Remember me?
My Bill Walton story starts with the word “Eidetic.”
So, one day Bill and I were charged with the responsibility to conduct a panel discussion at the S.D. Challenged Athlete Foundation with 16 visitors from Seattle. Our guests were seated 4 to a table and we were in 2 chairs in front of them. Bill said, “this is not gonna work.. bring your chair up here and lets make a little semi circle here (drum circle? I mean its Bill!). Once the furniture was re arranged, Bill asked each person to do a brief self intro and we proceeded around the circle, name, business, short bio, times 16!
Bill then recited back to each person, what they had told him: their name, business and a personal tidbit. To say that each person was amazed hugely under-reports the reality. When Bill was done with the last name and details, our guests broke into laughter and amazement. And I am sure someone in Seatle has told that Bill story today! “My friend Bill!”
“Eidetic” is a special gift..a brain that recalls vividly experiences and mental images with highly detailed accuracy. Add that to Bill’s huge heart, humility and concern for others and you can why Bill was so close to so many people’s hearts. The really, really, good news: next time he saw you, chances were he would remember your name. That’s one reason Bill had 1000’s of friends everywhere he went!
Bob Rief
SDSI