dialogue
letters
Fun Run
I forgot how much I enjoy reading the Oregon Quarterly until I sat down and read the latest issue [Summer 2014]. All the articles were excellent, but “Pre’s People” by Ben DeJarnette was over the top for me. I started running for a PE class I took while at Oregon and vividly remember many jaunts up through Hendricks Park during good and not-so-good weather. I am like the high school runners who watch the movies about Pre’s life. My wife and I have them recorded and watch them regularly, but neither of us can watch the ending when he crashed. I will always remember a quote attributed to Pre, which went, “I don’t run to see how much guts I have, but to see how much the other guy has.” That says it all about Pre in my mind. Before I read the author credit, I knew it had to be a runner. Only someone who has been there could capture the spirit.
Evan H. Mandigo ’67 Bismark, North Dakota
More Pre People
We thought Oregon Quarterly readers might be interested in seeing the reunion photo we put together for our new documentary on Pre called Pre’s People. These are all (but one) of Pre’s high school district championship teammates 40-plus years later. This picture was taken of them at Marshfield High School, where they surprised Pre’s assistant track and cross-country coach Phil Pursian as part of filming the new documentary, which focuses on Pre’s childhood in Coos Bay and his running foundation at Marshfield High.
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O r e g o n Q u a r t e r ly
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We concluded filming our documentary at the 2014 Prefontaine Classic and in Coos Bay. We captured untold stories, acquired never-before published photos of Pre, and interviewed more than 50 people—coaches, teammates, competitors, and fans—all in high definition over the past three years. Now the editing process begins.
Autu m n 2014
Travis Johnson Phoenix, Arizona Brad Jenkins Portland, Oregon Pirate Films, LLC www.prespeople.com
Top: Pre runs his final race on May 29, 1975. Bottom, from left: Pre’s People: The Documentary producers Brad Jenkins and Travis Johnson; Pre’s high school teammates Tom Huggins, Kirk Gamble, assistant coach Phil Pursian, Larry Denton, Ron Apling, and Reed Kinney. (Not pictured, Steve Scheel). Prefontaine: Geoff Parks