![Mark Dukes](/images/resized/images/photos/mugs/dukes_mug_112_150.png)
Farewell to George Wine and Al Smith
Two Eastern Iowa icons left us last week. I never relish writing about people who have died, but I also regret not acknowledging the contributions of giants in our sports world.
The two men are George Wine and Al Smith. They came from different backgrounds and did different work. But their common ground was achieving excellence and having an impact on others in this part of the world. Each touched me personally.
Wine was the University of Iowa sports information director from 1968 to 1993, a span of time in which he saw great changes and worked with countless interesting coaches. Wine, who died at age 81, was a North English native and U of I graduate after serving in the Air Force.
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