I'm going to throw some names out there and hope some of you can answer the question for me. Where are they now? We would love to hear from you guys (and gals)!
Kelly (Kevin) O'Brien: I think I heard he's in Texas. Always remember him running the 150 mile week my sophomore year. That and "odorizing" the van on the way back from William and Mary my freshman year.
Mike Wyatt: A great guy. He gave me a pair of spikes my junior year that magically made me faster. Never got to say thanks. He also was the only one to stop and help me the numerous times I sprained my ankles on 10 milers. We could use another sub-4 miler!
Tom Clarke: Ex-president of Nike, Inc. Was one of only two people who congratulated me after running my best PR at PSU. Took the time to know I did it, and found me later to acknowledge it. Tried to help me get a summer job with Dr. Cavanaugh testing shoes, but he wouldn't hire me when I didn't know who my academic advisor was. Never met the guy actually, so why would I know his name!
Mark Parker: Current CEO of Nike, Inc. Took me on one of my first runs at PSU. We ran a "10 miler" which consisted of 90 minutes at 6:00 pace in the pine barrens and we still had 3 miles to go! Married to Kathy Mills, still the PSU 5000 meter record holder.
Ray Krombel: Always liked Ray a lot. He ran and looked like Nick Rose. He won the State 2-mile the year before me. Inspired me a little bit. I think he's back in Wilkes-Barre, a political hot-bed this year.
Dave Felice: Now the Fire Inspector in State College. Coaches runners at the high school. Ran into him after one of the golf outings at church. One of the few people that still recognized me despite my increase in size! He helped bring Jessica out of the well in Texas back in the 80's!
Heather Carmichael: Met her before she even came to PSU. She made me a pair of mittens for Christmas one year which I still have.
Liz Berry: Scared the hell out of a lot of us at the Nittany Valley Marathon one year. She ran one of the top US women's marathon times up until then (in the cold weather) that year. Coach was right behind her, kicking the team's a** and taking names!
Jim Clelland: Jim was quiet but when you did hear him he was funny and smart. He fell out of the van one day on the way to practice. Another great van story!
Brian Boyer: Brian is now at the Los Alamos facility guarding our nuclear secrets. More alums know Brian than any other alum the program has ever had!
Ted Lyons: Ted was hilarious at times and a pretty decent runner. Never did know what he was majoring in.
John (JB) Barber: John is in Pottstown. He has coached and positively influenced more young people than just about any of us. Gave John a big hug at Harry's retirement. John ran with us and then became Coach's right-hand man.
Ricky Garcia: Ricky hopes to make it to next year's event. I think he's back in suburban DC again now. A unique and talented runner.
Mark Dunmire: Won the state one mile the same year as my 2-mile. Was one of the marathoners that had to hustle in ahead of Coach at the 79 NVTC Marathon. Coach was chewing his a** the whole last mile!
Mark Heckel: We called him "Beef" on our dorm floor, and he could eat with the best of them. Threw the hammer better than most. Was also in the Blue Band, I believe. I know he still is a track official. Don't know if he golfs.
Paul Stemmer: One hell of a runner. Heard many great "Stem" stories over the years. If only 10% are true, it's still a fine record. I think he majored in Poker. I'm sure Malmo could spin a yarn or two for us some day.
Paul Lankford: Always seemed like a nice guy, but didn't get to interact with him much because of the football/track commitments he had. Had a lengthy pro career with the Dolphins. I remember Don Skerpon running the shuttle hurdles relay with him at Penn.
Glenn (sp?) Chumley: Could run 1:53 every Wednesday and 1:58 every Saturday! Who could forget the great photo of him in the Collegian streaking down College Ave. in the snow, circa 1978.
Barry Enright: Wish we would hear from Barry, but apparently he isn't physically able to leave New Jersey or he might explode, like the guy in the new Transporter 3 movie! (Just having fun, Barry, drop us a line).
Use the comment section below to fill us in on any of these blasts from the past and add some new ones!
*Photos are of Nick Rose in the 70's and the 00's, having nothing to do with nothing.
Dave
ReplyDeleteStraight outta Los Alamos, I am here 7420 ft up. I call you out!
I never fell out of the van in 1980 with Clelland. He did that himself. I did get him lost 2 times in a row and took Felice with us the 2nd time. After Groves ruined his AMC Hornet retrieving us, he got a sports car - a gain for him - and instituted a "you are on your own" lost policy.
I did do 16 years in college (Bob Hudson comment) so that in the coming months I will finally have spent more time out than in college. I do not know if that makes me smarter or dumber than anybody but it kept me young.
I NEVER was at CERN but Ron Moore 1986 PIAA AAA XC champ and PSU runner was there in the 90's doing research. He runs the Tevatron at Fermi near Chicago today. Until LHC at CERN, it was the biggest baddest particle accelerator.
I WAS at the IAEA where I was a safeguards inspector. I did Eastern Europe mostly and the enrichment plants in UK, NL and Germany. I did find some interesting things on my travels..."entrepreneurial calls" to my room, a woman swimming nude in a hotel pool in Holland, young girls sunning in bras and panties in Kiev and working in the fields in Ukraine in bras and panties and bikinis for a suntan, driving with a Romanian or a French guy dodging cows and trains - makes PSU van trips mundane, stayed in a hotel in Belgrade where a Serb war criminal goon (Arkan) was murdered 10 days before, saw a billboard for S. Korean Kumho tires in Belgrade that featured a nude woman doing a split with the Serbian caption "grips well in all weather", had trouble sleeping in Brno because "ladies" on the street were yelling so loud at possible business, nearly got beaten in Lithuania, nearly got arrested in Kiev (both for taking pictures), and had to leap over topless women sunbathing on the trail in Vienna. Top that in PSU....well maybe some of the guys on that list you made could and more.
If any of you ever get to NM stop by. It's worth it to come out here. I am a key international safeguards guy at Los Alamos lab. I try to make sure no one uses the weapons we make here. A yin and yang job? No?
I visited Dunmire in Sugarland TX last spring and the next week had dinner with Clelland. It was good to see them and too far between meetings (Dunmire 22 years, Clelland 2 years).
Brian Boyer
Good to hear from you! Can you make it to the event next year? You would know more people there than any of us. Email me with details of the "Lost Runs". I remember you, Clelland and Felice being lost all day after missing the turn at the Colyer Lake Run. You guys must have run like 40 miles!!
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