Salt Lake Telegram | 1936-07-25 | Page 11 | [Untitled]

Peerless Mel Me of Olympic Fame Fails in Desire to Become Cop Note This Note This is another in a series dealing with time old-time Olympic stars and what they are doing now I By SCOTT SCOTTY RESTON Associated Press Sports Writer NEW YORK July 25 25 Mr Mr Sheppard Mr Sheppard please Each day on the third floor of ot one of f New Yorks York's large department stores tores John Wanamakers Wanamaker's this cry rings ings out above the bustle and Mel Sheppard Sheppard Pe Peerless Mel the Mel the last lastman lastman lastman man ever to win both the and the meter 1500 runs in the Olympic games games ames answers the call He is 53 now white-haired white smiling smil- smil lug ing ng and athletic for his years ears When he ic raced to victory in the 1528 and 1500 in 1908 in London he weighed HI pounds Now he weighs 19 Sheppard wanted to be a policeman policeman policeman police police- I man when he returned from London but ut medical authorities turned him down own saying he I had a bad heart heartSo So he got a job job jobIn in a store He Ho kept running until 1915 and then hen while running the mile in the New few York A. A C. C games In the old Madison Square Garden the floor Ioor e caved aved in He still carries scars from that hat accident Peerless Mel Mel so so named by George Underwood now Underwood-now now has two children hildren Mel Jr and Adelaide Mel Jr r. r Is an electrical engineer in CalifornIa Cali- Cali fornIa ornia and won his letter in track at Princeton He wasn't a great runner Mel says ays but he was great at the books which is more Important In 1910 Mel broke three world records in seven Beven weeks Ho He stands out tod today y as one of the greatest of all aU middle distance nce runners Sheppard resides at Wildwood N. N j 1 1 and surf bathing now has supplanted supplanted supplanted sup sup- planted track as his first love