IS ENOUGH ENOUGH ?

Should we compare our lives, or just live them?

When Apple’s Steve Jobs died last month, the accolades predictably poured in. Jobs was called “visionary,” “brilliant” and a “genius” by those who knew him as well as those who did not. His impact on our lives was debated and discussed, with the general consensus that without Jobs, our lives would be somewhat less than they are today.

Jobs was hailed as someone who truly made a difference in others’ lives, and in his case, he made a difference in so many peoples’ lives that it seemed to validate the idea that his was a life well-lived.

In a way, his life has become a kind of ideal, a measuring stick for the rest of us slogging along life’s pothole-filled highway.

In this same context, our youngest son has been completing college entrance applications, most of which require applicants to answer an essay question or two or three to demonstrate why he should be admitted to the school. What’s unspoken is that our son’s essay, test scores and recommendations will be measured and judged against all comers; some will win the golden key, many more will walk away with something other than what they wanted.

One of the essays our son wrote talked about his interest in “making his mark” in the world, his desire to become wellknown and well-respected for accomplishing something with his life.

As I read his comments, and as I thought about Jobs’ life, I was struck with a deceptively simple thought: How much of a positive impact do we need to have on others so that we are judged to have “made our mark” and lived a worthwhile life?

Clearly, Jobs was a once-in-a-generation talent. His zeal for perfection and his sense of design made him and his products household names throughout the world.

Meanwhile, our son is just getting started in the life-building business. He has desire, tools and personality, but what are the odds that when all is said and done, he or any of the rest of us, for that matter — will be judged equal to or greater than Steve Jobs? More to the point, how close do we have to come to that ideal — assuming Jobs and his life are ideals — to be judged “successful” when the final bell is rung?

At this point in his life, our son isn’t burdened much by comparisons or equivocations. His life is in front of him, and he has no reason to worry about limitations or road blocks or measuring up to anyone else.

In a way, Steve Jobs’ life has become a kind of measuring stick for the rest of us slogging along life’s pothole-filled highway.

The hyper-involved senior citizens we’ve written about in this month’s magazine are at the other end of that life scale — they’ve lived a good portion of their lives, and they’re still active, still involved and still impacting others. Collectively, they’re volunteering at a clip that belies their age and puts many of us to shame.

But there’s still that question nagging at me.

Do they, or do we, need to measure up to Jobs to be deemed “successful” when all is said and done?

It’s an interesting point to consider, when we run out of other things to worry about: In life, how much is enough?

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Q&A: Bill Melton

Oak Cliff native and former Dallas County Treasurer Bill Melton has served as sports announcer for the Dallas Cowboys, University of Texas football games, the Texas Rangers and even the Olympic Games. A former president of the Oak Cliff Lions Club, Melton reflects on watching the evolution of Oak Cliff, getting to know Tom Landry and being a part of Olympic history.

You have an impressive résumé for someone for whom announcing was just a hobby. How did you get started?

I attended the University of Texas and majored in radio and TV. [Melton was head cheerleader at UT and got to fire “Smokey” the cannon at the first-ever UT National Championship football win in 1963.] After graduation in 1964, I really wanted to be on air, so I took a job with a radio station in Austin. I soon realized it wasn’t the profession for me and went into management, but I kept my announcing skills fine-tuned by working UT freshman football games.

What did you enjoy most about announcing for the Dallas Cowboys?

I served as the pregame and halftime announcer for the Dallas Cowboys from 1968 to1977. Watching Coach Tom Landry was really something. He was such a great, Christian man who loved his wife and family and stayed true to who he was. He was tough on his players, but never asked them to do anything that he wouldn’t do himself. He reeked of professionalism and courtesy. Another great Cowboys memory came in 1971. Roger Staubach was quarterback at the time, and the team was playing the San Francisco 49ers at Texas Stadium. We won that game and qualified for Super Bowl VI in New Orleans, where the Dallas Cowboys would beat the Miami Dolphins and win their first Super Bowl championship.

Do you have a favorite moment from your career in announcing?

There are many, but the moment that stands out most is from the women’s soccer finals at the 1996 Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games. This was the first time women’s soccer had been added to the program of the Summer Olympics, and Team USA had made it to the finals. They were up against China for the gold medal, and there were 76,481 people in the crowd — at the time the largest crowd in the world to attend a women’s sporting event. At halftime, the teams were tied one to one, and then Team USA beat China. It was an amazing moment. In all the excitement, I suddenly realized that I didn’t have a script for the award ceremony. I stayed calm and announced each woman on the team, and I got chills down my spine when I got to say, “Ladies and gentlemen, the winners of the 1996 Women’s Soccer Olympic gold, the United States of America!”

Tell me about your experience growing up in Oak Cliff.

I grew up on North Winnetka and went to Rosemont Elementary. We were four houses off Seventh and the Seventh Street streetcar that went downtown. Gene Autry’s Kessler Theater was just around the corner, and my father rented the front room of our house to the manager of The Kessler, his wife and his son. I also remember that when I was little, there were the most wonderful dances held at Kiest Park. I recently attended my 50th high school reunion at Sunset. It was the greatest high school in Dallas. In 1957, Sunset’s basketball team was No. 1 in the state, and we received the Sanger trophy — created by Sanger Brothers department store and awarded to the top athletic school. My senior year, the trophy disappeared. It was just recently found, restored, and is now on display at The Old Red Courthouse.

After UT, you went on to have a fruitful career. What are some of the highlights?

Holiday Reminders

I had the privilege of serving as Dallas County Treasurer for more than 25 years. During that time, I got approval to improve the highway system in and around Oak Cliff, and I helped lobby Congress for Joe Pool Lake. I’ve actually stood in the Lake before it had any water. It was initially going to be named Lakeview Reservoir, but Joe Pool himself helped get it passed, so it was given the name Joe Pool Lake. In 1980-81, I helped convince the treasury to purchase its first PC and started the first online banking system in Texas. But probably my biggest legacy is instituting the Bloomberg system, making Dallas the second county treasurer’s office in the country to have its own Bloomberg system, which tracks market data.

—Meghan Riney