His names is Thomas Reardon but I doubt anyone knows him by that name. He’s like Madonna and Oprah — his legend has outgrown the need for two names. He’s simply known as Sparky and he’s the Dean of Students of Ole Miss. But not for long. After nearly 37 years, he’s retiring.
As the video at last night’s retirement gala said, it’s the end of the Sparky Era.
If you went to Ole Miss or had a child who went there, you know Sparky. Sometimes because someone was in trouble. But most of the time it was because of his guidance. I’ve joked that Sparky is the only person who has 5,000 Facebook friends and actually knows them all. You can’t walk on the Square without someone stopping to talk to him. Usually it is someone wanting to say hello. But frequently it is someone seeking his advice. Director/Producer Tate Taylor told me the story how Sparky encouraged him to leave Corporate America and pursue a career in the entertainment business. I’m sure you could fill Vaught-Hemingway Stadium with people who have similar stories. I know I’ve appreciated his insight into my own career. Sparky’s a smart guy who knows a thing or two about institutional leadership. Just hearing him tell stories is worth your time.
Sparky gave a fantastic speech talking about the highlights and heartbreaks of his career. He outlasted numerous Chancellors, football coaches, U.S. Presidents and Popes. And there were the special students who he guided to promising careers after college. Then he talked about the heartbreaks. The sadness of losing a favorite student who died tragically after a freak accident. And the absolute tragedy of the 1987 accident that took the lives of five Chi Omega sorority sisters. There were several peaks and valleys in his time at Ole Miss. At the end, the crowd was on their feet. And why not? Sparky deserves a standing ovation.
It was like the end of It’s A Wonderful Life. In his speech, he quoted George Bailey’s guardian angel Clarence Oddbody’s famous line, “No man is a failure who has friends.” But I also think about Clarence’s other quote, “”Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”
Thankfully Sparky will still be around. But life after the Sparky Era won’t be the same.
Well-said Marshall.
You can’t go back home again, or return to the Ole Miss of your past, unless you went to the Sparky Reardon Retirement Gala, in which case you did go back home.
On March 29, back home went hundreds of kindred spirits with many ties that bind, not the least of them being Sparky. A lot of reminiscing occurred, but one more great Ole Miss memory was made that night, and shared by all.
Three cheers for the Gala Co-Chairmen Campbell McCool, Printz Bolin, and Hu Meena…and a million cheers for Sparky.