Kelly Shores
John Quaid (Mr. Quaid to me) was one of a kind. He coached several of my little league teams in Huffman, Texas as I was growing up and had such a positive impact on me as well as many young people in that community. I can still picture Mr. Quaid with his coach's whistle around his neck and a cigar in his mouth. Even though he made us work hard, he always had a smile on his face and made the practices and games fun. I had the impression that he was having as much fun as we were!
Martha Quaid (Mrs. Quaid to me) was our school nurse when I was in elementary school and has always been the perfect balance for her husband. She was always kind and thoughtful and has been a great friend to my parents over the many years that our families have known one another. It seems like ever time I talk to my parents, they mention the Quaids and always in a way that makes me smile.
Of course, Chris Quaid (I don't have to call him Mr. Quaid!) was one of my first friends growing up. One of my funniest childhood memories was when Chris and I would call in to order products during infomercials on one of 3 TV channels we got at the time. Chris would lower his already deep voice (for a kid anyway) and tell the poor operator taking his order that his name was "Elmer Jones". For some reason I always though that was the funniest name ever and still use it as a pseudonym
when I need to order something from the Home Shopping Network.
I can also recall riding the Quaids' tandem bicycle. I don't know if Mr. Quaid ever knew how much we abused that thing, but it was very kind of them to let us ride it. And it always seem to get fixed magically when we brought it back with a flat tire or other mechanical problem, which we, of course, didn't cause!
As I mentioned, Mr. Quaid was one of a kind. He was the first self-proclaimed cajun "coonass" that I ever met. I still remember his cajun accent because he could turn it on and off at will. When he used it, we often had no idea what he was saying! But I still remember his voice and his words very well. They were kind and encouraging. He expected a lot from his "men" (10 year old boys on the teams that he coached) and he gave us a lot in return. Adyeu, Mr. Quaid. The world is a better place and I am a better person because of you.
Monday June 5, 2017 at 10:00 am