Coach Walter Oakes always made his presence felt.
A towering man with outfits as colorful as his personality, the Hillman College graduate was a staple around its Virginia-based campus. The football, basketball, baseball and track coach, and also co-director of dorm Gilbert Hall, Walter’s loud voice rang like an alarm when he’d enter a room.
Oakes could be silly but stern when necessary. He was a fun, friendly guy with a sense of humor and ethnic pride. Students of Hillman saw him as reliable, they knew they could count on him for encouraging athletic or personal advice.
On the other hand, his fiancé Jaleesa Vinson, also his counterpart directing Gilbert, found his behavior challenging. Sadly, shockingly, and unforgettably, Walter and Jaleesa parted at the altar.
A spinoff of The Cosby Show, A Different World was a vehicle for Lisa Bonet’s Denise Huxtable and the unique experience of her roommate, Marisa Tomei’s Maggie Lauten – a white student at a historically, albeit fictional, black college. Both characters departed after the first season. Walter Oaks, famously portrayed by comedy iconic Sinbad, was mostly recurring comic relief. He was a special attraction given Sinbad’s rise in popularity as a stand-up comedian. Walter graduated to a main character with relevant storylines in Season 2.
Walter’s split with Jaleesa was surprising to many, infuriating to several others. Those angered by their breakup may not have considered their individual pressures. And this wasn’t Walter’s only serious relationship while at Hillman to come to a close.
Walter juggled students and a steady, each demanding significant attention. He was also very much in love with the school. In the end, his most important relationships were with himself and his career future, the reason he departed Hillman for a new employment opportunity.
Letting go isn’t easy. Making the tough decision is equally difficult. Audiences could relate, the reason they’ll never forget Coach Walter Oakes. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
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