Gene Haynes about AFA and himself 2/21/09
We’re here today to celebrate the lives of three remarkable men who are unfortunately no longer with us. But their spirit will always be among those who continue to contribute to the life of the Angell Field Ancients. Thinking back to the beginning, the founders most likely never imagined that what began forty-some years ago with few participants would be an everlasting union of hundreds of men and women, who love to be healthy and share their lives with each other during the noon hour rather than sitting around a table eating lunch.
My track career began at Hollywood High School in 1944. I always wanted to play football but I was forcefully told: “You’re just not big enough!” My high school track coach was a substitute father to me having never known my own. My one achievement in high school track was being undefeated for the entire time I was there, graduating in 1946. Once again, thanks to a great coach. I next found myself at San Jose State in 1947 and my first college dual track meet was right here at Stanford’s Angell Field. After two years of college I joined the U. S. Navy and was privileged to be stationed in Hawaii. I represented the Navy at the Rainbow Relays and was honored with the statement that I brought new life to the event. My final race as a naval athlete was to anchor the distance medley relay and help win it for the team. That year the Olympic Trials was held in Tulare CA, home of Bob Mathais, decathlon champion.
In 1955 I became the 1201st Associate at Varian, which began the Stanford Industrial Park that later included Hewlett-Packard and many other distinguished companies. Somewhere around 1965 I decided to quit eating lunch and I returned to Stanford for noontime workouts at Angell Field.
The kindred relationship between Jim Gere, Al Waterman, Dave Stevenson and myself jogging around the track at Angell Field found ourselves having fun together, and out of the clear blue sky in the beginning weeks came up with the name of this group of people as the Angell Field Ancients. One noontime, Jim Gere came to the workout with a bag full of tee shirts. He and one of the others had found a company, which stenciled tee shirts with what ever name you wanted, and thus the Angell Field Ancients Tee shirt became a living symbol of the group for all these years. To be very truthful, I never asked the question of “how did the track itself at Stanford University acquire its name?” Maybe someone here today can enlighten us.
I am so grateful that my life and a wonderful woman named Dottie has taken good care of me in the latter half of both our lives, and thus I am reasonably healthy and able to be here with her and all of you on this most fantastic day. I cannot leave out one other thought: I personally shared a few memorable moments with both Jim and his lovely wife, Janice Gere, as well as their two sons with shared with me several Sierra pack trips.
The growth over the initial years was made up of many fellow colleagues. The mix became professors, professional employees at Stanford, graduate students and even a retired Stanford track star who wanted to grow old gracefully. Thus the mix began: Gere, Waterman, Stevenson, Haynes, Bunnell, Schwartz, Carpenter, Hinchliffe, Morrison, Miles, Ferguson, Fullerton, Bennett, Wood, Kiefer, Gale Bunnell, the one and only Schupbach, Lund, Route, Laris, to name just a few, all of whom brought unbelievable life to the Ancients along with everyone who is here today, carrying on the tradition of sharing one’s life with others at noon time.
Many wonderful people and adventures, but none quite the equivalent of the outstanding friendships of Jim, Al and Dave have touched my life. This has taken me in directions that I will never forget. God Bless them and everyone here today, those who wanted to be here but for their own reasons could not be, as well as those still to become members of this unique troupe. Thank you.