Confidence, hard work and perseverance paid off for LeMon
The trip from Washington to Dodge City, Kan., made more than 33 years ago, placed fear in Jamie LeMon’s heart and mind, and tears in his eyes.
He had little money and no confidence.
“I did not have enough money in my pocket to ride the bus to Kansas,” LeMon said. “Fortunately, a family member dropped me off in Cincinnati at the bus station.
“I had a duffle bag and $20 in my pocket. It was the longest ride of my life. I cried the whole time. When I got there, I was angry at myself.”
LeMon’s life, and fortunes, were about to change.
He graduated – somehow – from Washington High School as a celebrated athlete in football, basketball and track and field. LeMon left with a 1.4 grade-point average.
That transcript with the 1.4 on it still hangs on his refrigerator at his home.
“It’s a reminder,” said LeMon, who grew up in the projects of Washington with his parents and five older sisters.
LeMon lives by the words of his mentors: confidence, hard work and perseverance.
“After I figured some things out, I became afraid not to be successful,” he said. “I worked hard and took advantage of the chance I still had. And I understood that to find success, you need the right friends and to be surrounded by good people.”
Today, LeMon lives in Ellicott City, Md., with his wife, Erica – an attorney – and three sons, Gerik, 28, Xavier, 27, and Shane, 22.
He recently was promoted to the position of Executive Director, Community Parent and School Outreach for the Howard County School System. Howard County is the fourth wealthiest county in the United States.
LeMon is in his 18th year in the system, 13 years in administration, including six years as a principal at Wilde Lake High School. He was an assistant principal for seven years at Hammond High School, Marriotts Ridge High School and Patapsco Middle School.
He earned his undergraduate degree at West Virginia University and holds three Master of Science degrees and a certificate in administration and supervision while studying at WVU, the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.
Not bad for a guy who barely made it out of high school.
LeMon’s grades were not good enough to accept one of the potential scholarship offers he had to play NCAA Division I football. While his friends moved on, LeMon languished.
He was a top-notch wide receiver and defensive back, helping the Little Prexies to consecutive WPIAL Class AA semifinal appearances in 1982 and 1983. LeMon was a member of Wash High’s 1984 WPIAL Class AAA champion 1,600-meter relay team.
He was a mainstay on Wash High’s 1983-1984 PIAA and WPIAL Class AA championship basketball team.
His athletic prowess was never in question.
“The academic piece was missing,” LeMon said. “I was never focused on my education or what I was supposed to be doing academically. I take ownership of that. If my homework did not get done at school, it did not get done.”
Perhaps the greatest education LeMon received was during an eight-day stint working in a steel mill. He would come home exhausted, weary from the difficult work, not able nor willing to do anything but get rest and sleep.
“I do not know how my dad did that for 20 years,” LeMon said. “I was worn out, worn down.”
He decided to head for Kansas and Dodge City Junior College to compete for a spot on the football roster and, most importantly, to focus on academics and pave the way to a life much different than anyone could have imagined for him.
“Goals-wise, it was a huge change for him,” said Rob Mazzie, a long-time friend and teammate of LeMon’s at Wash High. “His mindset changed and for 18 to 19 months, he was literally away from home and his friends. He really roughed it.
“That helped Jamie realize the short window of a great opportunity he had. He maximized that opportunity. He focused on his academics and he excelled. He straightened himself out.”
During his first year in Kansas, LeMon turned his life around. He did well academically. He made the football team and became a first-team all-conference player.
Even an injury, which impacted his second and final football season at Dodge City, could not slow LeMon.
His work – on and off the football field – in Dodge City netted him a scholarship to West Virginia. He was part of the 1988 Mountaineers team that went undefeated during the regular season and earned a spot in the Fiesta Bowl to play Notre Dame for the national championship.
WVU lost the game but LeMon played in it and caught a touchdown pass from Major Harris. The play was nullified by a penalty.
That wasn’t the highlight for LeMon at WVU. Graduating and moving on to a new life was paramount.
“I always knew that he was a bright and compassionate young man with a good heart and an affable personality,” said Guy Montecalvo, who coached and mentored LeMon in football, track and field and life. “He just needed to get his priorities in order. The potential was always there. He just made a conscious decision to focus academically, and have his academic work ethic match his athletic success.
“Really, all we did was hold him accountable to a high level of clear expectations. When he fell short, he knew there would be consequences. We set parameters of behavior and performance that were congruent with his capabilities. Discipline with love.”
The two remain close today. But they weren’t always so chummy.
“I was standing outside the locker room at Wash High Stadium,” LeMon recalled. “I had two or three interceptions and a bunch of catches in our football scrimmage. Coach Montecalvo’s wife, Marie, comes over and congratulates me on a ‘great game.’
“I said: your husband doesn’t think so. He just tore my head off, screaming about I also had to block for my teammates and because I didn’t, he said it cost us two touchdowns.”
Lesson learned. LeMon was acknowledged as a tremendous blocking receiver at WVU and was the team’s best at that part of the game.
“I am proud of that,” LeMon said.
Mazzie related another story that made a profound impact.
“Jamie was about to slip down a slippery slide at Wash High,” said Mazzie, who transferred from Dodge City and graduated from James Madison University. “Coach Montecalvo and (basketball) Coach (Ron) Faust were no non-sense. They were disciplined and they set examples.
“Jamie missed a conditioning practice, unexcused, and Coach Montecalvo benched him. It made a huge impact on Jamie. He never forgot that and what that meant.”
LeMon also credits Faust for showing him the way with demanding a certain standard of work ethic and commitment. Faust said LeMon remains a part of his teaching and mentoring to this day.
“There isn’t a year that goes by that I don’t mention Jamie to my teams and my players,” Faust said. “They might not know his name, but I want them to know his story. He is a shining example of what you can do in your life by persevering and working.
“I was tougher on him than maybe anybody I ever coached here. He responded. He was a little bit quiet but he came through that and he’s just one of those people we look at today and point to. We are proud of him at Wash High.”
Said Montecalvo: “Jamie is a tremendous example, and source of inspiration for any young person striving to overcome obstacles in life’s path. His story should resonate with people in any station of life, that regardless of circumstance, with perseverance and hard work, anything is possible. I am thrilled that he shares his story and even more proud of what he is doing to make a difference in the lives of so many young people.
“He is like a son to me, and I am as proud of him as anyone I have been blessed to have worked with. I had the pleasure of speaking at a Leadership Conference at one of his schools recently, and the love and admiration that both students and staff have for him, is vividly apparent.”
LeMon still wonders how he even graduated from Wash High. He understands that a great opportunity and a life of being able to inspire and positively mold young people nearly escaped him.
“At 51-years-old, I find myself getting emotional when I think about my journey,” LeMon said. “I realize how fortunate I am and have been. I was never focused in high school and a lot of people helped me along the way and encouraged me.
“My parents taught me about hard work. And my coaches showed me you never give up on a kid. They never did. My charge is to help kids have a chance. People didn’t give up on me when it would have been real easy to do so. And I won’t give up on anyone so I can help them make a difference.”