"One thing puzzled me. Mike Bosworth was not among Kirkwood's top 7 runners that day, according to the writeup. But I know ('cause I have both yearbooks) that he lettered in Cross Country in both his junior and senior years; and I am pretty sure my recollection is true, that he sometimes was among the top 5 Kirkwood finishers in races during that final (fall of 1964) season. Was he injured or ill and didn't compete in the state tournament? Or what? It was definitely quite a team."
Upon receiving that I promptly consulted Gary Schmidt, a GREAT font of sports knowledge, who sent the following explanation:
"Mike was a VERY good runner. Unfortunately, he managed to get hurt at the end of the track AND cross country seasons. He was on the track team, just didn't qualify for a letter.
Coach Lyon decided (quite rightly in my opinion) to award
varsity letters to Mike Bosworth and John Rogers, in addition
to the seven who ran at State. Much to his credit, Jim Olson
(and others) fought hard to be sure John and Mike got varsity
letters.
At the end of the cross country seasons Bruckdorfer was
just getting back from injury, Schmidt and Pape were
really hurt, Mills had a small injury, and Bosworth was
out. And we could have had Thor, except he was back in
Iceland.
I think it's not impossible that Thor, a healthy Mike
and Pape, Leonard and Rogers might have finished high in the
State, maybe 3rd or 4th. We were much healthier for the National Track and Field
postal, where we finished second in the nation."
After sending that information to me to send to Steve, Gary had a further reminiscence:
"Our Senior year, the Pep Club challenged the Lettermen to a basketball
game. Except we had to wear boxing gloves.
So first thing they did was untie our shoes so we couldn't run or
jump. Great fun.
We probably would have lost, except Mike Bosworth nailed five 25 footers in
a ROW from the head of the key. Denver Miller was
checking the rules, "Can he wear boxing gloves in a varsity game?" True story (except for the Denver Miller part.)"
To which Steve replied:
"Yes, I remember that well. Richard Hodill and I were among the many who got a great laugh out of seeing Mike make those shots.
Incidentally if you happen to have a copy of the yearbook from our junior year ... you can see a little joke that Richard Hodill and I played on Miss Butts, who was the yearbook advisor . Rich and I were both in her Journalism class, in which the yearbook was produced. There had been a tradition among the yearbook staffs from year to year, of playing a small joke on her while still aiming to create a very high quality yearbook. An opportunity fell right into our lap. Coach Lenich, who did not know Mike Bosworth from football because Mike was not a football player, nevertheless knew him, although not well, from gym class. To our amusement, whenever Coach wanted Mike's attention, he always called him "Boswell". So Richard and I listed him as "Boswell" in the yearbook. We told Miss Butts for months that we had put a mistake in the yearbook, but she never
found it. After actual publication we explained to her what we had done, and why. She didn't cut our grade or anything." [see page 97 of the 1964 Pioneer: "Nine members of the cross country team, Pete Bausch, Ed McMickle, Mogens Larsen, Bob Welsh, Mike BOSWELL, Rod Bruckdorfer, Bill Pape, Terry Johnson, and Phil Mills, were awarded letters. With BOSWELL, Bruckdorfer, Pape, Johnson and Mills returning, the prospects are bright for another victorious season next year."]
I always say that staying in the same place all one's life has huge rewards and this is a great example. Our memories stay fresher in our minds because they are constantly reinforced by our proximity to the location of our activities. Under that blurb on page 97 is the photo of the Cross Country team. The names bring back so many memories, and it fascinates me how the memories of each of us in KHS65 would differ as we read the names....Frank Rodman, The Geyer Inn; Randy Smith, elusive but recently found classmate; Fred Trail, brother of my Nipher locker partner Susan; Stu Tomey, great guy on whom I had a crush and dated a time or two; Steve Swofford, another great guy and in touch with us in our reunion activities over the years; Bruce Immekus, KHS64, lived near me in Des Peres and was part of my KHS64 "crowd", Bob Leonard, a devoted KHS65 alum for many years; Wayne Stine, MD, gone way too soon and a part of my earlier crowd in grade school and at Nipher; Eric Lothman, MD, see post about memorial bricks and below two posts; Ed McMickle, older brother of one of my brother Kert's KHS69 early heart-throbs; Bob Welsh, KHS64, another of "our crowd"; Mogens Larsen, well loved foreign exchange student, to name a few. The tentacles of our lives intertwine and form such memories, good, maybe bad, some clear, some murky, but certainly provide us an amazing story of our young lives.
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