V 1 N. 27 An Uplifting Story for This Time of Year, or Anytime for That Matter
In these times when hate is spewed more than kindness and good will, I tend to get rather depressed when I open my computer. I lost one of my best friends this year when Bill Schnier the former coach at the U. of Cincinnati passed away. Then two months ago I received an email from the wife of one of my other all time best friends Walter Mizell, that Walt had had a serious stroke. Walt and I were teammates at the U. of Oklahoma from 1961-64 when he graduated and then went to Viet Nam as a second lieutenant. Walt lives in Austin, Texas and is a former lawyer now retired. In track he was a half miler, running about 1:51 for the 880, and he was a regular placer in the Big 8 meets in those days. He had been on a trip near Farmington, New Mexico when the stroke occurred. The doctors in Farmington were unable to locate where the clot in his brain was located, because he had had a stent in his brain or neck prior to the stroke and this negated their using an MRI to localize the stroke.
For the past two months I was sure that Walt was dead or totally incapacitated. I did hear from his son that he had been transported back to Austin, but little or no details of his condition were provided. At the time I doubt that anyone knew what to expect. I had no idea what to write to the family. I felt that they were probably very busy tending to Walt in any way they could and to have to send me details would take them away from their main task. So I kept putting off trying to contact them. I was just waiting to hear the inevitable.
Well, this morning I received a fairly detailed email from Walt himself. He is alive, and he is functioning at a pretty good level for his age not to mention what he had just been through. I'm 82 so he's at least 83. And he had an incredible story to tell about his medical adventure. It goes right back to his days in Viet Nam during the Tet Offensive. So I will share his story with you now. Admittedly he is a little hazy on some of the logistics of how he got home, because there was a stop in Amarillo and a chopper ride in there as well. I'm in the process of submitting Walt's story to Steve Hartman of CBS who does the weekly piece called 'On the Road with Steve Hartman'. Maybe this will get some traction.
Hey, George,
I hope this finds you in good health and still active. It has been a while since we last communicated and I want to bring you up to date.
I think you knew I had a stroke while in Northern New Mexico back in October. It was a messy situation. Ferne flew to Farmington to join me in the hospital. And all three of my sons took off to join us a few days later. One way or the other they got me back to Austin including via helicopter from near Albuquerque to Amarillo. My first helicopter ride since Viet Nam.
The most helpful professional I came across was the woman in charge in some hospital in Amarillo. She was Vietnamese , and, after I heard her give a long speech about my future care and prospects,
as she ended her presentation I greeted her with a hearty “chao bah” (rough translation: “hello madam” ) in Vietnamese (a very respectful greeting), she just about came apart! She became dedicated to getting us out of her hospital, which could not offer the care I needed, to a hospital in Austin that had the capabilities I needed. It was an amazing transformation, witnessed by Ferne and me, and way beyond any response I had ever before generated by my poor Vietnamese!
Anyway we finally got clearance to drive to Austin. And we wasted no time getting on the road/-immediately took off for home.
I have no recollection of the trip home, which took place in my truck with son Mike as the driver. (About a day’s drive.) Nor do I have any recollection of the next 30 or so days I spent in the hospital in Austin. Apparently I passed out upon leaving the hospital in Amarillo, and just somehow got through those days. I have no memory of any of them. My next recollection is being at home, trying to figure out how I had gotten there.
So I am now doing OK and my memory remains incomplete, and I cannot drive anywhere for another month or two. Texas has unusual laws about people driving after a stroke, especially people who pass out via strokes, which I definitely did.
But I am back to normal now, and ready to get back on the golf course.
I went to the driving range the other day with one club, my 7-iron. And I could still hit the ball, about 3/4 of the distance I could before the stroke. So it will take some time before I get back to normal on the golf course.
Well, that’s it for now. You are fully up to date. Unless I improve I won’t be driving any more.
I did some searching in my files and came up with some bits and pieces about Walt and me. When Walt went to Viet Nam right before the Tet Offensive, I was in Tanzania and Kenya while we continued to write back and forth sharing our experiences. We both were in some dangerous situations. Walt's danger greatly exceeded mine. His with the war, mine with mountain climbing and wandering through the African bush with some pretty big critters lurking in the shadows. All these years we have never ceased corresponding with each other.
Here is an account of a 2 mile relay Walt and I ran indoors in Lubbock, Texas back in 1964.
I was privileged to pass the baton with Preston Davis, Harry McCalla, Tom Von Ruden, John and Dave Perry and others while winning a couple of National Indoor titles in the 2-Mile Relay as well as a victory over Oregon's best in the New York AC Games, a 7:29 victory anchored by Preston Davis's 1:50.1 which took down Jere Van Dyke's swift anchor leg of 1:50.8. I traded strides with Arnie Klavaheim (SP), both of us hitting 1:53.3, passing off even. A graduate of Long Beach State in 1964, it was amazing to see what those Oklahoma boys could do with a baton in their hands. Anyway, my fellow half-miler, wish this old man good luck this coming February as I try to make it 5 years in a row!
Darryl Taylor
Long Beach State
49er Track Club
Pacific Coast Club
1962-1969
Thanks for informing your readers about Walt. It is so good to hear for those of us in that age group. You may recall that I ran the 880 for Oklahoma State. A few years ago, Walt and I swapped stories about our time in Vietnam. Because of these links I consider him a brother. It is great to hear he is doing well.
ReplyDeleteWell, Bill, here is another guy who ran in that age group. I see that Jim Mosher mentioned Preston Davis, the Texas Longhorn with whom I passed the baton in the middle to late '60s while we both competed for the long gone "49er Track Club", a rival of the Southern California striders during that era. As for me, well, after I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease a year ago September, I was told that the best defense against this awful disease was a dedicated exercise routine. With that facing me, I set a goal of running 500 miles in 2025 in preparation for defending my title in the "80+" age group 5K as part of the Surf City Marathon held annually during the first week of February. I have won my age group the past four years and Parkinson's or not I would like to earn one more title. Admittedly, the competition has not been very challenging, my low 40:00 winning efforts have had a 4-5 minute cushion over 2nd place each and every year. This past Tuesday, I finally reached the 500 mile mark since January, 2025 with an easy 3.5 mile run here in Huntington Beach, California. My work-outs would indicate a best time of around 44 to 45 minutes this next February 1st, exactly one week before I turn 85 years old.
ReplyDeleteI was privileged to pass the baton with Preston Davis, Harry McCalla, Tom Von Ruden, John and Dave Perry and others while winning a couple of National Indoor titles in the 2-Mile Relay as well as a victory over Oregon's best in the New York AC Games, a 7:29 victory anchored by Preston Davis's 1:50.1 which took down Jere Van Dyke's swift anchor leg of 1:50.8. I traded strides with Arnie Klavaheim (SP), both of us hitting 1:53.3, passing off even. A graduate of Long Beach State in 1964, it was amazing to see what those Oklahoma boys could do with a baton in their hands. Anyway, my fellow half-miler, wish this old man good luck this coming February as I try to make it 5 years in a row!
Darryl Taylor
Long Beach State
49er Track Club
Pacific Coast Club
1962-1969