The Pride of a Guardian Angel

We had been looking forward to Friday for quite some time,  a women’s basketball game between Columbia University and Dartmouth College, an Ivy League matchup.   As the day arrived, a Nor’easter blew in and and shut down  the town and the basketball game.  My thoughts?  I figured there must be a Slagle in town.  There was and she had a whole team with her.

Steve Slagle was a dear friend to me and JAM.  He was a building contractor who could build anything you wanted, anyway you wanted it.  He was a smart, quick witted, hardworking veteran and would be the first to tell you, he was “country as all git-out”.  He liked to tell you he was from Gun Barrel Texas.  He wasn’t, but he liked the name of that town.

We lost Steve to cancer in 2015.  He told me he was going to come back and haunt me.  He didn’t come back and haunt me.   Instead, he came back to protect me.  I think I have the most kick ass guardian angel you would want watching my back.  Steve was a friend and we miss him a lot.

After the Nor’easter floated up toward Maine, the basketball game was rescheduled for Saturday.

Emily Slagle is Steve’s daughter.  She was District 3-5A Player of the Year on her high school basketball team at Arlington Martin HS (TX) and was awarded a full ride scholarship to Dartmouth.  Steve was so proud of Emily and everything she accomplished playing basketball.  We went to watch Emily and her team.

 

The Columbia campus is massive and imposing.  It was called Kings College when it was founded in 1754.  Columbia has quite a list of alumni, both Roosevelts, Obama and Warren Buffet.  Dartmouth was founded in 1769.  Alumni include Daniel Webster, Nelson Rockefeller and Dr. Seuss!  We are talking old school schools here!

 

It’s a little more impressive than UCO or UTA.  For perspective, Texas became a state in 1845.  Oklahoma in 1907.  But I have ADD….I mean, I digress.  To the game.

The game started really quickly.  These young ladies took off running up and down the court, knocking down baskets left and right.  They ran up and down the court all afternoon.  Don’t think I could have done that when I was 20 years old.  They are impressive athletes.

The game was close in the opening minutes, but the Big Green started raining 3 pointers and Dartmouth built up a 21 point lead in the 4th quarter.  Columbia made a spirited comeback nearing the end of the game, but came up short as The Big Green took it, 88-77.

Kate Letkewich led Dartmouth with 24 points.  Emily posted 14, followed by Cy Lippold and Isalys Quinones with 13 each.

The Big Green ended the season 15-12 with a 7-7 Ivy League mark.

This adventure had a happy ending.  We visited a remarkable college campus, saw a good and entertaining college basketball game and got a warm fuzzy feeling that Steve was looking down on his little girl, proud and smiling.

In tribute to Steve Slagle and respect to Emily Slagle.