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Henry “The Fonz” Winkler Brought Life Lessons to The Destiny Awards Luncheon

Happy Days’ Arthur “The Fonz” Fonzarelli was a very cool Italian kid, whose parents abandoned him, in Milwaukee. He was a high school dropout, never married, and a bit of a ladies’ man.

Henry Winkler (pictured), who portrayed “Fonzie,” is the son of Jewish immigrants who left Nazi Germany in 1939 just before the Holocaust.  He earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama and has been happily married since 1978.

So, what does the fictional character of the 50′s and the man who portrayed him have in common? Both have the ability and sincerity to influence others for their own betterment through life lessons. And that’s exactly what Henry did last Thursday when he came to town for the 10th annual Destiny Luncheon benefiting the St. Philip’s School & Community Center.

Known within the entertainment industry for being down to earth and having a genuine interest in others, Henry with Fredye Factor as his escort started of the day with a rise-and-shine appearance at St. Philip’s. (No problem for Henry since his Labradoodle and Great Dane usually are climbing all over him first thing in the morning back home in California) With parents lining the walls of the gym and uniformed munchkins (pictured) filling every seat in the bleachers, Henry had his work cut out for him. Within minutes of watching the interaction between St. Philip’s headmaster Terry Flowers and the youngsters, Henry looked right at home. You couldn’t help but wonder if Henry sorta wished he’d had a St. Philip’s in his life growing up.

One of the things that you learn from a St. Philip’s experience is the magic of Terry.

With a combination of Benjamin Franklin wisdom, Morgan Freeman cool and Dr. Huxtable charm, he shows respect for the students and expects it in return. With statements like, “If we were both alike, one of us would not be necessary,” he gets his message across that the students are there for more than adding and subtracting. Self-esteem and preparation for adulthood are just as important. St. Philip’s students have an air of confidence, not cockiness about them, that is rooted in their pride of achievement thanks to Terry, his staff, and the parents who are so involved with the school.

Then Henry spoke to the hundreds of students. While the parents may have remembered him from his leather-jack days as Fonzie, the kids recognized him from his series of children’s novels about Hank Zipzer: The World’s Most Amazing Under-Achiever and more recent television shows and movies.  It didn’t matter which character they recalled because Thursday they got to know Henry. Masterfully talking to the entire gym full of students and adults, he made them feel like an old friend admitting that life had not been a snap of the fingers for him.

• His parents had called him “dumb dog” because he didn’t seem all that bright in school.
• The only thing that he was good at in school was lunch.
• Test scores placed him the bottom percentile as a youngster.
• His father, who owned a lumber company, had been disappointed in his son for not taking over the family business which he had brought over from Germany. “You mean it didn’t have anything to do with the Nazis?” Henry asked his father.
• He discovered that he was dyslexic at the age of 31.

When he discovered he suffered from dyslexia, he admitted that at first he was very angry. It all made sense. Because of the condition he had been made to feel dumb and lack self confidence throughout his childhood and early adulthood. Then he realized that if it hadn’t been for the dyslexia, his life might have been entirely different.  He might have not gone into acting, gotten the role, met his wife, had his kids, etc.

But he also knew that no child needed to carry the burden of poor self-esteem. To carry on a campaign to counter this situation, he started his Hank the Zipzer series, became a major supporter of various children’s charities (United Friends of the Children, Children’s Action Network, Cerebral Palsy Telethon, Toys for Tots, the Special Olympics, and the Los Angeles Music Center’s Very Special Arts Festival for Children), and motivated youngsters and adults to communicate.

That last one is very important to Henry. As he told the graduating class of Austin College in 2002, “Thank you for listening to me. . . my parents never did.”

After he got a standing ovation from the students, it was picture time and he settled right in with the multitude of kids surrounding him (pictured).

Then it was on to Belo Mansion for The Destiny Award Luncheon, where once again he was on time, extremely at home with one and all, and championing the cause for children.

But the luncheon wasn’t just to see Fonzie/Henry, though. It was also to present awards to outstanding members of the community who have time and time again been role models and gone the extra mile for the community. This year’s Destiny Awards were presented to:

• Jewish Family Services – Organization
• Annette Simmons - Leadership
  
• AT&T – Corporation
• Linda Walker - Unsung Hero
  

In the crowd was Shannon Skokos (pictured), who had a pencil and tablet for conversing. Seems that between spring allergies and hollering for the Mavericks, she had lost her voice. . .  Barbara and Stan Levenson arrived looking ever fashionable and wonderful. Barbara looked especially relieved reporting that Stan’s recovery from cancer had been highly successful. Stan, with a twinkle in those bluer-than-blue eyes, smiled that Barbara had been doing all the heavy lifting at their agency during his recovery. . Ever gracious and articulate Pat Smith (pictured) handled emcee duties with ease despite wearing the highest of platform heels. To the delight of the crowd, she confided that she and husband Emmitt were expecting a baby in October. . . Laura “First Lady of Dallas” Leppert (pictured) admitted that she and husband Tom had to miss the Faith Hill concert in Fort Worth due to a prior commitment. That’s one problem Mayor T just can’t solve. How to be in two places at the same time. . . Liz Minyard-Lokey (pictured) kept getting pats on the back for chairing the flawless event. . . Alas, Annette Simmons was out of town and had to send a sub to accept her award.

And let’s not forget the sponsors, who made the event happen like:

Title Sponsor – Citi

Magna cum laude – Balfour Beatty

Dean’s list sponsors – AT&T, Liz and Tom Halsey, Liz Minyard-Lokey, and Southwest Securities

Honor roll sponsors – Bridge Lacrosse Dallas, Dr. and Mrs. Bob Kramer, Mayor and Mrs. Tom Leppert, and Mona and David Munson

A true scholar sponsors – Bank of America, Steve Becker, Center Operating Group, Claude Connelly, David Cowling/Amy Youngquist, DART, Mike Davis, Episcopal School of Dallas, Susan and Hollye Fiske, Jewish Family Services, The Hockaday School, Diana and Todd Maclin, Martineau Petroleum, Nancy A. Nasher and David J. Haemisegger, Northern Trust Bank, Parish Episcopal School, Raymond Construction, Andrew Sinwell, Bonnie and Peter Smith, St. Mark’s School of Texas, St. Philip’s Foundation, Strong AV, and Weber Shandwick

Table sponsors — Fulbright & Jaworski LLP, Anne and Wes Goyer, Suki Jarzemsky, Schatzie and George Lee, Seabridge, Dan Stansbury Jr., T. Howard and Associate, Texas Instruments, and Weber Shandwick

Friends — The Adolphus, Chamberlain’s Steak and Chop House, Chocolate Secrets, Kelly and Norman Green, and Neiman Marcus