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Posted by Devon on 10/19/2009, 10:45 pm, in reply to "Mary Odden column about Pete Brown & McGrath"
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Pete was a cool guy from all I remember of him. He had a unique sense of humor. My first run-in with him was during my junior year of highschool. I had my nose broken in a basketball game down in Kalskag (by my a member of my own team, no less...) and proceeded to paint the court red all the way to the trash can, motioning my coach to bring some paper towels or some other absorbent material. Tampon jokes lasted for weeks after that...(you can let the strings hang out your nostrils!) Anyhow, I somehow drew the short straw and finally caught the last of 3 or 4 planes back to Aniak (We had 15 players on our team) after enduring about 6 hours of a terrible headache and reduced inner-ear functions. I eventually landed in Aniak and was hauled straight to the Aniak firehouse (it was a Sunday) to get Pete's evaluation of the situation. Fully expecting some degree of seriousness given my long day, Pete took one look at me and...smiled. He went on to tell me about his football experience in highschool, of he and his teammates having their noses laying flat on their faces, and the coach taping it straight with athletic tape, slamming their helmets on, and sending them back out onto the field. I wasn't amused, however, so I declined any nose-straightening attempts, and was sent on my way to the clinic to pick up my complimentary bottle of Ibuprofen. My nose is still crooked and I'll remember that day forever. This was far from a life-threatening experience, which was Pete's speciality, so I'll consider myself lucky. But in any case, I still have great respect for the guy, and I certainly miss him. He was by far the greatest influence on the youth of Aniak. So long Pete, I'll catch you on the flip-side.
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