My Life Likeing Bill Russell
Legendary Celtic Bill Russell passed away the other day. Hundreds of obituaries have been written extolling his greatness as an athlete and his importance as a civil rights activist. I don't really have anything to add to these conversations -- I am too young to remember Russell's prime years. But Russell had an impact on me nonetheless. One of my first attempts to be a writer was a grade school book that I put together (with perhaps typical solipsism) entitled "My Life Likeing Bill Russell." I present it here as testament to the myriad ways that one man's excellence can serve as an inspiration even to people well outside his orbit.
