The Trig Palin Breakthrough and Thoughts on John Mark Stallings Beloved son of the Crimson Tide

A good article here at Trig's Breakthrough at the Washington Post.

Governor Palin's son has had me recall the very recent death of former Coach Stallings of Alabama's Son many times this week. His name was John Mark Stallings. He had Downs and was beloved by his parents and the entire state of Alabama. There were many many articles written on it. My thoughts have now turned to some degree how Coach Stallings and his wife are dealing with it now

The Sport writer that covers LSU had a nice piece up after their son's death at Former Alabama coach's family loses an unexpected gift


BATON ROUGE - The thought has no doubt crossed the minds of countless parents who produced an abnormal baby. "If the baby dies, we will not have to deal with it."

Former Alabama football coach Gene Stallings had that thought, and he put it in print for all the world to see.
On June 11, 1962, John Mark Stallings was born to Gene and Ruth Ann Stallings with Down Syndrome at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Stallings, a 27-year-old assistant coach to Bear Bryant at Alabama at the time, thought if the baby died soon it would give him an "honorable" way out.
"If my child died as a baby, then I wouldn't have to experience the pain of worrying whether my daughters, when they became teenagers, would be embarrassed by their brother when there friends and dates came over to the house," Stallings says in the book, "Another Season: A Coach's Story of Raising an Exceptional Son," that was published 10 years ago this month.

That was just a thought, though, and an extremely honest admission from one of the more honest people you will ever meet.

John Mark didn't die until Aug. 2, 2008, at the age of 46 - or about four decades longer than the Stallings' were told he would live. For the most part, they were wondeful years for Gene, Ruth Ann and their daughters.

John Mark was a major part of the charm at Alabama in the 1990s, which included NCAA probation. John Mark was a fixture at Alabama practices when his dad was the coach there from 1990 through 1996. He was usually at his dad's side on the practice field and in meetings with reporters. He often knew the depth chart better than the reporters.

No one was happier than John Mark when Alabama won the national championship in 1992 with a 13-0 record after a 34-13 upset of No. 1 Miami in the Sugar Bowl. Few saw Alabama winning that game, but Montgomery (Ala.) Advertiser reporter Mike Tankersly did. He listed 10 reasons why Alabama would win. No. 8 was John Mark Stallings.

"For some reason, I believed Alabama would win the game and make John Mark Stallings the happiest young man in the world," Tankersly wrote Sunday.

John Mark always seemed to have a smile on his face despite frequent struggles with his health. In addition to the Down Syndrome, he also had an abnormal heart. He kept busy and kept smiling, though. He worked in the Alabama training room. He loved his job as a guide in the Bryant Museum. After Stallings left Alabama and returned to his childhood home in Paris, Texas, John Mark comforted mourners in his job at a funeral home.

What Stallings first thought would be a major inconvenience ended up being one of the most rewarding aspects of his life - even more so than winning that first national championship at Alabama, post Bear, and restoring the Crimson Tide during his time there to elite status for the first time, post Bear.

"I wanted people to know that raising a handicapped child can be a joy," Stallings said after the book came out. "You don't think that when they're born."

Gene and Ruth Ann quickly began enjoying their sweet baby boy after those difficult early days. All Gene wanted to do was protect him. He did that through his final days, often just watching John Mark breathe as he slept. They resisted the advice of doctors and friends to institutionalize John Mark when he was young. There were embarrassing moments and uncomfortable times with people the Stallings' thought were their friends, but soon John Mark became a source of beaming pride for his parents and sisters. As John Mark grew older, Stallings and his wife became counselors to new parents of children with Down Syndrome.

"He is very sensitive to imperfections," Sally Cook, author of "Another Season," said as the book came out.

"At times, it was a little hard to do the book," Stallings said a decade ago. "It brought back some tough memories."
Stallings will be dealing with much tougher issues today in Paris. He has to bury his son who made his life so much richer, so much more meaningful and less ordinary.

The Montgomery Advertiser also had good pice on John Mark at Father-son bond evident in every gaze