Kent Alexander Gone But Not Forgotten

Only God knows for sure what happened on the night of December 7, 2007. A husband and his wife of twelve years argued and left for separate rooms. The next day the husband’s lifeless body was discovered in the kitchen, a stab wound to the abdomen. Investigators arrived and immediately suspected his wife of the murder. A small southern town buried their hero a few days later, the same day the wife- who claimed no memory of the incident- was arrested and formally charged. The hometown folks were shocked and saddened to bid their native son farewell. During his glory days, he was the star quarterback, leading scorer in basketball, and the ace pitcher on the baseball team. He was the guy all the guys wanted to be, and the guy all the girls wanted to be with. And suddenly he was gone. To make matters worse, he had apparently fallen at the hands of an outsider. Someone nobody except his family in the small town had ever met. He had moved away and most folks had lost touch. But they hadn’t forgotten their hero. His legacy and legend were historic. His best childhood friend spoke at the funeral, being careful to accentuate the positive and cherish the priceless memories instead of lamenting the strange circumstances of his death. Two years passed. The heroes’ former wife remained in jail until the trial. By all accounts, a conviction would be a slam dunk. But on January 18, 2010, the heroes’ former wife was acquitted. And a small southern town was left to endure the pain all over again. Some of them gathered at his graveside on the afternoon of the verdict and chose again to remember the positives. Like most red-blooded Americans, the citizens of that small town love their country and respect its judicial system. But they were confused. The judicial jargon and the complex wording of technical technicalities evaded them. All they knew was that their hometown hero was gone and nobody would be held accountable. The story had apparently ended. But they noticed something miraculous had occurred along the way. They had come together. They had united in a cause. They had reached out and reconnected with each other. Suddenly folks who hadn’t seen or heard from each other in years were embracing and expressing their love for each other. The second baseman and the shortstop on the old high school baseball team hugged. The former mayor shared a heartwarming remembrance of his fallen friend. Another friend reminded everyone that beneath the macho exterior- existed a warm, sensitive human being who respected his elders and treasured his friends. The story hadn’t ended after all. A chapter in the book had concluded but pages to be filled remained. Memories to be remembered. Connections to be reconnected. Friends to be befriended. The hometown hero had done it again, bringing his former community together again. Only God knows what happened on that fateful night in 2007. But I- the shortstop and recipient of the quarterback’s pinpoint passes- know this much. My North Carolina hometown of Cherryville lost one of its heroes, and I lost my best childhood friend, Kent Alexander. And though our hearts have now been broken twice, the memory of the one who enriched our lives will endure forever.