I would venture to guess that during your childhood you probably knew someone who was similar to the famous cartoon character Bart Simpson in that they displayed a rather light-hearted deviance that always kept everyone laughing. Maybe Calvin, from the iconic comic strip Calvin and Hobbes would be a better comparison for this person due to his quick wit and memorable one-liners. Well, for those of us who grew up in St. Luke Parish, on the corner of Bunts Road and Clifton Boulevard in Lakewood, Ohio, Dave McGlynn was that legendary kid who seemed to encapsulate the traits of both Bart and Calvin in a way that was not only endearing but bigger than life.
Every March, those closest to Dave—someone the world lost way too soon—put together the annual David M. McGlynn Knockout Tournament in memory of an individual who was a light to all who knew him. There’s an oft-used expression about God “breaking the mold” after He created certain people, and I think that would be the best way to describe the wiry-built, buzzcut-sporting, red-haired, freckle-faced kid that my older sister Julie once dubbed “Dave Shave.”
Throughout his 35 years on Earth, Dave, the third of six McGlynn children, was best friends with my younger brother, Peter, and their buddy, Anthony. The three of them were inseparable as kids—much like The Three Stooges, with Anthony playing the part of Moe, Dave as Larry, and Pete being Curly, and they may have been just as entertaining! Dave and Anthony were essentially like brothers to all the Fox siblings.
You never knew when Dave would show up at our house; he only lived two streets over, and at times would suddenly just seem to appear out of nowhere! He was also the only person on the Westside of Cleveland who would eat the off-brand orange-pineapple cookies my father bought on super sale and often tried to pass off on us! Dave was always around. It didn’t even matter if no one was home. One time I remember being dropped off from a basketball practice, and as I entered what I thought was an empty house, there was Dave on the couch watching TV while enjoying a bowl of cereal!
Dave fit in with all social groups. From athletes to skaters to band kids—he was able to assimilate with everyone. He was also notoriously fearless, teaching himself to rollerblade, among other things, and according to his little brother Jimmy, broke at least one bone a year, thus helping his folks always hit their deductible and out-of-pocket max from Emergency Room trips. Those ER visits were probably the result of his attempts at a variety of tricks like his famous “fakey fakey 180.”
According to Anthony, Dave was always experimenting with different haircuts. Besides rocking the flat top, he would also shave different designs into his head. One summer he shaved an arrow and told people it represented his gang name “Arrowhead.” Of course, Dave McGlynn was never in a gang. His hair was both a “blessing and a burden” as he once wrote in a paper for school. According to him, this was because it was always easy for the teachers at Saint Luke to say, “The red head did it!”
In 25 years of teaching, every time I hear a colleague say, “So and so is a class clown” it doesn’t matter what they look like, I can only see Dave’s face. Maybe that’s why I am never bothered by those students who play this role in my classrooms—for the most part they are mere amateurs compared to the guy many called, McGoo!
There are some legendary stories about Dave at St. Luke. He gave our teachers a real run for their money, but in a way that always brought a smile. At one point, when asked about two D’s on his report card by his less-than-thrilled parents, he responded that “the two D’s are for David.” Among his many talents, Dave could also do a spot-on imitation of just about every faculty member who taught at our now defunct Catholic grade school.
Dave always had a big heart. You could see it not only in how he treated others, but also animals, particularly a stray dog he found behind the old 7-Eleven on Detroit Avenue. “Lucky” followed Dave around for about week or two before he brought the disheveled looking wiener dog with rancid breath back to the McGlynn house on Giel—I’m sure much to the chagrin of his parents.
As Dave grew older, he became a master in the kitchen, working in local establishments like Merry Arts and PJ McIntyre’s. He drove a variety of unique cars that matched his big personality. Eventually, he found a home with the steel workers, met and married the love of his life, Rachael, and became a dad to his son, Luke David.
There is a powerful line from the movie A River Runs Through It that will forever remind me of Dave McGlynn. It’s towards the end of the film, after Brad Pitt’s character, Paul, tragically passes away. Please watch the clip before continuing to read.
Dave, too, was beautiful. No doubt he is always in the thoughts of many, especially his wife and son, his wonderful parents Dave and Linda, his big brothers Brendan and Owen, his little brothers Kevin and Jimmy, and his fellow redhead and baby sister, Mary Pat. And while we struggle to comprehend why we were only blessed with 35 years of this one-of-a-kind human being, we can choose every day to love each other just as he loved us, even without complete understanding of why God called him home so soon.
The NCAA Tourney is a perfect time to celebrate Dave McGlynn’s life. One of my favorite moments to watch comes after a big win, when the head coach of the winning team gets drenched with water by his or her ecstatic players after bursting into the locker room—maybe that’s what it will be like when we enter into our eternal reward and walk through heaven’s gates. No doubt Dave will be excitedly waiting for each one of us, with a bottle of water in each hand, ready to welcome us home as only he could.
-Tommy O’Sionnach
Easily his best one!!!!!
I do miss my buddy Dave.