Steve Escame will be inducted into the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association's Hall of Fame in April for his work as a coach.

Somehow I'm not surprised.

I remember Escame (pronounced Eskahmee) as a high-energy teenager with an engaging personality. He was the only one of us at Garfield High School with enough guts to address our venerable student newspaper advisor as "skipper."

Warren Hazzard, a seasoned, white-haired gent, was a good journalism teacher. All members of "The Messenger" newspaper staff had to take his classes.

As the consultant for the student paper, Mr. Hazzard was the metaphorical "skipper" of the ship. So Escame, in his disarming, friendly style, called him thus. I think - no, I know - the old man enjoyed it.

Escame will enter the Hall of Fame for his many years of work as a tennis, volleyball and debate coach at two high schools south of Seattle - Foster of Tukwila and Decatur in Federal Way. No, I really wasn't surprised.

I knew somewhere, sometime he would have a lot of influence on people. It seems to me that high school is the perfect place for his infectious enthusiasm to inspire others.

Because, you see, Steve's wasn't just fun and lively in the "Messenger" office back in his youth. His personality emanated throughout the old school in Seattle's International District. And this place was the "International District" when we were there in the mid-1950s. He was the epitome of the outgoing, full-of-life teenager.

Escame turned out for football as a high school sophomore. The problem was that this young man of Filipino descent was small in stature. He decided that he probably wasn't going to be a terror on the gridiron. So he put his football ambitions aside for the rest of his high school career.

Now, this high-energy character also was a good, serious student. After graduation from Garfield in 1956, he was off to the University of Washington. Only this time, he was going to rekindle that dream of football glory.

What? Are you crazy Steve? But he did it. All 136 pounds of him.

The proof was in the Seattle newspapers. He was on the list of those turning out for the UW freshman team (The frosh couldn't play on the varsity in those days.).

That fall was my senior year at Garfield. One day, Steve came limping back to the high school. I think he just wanted to prove to us that he did it. He turned out for football at the university and he had battle wounds to prove it. A pulled groin, or something, ended his football career.

"I was so small," he said, "my teammates had plans to just pick me up with the ball and toss me over the line of scrimmage."

After that, I lost track of Escame. But I always thought he was the kind of person who would have an impact on people and events. I expected I would hear something about him or his name would pop up somewhere.

I was right. I saw it in the newspaper. He will be honored in April.

I think that's perfect.