Admiring Professionals

I catch myself, sitting in awe of people who have developed a skill that I can’t do. I admire a plumber as he fixes a broken pipe under the sink. Or an electrician who can rewire a house in a day. I am too paranoid about burning something down or sending shock waves down through my BVD’s.

To me, this is also one of the reasons that “hand” skills like welding, electrician, plumbing, carpentry, diesel mechanics and painting will far outlive degrees in art history and library science. One day soon, these blue-collar professionals and their assistants will totally control our everyday lives. As they should.

See if you can think of your own professional examples for various skills. No cheating or copying a classmate’s paper.

For me, I admire my classmate and close friend, Roland Gargis every July when he starts his rhythmic auctioneering chant to raise money for St. Jude’s. He leads the charge for us to exceed the half million dollar mark in one afternoon. The same goes for Dr. Jimmy Gardiner who opens his farm to thousands of his closest friends. Doc is the ultimate professional. He can transition from filling cavities and performing a root canal to driving a skid steer to clear more horse trails on Underwood Mountain. All for St. Jude and the drive to eliminate childhood cancer.

Doug Gray and his beautiful bride, Julia, have more professional skills in their little fingers than most of us have in our entire bodies. Doug uses his woodworking skills to build items for auction from cutting boards to cornhole sets and picture frames made from old barn wood. Naturally, he takes his traditional “Awe shucks” attitude when someone makes a big deal out of his professionalism.

I have visited the Louvre in France. They have some pretty nice artwork there but none can compare with the paintings by Julia Gray. Her attention to detail is amazing. Wait until you see the portrait she painted of Jimmy King to be auctioned off. If it doesn’t bring at least $3,000 for St. Jude Children Hospital, we all should be ashamed.

So many friends have honed their professional skills without fanfare. My good friend and classmate, Renita Cobb, has an eye and ear for proper English and writing. I wouldn’t know a dangling participle if it was right in front of my eyes. My fellow Bama and CCHS graduate, Leland Wood, has developed the professional skills to build first class conference tables through his Leighton Hall Furniture Company. I once tried building a simple table and it kept collapsing when a paper plate was put on it. That finished my woodworking days. 

Think of professional skills that are self-taught. Some are pretty basic while others had to be developed through your DNA. I taught myself to play an upright doghouse bass for the greatest music on Earth, bluegrass. That was nothing. Gayle Fitzgerald Dodson has developed her cello skills at a later age in life to the point that she plays in a symphony. Mark Chamblee has had some health setbacks, but his paintings of steers, horses and old Mississippi blues singers are second to none. He has also raised thousands for St. Jude through his artwork.

Two of my first cousins on my mother’s side, have both been super successful through their developed skills. Jeff Bradshaw became an electrician right out of high school at the same time a man named Walt Disney had bought some swampland near Orlando. Jeff and his crew worked there for years. His younger brother, Steve, became a master plumber near Jacksonville. His professional legacy with his son and grandson will be on the forefront for generations.

So many skills are second nature to the professional. Paul Jeffreys can drive a combine with his eyes closed. Tyrone Lowery could catch crappie in a bathtub as well as teaching any softball pitcher the ins and outs of the game. Clay Fowler has worked for years with the Florence Electric Department. On cold, freezing nights, Clay and his linemen crews are climbing poles to make sure Florence residents don’t freeze to death.

Kay Knotts Tompkins is passionate about her mission to teach people to eat better or healthier. Her husband, Pride, has developed a skill for transforming driftwood into wooden crosses. Jackie Gargis can know what’s wrong with a lawnmower just by listening to it run. I am convinced that my brother-in-law, Bob Tanner, can fix anything that is broken. His son, Beau, learned from the master. My niece, Jennifer Tanner Bologna owns Spirits Wine Stores in Tuscaloosa. She has forgotten more about wines than most of us will ever know.

One of my favorite players at Tanner High, Albert Malone, learned the professional skill of ceramic coating for vehicles in the Athens area. His work and work ethic is second to none. My Tanner trainer, Redus Moran, became a professional Santa Claus. When other Santas see Redus, they put their fake beards in their sack and go home.

Preacher Retherford developed his skill for building first class homes which has been passed down to future generations. My family can vouch for their work. How about David Corsbie and his tomato growing skill? Or Sheilia Isbell’s baked goods? Even though Andy Riley has had some health challenges, nobody could operate a backhoe any better.

It’s amazing to me how we put professional athletes, actors, politicians and millionaires on a pedestal. Yes, they are professionals.

Just not the type listed here that I admire more.