15 Disparate Musings About The 2023 Track And Field Alumni Reunion

1. Apologies go out to my fabulous foursome this year. Three of the finest friends and long-term attendees whom I both admire and respect. I did nothing but bitch and moan the whole golf round, while contributing nothing but missed putts and bad vibes. I am truly sorry.
2. Talked Mike Shine into golfing for the first time. I believe he enjoyed himself and had 4 shots that counted.
3. The dinner was excellent again this year. Ribs, BBQ chicken breast, fusili Mac and cheese, garlic green beans and Paul Mundy Memorial triple chocolate cake.
4. Got to speak with Ryan Foster and his father. Two delightful people. I think I convinced Ryan to get a third cat. The interactions and interesting behavioral changes that occur with the addition of each new cat are worthwhile. I forgot to inform him that the equation for the proper number of litter boxes is (# of cats + 1).
5. The Hyatt Hotel is an excellent venue. The expense is worth it.
6. Clark and Harry are great at what they have done to keep this independent movement going. Check how many other schools are doing as much. It isn't many. And if they attempt to add me to those who deserve praise, only believe 10% of it.
7. Finally got to meet Joe Head, the first Nittany Lion to run in the Olympic Trials Marathon. He was a full-fledged member of our group before it was founded.
8. The Coach's Remembrance was just right. I especially liked Ken Cooper's, Ryan Foster's and Artie Gilkes' presentations.
9. I live streamed the ceremony on our Facebook (Meta) page. Eight people watched live, but it has already been viewed more than 100  200  300 times since.  I actually hurt my back and tired my arms holding the phone up for 2.5 hours. Too stupid to think of a stand...
10. Coach Schwartz was my assistant coach for XC in 1977.I immediately knew he was the ying to Coach Groves yang at our first meeting. Total and complete respect.
11. This weekend reinforced my opinion that members of our group are the most interesting, the most accomplished and the most intelligent people I have ever known.
12. Coach Gondak is an excellent inheritor of the position once held by Coach Groves. I first met him at one of our early Friday receptions where I brought the potato chips and Clark Haley was truly the Keeper of the Beer in the small meeting room at the Hampton Inn.
13. Ken Worthen is apparently the finest golfer in our tournament history. I heard many people telling me his play was outstanding from hole 1 to hole 18. I did not get to speak with him, but I want to thank him for dragging Don Ziter to his third tournament championship! Harry Smith also.
14. The monies we collect for the weekend may seem steep to some, but that is never the case. In low turnout years we break even with Officers often adding significant funds behind the scene. In high attendance years we do have a surplus, which is given in its entirety to the Penn State Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country teams. (Not the Coach Groves Scholarship Fund). In these surplus years, the funds are often given to an individual employed by a company that matches charitable contributions. This is not done to earn Nittany Lion points for someone to get better parking or tickets for football games etc. The only funds ever mismanaged by our group was the $4.24 lunch at Wendy's I was once allowed by a donation from Paul Mundy made to our blog. BTW the Mountain View Golf Club has changed the hole where Paul hit the tractor trailer on 322. I miss those days.
15. Got to speak with Brie Berkowitz for an hour on Friday. I have known Brie since she was a young lady. Her mom was our kids' school nurse and a running partner of my wife. Her dad was a XC coach in our county. They have already endeared themselves in the PSTAFXC community, and Brie is an outstanding PV coach for the Lions. Truly a small world!
16. More to come... 

Still More About That 1968 Olympic Trials Marathon

Our newest member, Joe Head, got to relive the thrill of his amazing achievement of running in the first US Olympic Marathon Trials 50 years ago.  This time, he was an honored guest at the Reunion.  He was even roasted by one of the two Directors of the race, Coach Joe Vigil, who had tried to thwart his efforts the first time.  Now they have mended their differences!

The only way Joe made it into the race (other than his nagging persistence and inability to say "no"!) was to meet up with the other Director of the race on the morning of the event.  That was the great American marathoner, Buddy Edelen.  He was thrilled to allow the undertrained novice marathoner into the race!

I have called Buddy Edelen the John the Baptist of American Marathoning.  His achievements and training are incredible in a time before the "running boom" began after Frank Shorter's 1972 Olympic victory.  Frank was just an unknown wannabe from Yale in that 1968 race, which he did not finish.   Get Buddy Edelen's story "A Cold Clear Day" on Amazon Here.

