Harold Wilen – Alderman Oaks Resident
Gifford Scott Grady – Son of Fred Grady, Alderman Oaks Administrator

Harold “Coach” Wilen’s influence is still in effect for Gifford Scott Grady of Gainesville, Florida. Scott remembers meeting Coach Wilen in 1988 when he was 15 and enrolled at the Sarasota County Student Center, a small alternative school. “I’d been to three different schools before I met Coach Wilen,” Scott shares. “He was instrumental in my path to graduation. I started a fitness routine under his guidance — calisthenics and boxing three times a week. My favorite was the speed bag. Coach invited me to the Sarasota Boxing Club and I went a few times, then got interested in weightlifting and started going to the YMCA before school.” 

The wellness habits Coach instilled in Scott motivated him to be more focused and gave him the discipline he needed to graduate on time. Fast-forward 35 years and Scott, a father of four, painting contractor and landlord, has maintained much of that discipline in his business and personal life. He still makes the YMCA a part of his weekly fitness routine. Scott had a chance to reconnect with Coach Wilen this past fall over breakfast at Alderman Oaks, where his father Fred Grady is Administrator. “It was great seeing Coach again,” said Scott. “What I  remember most about him — his kindness, energy and determination—  is all still there.”

CONTACT
Harold Wilen
Sarasota Boxing Club
4050 Middle Avenue, Unit D2
Sarasota, FL 34234
(941) 539-6836
coach_harold@yahoo.com

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