CLASSNOTES C O M P I L E D B Y L I B B Y E D WA R D S
Fondest of Farewells to ‘Second Home’ Big Heart Heading for Lone-Star State
E
VERETT FIELD. 1986. Young Jarrett Shine ’92, a seventh-grader at
Brunswick, in his second year at the school, took a handoff and busted through the gap of the line —
ultimately being brought down by a host of tacklers after another significant gain. This time, however, the star running back couldn’t jog back to the huddle and get ready for the next play. He’d come up with a lame wrist — unable to raise it above his waist. It was fractured — his first broken bone. Shine was in pain, but he was immediately comforted by a man who would become his longtime mentor and friend: Robert L. Cosby. “Mr. Cosby made me feel at ease and told me that everything would be okay,” Shine said. “We developed a very strong bond that I cherish to this day.” Cosby died in 2004 — six years after Shine had joined the Brunswick faculty, following standout careers as a student-athlete at ’Wick and Lafayette College, as well as a brief foray into the professional ranks. He credits Headmaster Duncan Edwards for encouraging him to try his hand in education. “I’ll always be thankful for his foresight and for giving me the opportunity to come back to a place that helped shape me into who I am today,” Shine said. Just who was that man and what did Brunswick teach him? “Courage, Honor, and Truth are words Brunswick instills in its students,” Shine said. “The thousands of students who have come through this school have all experienced those ideals — and even though some of us fall short — in the end, the experiences, the lessons learned, and how we are forced to deal with them shape who we are as people.” Being the only African-American in his class until 11th grade also catalyzed some serious character-building. “That forced me to feel secure in who I was and what I could offer — not only as a student (which was touchand-go!) or an athlete, but also as a contributing member of the community,” Shine said. Shine, the faculty member, stepped away from ’Wick in 2006 to pursue business-development opportunities, but it wouldn’t be long before he returned to take over the football program and to become the director of alumni relations in 2009.
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TIMES OF BRUNSWICK • SPRING 2019