SMC in the News
January 10, 2009Tom Meschery '61, Poet of the Low Post, Passes Rebounding Torch to Diamon Simpson
Tom Meschery '61, who led Saint Mary's to the 1959 NCAA Basketball Tournament before going on to a 10-year NBA career, returned to campus on Jan. 9. He presented an award to Gaels forward Diamon Simpson, who broke Meschery's all-time Saint Mary's career rebounding record earlier this season."(Simpson's) a wonderful young man. I told him tonight, 15 rebounds a game from now on, he puts (the record) out of reach," Meschery told the Contra Costa Times.
The Times also talked with Meschery about his second career, writing poetry.
"When I first started I was writing very bad Carl Sandburg," he said. "It was very intimidating."
After honing his skills at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Meschery published three books of verse and taught poetry at Reno High School for 20 years. In 2002, he was inducted to the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.
Read the Contra Costa Times story
