Sleepless Night Ends In Welcome Relief

Sat., Feb. 12, 2000

Kerri Thoreson Special To Handle

I’ve known Dick and Jan Harris personally and professionally since they moved to Post Falls several years ago.

We visited at the Historical Society Banquet on Jan. 21 and they were excited to be leaving on a long-planned vacation to Mexico the next day with their son, daughterin-law and two grandsons, flying out of Seattle.

On Monday, Jan. 31, I turned on the little TV in my office to the news about 5 p.m., just in time to catch the early reports of the crash of the Alaska Airlines flight from Puerto Vallarta. My heart stopped as I realized that Dick and Jan were scheduled to have returned home right around that date.

I started making phone calls, trying not to panic. I called their home and got the answering machine; the school district office was closed for the day and assistant superintendent Jerry Keane wasn’t at home.

I called Skip and Jody Hissong to see if they knew if Dick and Jan were home from their trip. Jody also was watching the news with a sense of foreboding but no information. I called school board trustee Ed Adamchak, who assured me that because Dick was due back to work the next day, surely he’d returned home earlier. I felt better, but all evening had difficulty shaking the thoughts of Dick and Jan.

The next morning I called the district office and learned that the Harris’ were indeed back home and that I wasn’t the only one who’d spent a restless night worrying.

I came to find out that Dick and Jan had been in Cabo San Lucas, not Puerto Vallarta, but their Alaska Airlines flight had been in the air following the same schedule as the doomed flight.

They learned of the crash when they stopped for customs in Los Angeles and arrived in Seattle during the chaos of family and friends of those on Flight 261 waiting word of their loved ones. A frightening ordeal for everyone.

Our little local drama did provide the reminder and an opportunity to let all of our friends know how much they’re loved and how much they would be missed.

Don’t you just love how the lines get blurred in high school sports?

Following a stellar state tournament appearance back in 1995, Post Falls High School boys basketball coach and teacher Scott Moore came under fire from parents who thought their kids deserved more playing time than the nine seniors on that year’s team. Seniors like Tim Roberts, Darick Pope, Ryan Edmonds, Brock Alexander, Tim Cudmore, et al and there was that upstart sophomore starter Austin Lee.

Bottom line is that the vocal minority of disgruntled parents won, Moore was booted as coach and also resigned from his teaching position. The losers were the students who respected Moore as a teacher as well as the athletes who respected him as a coach.

Fast forward to this season and the teacher who replaced Scott Moore as varsity boys coach, Wade Quesnell. Since I haven’t had a child at the high school since 1995, I haven’t been putting in my time in the bleachers, but reports that Quesnell is similarly under fire from parents of players saddens me.

Coaches should be accountable, true. They should instill a work ethic, sportsmanship and provide an environment for personal excellence. But should they be subjected to pressure from players’ parents regarding decisions made on who plays or starts the game?

I hope Quesnell isn’t another coaching casualty to the Post Falls High School teaching staff.

Dan Clark has been running the family business in downtown Coeur d’Alene for quite some time. But did you know he’s a real gamblin’ man?

Clark’s Jewelry is advertising a President’s Day contest where Dan’s betting it won’t snow 5 inches or more at the National Weather Station on Mullan Pass in a 24-hour period on Feb. 21. If it does, he’ll refund any money spent on purchases, no limit, through Valentine’s Day.

Wonder if Dan recalls the Kansas City store that ran a similar promotion back in November? That electronics retailer was betting there was no way the Kansas City Chiefs could hold the San Diego Chargers scoreless. The outcome? Chiefs-34, Chargers-zip. Result, 380 customers/ fans collectively received refunds for $450,000 worth of merchandise.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

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