Recently, I asked ’90s, “Out of all the people whom you’ve never met (living or deceased), who has had the biggest positive influence on your life?” Here is Part II of your responses. Bradley Bennett writes, “That’s easy! Martin Luther King Jr.” Phil Privatera writes, “That’s easy: Jim Valvano. I never even knew who Jim Valvano was until Dick Vitale told me all about him and how he started the V Foundation before he died. From that moment I was hooked. Rarely a week will go by that I don’t watch a video of Jim Valvano speaking. My favorite is his 1987 presentation titled ‘Cutting Down the Nets’ (1987). I learn something new every time, and most of all I learn to never give up on myself or on anyone or anything.” Andy Affleck writes, “Carl Sagan.” Ed Callaway writes, “I have to go with New Yorker essayist John McPhee. Through a lifetime of reading his books, covering everything from a profile of Sierra Club president David Brower to the Swiss army to a massive survey of the nation’s geology as viewed from Interstate 80, McPhee has taught me to dig deep to appreciate the depth and humanity in a wide variety of seemingly obscure topics. My alternate pick is Aaron Lee Tasjan, a songwriter based in East Nashville. He is a relentlessly positive, empathetic, and insightful person who is a recurring inspiration though his songs, such as ‘Success’ and ‘Set You Free,’ and through his Twitter feed.” Peter Pasi writes, “I would say St. Teresa of Kolkata. (I guess she’s technically Saint Teresa of Calcutta.)” Chris McCabe writes, “Mick Jagger.” Josh Vogel writes, “Bjorn Borg, the great tennis player and rival of John McEnroe. As a kid watching them play against each other, I admired how Borg remained calm even in the face of Johnny Mac’s tantrums and I saw how it helped him succeed. I don’t think I was predisposed to be calm as a child, and I wasn’t growing up in a calm household, so I really think I took that from watching him. It has proven to be one of my most useful tools through every aspect of my life.” Bill Rexford writes, “Ken Kesey.” Rebecca Baggett writes, “Toni Morrison.” Scott Patterson sent a quotation from Mahatma Gandhi: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Ute (Bowman) Otley writes, “John Wooden is the most influential person I’ve never met. I picked up a copy of his Principles of Basketball when I got hired for my first coaching job in 1991, and I’ve gone back to it again and again during my 30-year coaching career. His commitment to doing things the right way with a mix of compassion and discipline has been a guiding force in my career as a teacher and a coach.” And congratulations to Walter Palmer, who was honored in March at the Ivy League Basketball Tournament in Cambridge, Massachusetts, as one of the Ivy League’s “legends.” Well deserved!

—Rob Crawford, 22 Black Oak Road, Weston, MA 02493; crawdaddy37@gmail.com