Manute Bol held a special place in my heart. He was almost a tragic figure – seen as a joke amongst many basketball fans – a 7’7″ freak of nature. This Dinka tribesman made the impossible journey from war-torn southern Sudan to somehow play basketball in the NBA. What I admired most about Manute however was how he gave back. Like his fellow African counterpart, Dikembe Mutumbo, Manute Bol worked tirelessly to help foment change back home often to the detriment of his own financial security.
RIP Manute – you entertained me and reminded me of how lucky those of us in the U.S. are when compared to the hardships endured by those throughout much of the world.
Rob lives and works in the town of Jackson, MS where he leads the interactive department at an awesome advertising and branding agency. Life is slower than most places in Mississippi, and Rob tends to like it that way. Some of his favorite life experiences include sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a 44ft sloop, learning to speak Swahili while living along the lower slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and zipping along the curviest of Mississippi country roads in his VW Rabbit.