Last week the football field that hosts the Windsor High games was under a layer of ice and snow. But soon it will be back in use for physical education classes, track & field practices, band performances, and games for the high school, junior high and youth football teams. The playing field at Windsor High was named after David Powell over thirty years ago. Not surprisingly, many of the current students, coaches, and Henry County residents don’t know his story. His story is one to remember.
Dubbed a “miracle child” as at the age of five he survived a carbon monoxide leak that claimed the lives of his parents and sister. He was raised by his aunt and uncle, Phyllis and Wendell Kays. Powell was a three-sport star from the Class of 1990. He excelled both in the playing arenas and in the classroom. His favorite subject was math, and he often helped his classmates with the tougher problems. He had an infectious laugh that could be heard in the hallways, locker room and buses to away games. He was a leader in all facets of his life.
In the fall of his senior year, he was the starting quarterback for the Greyhounds. Leading the team to a 4-1 record, he complained of some pain at a Saturday morning practice. Thinking it was possibly a pulled groin muscle he visited a doctor. It was then that he was diagnosed with leukemia. He spent the next several weeks at Kansas City’s Research Hospital receiving treatments. His football team and friends visited him often as the school and community tried to deal with his disease. He made it back to the sidelines to cheer on his team in the state playoffs. Even as the chemo treatments took away most of his hair, he was part of the basketball team and scored the opening bucket of the season. Although he couldn’t participate fully in track, he competed in the Midway Relays helping his teammates secure a gold medal in the shuttle hurdles. That race is the most indelible moment from my coaching career.
He graduated that spring and things looked hopeful as a bone marrow donor was found. But he became ill and was rushed back to the hospital. He died in early July of 1990. His legacy may be best told by some of his classmates.
From Mike Reidy, “Our senior year was lifted from a book. David Powell -- our friend, leader, teammate, quarterback, comic -- faced a battle for survival at a time when he should have been celebrating the advent of a future that would have been passionate and fulfilling. All of us, as friends, teammates, coaches and teachers, observed his intense fight, the effects of which would sometimes leave him physically drawn and more inspirational. Notwithstanding our naivete around the illness and mortality, we wanted to participate in the fight with David. That’s what you do as friends and teammates. We wanted David to see that we were battling with him and, especially as a football team, did our best to project our willingness to battle alongside David in our contests. We wanted David to be proud that he was inspiring us, even though his battle was so much more intense and on a different field than ours. Of course, I remember David participating as a team captain in our final game against Archie. He walked out onto the field for the coin toss with his arms around us, obviously wearing the effects of the intense treatments. Although the outcome of the match wasn’t as planned, his presence was so inspirational. Positive memories seem mostly to survive time, and mine of David are bound into themes of his sense of humor, leadership, intelligence, capacity for friendship. David was a smart student, intelligent and efficient. His humor and wit were quick and often used irreverently. His leadership qualities, especially as our quarterback, were positive, generous, respectful and harmonious.
Jim Simmons remembered, “David had this fake laugh that was hilarious and LOUD! You could hear him even when he was several classrooms away. He always knew when he needed to be serious though. He was such a great friend to all around him. As an athlete, he was always one who pushed you to be your best. He was the perfect quarterback because not only was he a great athlete, but he had a high game IQ. Just like in class, on the field he was often cracking us up in the huddle. Even after he was diagnosed with leukemia and undergoing chemo, he was still competing on the basketball court and on the track. He never gave up and was always competitive. He always made sure no one took themselves too seriously. David was the best friend anyone could have. You knew that he would run through a wall for you if you needed him to. He could make you smile no matter how bad your day was. He never seemed to get tired. I remember being exhausted after morning practice during two-a-days and just wanting to go home and sleep. David would usually go and mow lawns in the August heat for the afternoon until the next practice started. His death was such a shock to the whole town. You don’t often realize how much someone enriches your life until they are gone, but there was not a single person in town who was not devastated by his death. I was ecstatic when they named the football field after him. I hope the current generation learns something about him and takes pride in being a Windsor Greyhound.”
Brice Windsor replied, “David enjoyed school and was always fun to be around. He judged people by their actions - it did not matter what your appearance was or who your parents were - if you were being a jerk or acting out of line David would let you know. He wasn’t just friends with a clique of people- he was friends with upperclassmen, underclassmen, teachers, janitors, the cooks- he was genuinely a great person. He was a practical joker and frequently an apparent missing item would appear after some frantic looking - when he would say ‘you mean this paper (pencil, notebook)?’ He was dedicated to doing well and once he set his mind to a task he worked tirelessly at accomplishing the goal. We worked on a transport car for a physics competition one year - the goal was to use a given weight to propel an egg to an exact distance- he designed and redesigned a screw/ bolt axle brake system until it was dead on and the day of the competition it delivered the egg to within millimeters of the goal. I don’t know exactly what makes the best athletes - but David was great. He was fast and strong and smart. He didn’t like to lose and much like with academics, he was determined. He believed that when he put his mind to a task, he could and would do it. He was a great leader and worked hard at practice and during games. He was a leader and expected the same focus and effort from his teammates, but if something didn’t work out, he was quick with words of encouragement to try again, ‘Don’t worry about it, we’ll get them next time’. Windsor was a small town with a small school and everyone knew David. He was the quarterback of our state ranked football team, he mowed yards all over town, and you couldn’t walk into the grocery store or doughnut shop without someone saying, ‘Hi David, how’s it looking for the season’ or ‘We’re ready to see you play again’. It was surreal when he got sick. I knew it was serious, but he didn’t get down or ask for pity. He kept on living and fighting. His spirit for life was contagious. He was a light for the community and his story always will be.”
