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LIFE’s lessons
The finest steel
In 1946 disaster visited our home. My brother, George, came home from football practice and collapsed with 104º fever. After examination, the doctor said it was polio. The doctor told George, “The polio has taken its toll. You’ll probably never walk again without a limp, and your left arm will be useless.” George had always envisioned himself as a champion wrestler. Barely able to speak, George whispered, “Doctor…” “Yes,” said the doctor, “what is it, my boy?” “Go to hell,” said George in a voice filled with determination.Mom and Dad had taught us you should never let a damaging thought break up your dreams. The next day the nurse walked into George’s room to find him lying flat on his face on the floor. “What’s going on ?” asked the shocked nurse. “I’m walking,” George calmly replied. George refused the use of braces or a crutch. Sometimes it would take him 20 minutes just to get out of the chair, but he refused any aid. I also remember seeing him, six months later, step out on the mat as captain of the wrestling team. George’s rehabilitation from the devastating effects of polio was written up all over the state of Missouri. The next year, after being named to start for Missouri Valley College in one of the first football games to be televised locally, George came down with mononucleosis. It was my brother Bob who helped reinforce George’s already strong philosophy of never giving up. The family was sitting in George’s room at the hospital, watching the game on TV, when the announcer said, “And George Schlatter makes the first catch of the game.” Shocked, we all looked at the bed to make sure George was still there. Then we realised what had happened. Bob, who had made the starting line-up, had worn George’s number so George could spend the afternoon hearing himself catching six passes. Later he said, “If I can do that flat on my back, just think what I can do when I’m up!” As he overcame mono, he did it with the lesson Bob taught him that day…there is always a way! Following each challenge, George came back stronger and surer of his own ability to overcome any obstacle. Armed with these gifts, he entered the world of show business and revolutionized television by creating and producing shows as Laugh In and The American Comedy Awards. He also won an Emmy for his production of Sammy Davis Jr.’s 60th Anniversary Celebration Special. He had literally been through the furnace and come out of it with a soul as strong as steel, and he used it to strengthen and entertain a nation.
— Author unknown
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