The Peanut Patch

Inspirational stories about “Peanut” Coach Robin Wagman from her family, friends, co-workers and students.

“Peanut” lived a life dedicated to encouraging and inspiring others to reach their full potential as students, as athletes, and as members of our community.

Student Skip Day

I have so many fond memories of Peanut. I know her from the old-school, and not as a coach. I believe being a cheerleader you develop a bond that is everlasting. I remember cheerleader camp. I remember the shorts Laura spoke about, they were all different colors. We wore them to camp and we all had to wear a special color every day and white shirts. I remember cheerleader practice and the fun we used to have and the hard work at camp.

I even remember some of the cheers. On students skip day, I remember a group of us went to a class member's house, I beleive Diane said it was Mark, and a group of us crazy kids go on this boat. Some of the boys put a gator on board and the girls were screaming. That was our way of having fun. It was terrible. They finally got the gator off, we all got off the boat and that was something that I will always remember.

If I were to select one thing that we can keep alive about Peanut is" Of all the time I have known her she has always RESPECT--APPRECIATE--VALUED--EVERYONE. She has touched so many lives in such a special way. That is something we can learn to do and keep her alive through us."

        -Terlesa Cowart

A Note From Peanut

I taught 3 years at Boone Middle before I came to HCHS.  I had already had a practice of calling parents when things didn’t go right in the classroom.  My first year at HCHS I received a card from Peanut about my older son Sam.  She said some of her girls were sitting on a table in the gym and the table gave way.  She told me all the students in the gym laughed at the girls except Sam.  She told me how he went over to the girls, helped them up, and then he carried the table outside.  She told me how proud she was of him and what a great example that was.  She then told me what a great parent I was to raise such as awesome son.  As a parent I was so proud to receive that note.

As a teacher she taught me then and there to contact parents for the good things and not just the bad things.  I wish I was as good as her and wrote more notes but I have always called parents for the great and simple good things and to concentrate on finding the opportunities to tell parents how awesome their kids are!!!  For sixteen years she has influenced me!!!!!!!

On a personal note after her weight loss surgery she was the influence I needed to do that also.  She was the leader and I the follower on how to live with the changes I needed to make.  She was a constant encourager to me in my weight loss adventure.  I’m so happy I got to work with her and know her better than just a younger school mate!

Have a peanut story or picture to share? 

we would love to share it, send it to: bobcurtis@RobinwagmanAAO.org

Remembering peanut (54)

Things she loved.

• Husband Tim (50)

• Son and daughter Alex (21) and Lauren (18).

• Traveling far distances to watch and/or coach her children's sports teams. Alex (football and baseball), Lauren (softball and volleyball)

• Her parents Bill and Laura Nable (deceased).

• Her 3 sisters, Sharon (61), Billie (58) and Tracy (43).

• Her immediate and extended family. Too many to count!

• Living life in her new home in Spring Pines.

• Shopping for hours for presents and small gifts  for everyone she loved.

• HCHS her Alma mater and work place.

• Coaches David Mead, Olin Gee and Mel Gables and retired teacher Ms Billie Samsel.

• Teaching high school PE and coaching Varsity WVB.

• Keeping close tabs on her former Student-Athletes in their college years and careers.

• Spending hours each day during summer vacation walking Boca Grande beach shelling for unique treasures.

• Watching the Florida Gators sporting teams.

• Watching Lifetime telivision movies.

• Fund raising for her HCHS WVB program.

• Her doctors Raul Castillo, Enoel Rivera.

Memories of peanut

“Always In My Room”

From the day Peanut came to the High School in 10th grade, she began hanging around the PE department.

It was almost unbelievable; but, several times a day, I would look up and there she was…standing in the doorway wanting to know what she could do.  Every time I asked her what class she was supposed to be in, she always said: “No, I’m legal…I have a pass…of course, I never saw any pass!  So, I was as guilty as she was!

She had PE every day and then she became my Teacher’s Aide…so, she was legal at least two periods a day through all her high school years. As soon as she got her Drivers License, she couldn’t wait to take my car and go get everything we needed for one of the teams or to make signs…she just had to be doing something to help….that was Peanut !

“The Locker Room”

Every Friday, we had to clean the locker room because we did not have custodians to clean or disinfect the place…you can barely imagine what a mess it would be after a week of 25 classes (about 1,000 girls per week)…plus volleyball practice, games, track meets, basketball or softball and cheerleading practices.   “Mess” is the understatement of the year.

At any rate, every Friday we started the “pick-up brigade” to deal with all the “unmentionables”.  Then we used brooms to smear disinfectant on the floors and then we broke out the hoses to wash the place down.

 It always started out as work we all dreaded doing; but, as mischievous as Peanut and her friends were, it always turned into a “fun house” with everyone wet and sliding all over the floor.  Peanut was always the 1st one to start spraying everybody…she couldn’t wait to start the free-for-all.

One of the funniest events I recall happened the day after the visiting Boys Basketball team used our locker room.  Peanut came into my office and borrowed a ruler….this was quickly followed by an unbelievable amount of yelling and screaming by all the girls in the locker room.

It seems that Peanut had found a “jockstrap”, picked it up with the ruler and proceeded to chase the girls around the locker room.   I found her taunting some poor girl with the jockstrap on the end of my ruler.

I never used that ruler again!

 —by Billie Samsel

 

The Oak Tree

One story that always stands out in my mind is when I headed out for college (GO NOLES) and my first week up there Wags had called me to see how everything was going. I was of course very excited yet I was extremely worried about money for I hadn’t found a job yet and my scholarship dollars weren’t coming in until the first week of classes. She of course just had words of encouragement and told me everything would work out. A week later in the mail was a card and money from Wags… I mean who does that! Wags was so much more than my teacher or my coach, or even my friend. She looked after me and loved me like a mother would and my love for her grew into such a relationship that I will cherish forever.

 When Wags first got sick, I found a card for her titled The Oak Tree and I am attaching the poem for it truly describes who she was. I am sure when the family goes through Wag’s things they will find that card.

 

The Oak Tree

by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.

 

A mighty wind blew night and day.

It stole the Oak Tree's leaves away.

Then snapped its boughs

and pulled its bark

until the Oak was tired and stark.

 

But still the Oak Tree held its ground

while other trees fell all around.

The weary wind gave up and spoke,

"How can you still be standing Oak?"

 

The Oak Tree said, I know that you

can break each branch of mine in two,

carry every leaf away,

shake my limbs and make me sway.

 

But I have roots stretched in the earth,

growing stronger since my birth.

You'll never touch them, for you see

they are the deepest part of me.

 

Until today, I wasn't sure

of just how much I could endure.

But now I've found with thanks to you,

I'm stronger than I ever knew.

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