Читать книгу A Legacy Unrivaled. The Story of John Gagliardi онлайн

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John had accomplished all these things with a unique style that emphasized precision, preparation, and humanity over brute force and intimidation. But perhaps his most important accomplishment was the role he played in the development of thousands of young men.

He repeated to me the message he had passed along to Frank, the local beat reporter whom John wanted to break the news. “Yeah. I told him that I’m not going to be there.”

Eighteen years earlier, I had walked off the field for the final time as a member of the Saint John’s University football team. A lot had happened since then. I earned a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and CPA license. I worked for the largest accounting firms in the world, including the now-defunct Arthur Andersen. I got married, became a stepdad, and had two children of my own.

While my work as a CPA satisfied me and paid for my trips to California’s wine country, it did not consistently inspire me. I found that the favorite parts of my job had always been teaching and mentoring, and I began to explore how I could make a career out of doing those two things. I contacted my alma mater to inquire about a job as a professor, and after learning more about what it would entail, I fell in love with the idea. A couple months later, I signed a faculty contract that slashed my salary in half and gave me a 160-mile round trip commute. I was a professor at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University, and I couldn’t have been happier.