Front page news

Last week, our community lost a true leader, Bill Edmonds. This news rightfully made the front page of the Daily Mail. For myself and many others, this was a personal loss. The following is how I knew and plan to remember this good man.

I first got to know Bill back in the '70s at the softball park out at the fairgrounds. Bill played second base for the Thornton National Bank men's fast pitch team. Runt Thomas and I umpired many of the games in which Bill played.

Bill was a better than average ball player. He enjoyed the competition and the friendly banter that was a part of the game. That was when I first noticed a trait in him that he never lost. Bill always had this look on his face that I never quite figured out.

He looked as if he was always just ready to break into a smile. It was as if he knew something that you did not, and he was privately enjoying the joke. If you knew Bill Edmonds, you would know that he enjoyed nothing more than a good joke.

After I graduated from college, I went to work at the Nevada Habilitation Center. My first assignment was in the building that now houses the apartments on North Ash. It was known as Program 15 in those days. Bill and Marilyn both worked there, and they helped me a lot. These were two people who could best be described as "half full glass people." In all the years that I knew them, they were always positive in their outlook on life.

Over the next few years, Bill and I would see each other mostly on the golf course. He was a pretty good golfer, and he was gracious enough to put up with a "hacker" like me without complaint.

Bill wore many hats that displayed his leadership qualities. He worked his way up the management chain to the position of Superintendent at the Hab Center. Bill had to walk a fine line during this period.

All during this era, the pressure to close or limit the size of the Hab Center was an ongoing issue. Bill walked a tightrope. He did his best to please Jefferson City, and at the same time he never lost sight of his goal to keep the Hab Center open and functioning. It was far from an easy task, and I can assure you he was criticized constantly from both sides.

It was this unique ability of Bill's to deal with criticism in a positive manner, that lead to a deeper friendship between us.

As if he did not already have enough on his plate, Bill ran for the City Council. During his tenure as mayor, I wrote a column that was in hindsight, probably not very fair.

Bill wrote me an e-mail which I have kept in my in-box ever since. Instead of anger in the e-mail, Bill took the high road. He told me he would never want to infringe upon anyone's right to have an opinion or express it, but that he felt I was wrong in my assessment about the council's actions.

From that date forward, we carried on a running correspondence regarding city issues and practices. Despite his ongoing health issues, Bill always had time to evaluate and give insight on many community issues.

I, like many of you, watched Bill battle his cancer for the past few years. He approached this battle as he had everything else in his life, with total commitment. It was one of the bravest endeavors I have ever witnessed.

Last year, we had tournament at the Country Club Golf Course. Bill was no longer able to play due to his health, but that did not stop him from being involved. Despite his obvious discomfort from his illness and the chemotherapy he was enduring, Bill volunteered to work at our tournament.

It was there that I saw the true steel of this man. He had no "give up" in his soul. At a time when most people would have already run up the white flag, he was still there doing whatever he could to help.

Just a few days before his last battle, we exchanged e-mails about this years tournament. Bill knew that he was not strong enough to work this year. I told him that if he felt like it, he could come out and ride around in the cart with me for a few holes. He liked that idea and that was the plan we had in mind. It was also the last communication we ever had as well.

And that, folks, is the best reason I could ever think of to explain why Bill Edmonds was "Front Page News." He was a man willing to go the extra mile to do whatever was needed. Often, he took on jobs for which there was nor reward except criticism from all sides.

Not even serious illness deterred this man from trying to serve and make things better. For those of you who did not know Bill Edmonds, it is your loss. Our entire community has lost someone special, and the "Front Page News" will never be the same again.