RUNNER WANTS SUCCESSOR IN TOUGH ACT.Byline: Dennis McCarthy Dennis McCarthy may refer to:
This is the way it's going to be someday some·day adv. At an indefinite time in the future. Usage Note: The adverbs someday and sometime express future time indefinitely: We'll succeed someday. Come sometime. when ``Big Ed'' Rasky enters that final marathon in the sky and finds himself knocking on the Pearly Gates Pear·ly Gates n. Informal The gateway to heaven. [From the description of heaven in Revelation 21. . ``Who is it?'' the voice coming out of the call box will ask. ``Big Ed Rasky from West Hills.'' ``West Hills where?'' ``The one in the Valley. Used to be Canoga Park.'' ``Oh, yeah, that one. Hold on a second while we check your records.'' Big Ed will cool his heels for a few minutes, maybe lace up lace up Verb to fasten (clothes or footwear) with laces Adjective lace-up (of footwear) to be fastened with laces Noun lace-up his running shoes, while St. Peter checks his books. ``Sorry, Big Ed, we've got no reservation for your arrival. Take the elevator and try the other place.'' ``Check your VIP list. My name might be there.'' Thirty seconds later, the Pearly Gates will swing open, a band of angels will lay out the red carpet, and every great, late jazz musician will be in Duke Ellington's heavenly band playing ``When the Saints Go Marchin' In.'' ``Welcome, Big Ed,'' St. Peter will say. ``Take the limo. The old man's up at the ranch waiting for you.'' ``Thanks, Pete,'' Big Ed will say. ``But it's such a nice day, I think I'll just run on up there. See you later.'' And that's the way it's going to be someday. Take it to the bank. They don't come any better than 72-year-old Ed Rasky. Meanwhile, St. Peter and Duke Ellington are just going to have to wait. Big Ed was out pulling middle school yard duty over at the Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies Sherman Oaks Center for Enriched Studies (also Sherman Oaks CES or SOCES) is a (magnet) public school in the San Fernando Valley, Southern California, United States. when I caught up with him Thursday. Even in retirement, after a 36-year teaching career in the Los Angeles Unified School District The Los Angeles Unified School District (the "LAUSD") is the largest (in terms of number of students) public school system in California and the second-largest in the United States. Only the New York City Department of Education has a larger student population. , he can't get enough of helping kids, so he fills in now and then as a school counselor A school counselor is a counselor and educator who works in schools, and have historically been referred to as "guidance counselors" or "educational counselors," although "Professional School Counselor" is now the preferred term. . Some of the kids were getting a little bit testy tes·ty adj. tes·ti·er, tes·ti·est Irritated, impatient, or exasperated; peevish: a testy cab driver; a testy refusal to help. with each other at snack time. Big Ed was stepping in to restore order and mend hurt feelings. Nobody does it better. I was checking in on him because the L.A. Marathon's coming up later this month, and that means Big Ed's going to need our help again. To me, Big Ed Rasky is the L.A. Marathon. All heart and no quit. This will be the 13th straight year that he'll run the 26.2-mile course while a few hundred terminally ill Terminally Ill When a person is not expected to live more than 12 months. Notes: Any gifts given out by the afflicted person at this time may be considered as a dispersion of the estate rather than a gift. children with cancer sit, in spirit, on his strong shoulders. That's why they call him Big Ed. Big shoulders. Bigger heart. He'll take the money that his friends, relatives, former students, poker buddies, tennis partners, former teaching colleagues and strangers pledge to him every year to run this marathon - and he'll spend it on kids who probably won't see next year. He'll treat as many of them as he can to a week at Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times up in Idyllwild. Big Ed spends most of the summer up there himself, serving as a volunteer camp counselor. A big, roly-poly grandfather figure, getting close to these kids. But not too close because he knows they'll all break his heart someday - when the bulletin comes in the mail with their names on it saying they won't be coming back to camp anymore. Won't be coming back anywhere. Emotionally, it can be murder on you, Big Ed says. But at least you have them for a while. At least you can make some of their last days their most smile-filled, fun-loving days. So, Big Ed keeps on running. Last year, he took in $8,000 in pledges, which meant he could afford to send 16 terminally ill kids to the $500-a-week camp. This year, he's shooting for 20. But Big Ed's worried. The clock is ticking ticking a coat color pigmentation pattern in which hairs of one color are distributed in small groups throughout the background color, e.g. Australian cattle dog. Called also speckling. . At 72, he doesn't know how many more marathons he has in him. The thought that his shoulders won't be strong enough to carry these kids anymore is killing him. He's been looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a successor to groom - some man or woman in his or her 40s, 50s or 60s running marathons for health reasons. Maybe a successor will run this one in the future for sick kids. Believe him, Big Ed says, there isn't any greater inspiration to keep on going - when you hit the wall at mile 20 and your body is screaming bloody murder - than to look over and see these kids figuratively fig·u·ra·tive adj. 1. a. Based on or making use of figures of speech; metaphorical: figurative language. b. Containing many figures of speech; ornate. 2. sitting on your shoulder and rooting you on. If anyone is interested in helping Big Ed carry the weight in this year's L.A. Marathon, and help sponsor a terminally ill kid for camp, give him a call at (818) 883-2578. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO Marathon runner ``Big Ed'' Rasky sends ill children to camp with his winnings. Myung J. Chun/Daily News |
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