Close Menu
    Advertise With Us
    Religion

    Leroy ‘Buckwheat’ McNair has run his last race

    4 Mins Read1 Views
    Advertisement

    LEROY-MCNAIRBWLeroy ‘Buckwheat’ McNair has run his last race

    By Shakey Daddy Monroe

    Like the sun rising in the East and setting in the West, Leroy “Buck” McNair will always be remembered among friends.

    McNair passed away on May 2, 2016. Services will be held Saturday at Williams Memorial.

    McNair’s passing hit home for many long-time Fort Lauderdale residents, including myself. We’ve been friends for nearly 55 years. We attended elementary and junior high school together and grew up in the same part of town.

    “It leaves an empty hole in your heart when you lose a friend like that,” said Wayne Miller, a long-time friend of McNair. “We’ve been friends for over 50 years.

    “We’ve been through ups and downs together . . .  a whole lot of trials and tribulations together. Buck was faithful to his friends. He’d give you the shirt off his back.

    McNair will always be remembered for his athletic prowess. He was one of the greatest   sprinters in the Broward County track and field history. He led Dillard High School to a runner-up state title in 1972 as a junior.

    But it was not the times or individual titles that made McNair a standout on the track. He was competitive. McNair never ran a race with the intentions of setting records. He simply ran to win. He was determined not to get beat, whether it was the 100, 200 or 400.

    “I remember during a district track meet when (Alfred) McCullough had a 110-yard lead on him and Buck ran him down at the 330 mark,” Miller said. “And McCullough pushed him off the track.

    “That was the greatest track race I’ve ever seen in my life.”

    Miller was referring to Alfred McCullough of Miami Jackson High School, one of the greatest sprinters in Miami-Dade County history. The race was in the mile relay during McNair’s junior season. It was the first and only time that McCullough has ever been run down. He and McNair were strong rivals. After that race, the Miami Jack-son track coach refused to match McCullough against McNair again.

    Nevertheless, McNair was not just limited to track and field. He played football for Dillard and semi-pro with the Fort Lauderdale Rattlers. He was a standout running back and also played linebacker. He and Miller were teammates with the Rattlers.

    McNair also loved cars and fixing them up. He went through cars like a dog goes through fleas. That was always the joke about McNair among neighborhood friends.

    Anyone who knew McNair knew that he’d never keep a vehicle over six months when he was growing up.

    There were so many memorable experiences with McNair. But I do have a favorite. It dates back to Sunrise Junior High School.

    We were in the same physical education (P.E.) class at Sunrise in eighth grade.

    McNair got into a swimming contest and didn’t know how to swim.

    Fortunately for McNair, the swimming contest started at the shallow end of the pool. He dived into the water feet first and started walking while he was splashing water with his arms.

    Of course, Buck didn’t get too far before the coach order him out of the water . . . after the coach stopped laughing.

    Miller agreed.

    “When I first came to town back in 1966, I was the last one on the block,” Miller said. He (McNair) would hold you down in the middle of Ninth Avenue and wait till the cars get close, then he’d jump up and run. He was definitely a character.

    “If you didn’t want something to be known . . . don’t let him know about it. He was going to tell it.”

    Share.

    Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

    Related Posts

    This College Chaplain Fills The Pews By Teaching, Not Preaching Lawrence Lockett Jr., Morgan State University chaplain. Credit: Lawrence Lockett Jr. via LinkedIn By REV. DOROTHY S. BOULWARE (Source: Amsterdam News) It’s understandable for parents of strong faith to worry about the spiritual lives of their children who’ve gone away to college. After all, it’s easy for a young person, perhaps on their own for the first time, to suc-cumb to the temptations of partying late on Saturday night and sleeping in on Sunday morning. But Minister Lawrence Lockett Jr., chaplain at Morgan State University in Baltimore, is packing them into the pews most Sundays. He is engaging them in lively ways during the week. And students are joining the choir, accompanying worship on various instruments, and serving as readers and leaders throughout the service. It is by the grace of God for sure, but also by the loving service of Lockett, who’s beginning his second year as the school’s director of chapel. He has grown his flock from the 25 or so students who showed up at his first services to more than 200 each Sunday. Sometimes, it’s standing room only. “We’ve been trying to figure out what to do next because on Easter Sunday we had 342 people, and some were standing in the back,” he said. Word In Black talked to Lockett about the secrets of his success: how his adjustment of Sunday ser-vices got people into the pews, why his philosophy for guiding students on their spiritual journey centers on independent thought, and how his “Spin the Block” initiative is shaking things up on campus. The in-terview has been edited for length and clarity. Word in Black: The first thing we want to know is, how do you get so many young people to chapel every Sunday?. Lawrence Lockett: Well, first of all, I changed the time of service from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. I realized a lot of the students like to sleep in late. It gives them time to do whatever they need to do. I’m sure many of them still like to party hearty over the weekend. So they have a good chance just to kind of refocus, recali-brate, get themselves lunch, and then come over to the chapel for service. When I started in November, maybe 20-25 students came, but now it’s over 200 that come every Sun-day, and it’s pretty cool. So now we’re repositioning ourselves to go after the freshman class this year. If we have the same success as last year, there’s definitely not going to be any room. Word in Black: Tell me about pastoring on a college campus. Lawrence Lockett: Morgan actually started as a biblical institute, so the Christian traditions have al-ways been here. As a pastor or shepherd, I’m walking students through their questions, not always just trying to preach answers to them. It’s about being vulnerable. I tell them I was in their same position, just trying to figure it out. And it’s not me just trying to give them answers. Having been there helps me really walk with them and anchor them in the storm of life that’s going to come. I want them to understand that their soul really matters. A lot of students focus on mental health, but they really need to focus on spiritual health as well. It should be one and the same. So I’ve been trying to preach that, if anything, spiritual health is just as important as your mental health. But we do encour-age the use of the counseling center, for sure, if there is a mental health crisis. WIB: What does Monday through Friday look like for you? LL: Mondays, we are usually off because of Sundays. On Tuesdays, we have Bible studies, so I’ll host a Bible study at noon along with my colleagues that work in the chapel. And then, I’m teaching a class called Hip-hop and the Gospel on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m., dealing with mixing culture and religion. On Wednesdays, we do something called “breath and balance,” which is just a meditative type of pro-gram with breathing exercises as stress relievers. We work with the School of Nutrition Science and the food resource center so that the students get a nice free meal and practice breathing exercises and meth-ods to feel good about the day. For Thursdays, we started something called the mosaic, in which we have different campus ministers gather in small groups, just like a mosaic painting. So the students who come on Sundays then get plugged into small groups on Thursdays. And on Fridays at 1 p.m., we do prayer for Muslims.. We have an imam lecture and then lead in corporate prayer. It’s a good mix. WIB: What is “Spend a Block?” Didn’t you receive an award for it? LL: That started last year. We just basically do services outside: outside the residence halls, in the quad, wherever it may be. Honestly, worship on a college campus looks different than it did 20 or 30 years ago. Students want something real and authentic, something they can gravitate to, and something that’s convenient. So when we’re outside, people are like, “What’s all the noise outside? What’s all the music?” Then they come outside, and there are chairs, so they grab one and sit and enjoy the service. We come to them. They don’t have to come to us. At the very beginning of the semester, we do services outside the four resi-dence halls. And that kind of gives us a steamroll into homecoming week. And we’ve seen a lot of success because of that. WIB: What should I expect when I arrive for Sunday service? LL: You’re gonna see a lot of involvement with students. I’ve learned that students like to feel invested, and they want to participate in what’s going on. They don’t want to be told by adults what they should and shouldn’t do. So when you go to the service, you’ll see our praise team full of students. You’ll see a choir full of students. You’ll see students reading scripture. You’ll see students giving testimonies. And then I’ll come in and give a sermon, or I’ll have a guest friend or a guest preacher come in to do the sermon. But you’re gonna see a lot of student involvement, and I think that also assisted with a lot of the growth be-cause when they see fellow students, they understand they’re just like me, and if they can do it, I can do it. WIB: What about musicians and choir? LL: The musicians are also students. They say, “Hey, I love to play. I wanna use my gifts in some way, shape, or form.” And they’ll ask whether or not there’s a spot for them. And we say absolutely. And there is a chapel choir. Some of the members are also members of the university choir. WIB: What is the “next” you see for the chapel? LL: I want the students to know God, find freedom, discover purpose, and make a difference. The chapel really is the heartbeat of the campus, and I want students to know more about where faith, hope, and belonging really stem from. I also want the chapel to become more interfaith and involve as many students and beliefs as possible.