Last night, family, friends, and colleagues of Gene McDonald gathered for a fitting tribute to a 34-year career marked with outstanding achievement and scores of deep personal relationships. While I have not known him nearly as long as most people in the room, he has certainly touched my life in similar ways.
It was a warm Saturday afternoon in August on a non-descript soccer field in Herndon, Virginia. Dozens of young girls competing in a weekend ritual that plays out all over Northern Virginia that time of year. Just another weekend soccer game.
But it was also the day I met Gene and Diana McDonald.
I had been dating their daughter Cindy for a couple of months, and I was looking forward to meeting the people behind the most important person in my life. I was also a bit nervous, probably due in part to some of the stories that I had heard from my friend Tom Killick, who was Gene's ARM at the time (for all you non-Pfizer people out there, that's Assistant to the Regional Manager). Not that the stories were bad...in fact just the opposite. So whatever anxiety I felt was probably because I knew that first impression would be important.
"Mom, Dad...this is Chris," Cindy introduced me. Gene clasped my hand with a firm grip signaling confidence and strength, but also an inviting "glad to meet you." He was intensely focused on the game involving his daughter Kellie, but he paused and directed his attention to me (Cindy probably also knew to wait for a timeout before introducing me!)
When the game was over, we proceeded to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Even though I had just met them, they made me feel like I had been part of the family for years. From everything I heard at last night's dinner, that was a common experience among the many people Gene has affected over the course of his career and his life.
It's said that when you marry someone, you marry their family too. While that is true, it certainly doesn't guarantee that your in-law relationship will be a quality one. So I consider myself twice blessed to have Cindy and her family in my life. And that family relationship begins with Gene and Diana. We've shared many moments over the past 7 years: innumerable Sunday dinners, beach weeks at Nags Head, Christmases, birthdays, evenings by the chimnea...and the list goes on.
I can still vividly remember the day God gave me the clarity to realize that Cindy was the person I needed to marry. It was shortly after Thanksgiving Day 2000. All the McDonalds were "home" that holiday weekend, and I remember feeling so right about being part of their family. That was the clincher.
There were several common themes woven throughout last night's speeches about Gene.
Family. Listening. Caring about people.
These are all things I have seen in Gene from the first day we met. And I see them in Cindy as well.
Last night's festivities were a testament to the true legacy of Gene McDonald. A family man and devoted husband who has dedicated his life to helping others achieve greatness.
