He was like a skilled director in charge of a movie production, leading his cast of characters from here to there, armed with assignments and deadlines.

After 42 years as a writer and sports editor for the Times News, Emmett McCall is retiring in August to begin the next chapter of his life.

The very first assignment Emmett gave me was an email message to cover a soccer game. I missed seeing it and it didn’t get covered. I left a bad first impression. I thought that he’d give me a stern lecture, but I soon found that’s not the way this kind man operates. Emmett used his title of authority to serve and empower his reporters, not to condescend or command them. He never dictated. He always obliged. He tried his best to accommodate the times I needed for my personal responsibilities when scheduling me to cover baseball, softball, football, volleyball, cross country, field hockey, soccer, lacrosse and tennis.

I worked from that day forward never wanting to disappoint my boss. But then I thought I did it again. When I covered my first Friday night football game and my statistics and story had to meet a midnight deadline, I didn’t get my work to him until 12:45 a.m. I called to apologize and he laughed it off, saying that’s to be expected from a rookie.

I have gotten to know how beloved and respected Emmett has been wherever I covered sports throughout the 13 years that I have worked for this newspaper.

“Hey, does Emmett still work at the Times News? He’s a good man,” was a frequent remark.

“Oh, you work for Emmett?” asked a press box football announcer. “Great guy. Tell him I said hello.”

“Your sports department does a super job,” said a rival newspaper reporter. “That’s because of Emmett McCall.”

No matter where I have gone to cover an event, I heard accolades for our Sports Man. Emmett is revered by coaches, fans and media people alike, and deservedly so. He has dedicated over four decades of his life to writing, scheduling, editing and paginating for our Lehighton publication. He threw his heart and soul into his job, and the results proved his value to our newspaper and to our readers. Our sports coverage has been one of the best in all of Northeast Pennsylvania, with event reporting, athlete features, seasonal previews, Player of the Year highlights and relevant stories about issues facing high school coaches and athletes.

As kids we all liked to be praised when we did something well. It’s still that way when we’re adults. Emmett would text or email me compliments about stories I had written, one this past spring when I covered a baseball game in Tamaqua in 38 degree weather under snow flurried skies. That was one of many times he expressed his appreciation not only to me, but to each of his staff members because he understood that our jobs were demanding, not only to cover the events, but to write stories that were poignant and factual.

He facilitated our seasonal high school team previews by providing examples and templates and yet, Emmett allowed us to write our stories in our own style. He placed his trust in our innate talents as reporters and wordsmiths, giving us the freedom to write our stories from the inside looking out, a process that has been acknowledged with the production of award -winning Times News sports journalism.

I got to know our Sports Man when he was away from his desk. He’s a high character guy with a genuine personality. He listens to the stories of my life with an honest interest. If he came into your home for a visit, he’d join the conversation in a scoreboard clock minute and be recruited to your team like he was member of your family.

American activist Jody Williams said, “ … the difference between an ordinary and an extraordinary person is not the title that person might have, but what they do to make the world a better place for all.” Emmett is that person, a man who helped make our world at the Times News not only easier, but very enjoyable, too. His dedication to his career was second to none. Everyone who has had the privilege of working for him is a better person for it.

I believe that the people we meet in our lives is not coincidental. Call it fate or destiny. Perhaps these meetings have been orchestrated by a greater life force than what our free will can do within our human existence. In a transitional stage of my life, there have been several constants with my family and friends. Since I have worked with the Times News, Emmett has been one of those constants, not just as my boss, but as a close friend and confidant whom I could call on his day off with a question about an assignment or to talk about a personal matter, and he was never bothered by me interrupting his time away from the office. He was that way with everybody, always available, a reliable source of information — and that’s why his staff loved working for him. I put myself at the very top of that love list.

Emmett will be missed by co-workers, coaches, former athletes and, of course, he’ll be missed by our readers, who have picked up our newspapers and flipped to the sports pages to experience his signature approval of our reporting and writing at its very best.

American writer and poet Maya Angelou wrote, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

As a writer, Emmett McCall helped make young athletes feel the worth of their accomplishments. His iconic feature stories about their triumphant performances are framed upon the walls of family homes across five counties of the Times News circulation area. His legacy has left a mark upon high school football stadiums, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts, baseball diamonds, softball and soccer fields, lacrosse and field hockey venues, wrestling mats, cross country and golf courses, swimming pools and synthetic running tracks. His name will forever be synonymous with this newspaper’s sports reporting mark of excellence.

And now, it’s an especially deserved reward for the boss to kick back and spend more quality time with his wife, Ann. On behalf of all the writers in our department, I’d like to thank him for his outstanding service to us and to our communities.

I raise my glass in tribute to Emmett McCall, our Sports Man of the Times News.