FORT WORTH — In 1998, Dottie Satterwhite missed three months of work to care for her dying mother. When her mother was gone and Satterwhite returned to her job — as a beloved waitress at the Ol’ South Pancake House — one of her regular customers was at the door to greet her.
Van Cliburn swept Satterwhite into his famous embrace, and the two of them wept together. Then Cliburn handed her a check for $500, “to help you a little bit since you’ve been off.”