I am a member of a Texas A&M forum, and a few months ago in the Rio olympics, I saw the video of the pole vaulter who stopped mid run when he heard the national anthem.
Texas Aggies are a proud patriotic group, so I shared it with the forum I am a member of. Enough aggies got together to decide they wanted to show some appreciation for the guy for his respect and service to our country. Somehow my name was thrown out as an option to make a gift for him and some people donated money to make it happen. After some internet work, we got hold of the guy and I started on a project for him. I found out what he wanted, and got started. This is the final product that was delivered last week. Walnut burl, trimmed in ebony, with the inside lined in aromatic cedar and a spot for his medal, ring and watch from the olympics.
It was an awesome project, and Sam was great to work with.