TABLE TALK 20

“I’m seated aboard a beautiful yacht with film star and magician John Calvert and SWAT Team Leader Chuck Curtis. Gents, what personal qualities did you detect when you first met Richard?”

“Jon,” Calvert says, “I would say tenacity. Tammy and I often reminisce about the visitors we have had on board our boat The Magic Castle as we sailed around the world. Richard had a deck of cards in his hand one day at the table. In amazement I asked him, ‘do you sleep with a deck of cards in your hand?’ He said he did. He also told me he would not trade his ability with the cards for the return of his vision.”

“John, tenacity is right!” Curtis says, “I recall my misgivings when my karate instructor Mr. Douglas asked me to teach Rick to shoot.”

“What?” Calvert asks, “Shoot, as with a firearm?”  

“That’s right,” Curtis replies. “Having been a SWAT Team Leader for a number of years I was well-versed in the handling of a variety of firearms and supervised the SWAT Team firearm qualification shoots but, teach a blind man to shoot a handgun? As it turned out he was an excellent student and displayed no pre-conceived notion of how to proceed.”

“I’m also a trained marksman,” Calvert admits. “How did Richard know where to aim the gun?”  

Curtis replies, “Rick listened and followed my instructions. I would throw a rock at a target and from that he learned to handle a firearm safely, which was my primary goal, and to hit a target following sounds, which was his goal.”