Thursday, January 29, 2015
I was in some classes at LBHS with Jan and on the track team.If I remember correctly he didnt come out till Senior year(maybe Junior yr? BUT, what an impression he made...a powerfully fast sprinter! I remember seeing him get on the line with humongous strong looking black sprinters from Lawrence, Uniondale, Freeport etc" and the standard(but true) stereotype of the black sprinter superiority was obliterated as this jewish kid from Long Beach just blew everyone away. Sadly, he false started 2X in the Nassau Championships of 1967 and was DQ'd from going to the State Championships in Buffalo.What a shame...I remember he was very upset and teary(with good cause!) I dont remember hearing about him him running at UWV but later in life I saw him or heard him! About mid to late 70's I was with my wife Barbara('LBHS'68) and we were walking around the Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo NY,when I heard a voice I recognized from High School...I rounded the corner and saw Jan, on a rope strung between 2 trees, juggling and harrassing the crowd of on lookers ( typical!). I met his Israeli wife, heard about his training in Paris , and reminisced some. I last saw Jan at the LBHS 1967 class reunion where he was the life of the party and led everyone in dancing up a storm to the "oldies"! No one would guess his age, as his energy was like a 21 yr old! I regret not taking him up on his then invite to visit and kayak with him down his way! He will be forever in my regular prayers for a peaceful rest!
