CONTACTS
0201 - Richard Popejoy, DDS
020101 - Dr. Richard Popejoy
SUBJECTS
Award Honoring Doctor Richard Popejoy Dedication Community Service C
0903 -
0903 - ..
0904 - Summary/Objective
0905 -
090501 - Follow up ref SDS 3 0000, ref SDS 2 0000.
090502 -
090503 - Millie and I arrived at the High School about 1100. It was very
090504 - crowded. Matches were underway in the gym and in the student center
090505 - which is attached to the gym. We found Richard at the announcer
090506 - table.
090508 - ..
090509 - I introduced Millie, whom Richard had only seen maybe once before. We
090510 - visited briefly while Richard was announcing matches.
090512 - ..
090513 - While talking to Richard, the coach for the Monterey team introduced
090514 - himself and asked if I was Rod Welch. He explained we had wrestled in
090515 - high school and seemed to have a good recollection of the match and
090516 - the Cupertino team from that era, 35 years ago. He was kind in
090517 - explaining his recollection of my state finals match in 1963, and that
090518 - he had a recent occassion to discuss it with his team or someone. He
090519 - mentioned, also, having recently encountered the man who was my
090520 - oponent in that match, and they both felt it was an exciting effort.
090521 - He pointed out one of the referees who was on the mat with a match
090522 - underway, and explained he is someone who had nearly pinned me at a
090523 - tournament.
090525 - ..
090526 - That could have been a wrestler from Campbel. In the 3rd round of
090527 - SCVAL league finals, I was nearly pinned despite having a substantial
090528 - lead. This may resulted from being 2 pounds overweight for the
090529 - morning weigh-ins. Had to run and workout to lose that weight, and so
090530 - could have caused fatigue that resulted in getting turned somehow or
090531 - other. In any case, got out of that, and then pinned the opponent,
090532 - ultimately winning the tournament.
090534 - ..
090535 - Today, I thanked this person for remembering those wonderful
090536 - experiences so long ago, and for continuing the dedication, purpose
090537 - and zest for challenge instilled by our coaches. His work coaching
090538 - young people now, as then, contributes long after our time on the mat
090539 - has ended.
090540 -
090541 - [On 970307 explanation of why the 1963 match may have been
090542 - exciting, memorable. ref SDS 6 7593
090544 - ..
090545 - [On 970308 the Monterey HS coach was honored at this year's state
090546 - finals. ref SDS 7 9742
090548 - ..
090549 - Richard took Millie and I out to visit with Sam Lawson who seemed to
090550 - be in charge of Lions support for the event. Richard explained the
090551 - local Lions Club supports the Cupertino Wrestling program with funds
090552 - and volunteers. Today they were providing food service with barbecues
090553 - and standard event fast food.
090555 - ..
090556 - Sam advised that the tournament is named for Gary Bianciani, who died
090557 - in 1984, but made a major contribution to Cupertino as a teacher,
090558 - coach, administrator and personality.
090559 -
090560 - [On 151208 0954 receive notice that Rob and I will be
090561 - honored at Bianchiani Memorial Wrestling tournament on
090562 - 160109. ref SDS 8 6X58
090564 - ..
090565 - There is background on Gary in the program at ref DRT 1 9630.
090567 - ..
090568 - Then it turned out that this tournament is making a special dedication
090569 - to Richard. The program reads:
090570 -
090571 - Special Recognition to Richard Popejoy
090572 -
090573 - .., ref DRT 1 7206
090575 - ..
090576 - There is a summary of Richard's achievements. ref DRT 1 0628.
090578 - ..
090579 - Sam said there will be a ceremony prior to the finals, honoring
090580 - Richard for his contribution to Cupertino Wrestling. A commemoration
090581 - trophy will be given to Richard by two or three coaches who wrestled
090582 - for Cupertino when Richard coached the team some years ago. I said
090583 - that Millie and I didn't know that today's tournament was dedicated to
090584 - Richard and that there would be a ceremony for him. Richard didn't
090585 - mention this when we talked the other day, ref SDS 3 9530.
090586 -
090587 - [On 151208 0954 receive notice that Rob and I will be
090588 - honored at Bianchiani Memorial Wrestling tournament on
090589 - 160109. ref SDS 8 6X58
090591 - ..
