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Teachers honor Tillman’s legacy at Sureño School
By
Doug Snover
Nine
miles, he said. Set yourself a goal of nine miles. And then he was gone.
On
Saturday, April 16, Gina Bertocchi, kindergarten teacher at Kyrene del Sureño
Elementary School, will run about halfway to that goal for her friend, Pat
Tillman, the football player turned Army Ranger who died in Afghanistan
almost exactly one year earlier.
“Pat
was a friend of mine. He volunteered here (at Sureño) for about six years.
He read to the kids. Everybody got pretty attached to him,” Bertocchi
explained.
“I
ran in a 5K race, and Pat was always telling me to get past nine miles. He
kept telling me if I could just get past nine miles, then you are into it
mentally.”
That
kind of dedication to worthy goals marked Tillman’s life.
Pat’s
Run is being organized by the Pat Tillman Foundation “to celebrate,
develop and promote your own personal growth . . . (to) reach your potential
and enrich the quality of life as we honor Pat and all his fellow fallen
soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country,”
according to the www.PatsRun.com
website.
The
Foundation's guiding principle is “to carry on Pat’s legacy of action by
inspiring and supporting others toward positive change.”
More
than 2,000 participants have signed up for Saturday’s 4.2 mile run/walk
honoring Tillman.
A
course has been laid out on the Arizona State University campus, where
Tillman played college football and later professional football for the
Arizona Cardinals.
The
course starts on Packard Drive, just east of Sun Devil Stadium, does an end
run around Tempe Town Lake, and finishes at the 42-yard line on Frank Kush
Field, inside Sun Devil Stadium.
Why
the emphasis on the number “42?” That’s
the number Tillman wore when he played football at ASU. The university
retired number “42” after Tillman’s death.
Coincidentally,
42 Sureño staff members and their families are expected to run Saturday to
honor Tillman.
The
teachers have formed a running club they named the “PT Cruisers” to
honor Tillman. The group runs Tuesdays and Thursdays after school.
“We
just started a running club for teachers after school. The students have one
and we just decided to start one for the teachers. We’re kind of
challenging ourselves.” Bertocchi said.
Bertocchi
said her students at Sureño became so attached to Tillman over the years
that one time they signed a football to give to him instead of
the other way around.
Tillman
often brought signed items to distribute to the students or donate for
fund-raisers at Sureño, 3375 W. Galveston, Chandler.
Students
built up points by reading to “earn” a visit from Tillman, she said.
“He usually didn’t come until after the football season because he was
so busy.”
Some
of those students will be among the 42 “PT Cruisers” running at ASU on
Saturday to honor good friend Pat Tillman. Number 42.
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