OPINION

MIKE MASTERSON: Dark clouds part

File this segment under the badly needed good-news category.

A visibly unhappy little boy was throwing a full-on fit at the Casey's General Store pumps the other day. Witnesses said he was darn near inconsolable. No one around understood his problem until an employee left the store, approached the boy and extended his hand.

Suddenly the storm clouds parted. A wide smile lit the fuel bays. A man in a Casey's uniform had brought the child the chocolate doughnut he'd wanted (yet obviously had not gotten) inside.

Amid all the rancor, hatred and adults' displays of childish behavior afflicting our nation, such little acts of day-to-day random kindness help restore my faith in the inherent goodness beating in the hearts of most among us.

One doughnut offered by an empathetic stranger made two people happy, and probably the parent who'd earlier denied the pastry (perhaps for good reason), but now could enjoy peace restored without having given in to a tantrum.

Shouting at mirror

In my (probably futile) quest to help the Razorback recruiting program in any way possible, I have learned of another potential outstanding recruit with heartfelt ties to Arkansas. You may recall I expressed my justifiable opinion not long ago of Gabe Huskey from Harrison, who was named All-State as a sophomore and a junior and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette's Northwest Arkansas football player of the year, while scoring 71 touchdowns in two years as a running back and sure-handed receiver.

Now I learn about Cannon Turner, who has started every game at quarterback for Arkadelphia since his freshman year and was the leading rusher on his two state championship teams. I'm told he's another All-Stater who was named MVP of the 4A state championship game in each of the last two years. If that weren't enough, last season he also punted while excelling at safety and cornerback in 10 games. Moreover, the young man has a 4.2 GPA and scored 31 on the ACT.

A credible source who has watched Cannon's spectacular performances as an athlete for years says he could play practically any position from quarterback to linebacker or safety in college.

He's said to already have offers from universities such as Air Force and Army. "While his size and speed are comparable to about 45 kids from the DFW area that the Hogs have offered as athletes, the Razorbacks strangely don't seem interested. A couple of weeks ago, I saw an article that said a Razorback recruit was one of the team's two fastest. When Cannon was a sophomore, he outran the same athlete, who then was a senior, in the 100-meter dash at the conference track meet," the source told me.

Players in big-media areas like Dallas often get the higher recruiting rankings, even if they're backups and play for losing teams. If some "recruiting expert" somewhere had rightly graced Cannon or Gabe with four stars for their abilities, I suspect there would be lots of state attention on both. Yet a young man proving himself repeatedly on the field apparently doesn't seem to count nearly as much if they excel in rural Arkansas.

I expect my layman opinions will continue to be ignored, which is fine. Still, it will be interesting to follow the collegiate careers of both these young Arkansas products as the years tick by.

Hard work key

Speaking of excelling, my 11-year-old grandson Trenton has decided he loves basketball and baseball more than other sports. His father, a retired Navy chief and all-around great father who helps coach on different elementary-aged teams, hung the following sign on Trenton's bedroom door the other day.

It's a message that could fit well on any youngster's door: "Son--talent is given, but hard work will separate you from the rest. You have the talent to be great in baseball and basketball, but you have to work extra hard training, and I promise that you will see the difference. Love, Dad."

Saving a baby

Standing applause for Michelle and Nathaniel Holt of Washburn, Mo., for their quick thinking and actions that likely saved the life of a 4-month-old infant who was left alone in a locked, overheated SUV the other day while the forgetful 21-year-old mother and her aunt, 26, leisurely shopped at a Walmart Neighborhood Market in Pea Ridge.

While concerned onlookers gathered and snapped photos of the vehicle's license plate, this couple with three kids of their own leapt into action, tossing a brick through the rear window and removing the overheated infant. They removed his one-piece outfit, took him into the store, and doused him with cool water until paramedics arrived and took him to the hospital. He was later reported to be in stable condition.

This to me is a prime example of those among us who prefer hand-wringing to taking decisive action when it obviously becomes necessary. The police chief said the child was likely just 10 minutes from suffering a heat stroke.

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Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist, was editor of three Arkansas dailies and headed the master's journalism program at Ohio State University. Email him at mmasterson@arkansasonline.com.

Editorial on 08/20/2019

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