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Honoree, 82, still is quick with quip

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published November 4, 2005

Former Tampa Tribune sports editor Tom McEwen may be moving a little slower these days, but his wit is as quick as ever.

McEwen, 82, received a lifetime achievement award from the Seniors In Service of Tampa Bay at a luncheon Thursday. In his acceptance remarks, he told the audience about a stroke he had 15 years ago.

"It was a pretty good stroke as far as strokes go," McEwen deadpanned.

He was taken to Tampa General Hospital and slept through the night, unsure if he had passed on to the other side or was still on earth, he said. When he awoke, the first face he saw was of friend and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner.

"You mean I gotta get past you," responded McEwen, looking up at Steinbrenner from the hospital bed. "Then Monsignor (Laurence) Higgins leaned in and said, "No, you gotta get past me."'

Higgins, the pastor at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, introduced McEwen at the luncheon. After explaining how McEwen helped change the face of sports in Tampa Bay, Higgins said the University of South Florida athletic department was making a $500 contribution in McEwen's name to Seniors In Service.

Without missing a beat, McEwen took a microphone and quipped, "500 bucks? That's pretty cheap."

Seniors In Service is a nonprofit volunteer organization that allows seniors to work with at-risk children and help homebound seniors maintain their independence.

The audience, which included Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio and Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Jim Norman, honored McEwen and 11 others as senior citizens of the year.

Jean Marvin Yadley, a philanthropist who said he has a fine bottle of red wine every day, received the Model for Aging Award. The Rev. Abe Brown, founder of a prison outreach ministry, received the Humanitarian Service Award.

Lewis and Sally Hill received the Philanthropy Award for their years of work with the Boy Scouts, American Red Cross and Alpha House. Dr. William Hale, who established the Florida Geriatric Research Program, was named Advocate for the Elderly. Chuck Goldsmith received the Mentor Award, and Ada E. Pyles received the Good Neighbor Award.

Also honored were volunteers from each of the organization's service counties: Barbara Bikle Wolfe, Hillsborough; Norman Bungard, Pinellas; and Sue Hoskins, Polk.

Some people may find it odd to read about a former Tribune columnist in the St. Petersburg Times, and I know at least one staffer who will bust my chops for mentioning The Other Paper.

But I spent four years working with McEwen at the Tribune, and my admiration for him has only grown since I crossed over to the Times in 1992.

When I decided to leave the Tribune, word came down that McEwen wanted to see me at his house on Davis Islands. I thought for sure I was going to get a thorough tongue-lashing about being a traitor.

Instead, McEwen simply wanted to make certain I had been treated well during my Tribune tenure. He took me out on his famed back porch and said he appreciated my work and understood my decision.

He couldn't promise me anything, but offered to help if I ever wanted to return to the Tribune.

I'm no expert on heaven, but when the time comes, I don't think McEwen is going to have to get past anyone.

That's all I'm saying.

Ernest Hooper can be reached at 813 226-3406 or Hooper@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 4, 2005, 01:40:17]