ONE MORE: Jerry Tarbox of Droney Road tells us two robins, those
faithful harbingers of spring, visited his yard Wednesday
morning.
LARRY PEACE: Fred Peace of Trussville, Ala., seconds the
nomination of Larry Peace as Bradford’s greatest athlete:
“As his youngest son, I may be biased but I think my Dad is the
greatest athlete that I ever saw. I’ve been around a few – Gary
Grassi (my cousin who was killed in Viet Nam) and Stu Barber come
to mind.”
“The true yardstick of athleticism is the ability of an
individual to excel at more than one sport, demonstrate a tenacious
competitive spirit, and perform under pressure.
“My dad taught himself how to play golf when he was 35 years
old. Within a short period of time he played with a zero handicap.
Being his caddie at the time, let me tell you what I saw my Dad do
in the 1963 Southwestern New York-Northwestern Pennsylvania Men’s
Amateur Tournament:
“The match was tight and I think Dad was up 1 coming to the par
3, 16th hole. My Dad’s approach shot nipped an overhanging tree
limb and came to rest in a running stream of water about mid calf
deep just off the green.
“His opponent hit onto the green. As we came up on the ball in
the stream, I asked Dad if he thought he ought to pick up and
concede the hole. He turned to me, looked me straight in the eye,
and said: ‘We are not conceding s…, hand me the wedge.’ (I left
out what he actually said for obvious reasons.)
“Off came the shoes and socks, up went the pants leg, and into
the stream he went. He stood there for a moment – I thought he was
changing his mind. Then he swung. Water and sand and small rocks
came out of that stream. Something else came out of the stream –
the ball!
“Not only did it come out but it landed on the green, coming to
rest less than a foot from the hole. His opponent picked up Dad’s
ball – conceding the hole to him. My Dad closed out the match on
the next hole.
“That is what a great athlete is all about. By the way, I have
that wedge with me today along with the American flag that draped
his coffin.”
