March 19, 2024

Building on life lessons

The Pressbox

Integrity and character go a long way. Unfortunately, we don’t hear or read enough stories about those who practice those traits.

I had the pleasure of visiting with family and friends of former Newton High School teacher and coach David Rowray this past week. Rowray sounds like a man I would have enjoyed knowing.

Friday evening many of the people who knew Rowray in his 34 years of service to NHS will honor him at Newton’s Legacy Night. Rowray’s 1992 Cardinal boys’ basketball team qualified for the state tournament. No Newton boy’s basketball has accomplished that feat since 1992.

I found out from those I spoke to, Rowray was competitive and tough as a coach. Most described him as a very intense defensive coach.

That’s good. Defense wins games and championships.

“He was a great person.”

“He cared about the kids and wanted them to succeed in life not just athletics.”

“Education was a priority for Dave and he stressed education to students.”

The portrait of Rowray painted for me by fellow teachers and coaches, former players and family members was a man of integrity and character. Life lessons were taught through his coaching skills.

We all should aspire to leave in a little bit of that type of legacy behind us. Reaching out to those around us — young and old — being positive role models. Set the example by the way we do things in our teaching, coaching, writing and in our lives.

In journalism, we bring our readers the news. That means the good and the bad, even in sports journalism.

I chose sports journalism for several reasons. First, I love the games we play. I remained in smaller communities over my 35-plus career so I could be more involved with the community as a whole. I watched young people grow through athletics and become tremendous people in their communities.

Another reason, I went with sports journalism was there was more positive news to report. Growing up in a very small Kansas community where our athletic teams were not very good, I was taught by my parents and other adults to see the positive side in even a very lopsided loss.

No, it is not easy to report on teams that lose. I’ve covered teams with long losing streaks, and teams that never seem to get the breaks they needed at the right times. It’s not from lack of effort for most teams. It’s a matter of not talented enough, not experienced enough.

But ... there’s always a positive you can take away from those times. Young people need to see that and build from it.

A life lesson, right, Dave.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com