Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, November 2, 1993 TAG: 9311020172
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Short
"He touched a lot of people," one of his sons, W.D. Altman, said. "He tried to teach more than the game or subject at hand. He tried to teach values, like hard work and honesty - long-term, meaningful ideas."
Altman began at Virginia Tech as the head coach of wrestling and boxing and assistant coach for football and baseball in the 1940s. He switched to teaching health and physical education, "so that he could influence more people," W.D. Altman said.
"He particularly enjoyed teaching what he called lifetime sports - like badminton, tennis, golf and swimming. Things that you could continue when you're 70 years old," W.D. Altman said.
Altman also reached out to the community through a column begun in the 1970s in the Montgomery News Messenger, called "Teeing Off With The Old Pro." It began as an anonymous sports column, but when he was honored by the Virginia Press Association, he decided to make his name known and cover a wider range of topics.
"He had a large following with local folks because he wrote from the perspective of someone who has seen a lot and has the experience to use the lessons of the past for today's problems," W.D. Altman said.
Altman touched others with his artistic talent, creating everything from oil landscapes to religious sculptures made of wood. In 1958, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts exhibited a one-man show of his work.
by CNB