Jerry
Musco was a remarkable man. For the runners who did not have
the
pleasure of knowing him and to those who wonder why we honor
him
by naming a race after him, I would like to share some of my
memories of him with you.
Jerry was an excellent runner who ran with an unusual gait which made
it appear he wasn't working too hard...but more important was his
impressive personality.
First, he had leadership qualities and served as President of the Rhode
Island Road Runners for more than one term. In fact, he
probably
was the prime mover in the formation of the club as it grew out of the
Rich Classic Running Club in early years.
Jerry had the ability to attract people to join him in a
cause.
He had abundant enthusiasm for any project he entered into.
This
quality was the reason he was so successful in promoting running and
the running club.
He was unique in that he enjoyed running and was interested in doing
well, yet in a race he would run in the middle of the pack and as he
moved up he would provide words of encouragement to others. I
never knew anyone else who had the compassion to do that.
Despite his compelling interest in excelling (like the rest of us), I
remember when we were running up Mt. Washington and a fellow runner,
unknown to Jerry, needed help on the long, hot journey up the mountain,
Jerry stopped and provided assistance and sacrificed minutes of his own
time...a true good Samaritan.
Jerry was loyal...loyal to his wife, Barbara, and to his daughter,
Ashley. It was obvious that he counted on Barbara for support
of
all kinds and his concern for Ashley as she grew up was in the
forefront. Jerry, in fact, shaped his life to set a good
example
for Ashley. He was also loyal to his employer, Coca Cola, by
always insisting that Coca Cola products be served at the Wednesday
night runs, much to our amusement (and I am sure he would be pleased
that we still do!). His loyalty to his friends and other
runners
was unparalleled and expressed in many ways.
On the get-togethers after Wednesday night runs he was always the
center of attraction, with his enthusiasm for running and a remarkable
memory for jokes. His favorite, and mine, was a hilarious,
lengthy joke involving misinterpretations of native American sign
language. By rehearsing the joke on his own time he had perfected its
presentation.
The bright light of his life dimmed with the onset of cancer.
He
fought it courageously, as he had fought for his country. He
finally succumbed, however. I remember vividly one of his
last
races, which was the Disney Half-Marathon. His health was
failing, but not his spirit. He ran it to the point of
exhaustion, his body racked with pain, and into the arms of Barbara and
his running friends amidst tearful compliments about his miraculous
accomplishment.
That, my friends, was what Jerry was all about.
by Monroe Allen