One of the people at Joe's table at the Reunion was Buddy's son Brent.  Full circle of life.

Brent Edelen and Joe

2018

1968

 

1968

2018

1968

2018

Joe with Pikes Peak Marathon winner, 1966-1971, Steve Gachupin.

Joe Vigil roasts Joe Head.

A Full Member Of Our Group

Our previous post on the 50th anniversary of the very first Olympic Trials Marathon got a tremendous response from all over.  The post centered on Joe Head, a Nittany Lion who managed to find his way into the field.  It took great courage and persistence, and even the help of one of my running idols, Buddy Edelen, to make it happen.

Joe ran that race with minimal preparation, but great enthusiasm.  The kind of attributes that our very own Coach Groves would have admired.  This was just as Coach began his tenure at PSU.  Joe was surprised at how easily the Officers of Our Group accepted him into our fold.  At first Joe thought he was just a token member of our Facebook Group, but I corrected him that he is a full member of the Penn State Track and Field Alumni (Golf) Group.  This is in keeping with the tradition that Coach Groves himself  brought to Penn State.  Anyone with Joe's fortitude would have been afforded full team membership by Coach.  All of us can attest to that.  Coach had the patience of a Saint for anyone willing to put in the work to become better.  He even gave liberally of his time for walk-ons.  I can attest to that with a personal breakfast meeting each of my years at PSU.  One of them allowed me to have breakfast with Arthur Lydiard and Coach!

In turn, all of Coach Groves' athletes became better people (look at the excellence of everyone in our group!).  Eventually, all of us live up to Coach's quote at the 2009 Alumni Reunion, "Athletics is for education and recreation, nothing else. Winning is important only in that you learn more."  Turns out that Coach Groves was one of Penn State's greatest educators in its history.

So welcome, Joe Head, into full acceptance into the (soon to be, with everyone's help) largest and most active Track and Field Alumni group in the world.  And come golf with us in May, 2019!

Joe may have some further info on the 50th Anniversary celebration upcoming.  But it must be pointed out that he improved over those 50 years, and finished in the middle of the pack in the 50th Anniversary 8K!  Ahead of Frank Shorter!

    MALE AGE GROUP RESULTS 60 - UP
=============================================================================

Place No.   Name                    Age   Time      
===== ===== ================= === === ========== 
    1    56 Rich Hadley              62   35:16  
    2    36 Benji Durden             66   36:15  
    3    81 Bruce Kirschner          64   37:12  
    4   209 Michael Sandrock         60   39:02  
    5   192 Art Kitze                61   39:17  
    6   153 Pablo Vigil              66   39:41  
    7    73 Jim Johnson              61   41:07  
    8    11 Greg Birk                62   43:32  
    9   191 Chris Trunk              63   44:09  
   10   141 Kevin St.Croix           62   44:23  
   11    28 Robert Davis             61   44:57  
   12   108 Scott McMillen           61   44:57  
   13   196 Jan Frisby               74   46:01  
   14   195 Amby Burfoot             71   46:32  
   15   200 Gary Muhrcke             77   46:41  
   16   143 Darrell Sterns           67   46:44  
   17   199 Rick Moisio              63   46:49  
   18   208 Steve Jones              62   47:04 
   19   180 Joe Lowrey               61   48:11  
   20   185 Doug Ouren               62   48:40 
   21   213 Bob Deines               70   49:04  
   22   142 Will Steinberg           64   54:38  
   23    60 Joe Head                 70   55:10  
   24   207 Tom Heinonen             73   55:10 
   25    72 Alan Johnson             70   55:13  
   26   206 Tim Cronin               68   55:52 
   27    93 Frederick Maas           73   57:11 
   28   138 Ron Shepherd             65   57:54

   30   214 Frank Shorter            72   1:01:42  
   31     4 Dana Anstey              70   1:10:41  
   32    83 Kirk Kritner             64   1:12:50 
   33   202 Bill Clark               74   1:19:31 

Joe, finishing the first Olympic Trials Marathon, 1968.

Joe and Pablo Vigil being photobombed by Frank Shorter.

A Nittany Lion In The Very First Olympic Trials Marathon! 50th Anniversary

Amby Burfoot has written a remembrance of the event which has received a fair amount of acclaim, despite misreporting that Gatorade was invented at Florida State University!

Alamosa 1968: The Historic First U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials

The great blog Once upon a Time In the Vest has some of the participants commenting about the article and other things.

