I never met Paul Eells, the beloved sportscaster who was killed last week in a car accident, but every time I had the opportunity to see him in person – at a Razorback game or perhaps a restaurant, he was always smiling.
Even two weeks ago, when Eells was in Batesville for the Hog Bash, I noticed he was greeting everyone with a big grin and a hearty handshake.
Gary Bridgman, our general manager here at W.R.D. Entertainment, told me this story about a conversation he had with Eells that night.
Eells greeted Gary and told him that when he heard that the new Razorback offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn, was going to be at the Batesville Hog Bash, he had to make the drive up to Batesville to be a part of the event.
Gary laughed and said: “Well, Paul, I interviewed Coach Malzahn yesterday, and he told me that he decided to come to Batesville when he heard you were going to be here.”
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Last Tuesday afternoon, my family and I drove down to Little Rock for dinner and a movie. The main topic of some of the top Little Rock radio stations was the tragic and untimely death of the voice of the Razorbacks. Hog fans of all ages and friends of Eells were calling in and offering stories that consistently reflected the genuine decency and goodness of the sportscaster. A few of the callers who didn’t even know Eells were so broken up they could not speak.
But the common thread throughout all of the comments was the fact that Eells was a humble man who always exuded good cheer. Many of his friends and colleagues all agreed that they had never heard a harsh word spoken about Eells. One friend, a sportswriter, told a story about he and Eells wrapping up a golf round on a cold and windy afternoon. As they unloaded their clubs from the cart, the sportswriter’s wedding band fell into the grass. For 30 minutes, Eells and the friend scoured the grass looking for the band. Finally, the friend gave up and told Paul to go home. When the friend arrived at his house, his wife implored him to go back to the golf club to look for the band again. So the sportswriter got back in his car and drove all the way back to the golf club. It had now been about 45 minutes since he initially lost the ring, and the sun was setting. When he pulled into the club, he was astonished to see Eells still there, down on his hands and knees with a flashlight, combing the grass for the wedding band. Even Razorback Basketball Coach Stan Heath noted to one person that when he did interviews with Eells after a tough loss, the sportscaster always managed to stress the positive aspects of the games in question so much so that, after the interviews, Coach Heath walked away thinking his team did a fantastic job.
When you hear and read stories about a man so unselfish and gracious, does it not make you wonder why such special souls seem so few and far between? Of course, there are many people out there who radiate goodness and selflessness, but are there not days where it seems as if finding a stranger return a simple smile as you pass them in the grocery store is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack?
I love reading LaVon Post’s column, “From the Pastor,” in these pages. The other week, Bro. Post noted that offering a simple smile or look of gratitude can be a tool of God to lighten the load of a burdened soul. I wholeheartedly believe that, and based on everything I know about the life of Paul Eells, he, too, subscribed to that notion.
I’m sure Eells wasn’t a perfect man – no one is, but based on the endless comments of praise for his demeanor, his life, and his spirit, one knows he tried to spread a sense of joy and simple good will to everyone who happened to cross his path. These days, cynicism, disrespect, and an absence of empathy seem so prevalent in our everyday lives. When you hear of a man like Paul Eells, about his sense of respect and love for others, should it not make us step back and consider how we approach our lives?
A lasting tribute to this man I never met would be if more of us would simply try to emulate his goodness. It’s sad that it was his passing that brought forth such bountiful tributes to his spirit and his example, but it was his time. It’s as if God, in bringing Paul Eells home, was saying to all of us, “Now, this guy got it. Would you all please -- please -- take note?”
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Finally, if it’s still posted by the time this piece is published, make a point to go by this website:
www.wsmv.com. This is the website for the Nashville, Tennessee television station, WSMV – the channel at which Eells worked before he was hired away by KATV and Frank Broyles. There is an extremely touching video tribute to Eells from his former colleagues at WSMV. You might have to search for it, but if you find it, you’ll discover it was well worth the trouble.
