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Source: Odessa American, TexasDec.迷你倉 29--CRANE Alan Cherry spent most of his 19-year coaching career in West Texas, helping to mold the region's youth while providing joy to the high school football fans in the towns where he worked.Some of those he influenced gave a little something back Saturday night.Nearly 100 of Cherry's friends and family members, including some of his former players and fellow coaches, attended a steak dinner and sports memorabilia auction held in his honor at the Crane Elementary School cafeteria. The 54-year-old Cherry, a Monahans High School graduate who now lives in Christoval, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease about four years ago."Just to pay tribute to him and let him know that there's still people out here who care about him," said Kermit football coach Arick Heredia, who spent seven years as an assistant to Cherry. "We wish him the best as he fights this battle that he's going through now."Heredia was among the many Cherry mentors who attended Saturday's fundraiser, which will benefit Cherry's family as well as Alzheimer's research. Donations were accepted in exchange for the steak dinner -- Heredia was among those manning the grills outside the cafeteria -- and framed, autographed photos of prominent sports figures were among the items auctioned.Kermit ISD superintendent Bill Boyd, who once worked for Cherry and helped put together the fundraiser along with former Crane ISD school board member Tommy Bishop, said the event raised $10,625."They have to find a cure," said Cherry's wife, Mary Lou Cherry. "It's a horrible disease. It really is. And every little bit helps."Alan Cherry's daughter, Lauren Cherry, and his father, Joe Cherry, also were among those in attendance Saturday night. They caught up with their old friends from Crane -- Alan Cherry was the Golden Cranes' head coach from 1996 through 2002 -- and expressed appreciation for all the support.Alan Cherry began his coaching career at Seminole and then made stops at McCamey, Levelland, Hart, Hamlin, Crane, Bay City, Harlingen South, Eldorado and Amarillo River Road, compiling a head-coaching record of 175-64 while qualifying for the playoffs in 16 of his 19 seasons. People with ties to a few of those places were on hand Saturday."It means a lot to us that people drove from all over to support my dad," Lauren Cherry said. "I think it says a lot about my dad and the relationships he built with his coaches. He really treated them like family."Brownfield football coach Bryan Welps, who played for Alan Cherry at Hart in the early 1990s, said Cherry's influence was the reason he became a coach. And in somewhat of a show of gratitude, Welps hired Cherry as an assistant at River Road in 2009, Cherry's final season as a coach.Welps and two of Cherry'smini storageother former players -- Hamlin native Jason Pearce and Crane product Clay McGuire, who now is the offensive line coach at Washington State University -- described Cherry as thorough, demanding, competitive and intense. Pearce said the angriest he ever saw Cherry was after a 42-6 win against district-rival Winters, because the coach didn't think Hamlin should have allowed the six points.In terms of his coaching philosophy, McGuire likened Cherry to Washington State head coach Mike Leach."One thing (Cherry) was great about, we ran our offense here and we had kind of a base package of plays that we were going to be great at no matter what," McGuire said. "Everybody knew what we were going to run, but we were going to run them better than they could stop them. That's a very similar philosophy to Coach Leach up there. Everybody knows what we're going to do. But as long as we can execute better than they can execute stopping us, we'll be all right."Bishop, who was on the Crane school board when Cherry was hired, said he immediately improved the football team as well as the school's entire athletic program. But Boyd, who worked under Cherry from 1998-2000 as Crane's boys basketball and cross country head coach, said he wasn't just an expert in terms of Xs and Os.Boyd said Cherry built strong relationships with his players, even if those players weren't always committed to Cherry and his teams."I never saw him give up on a kid," Boyd said. "A kid could get in trouble, a kid could lose their focus, and some of the staff might come down on him. But Coach Cherry, he never gave up on a kid. And I always admired that about him."Those close to Cherry, who was unable to attend Saturday's event, said they admire the gesture made by their fellow West Texans. The money raised will help defray his medical expenses and be used in an attempt to find a cure for Alzheimer's.Mary Lou Cherry said she first noticed a change in her husband following a car accident in Harlingen about six years ago. She said she believes it triggered the onset of the disease at such a young age, and that her husband's condition deteriorated relatively quickly afterward.And Alan Cherry isn't the only member of his family living with Alzheimer's. His mother, Mary Lou Cherry, also has the disease and now lives in a nursing home in Monahans."It means everything, really," Joe Cherry said of Saturday's event and the people who participated. "I hate it had to be for this reason, but I hope God blesses each and every one of them."Contact Adam Zuvanich on twitter @OAzuvanich, on Facebook at OA Adam Zuvanich or call 432-333-7649.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) Visit the Odessa American (Odessa, Texas) at .oaoa.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存