September 11, 2001

Businessmen hear first news of tragedy  during breakfast meeting 

Lou Brock, Ted Sprague featured at event                              By Jim Bryant, Staff writer

   The ringing of cellular telephones punctuated the Seventh Annual Businessmen's Prayer Breakfast Tuesday morning as callers told people in the audience about the tragic events in New York and Washington, D.C.

"I have been handed two notes saying that the World Trade Center in New York has. been hit by an airplane," Ben Blanton, president of Blanton Construction, told the gathering.

With only sketchy early reports to go on, the gathering of more than 400 people  at the Columns Banquet Conference Center in St. Charles, broke up mostly unaware of the scope of the terrorist attacks.

Earlier the attendees heard  from "Moses," then a "thief" and finally a motivational speaker. Moses, complete with appropriate robes, was portrayed by Ken Lee, a frequent performer on Christian television, who sang for the gathering.

The "thief" was none other than St. Charles County resident and Hall of Famer Lou Brock, who gained fame as a base stealer during his years with the St. Louis. Cardinals.

The featured speaker at the breakfast was Ted Sprague, who helped secure the 1996 Olympics for Atlanta, Ga.

"Your life can change just 'like that' Sprague said as he snapped his fingers. "When, these things happen you have to have something to fall back on and a belief in God helps us to understand and continue with our lives.

Sprague made those comments before the attendees had heard anything about the events on the East Coast.

Sprague outlined some of the difficult times in his life, including his wife being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, his daughter's diabetes and his being fired from a job. I couIdn't have gotten through without a firm belief in Jesus Christ, he said.

These things are made bearable by knowing that you can go on and it will all work out, Sprague said. The day I was fired was at the end of the best year of my career. I'll never forget that.  I phoned my wife and said, 'I'm on the way home for dinner'. And she replied, 'How romantic', not knowing why I was coming home early.

Sprague said he had been an atheist. "I was someone who didn't believe in God.  Then I was given a book on the New Testament that set forth Gods standards, and I found that I fell short of those standards, he said.

Making an analogy with his favorite game of golf, he said, it made me think of what score you have to shoot to get into heaven, it was then I realized I needed a savior.

Sprague said he has been a Christian the past 34 years.  He said he believes in the word God on a daily basis and uses it as roadmap to life.

Since then, he said, "I have two passions in life: One is encouraging people to make their lives count, and the other is to be involved with other people.