Longtime sports broadcaster Skip Caray died Sunday at the age of 68. Much about Caray we know. He was the voice of the Atlanta Braves for 33 years. He was there when Ted Turner transformed the Atlanta television station, WTBS, into a cable superstation. He was the son of legendary Chicago Cub’s announcer Harry Caray. And his “Braves win, Braves win” rang loud and often (irritatingly so for a Pirates and Astros fan) since the late ‘80s.
Other things were not so well known. He devoted many hours to volunteer work. Much of it with Camp Twin Lakes, a Rutledge, Georgia camp for kids with special needs. And according to several news reports Caray also worked with the Hemophilia Association.
Why wasn’t this more known?
I assume by Hemophilia Association it is meant Hemophilia of Georgia. Perhaps he became associated with hemophilia through his involvement with Camp Twin Lakes, the location for the Georgia hemophilia camp. But I don’t know and would like to know more.
Many folks donate time, money and effort out of a sheer sense of purpose. They ask nothing in return preferring the anonymity of their charity. God bless them. They are dearly needed. But at the same time this bleeding disorders community is desperate for a national voice or identity. We are such a small community yet with such great needs that there has to be a better effort to make use of the connections we have and to garner more. Even though celebrities like Skip Caray are more niche (sports) or regional, when good people like him are associated with causes like hemophilia it can only reflect well on the bleeding disorders community and perhaps encourage someone else of notoriety to lend a hand.
I’m glad to know the folks of Georgia had a good friend in Skip Caray. Too bad many of us learned of it only at his passing.
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