I considered killing someone when I was a child — it would have been justified, but what would that have done to my life’s journey? My dear friend, Michael Gallagher, set out as a teenager to shoot the owner of the company that was responsible for the death of his beloved father. At the last minute, he changed his mind. What would his life have looked like if he hadn’t reversed course?
Mike called me weeks ago to tell me he was dying — his big heart was beyond further repair. He expressed gratitude for our friendship. This is a man who endured horrific tragedies, and yet he was so sad that it was his time to go; he loved life that much. That was a tough conversation I’m fortunate to have had with a class act. Others got similar calls as he reached out during his last days to thank people for their impact upon his life.
I first met Mike when he served as the dean of the College of Business at Idaho State University. He directed a search committee I served upon. Its mission was to hire a key administrative figure at ISU, and the process became explosive when allegations of racism were unfairly bandied about. Big egos and high emotions swirled in the room as several of us rose to quit the process in protest. Somehow Mike corralled that explosive energy; he settled the group down, regained control, and good decisions were made.
Mike and I developed a friendship after that committee work, and I met his wife, Flo, and daughter, Lauren. I helped Mike sheetrock a cabin he was building near the Tetons while our families socialized. Mike was intensely driven. He was hard to know back then — he kept a lot inside. Mike’s keen mind compelled him to figure out how things worked. He was a handy man about the house.
Flo, his salty, wise-cracker of a wife, tempered Mike’s serious side — she loved laughing at life. No matter the subject, at some point Flo had you in stitches. She was seriously hurt in a bad accident in the Center Street underpass when a driver hit her traveling in the wrong lane. Flo had no memory of the accident, but she broke her middle finger as she went down; I teased her regarding that compelling circumstantial evidence.
Mike and Flo came from humble beginnings in Texas. His father was a blue-collar worker. He did not come from a background that would portend his eventual rise to become the president of Mesa State College. Mike also served as the interim president at Idaho State University.
According to Mike, during his courtship with Flo, she vomited on their first date. Romance still flourished, and after a fast courtship, Mike said Flo popped the question and he gratefully accepted; he was no fool.
This newspaper could be filled with a summary of Mike’s accomplishments. He sent me a copy several years ago of the detailed family history he wrote for his grandchildren — it’s a fascinating compilation complimented by photos from his military service, world travel, professional achievements, romance and adventure. Gallagher’s ability to recall minute details from the past spoke to his brilliant mind.
Many of us know of the horrific tragedy when Mike’s best friend and Flo were murdered in an incident of gun rage by a stranger. The only reason Mike survived is because the perpetrator had emptied his gun. The wife of Mike’s friend had also been shot, but she survived because Mike frantically raced to the hospital knowing she had a chance to live. How do you come back from something like that? You don’t, but Mike did.
My friend eventually emerged from that darkness. He met and married Yvette, the woman he spent the last years of his life with. Yvette is another salty character — Mike liked women who brought fire to the table. They stayed with me in Pocatello, and I visited them several times in the various homes they lived in near Park City, Utah. Mike was always working on house projects, and he volunteered at Deer Valley to obtain ski privileges. He and Yvette attended Burning Man in northwest Nevada — they traveled the world.
It was during those visits after Flo’s death that Mike opened his heart to me. Tragedy has a way of stripping away our walls of defense. We had some of the most heartfelt conversations I have experienced in my life. I marvel at his strength in coming back from so much pain; he was inspirational.
Michael Gallagher lived several lifetimes during his time on earth. He loved the new family that came into his life after that tragic event in Colorado. His daughter brought him the gift of two beautiful grandchildren — his only sadness was that Flo never met them.
The following excerpts come from Mike’s history:
“I have a simple philosophy about life that has helped me to cope with adversity. I see life as similar to a colorful painting filled with light and darkness. The contrast, or balance between the darkness and light is what gives the painting its depth and beauty. It’s the same with life, as the contrast between devastating experiences and good ones only serves to enhance the good times. …
“God has blessed me with a wonderful life. … In some small way I hope that my life’s activities and decisions have helped lay the foundation for a better world. … Life isn’t always fair or rational, but it is and will continue to be the best that we can make it together. … What happens to you in life is not as important as how you deal with it.”
As a teenager, Michael Gallagher fortunately chose that first proper path, and we are better for having known this extraordinary man who definitely improved the world. Mike observed that the greatest compliment anyone could pay him was to say, “I’m glad I knew him; he was my friend.”
(1) comment
Judging by how bad the democrats are screwing up this country, voting for Biden was not the right path.
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