[MOofficial]

I just wanted to share an email I received and how amazing this business is to us. It doesn't matter if we are working 5th grade c team rec or the NCAA Championship, this touches us all. This took place during the devastating tornado that ripped through Moore, OK. This does not take anything away from the horrific tragedy that took place down there but it is rather to shine light on to the best profession in the world.

I have switched the names of the parties involved but will give some background on them. This father who sent this email works D1/D2 in the Midwest. The official he contacted, who I replaced his name with "D1" for the obvious reason that this official works D1 all over the country, and the daughters name was changed as well.

Good morning all,

Although (as we would expect) he says, “I didn’t do anything”, I must give a huge thanks to D1 today and tell of an event that should remind us all of the value of friendship and how blessed we are to be in the officiating brotherhood. My 20 year old daughter, Rebecca, was driving home alone from Texas A&M to Kansas City yesterday and came upon the Moore, OK tornado ruins about an hour after it happened. She had about a quarter of a tank of gas left when she became stuck in traffic on I-35. She sat for hours, barely moving, with me on the other end of her “slowly dying” cell phone trying to figure out what to do. When the interstate completely closed down she was redirected into the heart of the almost total devastation and followed along the only available route until she became totally lost with very little gas. When she tried to deviate from the main course every turn she made led to a dead end with roads closed in all directions it seemed. There were few landmarks or street signs left to determine her location and all power was out. When on the main road it was still ‘bumper to bumper” with little or no movement which was steadily consuming her increasingly precious fuel. At this point the most poised and tough young lady that I know of was completely distraught and finally pulled over in what was left of a pizza place to save what little gas she had left. We had slim hopes of the traffic clearing and it seemed pointless to sit in traffic and completely empty the tank. After awhile several guys approached her vehicle making her uncomfortable so she moved to a spot very near the big Moore Water Tower that stands as a major landmark in the area. I was a helpless father with no idea what to tell her to do. We had already called Triple A and after much time and effort they called back and said they could not get to her. We were now many hours into the ordeal with the threat of darkness looming. It looked as though Rebecca would be abandoning her Jeep and spending the night alone in a shelter of some sort. In an act of fatherly desperation, I called D1. Tears come to my eyes at this moment as I reflect on D1's actions and sacrifice in the next SEVERAL HOURS and I will be forever grateful. He found a way to maneuver through traffic, and all imaginable hell, to get to Rebecca. Ultimately, after driving as close to the water tower as was permitted, he ended up walking the last COUPLE OF MILES carrying a gas can. He rescued her at nightfall and took her to spend the night with him and his family. I know there are others in this tragedy that are far worse off having lost homes and loved ones, but for me personally this was a truly heroic act for which I am eternally grateful. And the beauty of our brotherhood lies in the fact that in so many areas of this great country, we all have friends we can call on in our hour of need. God bless you all…

Sincerely,

Concerned Father