Stories from the Center of the Universe Paul Gilman

John Hollis comes back to the podcast for the second time to talk about a book he wrote about SSG Rodney Davis. The Making of a Hero is a book about the actions of one man in one of the bloodiest and deadliest battles in the Vietnam War. John’s book focused on SSG Rodney Davis and how his act of heroism saved several lives. John talked about where Rodney came from and why he joined the United States Marine Corps. John told the story about the battle, about Rodney and how his selfless act of sacrifice surprised a lot of people once the details became public. Paul learned about what John had to go through to research his book and the incredible people he knows who helped him. They also discussed an upcoming trip that John will be taking to Vietnam with a group including SSG Davis’ daughter Nikki Davis. The story of SSG Davis is incredible and the book has received much acclaim for telling the story of such an amazing man.

David Thomason is the President of the Virginia Special Olympics and comes to the podcast via a connection with Rick Jeffrey (Episode 278.) David has been with the Special Olympics for thirty-seven years and has held many roles which prepared him to lead this amazing organization. They discussed his life path which has been very unique and full of many great experiences. He went to William and Mary, served in the Peace Corps and cycled across New Zealand. David told Paul about the many incredible places that he has traveled with the Special Olympics. He mentioned some of the famous people that he and the Special Olympics Athletes have met … one in particular on a trip to Dublin, Ireland. They also discussed the important role that music has played in his life. They discussed some of the incredible Special Olympic Athletes he has been around and what he has learned from them. They finished by discussing what he hopes to accomplish in the next few years with the Virginia Special Olympics as well as him telling Paul about his two sons, the pride he has in their many accomplishments and the difference they are making each day.
“If you’re not learning something, you’re not paying attention.” David Thomason

Tyler Owens is back for Part 3 which ties him with Jock Jones for being on the podcast the most! In the first two episodes, Tyler and Paul covered his childhood, his time at VMI and the beginnings of his time in the United States Army. They continued by talking about his mentors in life and about Ranger School. Tyler then described the sprint he went on for the next two and a half years which included Airborne School, getting his own platoon and being deployed. He talked about his deployment to Syria which was different at the time because most of the U.S. Forces there were Special Operations Groups. Paul learned the varied duties that his platoon performed in Syria and the two welcomes he and other soldiers got when they came back to the U.S.A. Tyler and his wife just got back from an incredible trip to South Africa and he talked about how they immersed themselves in the uniqueness of the country. They finished by talking about what Tyler is doing now, some of his future plans and his appreciation for being on the podcast.

Blair Dobbins visits the podcast by way of a previous guest, who intends to marry next month. He grew up in Philadelphia but a lot of his family is from Virginia. That part of his family influenced his early childhood and at times that commonwealth influence didn’t mesh well in Philly. His mom passed away far too early. His widowed father did not do a great job raising Blair due to some personal flaws. Despite these flaws and significant challenges in the school system, Blair eventually excelled in college and graduated from law school. He learned in his forties why he struggled in K-12 but performed at a very high level after high school. He is the proud father of 3 and is excited to be getting married soon.

Rick Jeffrey and Paul met just three weeks ago when Rick was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Rick was inducted primarily due to his work with the Virginia Special Olympics. Rick is from the Richmond area and played many sports at Douglas Freeman High School. He went on to play basketball at Hampden Sydney College and then did some coaching and was a referee after college. He then told Paul the story of how he got involved with the Special Olympics and how that has led to a piece of advice that he gives to young people. Rick spoke about the Special Olympics and how it is not a series of events, but an Experience. He talked about the Virginia Special Olympics and how it grew over the thirty-six years (22 as the CEO/President) he was associated with it as well as the incredible staff that he worked with on a daily basis. He told some amazing stories about several of the athletes and Paul learned about the incredible work the Special Olympics does in schools across the country.

Pictured: John Hollis (R), The Nature Boy Ric Flair (L)
John Hollis joins the podcast via a mutual friend he has with Paul … Mike Woods. John is from Fredericksburg, Va. and grew up with two brothers and his Mom. He talked about his family especially his Mom who raised all three of her boys by herself. She ran a tight ship and John and his brothers were expected to excel in school or their extracurricular sports lives would suffer! John went to Woodberry Forest for high school and then went on to UVA. John told Paul about his time at Woodberry Forest and how it is directly linked to his success in life. They reminisced about their time at UVA and discussed some interesting things that John did while he was there. They talked about John’s career as a journalist and some of the amazing things he has seen and covered in his life. He told Paul about some of the famous people he has interviewed or just met throughout his career. John and Paul had a lot of laughs during this episode and John is scheduled to be back for a second episode.