South Lake Tahoe man with ALS inspires acts of kindness

"Family" is a word that can sum up what happened during Friday's STHS homecoming parade and football game.

Though not related, about 70 graduates, most of them from the Class of 1984, came together over the weekend to honor another one of their classmates stricken with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Kevin Sullivan, 50, is the second graduate of South Tahoe High's class of '84 to afflicted with ALS. Todd Fields died in 1999 at the age of 33.

A football player and wrestler while in high school, Sullivan was joined by former teammates gathered in the end-zone prior to the start of the Homecoming game for a photo shoot. Sullivan also participated in the parade earlier in the day as well as being an honorary captain during the game and was wheeled out to the middle of the field for the coin toss.

Classmates of Sullivan have started a facebook page for their friend as well as a fundraising campaign. The efforts to raise money are not for Kevin directly according to Tye Watson, one of the organizers.

"We want to have a scholarship fund that will be in Kevin's and Todd's name." said Watson. "The scholarship fund will be available to STHS Alumni and children/grandchildren of STHS Alumni. It won't be academics based or income based but based on acts of kindness."

Watson said they were inspired by how one act of kindness can beget another. For fundraising, the "Friends of Kevin Sullivan" are selling t-shirts for 30 days, until October 24. As of October 6, they have sold 69 of the goal of 500 shirts (Buy Here). Depicted on the shirt is a big KS and roots of a tree. The KS are not only the initials of Sullivan, but stand for "Kindness Spreads." The tree of the shirts is modeled after the Amelia Earhart quote, "A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees."

Sullivan is living in the Skilled Nursing Center at Barton Memorial Hospital but was able to participate in the parade and football game with his extended family. ALS is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord so he is confined to a wheelchair.

Todd C. Fields, another STHS graduate with the class 1984, died of ALS on Oct. 11, 1999. The Chico State graduate was devoted to baseball, playing on the South Shore as well as pitching with the Chico State Wildcats. The South Lake Tahoe Babe Ruth Field is amed "Todd C. Fields" in his honor. At the time of his diagnosis at the age of 26, Fields was the second youngest person in the U.S.

Watson said they are also going to have future golf tournaments to raise more money for the scholarship fund.