When the doorbell rang I was off my chair in seconds.  I got to that front door before my dog even knew someone was there.  Sometimes I would just camp out at the huge bay window in the living room and stare out into the street, waiting for his car to round the corner.  When Papa Chuck was coming over, everything else could wait.  It wasn’t just because he brought me candy every time he came over, though it certainly didn’t hurt his status in my eyes.  It was simply because I loved seeing Papa.  Now that I’m older, I realize I was not alone in that feeling.  Everybody loved to see Chuck. 

Papa covered Cleveland sports for the Plain Dealer for 50 years(!!), and I have yet to hear anything but praise for his coverage, his friendship, his dedication.  In an age where the media and sports figures so often butt heads, Chuck was a man that coaches and players felt they could trust.  He always told it straight, choosing to leave sensationalism to someone else, and I think everyone (the players, coaches, and maybe most importantly his readers) appreciated that.  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his writing, an honor resulting no doubt from the respect he garnered throughout his career.

I am so happy Cati and Papa were able to spend time together this Fall.  His eyes always lit up at the sight of her, and I think it brought him great joy to be with her.  He would often call her his favorite, and at first I thought he was being cute.  She is, after all, his only great-grandchild so by default she would have to be his favorite.  But I was thinking about him today and I realized that he made everyone feel like they were his favorite.  That’s why he was so popular with readers, sports figures, and his family.  He made people feel good about themselves.  He was such a genuine person that he made everyone around him feel special.  In truth, everyone else was his favorite, and he meant it. 

For more on Papa’s life, visit this write-up on Cleveland.com.