“DANDY” DON MEREDITH, SHERMAN HIGH FOOTBALL AND A $19 GRAYSON BANK “HOT” CHECK

     I have endured a number of embarrassing moments in my life, usually brought on by myself.  I hit an all-time low point in the early 70’s, when I actually wrote a “hot” check to Dallas Cowboy legend, Don Meredith.

     I was attending Austin College in Sherman, Texas, while reading the news on the local NBC affiliate, KXII-TV - Channel 12 in the evenings.  I would also fill in occasionally and assist my old compadre, Commodore Wood, as he broadcast the Sherman High Football games on KRRV radio on Friday nights.  I provided “color” commentary and always enjoyed an opportunity to work with Commodore.   

     One Friday evening, we were broadcasting from Bearcat Stadium, as the Sherman Bearcat’s were  doing battle with the Highland Park Scots.    Someone came into the booth and said they had just spoken with Don Meredith, who was with friends from Dallas and they were all taking in the game.  I raced downstairs with the individual, located the former Dallas Cowboy quarterback and asked him to come back to the booth for an interview.  He was very nice, agreed and followed me back to the microphones.  

     We talked about his plans in broadcasting, acting and tonight’s game.  One of Don’s friends had a son playing for Highland Park and they felt the Scot’s team had the upper hand.  I said the Bearcats should win this game and announced on the air, I was willing to bet him $20 that Sherman High (who was behind at the time) would ultimately be victorious.  He chuckled, agreed, we shook hands and he returned to his friends.    

     The Bearcat’s lost.  Commodore was laughing, the crew was laughing

and when “Dandy” Don showed up to collect, he was laughing.  Now…at this time in my life, I was REAL poor.  I spent all my money on my bare existence, which included pricy school expenses, bread and water.  I had not given the possibility of losing the game a sufficient amount of thought and when I opened my wallet I found exactly 1 one dollar bill.  The embarrassment and horror were overwhelming. 

     I attempted to be suave and “devil-may-care” by saying, “Well, I don’t seem to have that in petty cash.”  I gave him the 1 dollar bill and produced my little packet of folded checks from the Grayson State Bank in Sherman.  I prayed I had $19 in my account (at that time in my life, I was writing checks for 50 cents.)  I filled out the check, signed my name with a sweeping flourish and handed it over to the “Dandy-Roo.”  He suggested a couple of times we just forget the entire bet, since I was obviously close to abject poverty.  I assured him I was simply low on available cash, because I had made a major contribution to a local charity shortly before the game, but all was well.

     Over the weekend, I cashed in every Coke bottle I could find, as well as turning over every chair and sofa cushion, to gather enough change to deposit into my bank account.  I passed the $19 mark and once again felt comfortable with life, or at least I wasn’t going to jail.  However, nothing happened.  I assumed Don had either thrown the check away or was carrying it around in his wallet.  Time passed…I graduated from school, went to work for Melvin Simon and Associates and moved to Indiana.  I eventually forgot about my very modest Sherman checking account and gave it no more thought.    

     About 10 years later, in the early 80’s, we hosted Howard Cosell as our Indiana Big Brother’s dinner speaker,  arranged by former Green Bay Packer Paul Hornung.  The following year, Paul secured Don Meredith to appear for the event.  Fred Simon agreed to let me have a company jet to pick up Meredith and his wife Susan after a Monday Night Football game, broadcast from Cleveland.  I mentioned to the Indianapolis director of Big Brothers, I had met Don once before at a high school football game in my hometown of Sherman, Texas.  That is all I said.

     The director contacted Meredith’s office, explained I would be picking them up, gave him my name and mentioned he and I had met once before.   He also asked Don for a photograph for the program cover and news stories.  He told me Don kept repeating, “Buck Sappenfield from Sherman, Texas?”    “Buck Sappenfield…Sherman…hummm…why is that familiar?”

     When Don Meredith’s photograph arrived, the director called me and asked me to drop by his office.  He said we could not use the picture Don’s people had sent us for the program cover and he didn’t understand what was going on.  I saw the photograph and my heart stopped.  The man had the memory of an elephant!

     I contacted “Dandy” Don, he laughingly told me it had all come back to him.  Shortly after the Sherman football game he deposited the check and it did indeed bounce.  He kept it in his wallet (where it predominantly displayed my name) and would use it in a story from time to time about

not trusting your fellow man.  I asked him to send another photograph (with no inscription) and I promptly sent him a $20 bill.  (When I picked him up, he gave me a dollar in change…he had discarded the check some time ago.)

     He told everyone the story at our Big Brothers Dinner and I endured a great deal of well deserved torture.  This was all due to my rotten Karma.  Do not write hot checks and send them out onto the earth…one never knows when these will flow back to haunt you.  Better yet, do not bet when you do not have the funds in your hands…better yet, don’t bet with former Dallas Cowboy football stars.  They always have the inside track!