Yeah. That you still got to believe.
You still got to, you got to, you got to fight for them.

(01:15:48):
You got to fight through it and love them.
And they're always going to be with you.
You'll get through this and I wanted to leave you guys with
the with that one piece that that is the most important part
of it is to never forget. We believe in you and remember
that Jesus loves you more than anyone you've ever met and that

(01:16:08):
we believe in. You remind me that every time I
call you on the phone too. That's the best part.
Yeah, every time I try, every time I try, and there are days I
fail, there are days I need to be reminded.
Every time, back story, everyone, back story.
Every time I call Bobby on the phone, it's always Jesus loves
you. Jesus loves you.

(01:16:29):
Answer the phone that way. It does.
It's funny. And smiley.
But you know what? And it's good.
Yep, if you if you, if you really think about it and you
have your own relationship with your faith and develop it as you
go. And mine is far from perfect
too. Trust me.
There's so many things I have questions for in my life.
But we talk about Father Sal once told me, remember, it's
that it's not my will be done. It's thy will be done.

(01:16:51):
So it's like you better, you better start committing to that.
And it's actually, you're right,you're right.
I thought about it. It's kind of like I can kind of
compare it to like Norm with cheers and unfortunately just
passed away recently. You know, Norm and then he'll
say something whenever you say that Jesus loves you.
And I'll be like, I hope he doesor I don't know if he is as much
today as yesterday. It's it's kind of like 1 of.

(01:17:13):
Those. And The thing is, The thing is,
I know. I know.
And I know. I know he does.
Because if I truly believe that the people who love me most of
my life are my parents, yeah, IfI truly believe that that Jesus
loves me more than that, how canhe?
Not yeah, for sure. Final question for you, Babo.

(01:17:36):
Go for it. Ready.
Yeah. What's it like being on the
board at Lourdes? It is.
It's a, it's an incredible joy, but it's, it's a learning
process. It is because the, the people
and the, the priests and religious that we're, we're

(01:17:57):
surrounded with, we all have thesame intentions and the diocese
has the same intention. Like we want to raise and help
guide upstanding incredible people that do incredible things
and remain close in their faith and find themselves happy and
healthy, whatever their goals might be.

(01:18:18):
Though the hard part is is that you can't do all the things as
as much as as much as I really want to have that loaves and
fishes moment. Yeah, which which I mean, like,
look, God works mysterious ways.I get it.
But to to go into the bank account and and to support moves

(01:18:40):
that everybody teachers are paidbeyond what they deserve.
Yeah, right. That, that tuition which, which
I, I feel is affordable and I, and I understand it's, it can be
a challenge for families and, and, and trust me, it is not
done as, as a method to price people out like it is.
It is so challenging to put everything and, and have it

(01:19:04):
balanced. Now my role is only in support,
you know, the the our leadershipand of course the diocese like
like they have greater challenges to to keep it
balanced and everything too, because you can't you you can't
just do all the things that are that like everybody deserves.
Yeah, I that that's hard. Like it is the greatest test of

(01:19:30):
faith. I think overall, because we all
work to I, I, I think the, the strange part is I think
sometimes, and I've never spokenabout this, my board, the our
fellow board members. So I want to be careful in the
context, but I think sometimes we don't necessarily focus on

(01:19:53):
what really the goal is, whetherit's Goodyear or bad year, OK.
I think if we kept it as simple as we're open, we're open
another year. And that's not to say that
that's ever in question, becauseit has never been in question.
But I think sometimes we, we, wewant to be pushed for greatness
and we push for more till we cando more and everything.

(01:20:15):
But I, I think sometimes like I even get caught, like, oh man, I
just want this to be a step better or a step more.
And it's part of that, this builder challenge of greatness,
right? But I think sometimes we look
back and say, look, if these doors are made open so another
family, another student can walkpast that grotto, It could feel

(01:20:37):
that moment that I felt another graduate can walk past that
grotto. And to take what they've had out
into the world and share it. Maybe that should just be the
goal. I know that seems like it's,
it's low hanging fruit, but maybe it's not.
That's why all of us do it. And there's so many unique

(01:21:00):
opinions and unique passions. And it's not, I mean, like, but
this is, this isn't like the, the most challenging board ever
to be on, right? Yeah, it's, it's not, it's, you
know, it's you're, it's not, you're not the boss.
You're not you, you hire the boss and you listen to what
they're doing, right? So, and you help where you can

(01:21:25):
or you, you give guidance where you can.
But I guess the, the hardest part is in learning of being a
board. My job is not to tell us what we
should do with school. It's not it's not my job is to
from the for that leadership role is to really support that
individual and, you know, to trust them forth with the path

(01:21:46):
they put. It's hard.
It's hard and it's a it's a unique challenge and it's, it'd
be far easier if you just gave me a microphone and put me in
front of people and said, let him feel loved.
Go bears. Yeah, go bears.
Far easier if you, you put me infront of people and let me just

(01:22:08):
talk, right? It's far easier.
Like, like, you know, really think about the the two things
that you weigh and you weigh thechallenges of because money,
money is obviously so big a thing for everybody and
understandably so, right. But you, you weigh, you know,
the affordability of of a Catholic education, which when

(01:22:29):
you look at the Diocese of Harrisburg, there is no better
bargain than Our Lady of LourdesRegional School.
And, and I mean it not maybe notjust here, but but in general
the products we turn out like the investment and, and how many
times over, Yeah, your, your child, your family member is
going to exceed whatever those other expectations were because
of that. Like, like I, I, I get it.

