Welker shined light into office

With a combined record of 13-2, the Canfield and Poland high school girls basketball teams would have been Saturday's marquee matchup in high school sports.
But the game was postponed until next Saturday because flu has weakened both teams.
The way we hear it, Canfield coach Pat Pavlansky asked Poland mentor Jamie Dunn for the delay. Dunn agreed so the teams could play as close to at full strength as possible.
"It's about two coaches who put the good of kids ahead of winning a game," Canfield athletic director Lee Frey said.
Second time: It's the second time in eight months that the two Metro Athletic Conference schools and fierce rivals have helped each other.
Last April, the Poland and Canfield softball teams were scheduled to play twice during spring break. However, Coach Reid Lamport's Bulldogs had raised a ton of money to finance a San Diego road trip during spring break.
Canfield coach Fred Mayhew didn't hesitate to say yes when asked if the softball games between the MAC's two best teams could be rescheduled.
Poland went on to win those games to capture another MAC title. And the California trip helped propel the Bulldogs to the Division II state title game, their best finish ever.
Spirit of cooperation -- we can never have too much of it. It's too bad that such goodwill stands out as unusual instead of the norm.
We salute the Poland and Canfield coaches for doing the right things. And we say thanks to all high school coaches who give so much of their time, often with little reward.
Remembering George: Sportswriter George Welker Jr. would approve our sentiments.
Some of you were lucky enough to know George, our talented colleague who lost his 20-year battle with cystic fibrosis six months ago.
Others knew George through the games he covered and the features he wrote.
And some readers know of George's courage and faith through the award-winning stories that appeared in The Vindicator over the past two years after he received a double lung transplant.
George (or "Jorge" as we called him) was one of the sweetest persons you could ever meet. He smiled through the pain like no one I have ever known.
It's a tremendous understatement to say we miss the brightness he brought to our newsroom.
George loved to laugh and he was a fantastic listener.
Like all sports fans, George had his favorites -- he was a Cleveland Browns season ticketholder and he loved the Indians.
George would not have been happy about last Sunday's overturned call that ended the Browns' playoff chances. But he certainly wouldn't have condoned the actions of the idiots who tarnished Cleveland's reputation by throwing beer bottles at the officials and players.
As for college basketball, George loved the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. When we notice how well UNC's archrival Duke is doing this fall, we remember what George's response would have been: "Yeah, and I'm not happy about it, either."
When George said those words, he did it with a grin and laugh in his voice.
In a better place: George has gone to a better place, somewhere where it no longer hurts just to breath. And though he didn't want us to grieve, we still miss him and the example he set.
This Christmas, you may notice a member of the Welker family or a friend of George's or a Vindicator employee get a little teary when we pause to remember our blessings.
We aren't sad -- we're just remembering how lucky we have been to have known George Welker Jr.
XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write him at williams@vindy.com.