Deseret Morning News, Monday, November
13, 2006
One man led boy from street to court
By John Florez
It doesn't always take a village; sometimes it takes just one
person.
That person may be right next to us, or sometimes that person
comes to us seemingly out of nowhere. And the relationship may
transcend race, age, gender and class.
Such is the compelling story of Jack, a man who took Andy —
a hot-tempered, streetwise 12-year old — off the street
and onto the court. "Faith, hope and guts," is what's
needed on the tennis courts, the man told the boy. The boy had
the guts, and while the man had little materially, he had an abundance
of faith and hope to share with the boy.
It began on a cold October day on the corner of Main Street and
Second South in Salt Lake City where Andy sold the Evening Deseret
News. Every evening, Jack would pass by Andy's news corner on
his way from his printing shop in the Atlas building, en route
to the Walgreen's Drug store for his usual hamburger steak. Andy
always noticed that Jack carried a newspaper under his arm but
never bought one from him. On this particular evening Andy finally
found the guts to ask Jack why he never bought a paper from him.
Jack said if he were on this corner at the same time tomorrow,
he'd buy one.
It was the start of a life-changing relationship that has been
captured in the book "No One Makes It Alone" (Oxide
Books, Juniper Press), a book written by the boy, Andy, who has
since felt driven in life to help people who need help, just as
he did.
The book is a collection of snapshots of encounters between a
man and the boy he helped to believe in himself, a boy he taught
to see life with new eyes.
Through the sport of tennis, Jack intuitively uses daily events
to socialize Andy and help him deal with pain, fear, anger and
disappointment. Andy was a restless kid from a single-parent family
who always found himself in trouble. He had no one to help him
until he met Jack, and Jack saw great things for him.
The book paints a cultural picture of our community as it was
in the '60s and earlier. While there were preferences based on
race and economic status, and minorities "knew their place,"
there were many instances where people reached out to one another.
Such was the case with this Mexican-American kid who was audacious
enough to ask for help, and the white man who saw the boy's passion
for living and responded. The man, through tennis and a job in
his print shop, taught the boy about perseverance, tolerance,
religion and class. The man had wisdom and turned conflicts into
learning opportunities for the feisty boy.
It is not by chance that the boy, Judge Andy Valdez, worked hard
to become a juvenile court judge who never forgot the difference
one person can make. One man, through his dedication and commitment,
transformed the life of a young drifter into one with meaning.
It is also a book about how the cycle of life allowed Andy to
be there for Jack, 40 years later.
I had the opportunity to watch Andy "morph" from a
restless youth trying to find an outlet for his passion and restlessness
to someone who helps other minority kids and families. It is rewarding
and hopeful for me to see young people like Andy grow up to be
outstanding members of our community, while never forgetting where
they started.
Andy Valdez will sign copies of his book at Caputo's Deli (308
W. Broadway) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
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Utah native John Florez has founded several Hispanic civil rights
organizations, served on the staff of Sen. Orrin Hatch and on
more than 45 state, local and volunteer boards. He also has been
deputy assistant secretary of labor. E-mail: jdflorez@comcast.net
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© 2006 Deseret News Publishing Company
_____________________________________
Utah Minority Bar Association
c/o Utah State Bar, Law & Justice Center
645 South 200 East, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-3834
mailto: umbalaw@utahbar.org
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