(01:22:51):
And understanding that by the inching up or raising of that
tuition could put people in a position that they may not be
able to afford it. Now, there's plenty of
scholarship, there's plenty of support programs.
And I mean, is these are built for you.
If this is something you want togo to, you can afford to go to

(01:23:11):
Lawrence. It is definitely affordable.
And it's not just because you can afford the bill, like the
the programs we have available are meant to put you in a
situation where your child go there.
Yeah. And on the other side of it, it
really is our teachers. It really is like, like that's
the hardest part. If I could lower tuition and

(01:23:34):
raise teacher salaries. So it would be something that
would be that everyone could afford to go to school there and
everybody could afford to work there.
Like that would be again, that'sthe loaves and fishes and that
is the, that's a, a huge challenge.
So it's, it's not easy. And, and unfortunately there are

(01:23:58):
times where it, it, where we have to walk in faith, say God,
like here I am like this is thisis where we're at.
Like what, what can you, what can you do to help us?
No, it's not like we scratch a lottery ticket and everything's
OK. It's a lot easier.
We just a weird task to believe.I do know that the emotional

(01:24:20):
compensation, our teachers who really sit back and and
acknowledge and enjoy product, they turn out, especially those
who graduate here too. Like there is when you play,
when you play. We talked about when you play
the game of life, board game of life.
Yeah, you get you go to paydays and those paydays you spend, you
get the paydays and you get yourcash, right.

(01:24:41):
But if you really look back whenyou get to the end of the game,
the things that count most are those little life tile.
OK, you land on a life tile and says, oh, you bungee jumping
$235,000 and it's not because you made that money.
If this is an experience that over your like a fulfilling
experience. When you really go back to at
the, at the, at that moment, at the end of your life where

(01:25:03):
you're at the mansion or the OR or the retirement, whatever it
is at the end of life, you countthe cash you have on hand, that
liquid cash. Yeah, that's probably 25% of
your value in winning the game. You count those lifetiles, those
experiences and that when when, when the end comes, that is

(01:25:23):
truly how you win the game of life.
And, and I believe that with ourteachers, yes, it's hard because
you you have to pay those bills.And I and I don't want to down
talk that at all. It's not what I mean, but it's
hardest because the reward that you really are seeing isn't the
value of educating these kids, providing them a future,
encouraging to go forward. That when you get to the end of

(01:25:46):
this run and you count those lifestyles, you will see you've
lived a rich life. I, I, again, I, I, I want to
just caveat this again, this is not saying that those lifestyles
are, are going to help pay billsnow.
And I, and I, and I, I'm very aware of that.
But I, I just want to at least hope that many can see the value

(01:26:10):
of, of that Lord's education andthe, that Lord's impact.
Because my hope is that, you know, we, we put enough of those
lifestyles, enough of those Lords people out there, We're
all out there in the world. And we're making the people
around us better, happier, stronger, supported more
emotionally that we're going to continue making an impact.

(01:26:34):
Greatest bargain and Catholic education, no doubt.
And the products we turn out is amazing, so amazing that people
like me want to find a way to repay the debt that we've been
given because we got far more than what my parents paid in, no
doubt. Amen, Bob.

(01:26:58):
I hope you have a great day, my friend.
Thanks for spending time with us.
You know, you and I are Bros, man.
We talk on the phone all the time, so I'm very appreciative.
I know the school's very appreciative for you giving us
your time. Put it this way, it I am the
greatest blessing is that I havethe opportunity to be able to
come back and and make it input do something.
Yeah, do something because I I Ido owe it so very much.

(01:27:20):
I owe it more than I can write acheck today.
It's it's it's something that isemotionally so much more
important to me. Yeah.
And and they look like I tell you my goal is I want you to be
the best part of somebody's day.And if I want to be the best
part of somebody's day. And if you you reach this point,
you listen to it and, you know, go do something to be the best

(01:27:43):
part of somebody's day. And you are continuing to spread
the impact of that Mystic Grottospring, carrying it with you
everywhere you go. And you will infect people with
the cure. You'll make this world a better
place. You make some just it'll be the
best part of somebody's day. Good stuff Bob.
Well again, Bob, thank you again, ladies and gentlemen,

(01:28:03):
leave comments on the video, we'll get back to you.
But again, hope you have a greatday Bob.
Stay well, as you said, and go be the best part of someone's
day. Amen throws it.
All right, everyone, have a great day.
Stay safe and enjoy. See us later.