The passing this week of Arnold Palmer at 87, 
and the retirement from broadcasting of Vin Scully at 88, is a moment to reflect on the time, world, and value system these men represented, and on the wisdoms from their careers that can be applied to our modern life and business journeys.
Arnold Palmer and Vin Scully - their names are synonymous with “old school” character and decency.
These were men highly comfortable with who they were and what they represented to their adoring fans.
And this heartfelt character and decency was wonderfully magnified by so many of those fans having their first exposure to them as impressionable youngsters, or as deeply from stories told by their fathers and grandfathers.
Yes, we wanted to see in them these old school qualities, which they embodied to begin with, and the more we found them when we looked, the more developed they became in them.
Is a great business brand any different? When we communicate our “best business self," and as it is positively received, this in turn encourages more of whatever these best qualities happen to be to grow in our business, and so on and so on.
And then by just “keep on keeping on” - as Arnie and Vin did for over 60+ years - the high virtues of consistency, longevity, reliability, and trust are washed over our brand.
Now, with these virtues alone Messrs. Palmer and Scully would be great men.
What made them legends was being insanely great at their chosen fields.
While many only remember Arnold Palmer in his grandfatherly later years, in his prime he was the best golfer in the world, winning four Masters, two British Opens, a US open, and over 90 other professional tournaments.
Well into his 80s Vin Scully still remains universally regarded as the best broadcaster in baseball - uniquely working alone and doing both the play-by-play and "color" game analysis in his perfectly paced and wonderfully melodious story telling way.
Now for the rest of us that fall rings below these world class talent levels, let’s first find and focus upon those areas where our talents are most competitively advantaged and then have faith and confidence in the truism that “hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard.”
It goes deeper than this, though.
Beyond character, beyond longevity, beyond talent, the reason why the passing of Arnold Palmer and the retirement of Vin Scully touches so many is because they represent a certain and sometimes sadly seemingly gone for good Mid-Twentieth Century America hopefulness and innocence.
A hopefulness that the future will be even be better than the past.
An innocence that the world and the people in it are at their essence good and well meaning.
These are at the heart of the childhood imaginings we all once had, and that Arnold Palmer and Vin Scully maintained throughout their long and storied lives and careers.
Rest in peace, Mr. Palmer. And rest well, Mr. Scully.
Let’s best honor them with more spring in our steps, cadence in our speech, and hopefulness and innocence in our hearts.