Contemporary Caleb

Old Testament Caleb was a courageous warrior. When Moses sent him and eleven others to inspect the Promised Land, he returned fully confident that the Israelites could drive out the iniquitous inhabitants, a view not shared by his cowardly cohorts. Caleb exhorted his tribesmen not to fear the overwhelming odds, but the Israelites ignored him and believed the wimps.

Furious, the Lord caused the Israelites to wander in the wilderness until the cowards died out. Caleb and Joshua, another brave spy, survived. But what really stands out about Caleb is that, at age 85, he retained his manly vigor and prowess as a warrior. He led his people into battle, defeated the heathenish Canaanites, and claimed his portion of the land of milk and honey. Last Spring, I spent a balmy, sunshiny afternoon with a contemporary Caleb: Dr. J. T. Hall, also an octogenarian. Like Caleb, he didn’t flinch in the face of great odds, and joined the Navy During World War II to do his part in assuring that liberty haters would not trample upon America.

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All in one package, I was blessed to have this man as my teacher, football coach, and high school principal. After Dr. Hall handed us our diplomas in 1961, he remained in education, and served for many years as a college president. My schoolmates and I were always thrilled when he joined us for reunions, and Madge, his wife and life-long sweetheart, always accompanied him. At these get-togethers, some of my classmates addressed him as J. T., and he didn’t seem to mind at all. But somehow I just couldn’t bring myself to be that familiar with the great man … and I still can’t. He still has that Judgment-Day-Thunder voice that would instantly bring pin-drop silence to an auditorium full of rowdy kids a half-century ago, and he still has that steady, fearless gaze that would make the most incorrigible teenage miscreant cringe in fear. I call him what I’ve always called him — Coach. Coach took care of countless kids like me when we most needed his kind of care, and when he invited me to attend a baseball game with him I jumped at the chance. Ever the sideline strategist, he amazed me with his encyclopedic knowledge of the home team players’ statistics and his accurate assessments of what would happen following a batter’s performance at the plate. But what I will remember most is what I felt when I leaned against him to hear his ongoing game analysis. It was like leaning against a strong oak tree. How symbolic, I thought. Strength, I believe, is the word that best sums up this man’s life. Even after so many years, he still imparts that strength to others. Reminiscent of what Tennyson said in the closing lines of the poem, “Ulysses,” J. T. Hall, a man born to lead, has always been, “…strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.” Thanks, Coach, for being a contemporary Caleb.