In early July, a speaker at Tim Robison's funeral rhetorically asked mourners what Robison had done to help them and what they could do to give something in return.
Themessage behind the eulogy affected Michael Stewart, an assistant track coach at Indian Creek High School in Trafalgar, where Robison worked four years as athletic director.
Stewart, 32, plans to complete a west-to-east run across Indiana, covering approximately 156 miles from Terre Haute to
Richmond
, beginning Nov. 1 in an effort to raise money for Robison's daughters.
"I've always wanted to do it," Stewart said of the run. "There's no better way to actually get a successful start than to do it for someone else."
Robison,42, was killed in late June when a vehicle struck the bicycle he was riding near his Brown County home. His is survived by his wife, Cathee, and the couple's daughters Bailee, 10, and Chloee, 7.
Robison's calming presence at athletic events helped Stewart in his two years of coaching at Indian Creek."I'm a fiery redhead, and he was kind of a calming voice for me," Stewart said. "If I ever needed anything, I could walk right in there and talk to him. He was a great guy. He did (a lot) for me. I feel like I owe him."
An educational
fund-- as well as a Tim Robison Memorial Scholarship Fund -- has been set up for the Robison girls at area Fifth Third banks. Stewart is seeking monetary donations and sponsorships, which will go toward the education of Robison's daughters. Donations can be made at any Fifth Third bank.
"I think it's great," Indian Creek Principal Andy Cline said of Stewart's idea. "I applaud him for doing it and wanting to take it on."
Stewart plans to begin his run in Terre Haute. He's set aside nine days to finish the run, although his goal is to average just more than 30 miles per day and do it in five. His girlfriend, Danielle Johnson, is an emergency medical technician and will drive a support vehicle to accompany him.
"It's a long run," Stewart said. "It's going to be brutal, but going out there and doing it for him will make it a lot easier for me to get there."
The school has taken several steps to honor Robison, from the football team carrying his initials on their helmets, to the volleyball team wearing an approved black stripe on its uniforms. Plans are in the works to add $1 to the fee for the dual swimming and wrestling Johnson County meet hosted by Indian Creek in December, which also will go to the girls'
scholarship fund.
The tournament, originated by Robison, also will add an award in his name for the top boys and girls swimmers and divers and the top wrestler at the tournament. "Mr.Robison pioneered the two Johnson County tournaments in one day," saidIndian Creek athletic director Nick Sears. "No one had done that before."
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