Ricky Martin 2008

Putting one foot in front of the other.

During my freshman year at Walsh, I was rushing through the halls to take the first of three exams I had that week. I was panicking and running when I walked by an elderly gentlemen standing by the bookstore. As I walked by, I heard "Excuse me young man, could you help me?" I turned around and it was Brother Charlie. He explained he had issues walking and if I put my foot out in front of him, it would give him a target and it could get him walking again. The whole time he said this with a smile on his face. It amazed me how he could keep in good spirits even when he had trouble taking a few steps. This really put things in perspective for me. So I took my mind off of my exams for a minute and put my foot in front of him a few times. Before I knew it, I had to speed walk to keep up with him.

Brother Charlie asked me my name, where I was from, and so many other questions. He was genuinely interested in my well being. When I saw him four days later, he remembered everything about me from that conversation. Brother Charlie became one of the many people I would walk across campus just to say hi to. He was a person I wanted to try and model my life after.

Even though Brother Charlie is gone, I continue to stay in touch with Walsh through the alumni softball teams, random visits on days off, and going to alumni events. My recent visit for Professor For a Day opened up so many more memories of Walsh. I saw so many familiar faces and felt like I had never left. Walsh definitely has a "boomerang effect." No matter how far away you go, you always come back.