A message from Gary Corbitt:
Ted Corbitt Archives Update - January 31, 2007
I appreciate all the responses received last summer about ways to preserve my father’s legacy. Ted is 88 today.
First I’d like to address a couple of historical points, and then review some potential next steps based on the ideas generated.
New York Pioneer Club (NYPC):
Thanks to Elliott Denman for sharing his article on the club. It should be noted that four of the nine Presidents of the New York Road Runners Club were at one time NYPC members.
NYRR Past Presidents:
Ted Corbitt NYPC
John Conway NYPC
Aldo Scandurra
Nat Cirulnick NYPC
Vince Chiappetta
Barry Geisler
Fred Lebow
Allan Steinfeld NYPC
Mary Wittenberg
“The 11th Man:”
This is the title of an upcoming article that Hal Higdon has completed that discusses the historic meeting in 1958 put on by Browning Ross which led to the Road Runners Club of America formation.
It’s commonly said that my father was one of the ten participants at this meeting. The fact is he didn’t attend this meeting at the Paramount Hotel in New York. He instead was running 30 miles early in the day in order to attend two indoor track meets at Madison Square Garden. The National Interscholastic Track Meet and National AAU Indoor Championships were held for many years at MSG on the same day.
Based on the feedback last year, I’d like to start with the following four areas and establish working committees for each. Let me know if you have an interest in helping in these areas.
USATF Hall of Fame:
I’m scheduled to talk with Craig Masback on this issue next week. Ted has been on the ballot I believe two times. The deadline for submission is May 1st. I can do the paperwork. Probably the biggest issue is making the voters award of Ted’s groundbreaking work in establishing course measurement standards for long distance running.
Establishing a Ted Corbitt Foundation:
Mike Frankfurt has discussed the idea of tieing in a foundation with the good works at The Armory. My father has always been a strong advocate for education. In watching him age he continues to stay mentally fit by learning new things and approaches to life. Developing scholarships with a tie in with the Armory makes good sense. Perhaps developing the same in Cincinnati via the University of Cincinnati and one day explore scholarships across the country.
This is Mike’s thoughts from last year:
As we discussed Ted's history parallels the Jackie Robinson experience. He is an unknown to today's young African Americans. I suggest one way for him to be brought to the surface would be an annual scholarship grant to an athlete/scholar distance runner. There should be an ability to stimulate donor interest among the former Pioneers and other relationships that Ted had and has in NYC. Norb Sander and I would be happy to feature the giving of the awards at an appropriate Armory event, where we have more African American youngsters participating then any other venue in the country. We could also tie it to what would be an interesting "talk with Ted" where one of our appropriate historians could do a one on one with him in our Theater, which could be recorded (be available for other use) and where some of our youngsters could come to listen and learn. If someone in the group is willing to take this on, we are available at the Armory.
The New York Pioneer Story:
The NYPC is an incredible story waiting to be told. We’ve lost Joe Yancey, Ed Levy, and Horace Wall, but there are still plenty of people in the road running, race walking, and track & field who can be interviewed and add to this story.
“Ted & Jackie: Separated at Birth?” “Running in Jackie’s Shadow”
These are the titles of John Hanc’s fine articles in 1997 on the many similarities between Ted Corbitt and Jackie Robinson. The similarities go even deeper than what’s been published to date.
Here are John’s thoughts from last year:
Hi, all. John Hanc here, writer for Newsday, long-time contributor to
Runner's World and other publications. Rich Innamorato plugged me into this
during a discussion in which Ted's name came up.
Here's my two cents: If the goal here is to get greater recognition for this
most humble, deep and interesting of men then I think Mike Frankfurt's
comments were right on the money.
Nine years ago, I wrote a piece for Newsday comparing Ted's life to Jackie
Robinson. That was April, 1997--the 50th anniversary of Robinson's debut at
first base with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Short as it was, the Ted story
provided a fresh angle to all the coverage of that anniversary and as I
recall, got quite a bit of positive reader feedback. I'd love to say it was
my idea--but it was Rich who pointed it out and of course, Ted who spoke
eloquently and passionately about the striking similarities between his and
Robinson's life. (Born same day, a few hundred miles apart; both
college-educated at a time when that was uncommon for African-American males
from the deep South; both served in WW II, etc.)
It is a great story--and, as Mike suggested, should indeed be pitched to
network or cable TV, to give Ted some well-deserved recognition beyond the
world of running and track and field. Maybe it's BET or NPR; maybe it's a
show like HBO: Real Sports, which does really good, in-depth human interest
stories, (and not just limited to the major sports); maybe it's even a CBS
Sunday Morning, whose occasional sports pieces tend also to be more
thoughtful.
It's not easy to get a story "placed" on one of those shows. However, next
year is the 60th anniversary of Robinson's debut. Not quite as sexy as the
big 5-0 perhaps, but I bet a good p.r. person could use that anniversary to
pitch this story effectively--the story of the "other" Jackie Robinson, the
one most people haven't heard of but who had as much impact in his sport as
Robinson did in his, and did it with the same dignity, proficiency and
selflessness.
Some other areas of opportunity are as follows:
Year long RRCA 50th Anniversary celebration.
New York Road Runners: 50th Anniversary and hosting the Men’s Olympic Trials.
Develop awards and public stages to honor Ted and the other founders of our sport.
Seek memorabilia, photos, correspondence, personal stories, videos, etc.
Develop speaking and interview opportunities.
Future projects include:
Establish a web site.
Formally restart the Archives.
Establish a home for the archives probably at a college with one or more of the following components; sports history, sports law, sports event management, sports physiology.
Movement to bring Ultra Marathons into Olympic competition.
Completion of a documentary currently being produced.
Reissue the biography “Corbitt.”
Ted Corbitt Autobiography or Memoir.
Publication of the New York Pioneer Story.
Gary
corbittg@comcast.net
904 472-0497
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