Forever grateful for coach's belief in me
Mr. Warner in his prime was strong like a tank. He had a big voice but even bigger heart. Through junior high and into high school, he coached me in baseball, basketball and football, and he was a P.E. teacher besides. He loved sports and the personal qualities they instilled, and coaching was his ticket to a career spent nurturing young people and teaching them valuable life lessons. A passionate but gentle man, Coach Warner prodded not with threats or sarcasm or profanity but with encouraging words, bright eyes, and a grin as wide as a Cheshire cat's.
For all of the time and energy and belief he invested in me, I will be eternally grateful. May he rest in peace (although, if there's a team up there looking for a new coach, I know just the man).
Bob Wayt
Beaverton, Ore.

