Do Maine, New England and the United States have a better ambassador of humility, grace and dignity than Joan Benoit Samuelson?
Look at one of Shawn Patrick Ouellette’s Beach to Beacon photographs from the Aug. 2 Maine Sunday Telegram.
Joan is congratulating Karen Rand McWatters, a Boston Marathon bombing survivor, at the finish line of the 10K race. Joan does not want the picture to be about Joan. Ms. Samuelson’s greeting is from the heart; Ms. McWatters would likely agree.
The evening after the race, a volunteer at that event was enjoying the Sea Dogs baseball game. Joan had met with the assistants before the race, and that particular helper was impressed by how kind and personable Joan was.
“She wanted to know about our lives. She never talked about herself,” the Beach to Beacon volunteer said.
Joan’s mode of conduct is not a once-a-year act – far from it. At the wake for a popular Bowdoin College athletic coach nearly a decade ago, Joan arrived without makeup and wearing a gray dress.
She made a sincere attempt to remain as inconspicuous as an internationally known athlete could. She offered warm words to the family of the deceased.
Do Maine, New England and the United States have a better ambassador of humility, grace and dignity? The answer is an emphatic “No,” and I’m sure Karen Rand McWatters would agree.
Morton G. Soule
Portland
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