00:00Continuing with the topic of inspiration, may I throw in the word motivation?
00:08I don't think Danny had any idea that he was teaching a course on management on a thousand other topics,
00:15but I'll just choose two or three things that Danny taught me nearly 35 years ago when he hired me in the big 95.7KML.
00:22Every morning, Danny would come by and say, hi, Don, having a great day, handshake, high five, and a smile.
00:30Every day.
00:31And I've stolen that.
00:34And it occurred to me, Danny, the smile that you gave me, you didn't have to, but it made a difference.
00:38I can give that smile away to somebody else and hopefully make their day a little bit better.
00:43I don't think Danny had any idea.
00:46Danny took time, unbelievably, to write notes.
00:48I'll bet you I have 200.
00:50Happy birthday, thank you.
00:52Thinking of you, happy anniversary to you and your bride, Debbie.
00:55I don't know how he had time to do that, but he did.
00:57Those notes mean so dog-homish.
00:59They meant a lot.
01:00Then they mean more now.
01:01But I learned that from Danny Highsmith.
01:04Speaking of notes, oh, I mentioned the word wrote, keyword wrote.
01:07He wrote birthday cards to everybody.
01:11He also threw out some phone calls as well.
01:13But a friend of mine, unbelievably, when I see this retired pastor in Charlotte, he says,
01:17Don, my family forgot about my birthday.
01:20Danny Highsmith didn't forget about my birthday.
01:22But Danny, if you're listening, thank you so much for those birthday wishes.
01:26And how Danny had time to be not only an awesome general manager, a leader of a great radio sales administrative engineering team in downtown Fayetteville with the Big 95-7.
01:39But Danny had the opportunity to be part of about 75 civic organizations as president, vice president, and treasurer.
01:47And if you ask Danny, he'll just poo-poo all that.
01:50But he was so doggone involved locally.
01:52And also, in addition to running the Big 95-7, Danny was part of a broadcast team for Duke Blue Devils basketball.
02:00I get to work, as a Tar Heel fan, I get to work with a Blue Devil who's part of the radio team.
02:06So, again, Danny probably never realized any of this, all the things he was teaching.
02:10And I was able to thank goodness be a sponge and absorb that.
02:14So all I could say if Danny were here today is a thank you, thank you, thank you so much.
