Legendary high school football coach Ronnie Gage (above left) spoke at the LNR meeting this past week, sharing memories and lessons learned from his many years of leading the Lewisville High School Fighting Farmers on and off the field.
Gage grew up in Decatur and lost his father at age 13. He credits the coaches in his life for mentoring him and giving him direction during his teen years. After later working his way up in his athletics career, Gage came to LISD in 1979 to take the helm for Lewisville High School’s football program, which continued to grow stronger year after year under his leadership. Gage ultimately put Lewisville on the map when he led the Fighting Farmers to claim the team's first state championship in 1993. The game, which was played at the Houston Astrodome, came down to the wire and today still is ranked as one of the top 10 high school football games in history. The Fighting Farmers were crowned state champions again in ‘96, sealing Gage’s legacy as one of the great figures in Lewisville’s history.
Although he retired in 2018 after coaching high school football for more than 40 years, Gage still spends much of his free time watching from the bleachers with family and fellow coaches across Texas and in neighboring states. (His son is head football coach at Alvin High School and his daughter coaches soccer.) Gage also has compiled his wisdom into a new book, The Life Coach: Small Town Lessons on Faith, Family, and Football.
People complain about teens these days, Gage notes, but he puts the blame on society instead of our youth. Kids want strong leadership and direction, and will do what you tell them if led effectively. The key, he says, is to set expectations, to consistently demand those expectations are met so that kids develop good habits, and to love them well. Gage applauds the work of coaches, teachers and administrators across the state and encourages community members to express their support of the people who are leading the next generation to success. You can find his book on Amazon and at kicking coach Tom Thompson’s website, 91KICK.com.
Students from the stellar Lewisville HS Interact group recently joined forces with Lewisville Noon Rotary club members for our monthly Adopt-a-Spot clean-up initiative. Many hands make for light work, and we are grateful for the contributions of everyone who shared in the effort to help Keep Lewisville Beautiful!
Karen Johns, a political strategy and economic development consultant originally from Raleigh, NC, is the newest member of the Lewisville Noon Rotary Club. A self-described foodie and travel buff, Karen is passionate about serving her community and expressed her excitement at becoming a part of Rotary International. She is pictured here with sponsor and membership chair Terry Russell (far left) and LNR club president Dirk Dahlke.
If you want credit for a make-up, contact LNR Membership chair Terry Russell to let him know when and where you attended another Rotary club meeting, or the date and service activity that you participated in to count as a make up. You have two weeks before and two weeks after a missed meeting to make up for your absence. Make-ups are a great way to meet Rotarians from other clubs and become more engaged with the outreach activities we do in the local community!
Club Information
Wednesdays at 12:00 PM
Bistecca - An Italian Steakhouse
2300 Highland Village Rd.
Highland Village, TX 75077 United States of America
Please pray for Bill Collins' step-daughter, Tiffany, who recently underwent emergency surgery for a ruptured spleen after being admitted to the hospital for pancreatitis. She has already been in the hospital for a month and is currently in the ICU, with a long road to recovery ahead of her.
Please pray also for Bill's son, Jim, who is recovering after brain surgery last week to reduce the number and severity of epileptic seizures he has experienced since childhood. The surgery was successful, but Jim still has several weeks of rehabilitation ahead of him to relearn speech and other cognitive functions.
Leslie Thompson's step-mother, Regina, who is battling breast cancer, had a cardiac electroshock treatment to correct her increased heart rate last week before she could continue with chemotherapy. The procedure was successful, and she resumes chemotherapy this week. Please pray that the cancer is completely resolved and she makes a full and swift recovery.
Thank you for praying for Michelle Martz's husband, Keith, whose Myasthenia Gravis currently is under control with medication. Please pray that his doctors still can determine the cause.
Thank you also for your prayers concerning former LNR club member John Blair's son, Patrick. His kidney cancer was resolved with the removal of the kidney and no further treatment is needed!
For any other prayer requests, please send to Audrey Stansbury at audreystansbury@gmail.com.
