Wiedmer: 'Mannix' a dear friend gone too soon

Palmer Evans
Palmer Evans

Mannix.

That's what we often called Palmer Evans during his three years as a McCallie School boarder in the mid-1970s. It was meant as the highest of compliments, that reference to the smooth, smart, unconventional detective played by actor Mike Connors on the long-running CBS series of the same name.

Or as fellow 1976 McCallie grad "Groovy Greg" Goodwin noted upon learning of the 57-year-old Evans' sad passing last week: "He earned the 'handle' Mannix for a proclivity for getting the job done, albeit sometimes at all hours throughout the night."

Added fellow 76er Rusty Scott with words any McCallie student from that time might echo: "Palmer was easily one of the coolest people I have ever known."

Always. On the tennis court. On the soccer field, where he helped the Blue Tornado win a state championship. On the sideline at football games, where he was a Big Blue cheerleader. In McCallie's North Hall study hall, where he sometimes tutored inner-city youth.

Think about this: The guy's full name was Loring Palmer Evans, which sounded like a character from "The Great Gatsby" or "The Sun Also Rises."

Yet even that aristocratic offering didn't have enough panache to frame Evans' personality, so he became Mannix. He even somewhat resembled the actor Connors if you softened the actor's dark hair to Palmer's dirty blond.

And he certainly sounded like an actor or news anchor when he spoke, the words gently rolling off his tongue with the greatest of ease and clarity. Of course, Palmer never had to yell in those days because everyone already was listening to him.

Put another way, if he'd attended McCallie today instead of 40 years ago, his classmates might have dubbed him "The Most Interesting Man in the World" in reference to the suave, debonaire guy from the Dos Equis beer campaign.

But that image also shortchanged who he really was, which was a wonderful husband to Karen, an amazing father to Sarah and a great friend of the Chattanooga tennis community as both a match referee and personal coach.

"(Palmer) was an even better friend," wrote Goodwin, "to friends who were in need of a real friend."

Because of that, they filled the East Ridge United Methodist Church on Tuesday afternoon to comfort his family, hoping to lift themselves in the process. The crowd included folks from his days running Home Depot, loyal employees from his time managing the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club and numerous tennis leaders.

And the stories told by Pastor Ken Sauer were certainly cool in a warm, fuzzy way.

He recalled the day Palmer married Karen and made his yellow labrador Bullet his best man. "He even put a bow tie on Bullet," Sauer said.

He told of Palmer's love for comic books and cooking, how he dreamed of opening a restaurant with Sarah, the eatery's name already chosen: "Big Chef, Little Chef."

More recently, Sauer told of his own daughter, Mary Ellen, taking lessons from Sarah, and how Palmer would offer additional coaching. He even bought her a jump rope to help her footwork. Sauer went on to say that the last text he got from Palmer was to Mary Ellen. It said, "Keep jumping rope."

He also said that Palmer wouldn't take money for the lessons. If Sauer insisted long enough, Palmer merely would hand the cash to Sarah.

On Wednesday, Andrew Rogers, who helps coordinate officials for United States Tennis Association events throughout the Southeast, recalled Palmer's good work in that arena.

"He was always eager to help," Rogers said. "Lots of good experiences with Palmer. He was always calm. Always in control. Lots of times, you didn't even notice he was out there, which is a good thing."

But he was always there to notice Sarah, who starred in tennis at both GPS and Wofford before graduating from college last year.

"I think Palmer videoed everything Sarah ever did," said close friend Tim Erwin.

Not that he always got the shots he wanted.

"Palmer was filming one of Sarah's soccer matches when she was really small," Erwin said. "He took off down the sideline, camera to his face, hoping to catch a goal she was about to score. But when he replayed the tape, all he'd filmed was the ground."

Yet if he sounds like a stage parent, he wasn't. Palmer never lived through Sarah as much as he lived for Sarah.

Or as Sauer noted, "I don't know if I've ever seen a father and daughter as close as Palmer and Sarah."

To some extent, it all helped, or at least dulled the hurt of losing a dear friend who seemingly shouldn't have been able to fall asleep last week without waking up. It's just not fair. Especially for someone who once seemed to have it all before exiting without ever finding a rainbow's gold, that constant dream always ending in a nightmare for our Mannix.

"You know, I knew Palmer, but we had not talked in a while," said his McCallie roomate, Tommy "TK" Sanders, after the funeral. "But nothing that was said about him today surprised me."

But if what Sarah wrote on Facebook last Saturday wasn't a surprise, it's at least worth a reprise.

"My dad didn't have much," she posted, "but what he did have was the biggest heart and the most love a dad could have for his daughter."

And no matter how long, short, easy, tough or unfair one's life, there can be no cooler epitaph than that.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.

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