Loran Smith: On Vern Lundquist

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Loran Smith: On Vern Lundquist

Loran Smith
Loran Smith

Lundquist, who makes his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, with a second home in Austin, Tex., returned to Dallas last week to speak to the employees of NAI Robert Lynn, a successful real estate agency.  Mark Miller, a former Texas football letterman, invited Lundquist to share some of his Cowboy moments with the group at the company’s annual luncheon.

As you might expect, if you know Lundquist, his presentation was a big hit with the group.  He regaled him with his colorful stories for over 50 minutes which were followed by a Q and A session that could have continued past suppertime if Verne had been up for it.

 

 

 

 

He told a lot of Cowboys stories, dating back to those days when he was the radio voice of the team’s network, as Tom Landry developed an NFL powerhouse, winning two Super Bowls.

Observing Verne’s natural ability to connect with his audience was a reminder that CBS probably never fully appreciated Verne’s being one of the greatest ambassadors that the network has ever had.

Most announcers tend to be private, but Verne, who never went anywhere without his lovely wife, Nancy, was very “social.”   He never met a dinner party he didn’t like.   Being the grand raconteur that he is, he “made” the party wherever he went.

 

 

 

 

He made friends with the athletic staff of the schools which hosted CBS from week to week.   He was always making the local folk feel good.  He never flew off the handle.  He never had a brush with controversy, and he never found fault with anything, and he always left the guests laughing.

During his remarks to Mark Miller’s real estate group, nobody whispered to a neighbor.  Nobody took a break, and nobody asked an insulting question.

Said one long-time salesman, who grew up in Athens, one of Verne’s favorite places, “We have had many interesting speakers, but Verne is the only one who made us laugh for an hour.”

 

 

 

 

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