Your Turn/Gregg Mealiff
When I was a kid, I wanted to be … a professional baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals! Growing up one of five children on the farm, we didn’t always take long vacations in the summer. But, we always made a trip to St. Louis and went to a Cardinals game. I remember all of us bringing our gloves to the game hoping to catch a homerun.
What would you rather be doing right now? Anything outdoors.
Shhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone that … I have a few degrees from college. (I guess I just loved college.) One degree is in turf grass management, and I spent close to a decade in the golf industry. In fact, the current golf course superintendent at Quincy Country Club and I worked together at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Iowa a few years ago.
Other than your wedding day and/or the birth of your children, what was your proudest moment? I know you asked other than the birth of your children, but this pertains to what happened after the birth of our son, Nolan. It’s a long story, but I will try to make it brief. When he was born at the University of Tennessee hospital in Knoxville, we were told he would not live 48 hours, and if he did, he would be in a vegetative state. Now imagine my wife just giving birth to our first child and us having to learn how to place a feeding tube. The doctors wanted to surgically place one, but we told them we wanted to wait a few days as we had not lost hope. Fast forward 96 hours, and praise God, Nolan was taking a bottle on his own. He fights his battles, but he amazes us every day! I couldn’t be prouder of that kid and his resiliency!
It really stinks when … we can’t discuss or debate things. Everyone wants to run to their corner without listening or contemplating the other side. Instead of having open discussions people resort to bullying and name calling. That is reckless.
What word in the dictionary would your face be next to? I would like to think it would be by the word honest or understanding.
I always laugh when … my kids are having a dance/singing party. I’m pretty sure my 4-year-old already has more dance moves than his father ever had.
Invite any three people, living or dead, to dinner. Who are they? Jesus. Who wouldn’t? So many questions I would ask. Albert Einstein. Just because I want to know if he really was as nutty as they say he was! Alexander Hamilton, or one of the other founding fathers of this great country. I want to see what their vision was, understand what they were really trying to design and if they felt it was a success.
At the end of a really long day at work, I like to … just sit on the back patio and relax, go for a walk with the family, wrestle with the kids.
People who knew me in high school thought I was … You probably would need to ask them. But I hope just a good kid who lacked a lot of confidence at that time in his life.
My most unforgettable brush with greatness was … well, this isn’t the most famous person I’ve ever met, but it is probably the best story. My wife graduated from the University of Iowa and was a season ticket holder for the Hawkeye football team (still is actually), so naturally she bought me several Hawkeye shirts over the years. When we moved to Knoxville, Tenn., back in 2010, we lived in these apartments off Campbell Station Road. One afternoon I went up to get my mail, and all of the sudden, I hear this guy shout out “Go Hawks!” Realizing I was wearing a Hawkeye shirt, I looked up and, and it is Bruce Pearl, the head basketball coach for the University of Tennessee at the time. Bruce’s tenure in the coaching ring started at Iowa, so he must have gotten a little excited when he saw my shirt. I just remember saying “Hi, Bruce,” as if we were friends, first name basis and all. Meanwhile, the manager of the apartment complex is fawning over him, and he can see it. So he asks her if she wants an autograph. Of course she does and didn’t hesitate to ask for a picture with him as well. I was asked to take the picture, so I obliged. He then turns to me and asks if I wanted an autograph? No, thank you. A picture? Nope, I’m good. And I walked away. I still remember the confused look on his face. “Who is this guy?” I guess I wasn’t over his attack on the Illinois basketball team in the early ‘90s when he was an assistant at Iowa. Ironically, he was fired for cause from the University of Tennessee about a year later. Yes, I know, I was being a little petty.
I would drop all my plans tonight if I had the chance to … go see old friends.
If someone gave me a million dollars, there is STILL no way I would … eat mayonnaise. That stuff is just gross! But then again, it is a million dollars.
America should be more concerned about … learning to listen to each other. That seems to be a rare thing these days.
I’m OK if there’s ever a national shortage of … pens. I own a business. We always have a lot of pens. You may see one or two around town.
When I’m on the Internet, I always go to … reading stories on the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Bears, fighting Illini or Iowa Hawkeyes. Reading about sports is way better than reading the news lately.
What is the most useful piece of advice you have ever received? I had a professor in college, Karl Schwarzkopf, first cousin to General Norman Schwarzkopf, at least that is what he told us. His favorite saying was “It is better to keep your mouth shut and thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.”
When I’m cruising down the road, I’m likely listening to … podcasts (sports, political or professional development/business). If it is music, I’m usually listening to country.
I always get sentimental when … I hear songs from my high school or college years. For some reason, music always brings back memories for me.
The older I get, the more I realize … the days are long, but the years are short! So live your life!
If I had one “do-over,” I would … go back and invest in Bitcoin when it was nothing, or maybe Apple back in the day. I still remember reading a news article back in the early ‘90s on how Apple was dead. I guess you can’t believe everything you read!
If I’ve learned anything at all … If my son has taught me anything, we all have challenges in life, some more, some less. No matter where you are at, you will get further in life with hard work and a positive attitude rather than focusing on your failures and blaming others.
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