Comments
2/14/2009. Email from Bruce Hinchliffe:
Stu,
We won't be able to attend because of other commitments we already had on our calendar. I'm really sorry to miss what I'm sure will be a memorable gathering.
Some thoughts about, and comments on, the founders. I believe that Gene Haynes was one of the founders. Gene was a premier miler of his time (San Jose State, on the Helsinki Olympics team) who met Waterman and Gere when working out on Angel Field in the early to mid sixties. He worked in Stanford's industrial park as an engineer/scientist with Varian. I believe he worked on the original Linac. Later formed his own company, Haynes Radiation. Was the inspirational leader and holler guy of the Ancients during workouts who paced many of us to our best times in the mile and served as mentor/coach. Also an avid backpacker who organized trips to the Sierra's that included us ancients. Alan was the true gentleman of the Ancients. Quiet, kind and no complaints. Not there to win, but always there, trim and disciplined. Jim was also a gentleman, outgoing, encouraging, always smiling and often laughing. Not quite as trim as Alan, but disciplined and a bit more competitive. Stevenson was a no nonsense runner and always near the front. I used to marvel at his indurance, including running up Cow Hill with ankle weights.
Dwain Fullerton, Herb Morrison, Dick Bennett and I all worked in the Office of Development together and joined the Ancients somewhere in the mid sixties. I remember being recruited by Gene Haynes. Back then when most of the workouts were at Angell Field, with at least weekly runs to Cow Hill or out to some exotic location like Rossottis. We would also include stadium stairs in our workouts, and if it was raining some of us would resort to umbrellas or running the covered upper walkway in the stadium. For what it's worht I'm including a pic of Ancients shirts and a Stanford towel I carried with me to Oregon. [no pic] I believe the gray one was the oldest with the newest being the yellow on the bottom of the pic. One of those T-shirts and the Stanford towel around the neck seemed to be regular wear during workouts. I wonder why we never came up with Ancient shorts.
I'm also including a pic of a photo [see photo section on home page] that shows, from left to right, Ancients Jim Robinson, Dwain Fullerton, Dick Bennett, Herb Morrison and Ed Laak. In the middle is supposedly my jock strap. The photo was part of a book of photo's I was given by my OOD friends as a welcome back from hernia surgery in the late 60's.
One last memory, and that is of John Bunnell always saying "You got to want it" as we would be poised at the starting line for a race.
Hope you all have a blast at the event.
Bruce
2/18/2009. Email from Earl Downing:
Stu,
This is Earl Downing.
Please know that were I not going to be in North Carolina on Saturday the 21st, I would certainly be there with you to celebrate our hallowed Ancient Ancients. This particular manner of commemoration, the planting of oaks on the Hill, is especially fitting and appropriate, and to do so with the loving and wise direction of the legendary Magic....I wish I could be there.
Thanks for pulling this together as you have. I'm sure you are finding the Magic people wonderful to work with. This ought to be a collaboration, Ancient Magic, with great legs.
Best to You,
Earl
2/20/2009. Email from Allison Snow Orofino, Cameron Park, CA, Ancient from fall of 83 to spring of 85
Running with the Ancients got me through PT school. It kept me sane and provided some grounding to help with the rigors of grad school. I didn’t know how to be anything but a runner back then…..
Favorite memory: Remember that race we did in Golden Gate Park? It was a team race as well as an individual. Something like the Jamie Foxx Memorial Race. It was the first year. The prizes were amazing!!!! I won a weekend in Orange County for winning the ladies race. We also won as a team. There were 10 of us I believe and we won dinner for 20 at the Cliff House Restaurant. It was an amazing dinner, especially for a college student. I am pretty sure someone picked up my share of the tip as well. That was a night!!
Running Update: After I left school I moved to LA for just a year and then back up to the Sierra Foothills. I have been there ever since. I trained with the Buffalo Chips for awhile (also with a group of talented men). Most of them were marathon runners. They convinced me to try for the Olympic Marathon Trials. The qualifying mark was 2:46 and change. I was in awesome 10K shape, did a couple of long runs and ran the Los Vegas Marathon. Everything was perfect through 22 miles. Then I hit the wall—just like that. I lost 8 minutes in 4 miles and finished in 2:52. My training partner convinced me to run a downhill ½ marathon in April. I ran crazy out of my mind. PR’d at 10K and 10 miles and finished in 1:14.37. Still don’t know how I did it. I went to Pittsburgh, but I am not a marathoner and couldn’t finished. As a bonus that Spring I ran within 5 seconds of my college 3k PR at the Oregon Preview Meet. It was fun. That was the end of that because I moved onto my new vocation, Mom. Now I run a couple times a week, cross train with indoor cycle (spin) and boot camps. I keep saying I am going to make a come back. It didn’t happen at 40, maybe 50? My moto now is, if you have to carry water, you are running too far!
Personal Update: Chuck and I have been married 22 years. We have 4 kids Doug 19, (freshman at University of Portland, Music Education major), Sara 16 (junior, XC runner, basketball, triple jump and 440), Spencer 14 (freshman, football, track) and Victoria 8 (swim, soccer, disney). I also still work as a physical therapist at our local small hospital, Marshall Hospital in Placerville. I have worked there 15 years. I have been to the Stanford Invite for XC the past two years and enjoyed a wonderful run around campus this year. Things have changed! It’s fun to have a running daughter. I live through her now. A highlight was 3rd at the state meet in 2007 (team placement, not individual! She is really more a sprinter!) Joseph Limacher and I have exchanged Christmas cards throughout the years. He has a wonderful wife and daughter.
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU GUYS WHO LITERALLY MADE MY DAYS AT STANFORD!! I CREDIT MY POST COLLEGIATE SUCCESSES TO YOU (along with the Chips).
2/22/2009. Email from Tom Knight:
Thanks to you and the others for putting on the great event on Saturday. It was a
wonderful time to think back at all the great times I have had with the Ancients.
It was just great to see Wes Press, Bill Benz, Vivian Soderholm-Difatte and others.
I have one comment regarding Henry Wald who you had announced had passed away in the year 2000 .
Well, I called him yesterday and he answered his phone and we had a good conversation and in fact was going to run a race today Sunday.
2/23/2009. Email from Stu Harris re Henry Wald:
"The announcement of my death has been premature."
I tracked Henry to Maryland Hts, but when I called his number, just like you [Tom Knight] said, I got Radio Station xxxx. "Bad number," I thought, "taken by a radio station." I mumbled something about looking for Henry Wald, sorry to have bothered you, and hung up. I suppose that's one way to stop crank calls, tell them you're on the air. I found someone with the same name who had died, so gave up.
2/23/2009. Email from Henry Wald:
This winter, I did miss several races that I normally run. I was either sick with a cold, in Japan, or recovering from jet lag after returning from Japan. I assure you that I am still alive and running, although quite a bit slower than I ran before the dinosaurs disappeared.
Although I am the only person who listens to "WALD -- 1087 on your FM dial", it was the highest-rated answering machine in St. Louis one week. It has limited success discouraging telemarketers, but it's still better than the greetings like "I am sorry I am away from home and will not return for seeral hours. If you plan to rob the place, please do so now."