Posted on 06/08/2009 4:30:38 AM PDT by stan_sipple
Two Gaithersburg high school football players made friends with their travel companion on their flight back from Nebraska — not knowing their seatmate was a major Huskers fan.
When they started chatting, Terrence Stephens and Jason Ankrah, star football players at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, didn’t have a clue they were holding court with U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.
“I was amazed this guy knew so much about us as football players and as people,” said Stephens. “That was shocking. I felt honored to be known by someone of his caliber. He was just a regular old guy, sitting in coach, which really shocked me.”
By the time the plane landed, the students had figured out who Thomas was, and they promptly told their principal they wanted to invite Thomas to give the keynote speech at their high school graduation.
Of course, Principal Carole Working didn’t exactly think Thomas would take them up on it. But he showed up at the high school last Monday.
Thomas — who otherwise never misses court — skipped a Supreme Court session to speak at the graduation of his travel companions.
“These young men had no idea who I was as I formed my first impression. I was just another stranger to them. They were wonderful ambassadors for your school and for their fellow students,” said Thomas at the Quince Orchard graduation ceremony.
When Stephens and Ankrah arrived on-stage to receive their diplomas, they were both embraced by Justice Thomas.
Ankrah will be playing football for Nebraska next year, but Stephens will be attending Stanford. The justice said he doesn’t have any hard feelings over that.
Public Information Officer, Supreme Court of the United States, Washington, DC 20543.
Yes and it worked for several years. They would ask who I or my wife loved more. We finally would tell them that they were the favorite first or second born daughter (depending on who we were talking to).
And.. we have a favorite son. 18, 21, and 22. I knew nothing, absolutely nothing about having children. Totally clueless male. There should be some kind of book for us guys. But we would never read it, of that I am sure.
Flying coach. That says it all. Not like the elitist, hypocritical politicians and DC crowd who have private jets on the tax payer’s dime. Justice Thomas is a great patriot.
What a wonderful story!
my pleasure, i need a pick me up, a young woman who was friends with my kids died of swine flu last week.
Of course this is a fantastic story about Justice Thomas but what we seem to be missing is that if the vast majority of us were in this situation we would immediately know who it was, while these young (and I am guess African American) men had no clue and referred to him as a regular old guy in coach. We all know the answer, but why isn’t a great man like Justice Thomas held up to be a role model for young men in the black community so they all could recognize him?
will the graffiti artist Shepard Fairey do a HOPE poster for Justice Thomas?
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