CARLTON FLETCHER: Some life lessons you never forget

Success is survival, we’ll all tough it out.

— Michael Martin Murphy

Sometimes it seems when you most need it, life has a way of providing a grace note.

On a morning when I was wallowing in one of my monumental lows — yes, we all have those days — I got an unexpected, mood-shifting bit of sunshine in the form of, of all things, an actual, honest-to-God, hand-written letter.

The return address sticker was one I didn’t immediately recognize — Elizabeth H. Wesson from Glen Allan, Mississippi — although in retrospect, I should have. I’ve known only one Wesson in my life: L.M. “Bozie” Wesson, Irwin County High School’s baseball coach my junior and senior years at the school. He is one man I’ll never forget.

In April of last year, I wrote a column about having found an index card from my ICHS playing days. On that card were the barely legible goals that Coach Wesson, in his first year at Irwin County High, had all of us on the team tape to the brim of our caps. “That way, you’ll always remember them,” I remember Coach Wesson saying.

I had not hit well during preseason tryouts, and one of the goals on my index card was to “hit .275,” modest expectations, but, like I said, I hadn’t hit well in the preseason. Coach Wesson memorably told me — memorably in my world anyway — “Son, if you hit .275, we’ll win the region.” I finally relaxed and remembered all my dad had taught me and ended up hitting over .400.

Oh, and it should be noted, we didn’t win the region championship, but we did make the playoffs. And somehow, we won the school’s first-ever state baseball championship. I had one of the little gold baseball pendants reminiscent of that title, but I left it in my father’s casket when we buried him.

The letter I got this week was from Coach Wesson’s wife, and it was easily one of the best things that’s happened to me in a while. She gave me a recap of Coach Wesson’s career after he left Irwin County, a career that included a state football championship in Missouri with a “rag-tag football bunch” that brings to my mind that Irwin County High baseball team of 1973.

Mrs. Wesson’s letter then, for me, took a turn that left me a tad heart-broken.

“He had a special connection with his players, and he loved coaching,” she wrote. “However, a tragic event with two of his players had such an impact on him that he said his heart just wasn’t in it any longer. He resigned from coaching in 1991 and went into business with a friend and also scouted for the Dodgers.”

Then the bombshell: “My sweetheart died in July (of 2009) on his birthday,” she wrote.

The mood of Mrs. Wesson’s letter brightened, though, when she gave me a Readers Digest-version family history. All of the sons, grandsons and step-grandsons played and/or coached sports, son Barry playing 14 years in the Astros and Angels organization and spending some time in the Major Leagues. In another bit of serendipity, the day after Elizabeth Wesson’s letter came, I got an email from The Wessons’ son, Larry Wesson, giving me an even more detailed accounting of the Wesson boys’ sporting careers.

No doubt their father/grandfather was proud.

I wanted to share Mrs. Wesson’s letter because over the last few years I’ve heard from some of my teammates on that 1973 ICHS team. I want them to read what I read from Coach Wesson’s wife: “Bozie was very proud of his first baseball team and all of their accomplishments. He loved all of you. (Even have the team picture in a frame from that year.) … Still have very fond memories of our stay in Ocilla. The whole community was so welcoming to us.”

I shed some tears when I read the final paragraph of Mrs. Wesson’s letter. It’s why I wanted to pass it along to any teammate who might read this: “Congrats on becoming editor of the paper. Coach Wesson would be so happy for you. He truly believed that success in life came only through faith in the Lord first, then family, hard work and dedication.”

I thank Mrs. Wesson for her letter. And while it may not matter now, I thank Coach L.M. “Bozie” Wesson one more time for the impact he had on my life. His memory and the lessons he taught us live on.

Email Carlton Fletcher at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @ABH_Fletcher.