Wake Forest Athletics
Game Program Feature: Sanford's Son
9/16/2011 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 16, 2011
This article was originally published in the Sept. 10 edition of Kickoff, the official gameday magazine of Wake Forest football.
By Brendan Bergen
Dennis Godfrey remembers lying awake weeping and wondering to himself, "what can I do?"
It was just one of those sleepless nights.
A record-setting storm system had ravaged the southern portion of the United States on April 16, 2011, producing an astounding 179 tornadoes. By the time the tempest diminished it had produced $550 million worth of damage and 43 fatalities - all in just over 52 hours of chaos.
"It was like something you would see on the Weather Channel," said Godfrey, one of four senior linemen on the Wake Forest offensive front. "But once you hear about it from friends and family that were there and see it for yourself, you just think, `this is real.'"
Nearly one mile-wide, what was later classified as a `high-end' EF-3 twister struck Godfrey's childhood home of Sanford that day. More funnels followed in North Carolina, touching down in 26 other counties with a sustained violence not seen in the state since 1984.
On the day of the outbreak, the Demon Deacon football team was chiefly concerned with getting through another spring scrimmage. Godfrey and his teammates were delayed 45 minutes by inclement weather in the Winston-Salem area but were completely unaware of the devastation about to take place in areas not-so-far from Wake Forest University. The lineman's family had already made a fortuitous decision to drive up from Sanford to take in the practice. Otherwise, his sister would have likely been heading into work right as the storm hit.
Toward the end of the scrimmage, Godfrey recalls the weather taking a turn for the worse. Wind speed had picked up, whipping the flags around at BB&T Field. Something just didn't feel right. Later on, at dinner, the family received a call informing them that a tornado had ripped through Lee County. The devastation included a shredded Lowe's Home Improvement store, as well as dozens of surrounding businesses. Two fatalities also occurred in a nearby residential area, where 30 homes were torn apart by winds exceeding 158 miles per hour.
"The first thing I thought about was my grandfather because he normally comes up for scrimmages, but with his age and health he wasn't exactly mobile," said Godfrey. "I had my car keys in my hand, ready to go down to Sanford, and I kept calling the house. Finally my sister got a hold of him, and I just felt a lot more at ease."
Fortunately, the storm had tracked approximately 10 minutes from Godfrey's grandfather's residence, but others were not so lucky. Godfrey estimates he knows 15 people directly impacted by the twister. Godfrey's cousin, Jeff Petty, lost his home and Petty's mother broke both of her legs during the ordeal. One of his high school teachers also lost her residence. A friend's son was lost to the storm.
"You just think about your family and friends that have always been there for you and their safety," said Godfrey, who is a graduate of Lee County High School. "You want to take care of them. Just for those who were affected, but you can never take back that experience for them. They lost everything."
Lying in bed the night of the storm, Godfrey decided he had to figure out a way to help. Drawing upon experiences he had with the Boys & Girls Club of America, the 315-pound lineman decided to organize a donation drive. He sent emails out to a handful of members of the Wake Forest Athletic Department and the event really began to gather steam.
The food and clothing drive was hosted on the campus quad on Thursday, April 21, and received an overwhelming amount of support from both the campus and Winston-Salem community. Godfrey ended up renting a 17-foot U-Haul truck, which he piled halfway-full with clothes, canned goods, water and around $3,000 in donations for the American Red Cross. He continued to take on items as he made the trip back.
"People were stopping me and honking the horn," said Godfrey. "I literally pulled over on the highway and threw more stuff back there."
Once he arrived in Sanford, however, Godfrey witnessed the destruction with his own eyes for the first time. Getting back was tough. Debris was still scattered in the streets and traffic lights were down sporadically.
"You could actually see the path of the tornado," said Godfrey. "You had to have special passes to get into certain parts of town."
The view was visceral. There was a sign two-and-a-half blocks away from its origin, lodged in a home. Letters and paint had been completely ripped off street signs. The smell of pine from freshly-snapped timber lingered in the air. Houses were hundreds of feet from where they were supposed to be, torn off foundations and tossed around mercilessly. Residents who were more fortunate still dwelled in patchwork homes with leaky roofs.
Godfrey and his cousin went to work.
"We went door-to-door on St. Andrews Church Road, one of the hardest hit areas, and checked on as many people as we could," said Godfrey, who said he was recognized and thanked by many. "One lady actually jumped into the truck with me and wanted to take a picture and just say thank you."
Godfrey was home again in mid-July and said progress is slow, but things are improving.
"It looks more alive than it was before," said Godfrey. "You can still see remnants, but it looks more alive and functional than it was before."
Wake Forest football head coach Jim Grobe wasn't surprised when told about Godfrey's conduct in Sanford and feels his tackle deserves all the praise he continues to receive.
"With so many kids today, it's such a `me-me-me' environment," said Grobe. "And for Dennis to do something like that, I wouldn't call it unusual, but it was certainly self-sacrificing and something that makes you feel good. We have good kids on our football team, but that kind of elevates a kid from good to great."
In the future, Godfrey wants to help people some more. He has decided his life goal is to work his way into non-profit fundraising and assisting those less fortunate.
"I just learned that opening your voice and wanting to do something goes a long way," said Godfrey. "I could have kept my thoughts and ambitions to myself, but by not doing that I had the opportunity to bring help to those who are less fortunate. I feel proud that I was able to do that for other people."
He also found his calling. A lot of good can come from a sleepless night.
