Steadfastly Principled. Arthur Iworsley’s impact on his friends and family and on the students he coached and taught will never be fully described no matter how many words are written; and there will be many. But those two words, steadfastly principled, are the most apt words I can find to describe that root cause characteristic within Art that consistently governed his words and actions, and that I believe caused so many of us to love and appreciate him.

I first met Arthur Iworsley at indoor track practice at Lawrence High School in 1962 or 1963. Art could run fast and jump far. And, not to diminish his plentiful athletic ability, but a lot of people can run fast and jump far. The first important thing I noticed about Art, was that he was a loving and caring brother to Kevin. Then I noticed that unlike us yokels who were his teammates, Arthur never teased or made fun of another person, never. He never swore or cussed, never. He never clowned around to torment the coach, never. He never bad-mouthed anyone, never. At the proverbial fork in the road when that guy with the horns and pitchfork was on our shoulders, Art Iworsley always veered onto the moral high ground, even if he went that way alone.

Sounds like a bit of a stuffed shirt, doesn’t he? But add in Arthur’s ready smile, sense of humor, welcoming friendship, and the fact that we knew he was doing the right thing; and we had in Arthur, a great teammate, a guy we could count on to “do his job.” And though we may not have realized until years later, we also had an effective “teacher” and life coach. So it was, that I woke up one day in my forties and realized that of all the people I had ever known, Art Iworsley was the only one whose moral compass had always, in all of my observations, pointed true moral.

About seven years ago, I sent a letter to Art at the West Elementary school asking him to call me. He called the day he received the letter and we arranged to have coffee together. That meeting began the discussions that would lead us to the Always Forward Project. In the intervening seven years, Art and I enjoyed many more coffees together. During that entire seven years, Arthur Iworsley never teased or made fun of another person, never. He never swore or cussed, never. He never clowned around to torment the wait staff, never. He never bad-mouthed anyone, never. And to boot, he drove his car on solar power, and always recycled. Steadfastly principled.

Tom O’Donohue, Director of the Always Forward Project.