i bought my first pair of running shoes in 1981 at the store laszlo owned in the san fernando valley. i remember his thick accent and his funny yet authoritarian tone while i made my purchase--almost as intimidating as the small, grainy, black and white photo on the wall with a caption "3rd man to break 4 minutes in the mile" or something like that. that seemed otherworldly, impossible, but it planted the seed of a dream in this 13 year old kid who had yet to break 6 minutes in the mile. around 10 years later i got to join this fairly exclusive club.
he was a fixture in the southern california running scene, though i didn't see him much at track meets this season. i saw him last year at the usc-ucla dual meet, and he still had this habit of smacking me on the back of my leg with his cane, telling me "get off of your toes" because i'm such a supinator. i always wondered if he was too...
i exchanged messages with him at the passing of roger bannister, me thanking him for his inspiration, and he telling me to keep on dreaming and striving. what a cool dude...i'd say rest in peace, but he's probably just finishing a set of 6x200, goodspeed, with many more to go...
cush