Homeless Man with a Golden Voice

 I live in Columbus, Ohio.  We have homeless people like the rest of the country.  But today we have a very famous homeless person.  Ted Williams was interviewed by a Columbus Dispatch reporter two days ago and the video was placed on the newspaper website.  Within two days it had gone viral on YouTube and Ted Williams life had changed forever. 

He has had a life full of ups and down with the downs being more prevalent in recent years.  He used to work in radio, but drugs, alcohol and crime got a hold of him sending him into a spiral that resulted in homelessness, panhandling and sleeping in a tent. 

He is an engaging man to watch (he was on the Today Show this morning) and has a deferential politeness that harkens back to a different time.  He is kind, considerate and grateful, and he also has a golden voice - one of those great radio voices.  As he said on the Today Show, it's amazing his voice has remained so strong considering the abuse his body has taken over the years.

As of this morning, he has been offered a job by the Cleveland Cavalier (no not to play for them, although they could use some help), and by Kraft to do voice over work to market their Kraft Macaroni and Cheese.  He is in the middle of a media maelstrom that may change his life forever. 

This is the crazy world we live in now, where you can be homeless one day and on the Today Show talking to Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira the next. 

I wish Ted well with his new-found fame.  Recovering from addictions is tough and steering clear of future temptations in the midst of new pressures and demands won’t be easy.  He deserves a break and I hope he can ride this wave to a positive future.

He’s a man that could be any man or woman we pass on the street; the ones we’re a bit afraid of, the ones we hesitate to help, the ones we figure will take our dollar and buy some booze.  We may just be wrong about that.  Ted Williams is a perfect example of why we should always take a second look before driving away.