| School: Benson | Graduation Year: 1970 |
Year Inducted: 2017
Sports Played: Gymnastics, Track and Field
Featured Member of the Month ~ August 2022
High School Honors: 2-year Gymnastics letterman. 3rd in State as a Senior in Rings competition.
4-year Track & Field letterman. PIL Pole Vault champion Senior year, 2nd in State. School record of 14.4 in Pole Vault lasted 47 years. Track MVP his Senior year.
Post High School Career: Mt. Hood CC, League Champion with 15.4 Pole Vault. University of Hawaii letterman with 16.3 Pole Vault. Graduate of U of O with degree in Political Science. Retired from 38-year career as a business and internet technology architect for Hewlett Packard. Volunteer Boy Scout leader for 30 years. Inducted into Benson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. 4-year Track & Field letterman. PIL champion at 800M as a Sophomore and Senior; 2nd as a Junior and 2nd in State as a Junior and Senior. Ran on the 4×400 Relay Team that took PIL and State Titles in his Junior and Senior years.
Commentary:
I could always jump, climb and tumble. My father found me jumping off the roof of our home at an early age: two steps forward, leap, hit and roll. My grade school P.E. teacher, Nate Jones (NFL Ref on weekends) challenged me to excel at the Presidents Fitness Tests in 6th grade. He showed me my score and said it was the highest in the state. He told me to look for a niche of athletics that might help me with college.
At Benson H.S. coach Dick Gray took me under his wing in his role as field coach for the track team. Freshman year I won first place (Freshman level) in the city PV, LJ and HJ competition. I lost only one match in Freshman wrestling competitions, but disliked combative competition, I’d rather shake your hand and go cooperate on something than duke it out on the mat. Good learning for me.
Coach Gray urged me to follow the Community College route to begin my advance education. He was a student counselor and pointed out that Benson’s vocational skills focus had left me short on some of the academics in prep for college level work. He also had the connection that led to my scholarship to University of Hawaii as they were starting their NCAA track program. He was a great mentor to me.