This is an inspiring family story about
my uncle, Richard M Hartley, written by his brother (my dad) Jim Hartley. It
has helped strengthen my resolve to react to adversity with faith and determination.
Below are my father's words:
Rich Hartley: Determined to Run
Although he earned it decades ago, Richard M
Hartley still has his red letterman sweater from high school. But for him, it’s
not just a reminder of glory days long ago; it carries a much deeper meaning.
The sweater is woven in the school’s colors,
red and black. His name is embroidered on it. Dominating the sweater is a large
block “A” for Arroyo High School in San Lorenzo, California. Pinned to the top of
the letter is the winged foot of Mercury representing cross country and track,
the two sports in which he lettered. The three stripes on the left sleeve
announce his three years as a varsity runner. Above the stripes are two stars: the
yellow star for being on the 1967 team that won the league’s track championship,
and the black star for being captain of the cross-country team. Overlapping the
three stripes are six medals for top individual honors at various track and
cross-country events. The “67” below the right pocket represents the year he
graduated.
Very few athletes at Arroyo High School could
match the accomplishments celebrated on Rich’s letterman sweater. And, very few
knew the near-tragic story that originally kindled Rich’s strength and determination.
In a way, you can credit Rich’s athletic
success to two things: (1) his neighbor, Mrs. Lunders, who nearly ran over him
with her car, and (2) the Boy Scouts.
One Saturday morning in May 1964, 15-year-old
Richard was riding his bicycle northbound on Via Alamitos, barely a
half-a-block from his home. At the same time, Mrs. Lunders was driving eastbound
on Via Coralla. She stopped at its intersection with Via Alamitos. Not seeing Rich
because of the morning sun, she accelerated into her right turn just as Rich
rode in front of her. The next thing she knew, Richard and his bicycle were
pinned under her front bumper. The bicycle’s left pedal was bent into the shape
of a scoop, which had gouged out a one-inch chunk of tissue above Rich’s left
heel. It broke his ankle and came within millimeters of severing his Achilles
tendon. Rich laid in the street bleeding and in pain. Mrs. Lunders became
hysterical.
Neighbors quickly gathered at the
accident scene. Rich’s mother was summoned. She drove him home, bound his
injury as best she could, and rushed him to their family doctor. Rich
eventually left the doctor’s office with his left leg and foot cleaned up, bones
set, and immobilized. Soon thereafter, his leg, ankle, and foot were wrapped in
a thick plaster cast with a special rubber walking pad on the bottom. He was
also issued a crutch and a wheelchair.
Ah, the wheelchair! Not one to miss an
opportunity, Rich basked in sympathy and attention at school by having friends
sign the cast on his elevated leg, and by persuading cute girls to push him in
his wheelchair to his various classes during the final few weeks of school.
Summer came. The cast was soon removed, and Rich
realized how weak his left leg was. That was especially discouraging because Rich
had his mind set on achieving Boy Scout’s highest rank of Eagle. One of the rank’s
many prerequisites was earning a merit badge called “Personal Fitness.” Among
other things, the merit badge required a scout to run a mile each day during a
one-month period, and document improvement in his performance. Considering how
the accident had weakened his left leg, earning the Personal Fitness merit
badge would be a huge challenge.
But Rich was determined to run. By the end of
July, his leg was strong enough to begin. After a month, Rich earned the merit
badge, and both of his legs were stronger than they had ever been.
In September, when Rich began his sophomore year,
you could say that he hit the ground running. A few days into the new school
year, his physical education teacher noticed how Rich flew past his schoolmates
during distance runs and finished light years ahead of them. That teacher happened
to be Mr. Ryan, the school’s cross-country coach, and he was eager to make Rich
his newest recruit.
Reluctantly, Rich agreed to shift his PE class
to the last period of the school day so that he could work out with the
school’s top athletes under Coach Ryan. He started out competing at the junior
varsity level. At the end of his first cross-country season, the Hayward Area
Athletic League held a league-wide cross-country final competition for both
varsity and junior varsity runners. Because Rich had previously competed well
against the other eight schools during the year, he qualified for the league’s
finals. Before the meet, Coach Ryan announced to his runners that those who had
the top 10 best times for Arroyo would receive varsity letters. Rich clocked a
time that tied him for 10th place for the school—something
unexpected of a sophomore. That performance qualified him for the varsity team
and, therefore, his block letter.
During his junior and senior years, Rich
became one of the school’s top distance runners. In addition to cross-country,
Rich was recruited by the track coach to run the half-mile—880 yards. [Today
that event is known as the 800 meters.] Subsequently, in his junior year, Rich
also lettered in track. In his senior year, he was chosen by the cross-country
team as its captain. He also set a school track record for the half-mile that
was unbeaten for more than 10 years.
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf,
second counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, made this profound observation: “It is your reaction to
adversity, not the adversity itself, that determines how your life’s story will
develop.”
To Rich’s credit, his story developed well,
when it could have easily turned out poorly. There he was at age 15, lying in
the street, broken and bleeding from an automobile/bicycle accident. He was
disabled for a number of weeks. Little did he know at the time that his determination
to overcome that near-tragic adversity would not only help him become an Eagle
Scout, but it opened the door to becoming a future star athlete at Arroyo High
School.
So, today, decades later, when Richard sees
the block letter “A” on his red letterman sweater, he knows that the “A” not
only represents his past accomplishments, it is also a stark reminder to him of
the fragile relationship between adversity and attitude.
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President Uchtdorf quote from: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/your-happily-ever-after?lang=eng
NOTE: In 1967, the Hayward Area Athletic
League consisted of the following 9 high schools: Arroyo HS (San Lorenzo), San
Lorenzo HS (San Lorenzo), Marina HS (San Leandro), Castro Valley HS (Castro
Valley), Canyon HS (Castro Valley), Hayward HS (Hayward), Sunset HS (Hayward),
Mt. Eden HS (Hayward), and Tennyson HS (Hayward)
Written by James E. Hartley (Richard’s
brother), based on an interview with Richard
August 1, 2017
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