Man's Masters Dreams Come True

So imagine my cool surprise when I'm reading my morning paper (yes, I still subscribe to the tree killing edition of the newspaper) over breakfast and see an article about my brother-in-law's recent trip!
What does his story have to do with sales and recruiting?
One of the themes I've written about is the importance of networking:
Critical-actions-you-must-take-to build your network
Do-I-need-social-networking-to build my Network

Staying in touch with those you know is important professionally, but it is also important personally.
I'm glad they have such good friends and family.
Jeff's story is a great example of how his friends knew people, and because of those connections, could help arrange for this special trip.
I hope all of us have friends like this.
I'm glad he does.

Thanks guys for taking care of Jeff & Barb!
Ev
A Heck of A Nice Guy

Brown Deer resident Jeff Seonbuchner (in wheelchair) attends the Masters with friends and family.

Mans-masters-dreams-come-true
Steve Stricker enhances the trip

by
Gary D'Amato
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

The Augusta National Golf Club was spread out like a rumpled emerald carpet under bright blue skies, the azaleas dazzling in early morning sunshine, expectations hanging like wisteria in the loblolly pines.
It was Saturday of the Masters Tournament, and it couldn't have been more perfect.

Jeff Seonbuchner of Brown Deer was taking it all in from a wheelchair, accompanied by his wife, Barb, and a special group of golf and sheepshead buddies who had lovingly arranged the trip.
Stricken with acute myeloid leukemia, Seonbuchner, 49, had been given between two and 10 months to live in December, after a bone marrow transplant failed.
There is no gentle way to put this: He is terminally ill.

"My friends asked me to put together a list of things I'd like to do before I go," Seonbuchner said in a telephone interview. "Attending the Masters was very high on my list."
Meeting Steve Stricker, a golfer he had long admired, was even higher.
Could his buddies pull it off?

Jim Grogan, the ringleader and a financial planner who counts Seonbuchner among his clients but more importantly among his friends, purchased the Masters tickets on the secondary market. They weren't inexpensive: $1,000 each for seven one-day tickets, $1,200 each for three more. Friends at Northwestern Mutual paid for lodging at a quiet cabin on a lake, halfway between Augusta and Atlanta.

There were challenges along the way.
When the group showed up at the ticket broker's house to pick up the tickets Friday night, he could not produce them. The passes were four-day badges and the broker was depending on each day's users to return them at night so he could re-issue them to the next day's users.
"It was chaos," Grogan said. "People were yelling and screaming. He was sending out bounty hunters to find the passes. As the bounty hunters came walking in, I kind of grabbed the 10 tickets."

Later that night, Jeff, who has trouble walking, fell down some stairs at the cabin but luckily was unhurt.
The biggest challenge, however, was getting Stricker's attention before the third round of the Masters. Grogan, whose brother, Tim, competed in tournaments with Stricker years ago and is now a PGA professional, had sent emails in advance to Stricker but received no response.
Finally, Nicki Stricker emailed Grogan and said the best chance to meet her husband would be to wait for him at the driving range about an hour before his tee time.
He would be preoccupied, of course, but maybe he'd have time to stop and say hello.
"There were no guarantees," Grogan said.

Now, they were waiting, Seonbuchner in the area reserved for wheelchairs, his buddies sitting in the huge grandstand behind the driving range.
An hour before his tee time Stricker walked onto the range.
"Hey, Steve," Grogan called out. "I'm Jim Grogan; my brother is Tim."
Stricker immediately walked over.
"Hey, buddy," he said. "Where's your friend?"
Grogan pointed to Seonbuchner and what happened next was extraordinary. Stricker went over to Seonbuchner, got on his knees and the two spent a few minutes in quiet conversation.

"We didn't really have a lot of time," Seonbuchner said. "He was getting ready to play. He wanted to let me know he was rooting for me. We exchanged pleasantries.
"I didn't get to explain this to him, but we had some small ties. I'm a little older than Steve and I never got to play with him growing up, but I did play with Skip Kendall."
Thousands of fans in the grandstand recognized something special was happening. No other player that morning had stopped to talk to Seonbuchner.
"The crowd is watching and you could sense they were paying attention," Grogan said. "What Stricker was doing was really, really unusual. After he stood up, everybody started applauding. They were yelling, 'Way to go, Steve.' The fans knew what was going on.
"We were all watching this and bawling."

The rest of the day was magical. Stricker shot a 71 and moved to within striking distance on the leader board (though he would close with a 75 on Sunday and finish in a tie for 20th place).
Seonbuchner's buddies took turns pushing him in the wheelchair. Stricker saw them after he birdied the second hole, walked over and gave Seonbuchner a high-five. He saw them a few holes later and acknowledged Jeff again.

Seonbuchner's friends had bought a hospitality package so they'd have a place to go if Seonbuchner tired. He would have none of it.
"Jeff was rejuvenated," Grogan said. "He wanted to watch Steve play. After the seventh hole, Stricker was walking past and Jeff said, 'Keep it going, Steve.' He heard him, turned around and came back and thanked Jeff for following him."

Finally, the last golfers had finished their rounds. It was 7 p.m. and daylight was fading. It was time to leave Augusta National, time to take a part of it with them.
"It really was a wonderful experience," Barb Seonbuchner said. "Everyone was very polite, from the bathroom attendants to the pro shop people to the marshals. I think it's every golfer's dream to touch the grass and be part of that scene. And Steve was very kind to spend time with Jeff."

Seonbuchner, struggling to talk on the phone, described the day in three words:
"It was unbelievable."
And of his friends, who have been at his side for years, were at his side at Augusta National and will be at his side for whatever comes next, he said this: "Special people."
Special, indeed.

Thanks Gary D'Amato for writing this story!
Ev

Update 5/15/2013
His last words to me were "take care of the family." We will my brother, we will.
Your family is in good hands. Rest in Peace now. Your long struggle is over.
Jeff Seonbuchner 1963-2013