Rafer Johnson

Thanks to Bill Dwyre ["Coming to light," July 28] for a great article about a wonderful human being, Rafer Johnson. As an 18-year-old kid who had just graduated from high school, I attended the 1960 U.S. Olympic trials at Mt. San Antonio College. Rafer Johnson had just qualified to represent our nation at the Rome Olympics. Hundreds of adoring fans were trying to get close to him or to get an autograph. I was fortunate to be able to greet him personally. After shaking hands, he stopped, looked me straight in the eye, and softly said, "Thanks for shaking my hand."

I have for many years considered Rafer Johnson one of the two greatest all-around athletes I ever saw perform, the other being Jackie Robinson. Moreover, Johnson's letter published in last Saturday's Times questioning the elimination of Gary Cunningham from consideration for UCLA's athletic director position demonstrates that he is as perceptive as he was athletic. As Johnson noted, Cunningham has everything that UCLA should be looking for in an athletic director. Therefore, he obviously had to be rejected if the Bruins were to continue on their current course of mediocrity in the major sports.

Olympic champion Rafer Johnson will be the grand marshal of the 29th annual Christmas Parade, to be staged Saturday at 9 a.m. "Rafer Johnson is an outstanding individual, a Valley resident, and also a longtime friend," said Ed Kussman, president of the Pacoima Chamber of Commerce, which has sponsored the parade since it began. Johnson is a board member and has long been active in the San Fernando Valley Fair Housing Council. In addition to Johnson, Police Chief Willie L.

When you look at her, you see the resemblance. When you see her talk to teammates and opponents, you see the same tenacity, humor and class. Jennifer Johnson will always be Rafer Johnson's little girl. Yes, that Rafer Johnson. The Rafer Johnson who won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1960 Summer Olympics. The Rafer Johnson who ran the Olympic torch with grace, dignity and pride into the Coliseum at the start of the 1984 Summer Olympics.

What: "The Best That I Can Be" Author: Rafer Johnson, with Philip Goldberg Price: $23.95 From Olympic decathlon champion to Hollywood personality, from loyal friend of Robert F. Kennedy to dedicated supporter of the Special Olympics, Rafer Johnson has left his mark in a life filled with remarkable achievements. He is, as his good friend Tom Brokaw writes in an introduction, "an icon of dignity and determination."

An eclectic group of clergy gathered here Wednesday to meet Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson at the 26th Annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast. More than 250 clergy members, city officials and community delegates came together for prayers, music and a keynote address by Johnson, the 1960 decathlon winner. Owen Pinto, personal physician to Mother Teresa, was also on hand, collecting names and best wishes for the ailing nun.

This is about something that happened in the 1960s, and about what a couple of famous men did or didn't do then. And about whether it matters. The men aren't John Kerry and George Bush, and the turf isn't Vietnam or Texas; it's what has got to be the saddest little piece of real estate in California, and two admirable men's conflicting memories of what took place there. The spot in question is the Ambassador Hotel, where, on June 5, 1968, Robert F.

His head thrown back, just like the runners he had seen in "Chariots of Fire," John Weidman was a study in exultation as he neared the finish line in the 200-meter dash. No matter that he finished third in a field of three. The important thing was that the 23-year-old man from Kings County, who has Down's syndrome, finished at all in his first state race. "He usually veers off to one side," explained his proud father as he snapped pictures of the beaming, sweaty athlete.