It's been a tough year in regard to national icons.
In entertainment, we've lost Prince, David Bowie, Glenn Frey and Garry Shandling. In the world of sports, we've lost Muhammad Ali, Gordie Howe and, on Tuesday, Buddy Ryan and Pat Summitt.
Some of the above, like Ali and Prince, seemed to touch the world.
Then there was Summitt.
The former women's basketball coach not only sent electricity through Tennessee's program, she positively affected women's sports in an unparalleled way.
Sure, there have been other barrier breakers like Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Serena Williams. There have been magnetizing figures like Peggy Fleming and Mary Lou Retton. But no female athletic figure both created interest and, subsequently, opportunity like Summitt.
Fortunately, Charleston was able to experience Summitt's magic firsthand - in a couple ways.
First, of course, the Hall of Fame coach recruited and signed Alexis Hornbuckle, one of West Virginia's finest girls basketball players of all time, along with Renee Montgomery (who played for longtime Summitt and Tennessee rival Geno Auriemma at Connecticut) , Vicky Bullett and another ex-Volunteer, Mary Ostrowski.
Before Hornbuckle made it to Knoxville, though, she was to receive her high school player of the year award at the Victory Awards Dinner. I was the award presenter and had an idea.
I called Summitt's office, thinking a letter from the coach would be neat to read at the dinner. Not only did she write and send the letter, she also called, talked to me and left her personal number in case I had more questions. From that conversation came news the Vols would try to schedule a game in Charleston against either WVU or Marshall as a "homecoming" for Hornbuckle.
Three-and-a-half years later, Summitt lived up to her word. Tennessee, then the defending national champion, visited the Civic Center to play WVU.
It was like the Beatles were in town.
Summitt was a star. Candace Parker was a star. Hornbuckle, formerly of Capital and South Charleston high schools, was Charleston's star. There were Volunteer groupies in town from everywhere. (The only other following I've witnessed like it: Kentucky basketball.)
A crowd of 10,677 showed that 2007 November day, setting a record for any women's game ever in the state of West Virginia. (The record was broken in 2013 when WVU hosted then-No. 1 Baylor and standouts Brittney Griner and Odyssey Sims.)
"I can remember it was for Hornbuckle," said Mountaineer coach Mike Carey. "Tennessee had a lot of fans. I have to be honest, I was a little disappointed they had as many fans as we - West Virginia's university - had. But it goes to show you the respect folks had for Pat Summitt. I saw a lot of West Virginia people in Tennessee shirts that day."
Carey said he'd always go out of his way to say hello to Summitt when recruiting paths crossed.
"Needless to say, I had great respect for her and what she did for women's basketball," Carey said. "But it was also great to coach against her."
Carey's team lost in Tennessee by 66-51 the prior year. But it was that 67-49 Volunteer victory in the Civic Center many in Charleston will remember. And not necessarily for the score.
"What I witnessed after the game is what I will never forget," wrote reader Rick Ball of Princeton. "After finishing her requisite UT Network radio interview and [meeting] with her team, a security guard approached [Summitt] and said, 'There's a bunch of people in line waiting for autographs.' Coach Summitt looked at him and said 'OK.'
"The guard exclaimed, 'But there's at least 500 of them.' Coach Summitt looked him in the eye with that steely gaze and said, 'Tell them I will sign - for every one of them.' "
Ball said Summitt indeed met with every person in line, signing programs, ticket stubs, hats, whatever.
"Coach Summitt's true character was on full display," Ball said. "To this day, I've often wondered if any other women's coach would do the same. Then I realize, it really doesn't matter. What mattered was she did and me, those 500 fans and that security guard witnessed true greatness in action."
Unfortunately, that greatness has been silenced at the much-too-young age of 64 via Alzheimer's disease.
But, yeah, Rick, we'll remember.
She touched Charleston. She touched the sport of women's basketball.
And that fingerprint, I'm sure, won't soon fade.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4927 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.