Rozner: A way to honor the legacy of Bob Frisk

It seems as if there are few certainties anymore.

Perhaps it always feels that way, every passing year a bullet train in a world more cynical, that there are fewer people you can count on to be genuine and giving.

Bob Frisk was one of those rare people.

In the 10 months since he died, I have thought often of the legendary Daily Herald sports editor, his brilliant career serving as the beacon in a newspaper fog, calling on his wisdom in times of struggle.

Always aware of the many decades he served the business, Frisk didn't want to be like the dinosaurs that hang around and beg for table scraps, screaming at the clouds.

He stayed relevant by staying true to the comforting tenets that still work today, like family, children, decency and education, a punchline for the vitriolic too self-absorbed to understand what works for the rational among us.

Perceived as Pollyanna by the eternally frustrated, Frisk whistled through the day, looking forward to the smell of a high school gym, the sound of a band, the lights on a cool Friday night, and a warm breeze as sprinters passed a baton.

And when he arrived, he was the king.

During the worst of times, high school sports were his grand distraction, and during the best of times those same events were the perfect culmination to a grand day.

He embraced that which made him happy, an existential concept so foreign to some that it was nearly impossible to understand how the simple could be so satisfying.

Consistency is reassuring, one of many characteristics that drew us to him. Bob Frisk was the good amid a mounting sea of evil.

And so I arrive with hat in hand today, asking you to consider a gift in his name. The "Bob Frisk Legacy Fund" benefits students and schools, and can be directed to a specific school district, with a way to honor the public service of a great man.

• In District 211, they will use collected funds to support highly in-need students.

• In District 214, the money will be used to support curriculum and plans that enhance the journalism program.

• In District 220, they will use the funds to further the mission of encouraging curiosity, inspiring students' passion for learning and career explorations, providing enriching opportunities and teacher grants.

All money will be processed through the District 214 Education Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting student success and innovation beyond the limitations of conventional funding for public education.

It has been a very difficult year for the neediest among us, and schools and at-risk students have been hit hard.

Maybe you've been wondering how you can help and this is one small way. If you love high school sports and care about education, two items so dear to Frisk's heart, anything you can give would be of direct benefit to causes he supported with his every breath.

In these troubled times, there are few certainties and even fewer safe havens, but this is one Frisk helped to carve out with 50 years of writing about and supporting that which mattered most to him.

With a legendary love of the games we all played, we are in debt for the way in which he argued for the best from, and the best for, high schools and their athletes. He believed deeply in education and competition - and that competition offered some of the best education.

Here's a small chance to give a little something back in the name of Bob Frisk, in the name of someone who gave us so much.

His love of life and generosity of spirit lives on in those for whom he cared so deeply.

To donate, click here and choose the district you'd like to send your donation.