The idea behind “The Golden Whistle”

A local legend addressed the Noon Rotary Club of Zanesville Tueday.

Jim Burson spoke about his book "The Golden Whistle" to rotary. He coached men’s basketball at Muskingum University for 40 years, and he used his experiences coaching and in life as the backbone of the book.

"There are places and things in there that particularly local people will see and understand, but it was a delight to write and I wrote it to help hungry coaches, to help other coaches become better and to learn early the kind of things it took me a long time to learn," said Burson.

He said he spent his coaching career not only trying to win games but to improve the lives around him. Burson said that’s the reason he feels he received his golden whistle. Burson believes that learning from losing is better than getting upset about it.

"That’s the essence of what life becomes," said Burson. "Not the wins, although they’re important. I played to win all the time, but it’s about winning your heart and winning your head and winning your attitudes and making sure everybody around you gets better."

If you would like to hear some of the book, Burson is having a reading at Terra Cotta Vineyards in New Concord at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday.