Twenty-five years ago my father passed way in his bed on Long Island. Last week I lost another father. Hank Hamrick, my wife Janet’s father, had been my Dad for nearly twenty years, a great man seemingly heaven sent by another who left too soon. Whether Hank was your coach, your teacher, your father, or your friend, he left his indelible signature on your heart.
Hank was one of those people who was loved and admired by so many people, that it now seems impossible that he is not in our midst. I want to share a few things about the man who has touched so many lives. For example, few people know why a man named James Lewis Hamrick came to be called “Hank.” To no one’s surprise, James excelled at sports as a child growing up in North Carolina. As a twelve-year old, young James Lewis played on a youth league team which was sponsored by a collection of local businesses. Each player bore the name of the company who sponsored them on their back, and James represented “Hank’s Grocery.” As the season progressed, players and fans began to marvel at a slightly built left-handed pitcher who regularly mowed down everyone he faced. Not knowing the name of this star player, they began to refer to him by the name on his back, and so James Lewis Hamrick became “Hank,” a name that would serve him well for the next sixty-eight years.
Hank was a man who would give anyone in need the very shirt off of his back. His love and kindness would change the lives of four children in November of 1966. Due to an unfortunate series of circumstances, Hank received a call from Dade County, Florida from a local official regarding the children of Hank’s brother Bill. The kids needed a place to live and were in danger of being split up within the foster care system. Without a moment of hesitation, Hank informed the official to put his niece and nephews on the first available plane and send them to Roanoke. Dennis, Bill, Jim and Linda arrived in Roanoke with no winter clothes, yet they had a home – a home where they could all grow up together. It takes a special type of man to make a decision like that and a special kind of women like Hank’s wife Janet to accept the responsibility of raising those children as well as two of her own. When asked about their 55 years of marriage, Janet is often heard to remark “We never knew who should get the medal for staying together so long, him or me.”
As an athlete Hank was one of those people who could play any game and play it well. At Draper High School, he was an All-State 5′ 10″ 145 running back, prolific basketball scorer and star pitcher. A member of the Elon University Hall of Fame, Hank never lost a game he pitched in college, compiling an amazing 18-0 record and allowing less than two runs per game. Hank pitched professional baseball in both Canada and in South Dakota facing many players who went on to star in the major leagues. When asked about facing feared slugger Frank Howard, Hank’s strategy was simple. “Well Frank was a big boy, Hank remembered “so I decided to walk him and pick him off first base.” Hank was not only talented, but smart as well.
Many people knew Hank as a successful baseball, football and basketball coach teaming with Dick Kepley (Jefferson High School) and Woody Deans (Patrick Henry High School) for three state basketball championships. During the final days of Hank’s life he was visited by scores of former players, coaching colleagues, college friends, and golfing buddies. Each spoke of how Hank influenced their lives and provided a strong guiding hand through their years together. Witnessing this outpouring of love was an unforgettable and poignant moment in my life, one which I will hold dear forever.
Behind Hank’s athletic and coaching accomplishments were acts of selflessness that few knew about. Whether it was delivering toys to families who could not afford Christmas gifts for their own children, or by subsidizing a young basketball player who did not have the financial means to improve his game in a travel team setting, or by simply placing his gentle hand on my shoulder when I lost my beloved Mom to the same insidious disease that would later claim Hank’s own life, this humble and wonderful man stood for the good that is in all of our hearts.
Somewhere, above the clouds, I like to think that Hank and my Dad have already met. Greeting his new friend, I imagine Willie Kaufman clasping Hank’s hand and thanking him for taking such good care of his boy.
Who was Hank Hamrick? He was a man many will never forget and the kind of person we should all aspire to be.
By Jon Kaufman [email protected]