Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 2-14-20

Feature
Daughter Of Popular Tampa Family Dies Suddenly
The daughter of a promi- nent and popular family died suddenly Monday night. Mrs. Willetta Michele Andrews Foster was 63- years-old.
A Tampa native, Mrs. Foster was the daughter of the late Dr. W. W. ‘Billy’ and Nancy Andrews. She was the third of four daugh- ters born to Dr. and Mrs. Andrews.
She was educated at local schools in Hillsborough County, which included Lomax Elementary, N. B. Young Junior High and H. B. Plant High School, graduat- ing in 1974. Following grad- uation, Mrs. Foster continued her education at Talladega College and re- ceived her B. S. degree in Bi- ology in 1978.
While attending Tal- ladega, she met and married her college sweetheart, Dr.
Kendal Foster. To this union 3 children, Kendal, Jr., Michael, and Kelli (Reggie) were born. They are also grandparents to Kendal, III, and Ava.
The family selected Mo- bile, Alabama, as their home and Mrs. Foster served as Office Manager in her hus- band’s medical practice until she retired in 2019.
She was an avid singer, and used her talents as a so- prano in numerous choirs throughout her life.
She loved her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., pledging Chi Chapter at Talladega College in the fall of 1975. After moving to Mo- bile with her family she ac- tively served in the Delta Theta Omega Chapter for more than 30 years.
Mrs. Foster was a char- ter member of The Mobile Chapter of The Links, Inc.,
WILLETTA ‘MICHELE’ AN- DREWS FOSTER
after being inducted into the St. Petersburg/Tampa Chap- ter in 1984. She had acquired alumna status after serving for 30 years. She also volun- teered as a student recruiter
for Talladega College.
An avid photographer
and boater, Mrs. Foster loved to travel, shop, and stay connected on Facebook.
In addition to her hus- band and children, Mrs. Foster is survived by: her 3 sisters, Johna Andrews Treadwell (Gerry), Lil- lian Ponquinette, and Dr. Sharon Andrews Gray (Stanley).
Other family members in- clude: her nephews and nieces, Atty. William ‘Billy’ Treadwell, Kathy Treadwell, and Lindsey Harding; aunt, Gloria An- drews; cousins, Kay An- drews and children; Dr. Susan Andrews Blanchette and children; C. Blythe Andrews, III, (Sylvia) and children; Dr. Nancy Andrews Collins and children; Gayle An- drews and children;
Cheryl, Rhonda and Nancy Jones, and their children, of North Carolina.
A Memorial Service for Mrs. Foster is planned for Monday, at 11 a.m. at the Nazarene Full Gospel Church, in Mobile, Alabama. Radney Funeral Home is in charge.
Talladega College Presi- dent Dr. Billy C. Hawkins said, “There is no cer- tainty the span of human life. The cer- tainty lies in the immor- tality of the soul. As we bid farewell to this beau- tiful spirit, let us be ever more mindful of the in- fluence of our lives upon the world and upon oth- ers. And may we strive to live lives of thought- ful, humble service be- fore our Creator as we await our reunion in Heaven.”
Letter To The Editor
The first and only time I ever coached baseball hap- pened as a fluke. I went to sign my son up to play T-Ball at the Belmont Heights base- ball complex and, while I was in the office, the com- missioner of the league, Monty Bostick, asked if I was interested in coaching one of the teams?
At the time my schedule was pretty hectic so I ini- tially declined the opportu- nity. Right when I said no, a guy walked into the office, smelling as if he'd just fin- ished smoking the loudest blunt ever, and asked Monty if he needed another coach for the "lil' gits?"
At that exact moment my son, who was standing right next to me, tugged on my pants leg and asked me, "daddy I'm going to be on his team?" I looked down into my son's excited eyes, looked back at the super thug and then turned to Monty and told him that I'd re-considered and would take him up on his offer.
To be honest, I wasn't any more qualified than Mr. thugalicious. I mean, I didn't know jack about coaching baseball. But there was no way that I was going to leave mykidinthehandsofa dude who couldn't keep his pants from sagging off his backside and who ended every sentence with "kno- wha-I'm-talkin'-bout?"
Every time I hear about the issues that occur when it comes to youth sports I
think back to that episode and it dawns on me that the biggest problem facing many of these leagues involves al- lowing almost anyone to be- come a coach as long as he or she is willing to do the job. There is no real screening process and, if a person knows someone running the show,heorshecanbeona sideline, in a dugout or standing courtside yelling at children in no time.
At the prep stage it's a lit- tle better because, typically, most high school coaches are degreed educators who were former student-ath- letes themselves. Unfortu- nately, though, there also exists problems on that level because the men and women helming the programs tend to mimic the individuals they were groomed under.
And, if the person they learned from was one of those old-school screamers who couldn't evolve with the times and who felt as though he was decreed by God to run his domain, it's more than likely that anyone who came up under that type of leadership will exhibit the same kind of stubborn and overly-aggressive behavior.
The reason why there ap- pears to be so much conflict between coaches, parents and players at sporting events is largely due to the person tasked with running these programs, being ill- equipped to handle every- thing that comes with the gig. Part of which includes
being able to deal patiently with mothers and fathers, who may believe their child deserves more playing time, while also orchestrating game plans that will ulti- mately lead to victories.
Granted, it's a fine line to walk. But the best in the business figure out a way to get it right by exhibiting a certain degree of under- standing, communicating ef- fectively with all parties involved and practicing ex- treme humility.
What a lot of coaches tend to forget while chasing Pop Warner championships and state titles is that their job isn't only about accumulat- ing wins and avoiding losses. It is also about using athlet- ics as a tool to teach children how to work with others in achieving a common goal and having them develop into upstanding human be- ings in the process.
As far-fetched as it may sound, going forward, it may be a good idea for all leagues from the super midgets to high school varsities to ex- pect any new hire to be certi- fied in public relations and sports psychology before granting him or her a posi- tion within their organiza- tions. Of course the higher requirement may also call for candidates to become better compensated. But if the effort leads to less stress- ful environments for the young minds and bodies af- fected, I think the invest- ment will be well worth every penny spent.
A Problem With Coaching
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2020