090592 - I suggested that if the tournament director thought it would be
090593 - appropriate and would not interfere with current ceremony planning, I
090594 - would like to say a few words about Richard and mention our time at
090595 - Cupertino with Gary.
090597 - ..
090598 - Sam said his son, Jay, is the tournament director, ref DRT 1 0730, and
090599 - coach of the Cupertino team, ref DRT 1 0502. He explained there is a
090600 - Rod Welch trophy given to the outstanding wrestler at Cupertino, and
090601 - so that would provide some name recognition to support my being added
090602 - to the ceremony. He took Millie and I into the gym and found Jay.
090604 - ..
090605 - Sam introduced me, and Jay seemed to remember me, even though the last
090606 - time I remember seeing him he must have been about 4 or 5 years old.
090607 - Jay approved the idea for me to make some brief remarks. He said the
090608 - ceremony will take place about 1815, just prior to the start of the
090609 - final matches this evening.
090611 - ..
090612 - Millie I drove to Stanford and had lunch at the Barn. We went to
090613 - Sunnyvale and visited Bob and Drisc for about an hour, to see their
090614 - new dog, Sandy. Driving back to the high school, we visited Teri and
090615 - Morris for a few hours at their home in Saratoga.
090616 -
090617 - [See follow up with Morris ref SDS 5 0748.]
090619 - ..
090620 - We arrived back at Cupertino HS oa 1730 and saw Richard's wife, Kathy,
090621 - coming into gym, so we sat togther in the bleachers. Kathy introduced
090622 - us to an older women who has been a booster of Cupertino Wrestling,
090623 - since the time that Richard and I were students in the early 60s. She
090624 - seemed to remember me.
090626 - ..
090627 - Jay Lawson visited with me briefly about 1800 and asked that my
090628 - remarks be brief. He said the cermony will take place in front of the
090629 - announcers table, and we will simply stand by there at about 1815.
090631 - ..
090632 - By this time the wrestlers for the finals were warming up on the mats,
090633 - and there was a lot of milling around of people in and about the
090634 - stands. It was quite noisy.
090636 - ..
090637 - Jay took the microphone from Richard about 1820 and called the
090638 - audience and participants to attention. He simply announced that
090639 - Richard is being honored this evening, and that two of Richard's
090640 - former wrestlers will make a presentation.
090642 - ..
090643 - He then said Rod Welch has a few words to say, and handed me the
090644 - microphone.
090645 -
090646 - [On 151208 0954 receive notice that Rob and I will be
090647 - honored at Bianchiani Memorial Wrestling tournament on
090648 - 160109. ref SDS 8 6X58
090650 - ..
090651 - I was a bit suprised by the abruptness of the introduction. It was
090652 - still very noisy when I began to speak. I probably should have asked
090653 - for attention and permitted the crowd to recognize that a ceremony was
090654 - underway. However, I drew a blank on that need and instead simply
090655 - spoke for a few minutes, about Richard and a little about Gary
090656 - Biancini, the fact they were team mates in both football and
090657 - wrestling.
090659 - ..
090660 - After I spoke the coach from Monterey talked with me again, as I stood
090661 - watching Richard receive his dedication trophy. He mentioned having
090662 - recently ran into the guy I wrestled for the State finals in 1963, and
090663 - that they had talked about that match. He recalled it was a 0 0 tie
090664 - but that I was awarded the victory by the judges. He asked if I
090665 - pursued wrestling after HS. I explained being injured at Lewis &
090666 - Clark in football; later trying out for the Olympics in 1968, but
090667 - again got injured at Portland State while in training for a qualifying
090668 - tournament. He asked about my work and I explained current efforts.
090670 - ..
090671 - Millie said on the way driving home that the microphone was not loud
090672 - enough, or that I should have spoken louder. She said it was
090673 - difficult to follow what I was saying about Richard.
090674 -
090675 - [I talked to Richard a few days later and he seemed to say that he
090676 - was able to hear me speak, and that Kathy heard and appreciated
090677 - my remarks on behalf of Richard. ref SDS 4 5928]
090678 -
090679 -
090680 -
090681 -
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090683 -
090684 -
0907 -
Distribution. . . . See "CONTACTS"