But our very own Joe Head actually ran in that marathon after having startied running at Penn State with Coach John Lucas as an inspiration.  His story is riveting, and probably unbelievable to anyone younger than we are!

My Road To Alamosa

 

Joe Head, left,  before the start.

1--George Young, 2:30:48, Casa Grande AZ

2--Kenny Moore, 2:31:47, Eugene OR

3--Ron Daws, 2:33:09, Minneapolis

4--Bob Deines, 2:34:13 (note: originally 2:33:14, almost surely wrong per athlete) Pasadena CA

5--Steve Matthews, 2:34:17 (note: originally 2:33:17), Denver

6. Ed Winrow, 2:34:51, NYAC

7. Nick Kitt, 2:35:09, Los Angeles

8. Doug Wiebe, 2:35:31, Pacific Coast Club

9. Bill Clark, 2:36:14, Quantico Marines

10. Jeffrey Reneau, 2:38:46, Laconia NH

11. Tom Hoffman, 2:41:54, Fort Atkinson WS

12. Ed Cadena, 2:42:25, Bakersfield CA

13. Bob Scharf, 2:42:49, Washington DC Sports Club

14. Tom Heinonen, 2:43:30, Minneapolis

15. Steve Gachupin, 2:43:54, Jemez Pueblo, NM

16. Gary Muhrcke, 2:44:56, Freeport NY

17. Wayne Van Dellen, 2:45:26, Woodlake CA

18. Art Coolidge, 2:45:44, Scotia NY

19. Don Lakin, 2:46:03, Pacific Coast Club

20. Jim McDonagh, 2:46:30, Bronx NY

21. Floyd Godwin, 2:49:21, Denver

22. Gar Williams, 2:49:56, Washington DC Sports Club

23. Darryl Beardall, 2:50:05, Santa Rosa CA

24. Jim Van Manen, 2:50:21, Ventura CA

25. Jose E. Dones, 2:52:43, Santa Barbara CA

26. William Blewitt, 2:53:46, Lawton OK

27. Gabe Petroni, 2:53:55, Santa Barbara CA

28. Jose Barela, 2:54:47, Barstow CA

29. Byron Lawry, 2:54:54, Lancaster CA

30. Charles Comefort, 2:55:24, Dunes TC IN

31: Kenneth Katzer, 2:56:31, Lincoln NE

32. Bill Gookin, 2:57:11, San Diego CA

33. Gerald Smith, 2:57:20, Minneapolis

34. Norbert Sander, 2:57:39, Millrose AA NY

35. Gary Pierson, 2:59:37, Denver

36. Richard Vafeades, 3:01:40, Denver

37. Ed Dodd, 3:02:30, Drexel Hill PA

38. Jim Mathews, 3:02:57, Denver

39. Ed Walkwitz, 3:04:23, Hadley MA

40. Tom Snyder, 3:04:37, Lincoln NE

41. Evan Smith, 3:06:02, Marysville WA

42. John Pagliano, 3:06:30, Pasadena CA

43. J. Peterson, 3:07:43, Lockport IL

44. Bruce Guthrie, 3:07:48, Alamosa CO

45. Peter Hanson, 3:09:22, Colfax CA

46. Robert Lowe, 3:11:25, Denver

47. George Husuark, 3:11:52, Montebello CA

48. Bill Anderson, 3:15:00, Santa Barbara CA

49. John Suarez, 3:16:26, Bisbee AZ

50. Russell Holt, 3:20:13, Springfield MA

51. Tom Findley, 3:21:11, Columbus OH

52. William Peck, 3:22:38, Wasco CA

53. Darwyn Batway, 3:32:34, Spokane WA

54. Bruce LaBudde, 3:37:49, Atlanta

55. Larry Boies, 3:38:22, Minneapolis

56. Jerry Laird, 3:41:54, Houston

57. Albert Sewell, 3:46:36, Fisk Univ, Nashville TN

58. Rick Vasquez, 3:49:18, Pico Rivera CA

59. Pete Mundle, 3:50:56, Santa Monica CA

60. Etwin Gookin, 3:52:05, San Diego CA

61. William Lamb, 3:55:29, Sepulveda CA

62. Alan Bass, 3:57:55, San Marino CA

63. E. Kirkpatrick, 3:58:54, UColo, Boulder CO

Joe Head, 4:40 , University Park PA 

Joe Head with Coach Joe Vigil at the 50th Celebration.