My Tribute to Gary Riekes

2 years ago this month I had the honor of speaking at the Gary Riekes Celebration of Life. I was asked to keep it to 4 mins. Gary changed my life and here is my attempt to describe how in that brief amount of time. (And, if interested, you should check out the great work the Riekes Center continues to do at Riekes.org.)

"40 years ago this summer I walked into 1700 Fernside and started a relationship that would change my life.?This is now my attempt to sum up those 40 years of personal impact in my allotted 4 mins.

However, it can actually be quite simply said, Gary Riekes taught me how to count reps.?

And that the form of each rep matters.

Yea, count your reps and then write them down. Even when no one is looking, you give it your best and you right down the accurate number.??

He taught me to show up, follow a plan and count reps.??He taught me that I was responsible for my reps.

He had me run track, he had us do ballet, we did box jumps and rope runs before you could buy those things anywhere let alone Amazon.?Everything was a rep and creativity was the limit.

He taught me that if I have a plan and count reps, I can do anything?

He taught me that my reps, my goals weren’t any better than anyone else’s.?When I first got there my reps were as important as any of the older veteran reps like those of the stud Chuck King.

And when I was a senior my reps were no more important that the new guys reps like those of Mark Newton.

When I was home for the summer from that far away University in Palo Alto, he taught me that I had a responsibility to make sure guys like John Farquhar knew their reps as a beginner where just as important as mine as a veteran.

I owe Menlo School a ton but without these lessons, I do not transform from a miserable student (and I am not overstating the miserable) my freshman year, to a 美国斯坦福大学 student and captain of the basketball team a few years later

I learned to count my reps, to help others with their reps and to own my growth, no excuses.

The other day I get thrown into an awkward zoom call role play….nightmare, they said I did a nice job and I responded by saying “I tried”.?And it hit me Gary was the one who taught me to try.?He was the Sherpa guiding me on the journey of building up my own confidence to try.??

To line up and compete, get knocked down and get back up and try again.??

So when Gary was struggling with his health in 1995 and asked me to help move Fernside into a more professional, well let’s just say legal space, I had to say yes.

Fresh out of Stanford University Graduate School of Business I wanted to flush out the strategy.?I wanted to start with Athletic Performance and later add the creative arts and nature studies.?Gary would have none of it.??

It all had to start together so people understood.?Goals were Goals.?Passions were passions.

You know, I wish my 15 year old son Andrew could have the Riekes Center.?We live in Atlanta and Andrew does not play basketball, he plays piano.?Fortunately, I learned from Gary that his goals are his and helping him discover them and tackle them is the most important thing I can do.?It is truly one of the best ways to love Andrew.?And the way Gary loved us.

So I try to teach Andrew how to count his reps, to own his reps, and that he can do it.??

I do my best but I do wish Andrew had Gary to help him like we did.?But the beautiful thing is the Riekes Center lives on.?

There may not be one in Atlanta yet but that singular unmovable, unwavering commitment to each individual person that made Gary a force of nature lives on.??It is the most beautiful and fitting legacy a man could ever have.