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| I was especially reenergized for the 1973 track season when I found myself sharing the cover of a track program with Prefontaine |
As my 1972 track season came to end, I qualified and ran in the Olympic Trials. Midway through my first qualifying heat I was gassed. I realized that the clock had struck midnight and Cinderella’s time at the ball was over. The season had just gone on too long; this six-month stretch was twice as long as my high school seasons. I had nothing left in the tank.
 |
| In front of Feng Tay factory, (left to right) CH Wang, Ron Nelson, Phil Knight, Steve Bence, Del Hayes |
The year 1978 was
a turning point for Nike manufacturing.
“Our factories in
Taiwan and Korea are humming along,” Phil said at the time. “Industry watchers
point to our new factories, and our sales, and say we are unstoppable.” Phil
and his leadership were delighted with how everything was going.
 |
| As we walked in the front door—me carrying a box of supplies, and Mary carrying the baby—Woody had his camera and caught the moment |
The Bences and
Woodmans got into a routine of playing mahjong Sunday afternoons at our house,
with gin and tonics. During one such sesson, the phone rang, a rare occurrence.
Mary answered; it was a fellow American acquaintance. “The priest wants to meet
with Steve and me,” she said. “They don’t have a phone at the church.”
“You two must be
in deep trouble,” Woody joked. “You better go; we’ll wait here until you get
back.”
 |
| Two hours after leaving Mary’s hospital room on my mission, I returned with a bottle of gin, a gift, in hand. |
A co-worker asked what had
been the most romantic thing I’d ever done for Mary. I didn’t have an answer.
So that evening I
asked her, “What’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever done for you?”
“You?” She laughed. “I don’t know. The first thing that comes to mind is when you went to get me a sandwich when I was in the Busan Hospital.”
 |
| Tom Cruise at the August 1998 Without Limits movie premiere in Eugene, Oregon Mary and Cory Bence, on the left, "photo bombed" the picture |
In late August
1998, a premiere for Without Limits was held in Eugene, delayed a year to distance itself from the
other Prefontaine movie, which released in 1997; Warner Brothers wanted to wait
for its own moment in the sun. Cruise was greeted by swarms of screaming fans.
On September 8,
1998, the main premiere was set for the Mann Theater in Los Angeles; Marckx,
Mary, and I packed our formal wear and flew to L.A. There was a large turnout,
including many celebrities we recognized: Jenna Elfmann, Cuba Gooding Jr, and
Kevin Bacon. We were invited to the party afterwards, for which we decided to
arrive fashionably late and disappear into the crowd to people-watch.
As we checked in
at the desk, hoping our names were actually on the list, a support staff member
recognized Marckx.
|
| I won this 800 meter race in Finland. Pre asked me to put white tape over AAU. |
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| T-Wrecks at PTC Awards Ceremony (I'm in the middle bent at the knees) |
