Everyone at the alumni celebration had a chicken dish on their menu and the wait staff were bringing the meals to the attendees. I was at the microphone as the event’s emcee and I watched as one of the distinguished alumni who was being honored that night received his meal:  a perfectly cooked steak. I grinned as he looked surprised at his dinner offering and others at his table looked quizzically at his exception to the night’s menu. His was the only steak served.

A few years later, I encountered the man at an event. I re-introduced myself. His reply made me smile:  “I remember you. You’re the steak man, right?” The steak was a sign of respect on my part. I think there are many ways, subtle and sublime, that we can show respect to others, and we should.

Now for the rest of the story.

The office that I led was in charge of the event – the distinguished alumni award celebration. I served as the emcee. It was my practice to interview the honorees so I could prepare insightful introductions of them to the audience. I wanted people to understand the honorees as the special people they are. Reading prepared bios or narrative resumes is unacceptable as far as I’m concerned. Stories better connect the awardee to the attendees.

I had met up with the steak-receiving alumnus for lunch a month or so before the event. We met at a local restaurant in a small town about 45 minutes away from Houston. It was clear upon our arrival that most everyone in the restaurant knew him, including the waitress who came to our table to get our order. He ordered the salad with chicken, “But don’t put any chicken on it,” he told the waitress. “Just put steak on it. A rancher never eats chicken.” When she brought out our meals, his salad was just as requested – with sliced steak on top, and no chicken.

Back to the celebration event. I shared that story from the mic so everyone understood why he had a tasty steak on his plate and everyone else had chicken. People laughed, some who sat near the man patted him on the back. I think everyone understood him a bit better.

I don’t think that I will ever forget that story and his response to me when I met him years later. We all have opportunities to show respect for others and who they are. While the award was the university’s way of showing respect for the honoree and his accomplishments, the steak was a more personal sign of respect and recognition for how the man identified himself – a rancher.

Let’s be respectful of others. Let’s live in ways deserving of respect.