Arnie Palu. A man not from here, but has made his way into the lives of all of us locals. You’ve probably heard him on the radio, or standing on the John Schwab football field, or maybe even passed him in the grocery store. But do any of us really know what he is all about? Arnie Palu was born in Loup City, Nebraska, in an even smaller town than Bishop. Is that possible? Apparently. I asked him what Loup City was like, and the first thing he said was, “flat.” I also asked how big Loup City was, and he said 800. If you ask me, that doesn’t seem like a city. After graduating with a class of 35 students in 1996, he attended University of Nebraska, Lincoln. Shortly after that, he made a big move to Sterling, Colorado, which I will be moving to in less than five months (excited but terrified), to further his career and work there. However, only after one year, he wanted to work at a larger radio station. Let’s face it, who wouldn’t want to take the opportunity to live in the beautiful little town of Bishop?

So, in September of 2001, he made an even bigger move right here in the Eastern Sierra. His first impression? Blown away by the natural beauty, which is understandable, because everyone is. Making a big move like this without knowing or even visiting the area can be tough, but Palu can do anything. He was mentor by a man at our local radio station, along with his partner Steve Sperry. He did not realize that the same year, his life would change for the better. A pastor asked the new local if he would help out and be an off screen voice for a Christmas play. Little did he know he’d met the woman of his dreams, Kelliann. In July 2004, they tied the knot and have been married since. Without the help of Kelliann, Arnie Palu probably wouldn’t be where he is today.

On a normal pre-season football practice day, coach Egan’s wife was sitting up in the stance. She mentioned that they were looking for people to help and to keep their ears open for anyone who seems interested. Palu decided to step up and volunteer, which led him to be hired as the new Junior Varsity assistant coach in 2008. After two years of being assistant, he was offered to be the head coach, which he gladly accepted, and led the JV team for five years. After coach Egan announced that he was stepping down as head coach, Palu was approached by administration. He felt that the head coach should be someone on campus, which is was not very interested in at the time. He was comfortable with what he was doing, but who wouldn’t be? If I were on the radio for years, it was almost feel homely. Of course the decision would be whether or not he wanted to be working full time, in the classroom and on the field. Fortunately, he accepted and is now the Marketing, Bronco Round-Up, an athletic Physical Education teacher, along with being an awesome head coach for Varsity football.

Luckily, most of the players had him as a JV coach, so most of them were comfortable with the transition. Palu’s main goal for coaching was to try to step into the shoes of coach Egan, which made him appreciate the former coach more.  The main question I asked was if it was a hard preparing for what he was about to do, and if he was ready to take on the classroom. The first thing he said was, “A professor once told me that ‘Production was 95% preparation.’ If you’re prepared, if gives you a chance to be successful. It’s true with football, classes, everything” As one of his newer students for marketing and Bronco Round-up, that really helped me realize that he went into this with not a lot of time to prepare, yet he has been great with preparing himself for something he was not sure he’d be comfortable with.

He has been a great influence on me in the short time I have known him. He has helped many people grow, helped students gain confidence, and has been an outstanding coach for the 2016 football season. And of course, he does have a sense of humor. He told us students that he made two main promises to his mother, “No tattoos, and no motorcycles.” I have been blessed to have him as a teacher, because he has taught me to be confident with my school work and writing. Without him, I would not be able to be telling you all of the greats things about him in this story.

With the classes he teaches he has also helped me truly understand what I want to do with my career. So next time you hear or see Arnie Palu, make sure you say Hello or Thank You if he has been an influence on you.

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