Grit Newspaper Dear Georgie
Georgie, there's something i wanted to say to you
personally. Your father and i discussed the
possibility
that your leg might have to be removed sometime in
the
future. He told me that it was something that he
hadn't
discussed with you---thinking you might not be able
to
handle it. At the time i agreed with him. I honestly
thought that such a decision would be too difficult
for an
11 year old to make. Based on what i heard in the
tape,
your father apparently took a chance that was hard
for him.
He decided the matter with you, your reaction and the
trust you apparently placed in him show a maturity
uncommon
in men three or four times your age. Your courage in
the
face of such adversity leaves me speechless. Your
compassion for others leaves me in awe. Your
attitude and
love fill me with envy. If more people in this would
had
half of the qualities of Georgie Stevenson, we would
have a
heaven on earth. Needless to say, my best wishes go
with
you always. Have the happiest of Christmases and the
brightest of new years, you undoubtedly deserve the
finest
this life has to offer.
Sincerely, Mike Rafferty
Dear Georgie,
I want you
to know and understand that the people of
Pennsylvania as
well as those here in our local area, are extremely
grateful for the tremendous work you've done in
collecting
funds for muscular dystrophy, diabetes and multiple
sclerosis, to name a few. It is only through efforts
such
as yours that we can ever hope to conquer these
diseases.
Georgie, as your friends and all those connected with
you
would agree, we are indeed fortunate to have a person
of
your caliber in our midst and were all so very proud
of
you. Your spirit and enthusiasm should serve as a
model
for everyone, everwhere. In recognition of your many
contributions, I am pleased to announce that a
Pennsylvania
House of Representatives Citation in your honor is
presently
being prepared. My deepest appreciation and very
best
wishes are with you today.
Sincerely, James
Goodman
Dear Georgie,
I've heard about all the things
you've
been doing to help us win the fight against muscular
dystrophy and wanted to send you my love and thanks.
Im
sorry i can't be with you and your friends today, but
i'll
be thinking of you. You're a very special young man,
Gerogie. May God bless you always.
Sincerely,Jerry
Lewis
MUSCUALR DYSTROPHY ASSN
Dear Georgie
Some of your many friends
have
told me about the tremendous job you did in raising
money
for muscular dystrophy. The amounts you were able to
raise
were truly amazing for a boy of 12. It is people
like you
on whom our communities rely for so many things.
Your
unselfish help for others is an inspiration to all of
us.
I wanted you to know that i appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Bill Hutchinson
Your Representative
WRENCH CONNECTION
By Jeff Gromis
Tonight marks the second annal running
of
the Georgie Stevenson Jr. Memorial Twin-20 lap Small
Block
Modified Sportsman events. Georgie was a big racing
fan
and a friend to all here at the track. In the same
magnitude as he admired the competitors on the track,
they
admired him for his courage and his desire to help
others.
Georgie was saddled with spinal cancer which
necessitated
several operations and chemotherapy treatments. It
was not
an easy road for this young man but he always kept a
positive outlook.
Despite his own problems,
Georgie
desired to help others. He colleced over $10,000
over a
five-year period to help combat crippling diseases
such as
muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis. Once
within a
week after surgery, he was out collecting donations
not for
himself, but for others. It is no wonder the young
lad was
respected so highly by those he cherished as heroes.
And
it was not only our stars who recognized this.
Georgie
received regular calls from Mario Andretti and
visited
several times with Muhammad Ali.
In their eyes
and
ours, two years ago the real hero left us with his
passing.
Tonight the competitors and staff at Big Diamond, as
well
as the Stevenson Family, remember and salute this
young
man's heroics and accomplishments.
Dear Georgie
As you get older your
priorities
change, at least that is the way it has been in my
life.
In recent weeks we have lost a number of friends and
that
makes you sit back and think. If i want to get all
the
things done that i have planned, then i had better
learn to
be patient, enjoy, and take time to smell the roses.
And
if i do not get them all done, well i guess they were
not
ment to get done. There was a 12 year old youngster
that
understood all that better than most of us. Georgie
Stevenson was 12 years old when he died of cancer.
However
he did not spend his short life feeling sorry for
himself,
he spent it helping others who had more serious
problems
right up to the end.
Sincerely, Ernie Saxton
Writer for AARN
