Show I richards contributes TO BLOOD BANK the fo lowing story con concerning cernin 9 one of our former townsmen alma I 1 richards was clipped from the los I 1 I 1 angeles examiner and sent to us by a couple of other onetime one time residents gwen at gurr sent it to us from where she is visiting and retta orton sent it up to her p parents mr and mrs silas T orton from los angeles and they brought it to us the story is as follows alma richards went back to tt the hh ee blood bank again yesterday about two years ago c alma gave his first pint of blood we ran a picture and story about abou t it in the paper I 1 remember writing that hell be back again well true to his word richards richard has been back many times sin since that yarn appeared yesterday mark ed his eighth donation which puts him in the gallon club of course alma has been a champion all his life but tor for a guy never see 50 again eight trips to the blood bank should be an oo OD eject lesson tor for some of our young bucks As a matter of fact richards has been making comebacks come backs ever since he began his athletic career so his return to the blood ba bank again yes I 1 j berday was no surprise hes used I 1 to I 1 ern em by now I 1 remember that alma had to stage a fighting comeback to win the high jump championship in the I 1 1912 olympic games he was on his list trial no less than five times during this competition but bul made them all and eventually won with a new olympic record of 6 ft 4 in then there was the time in san francisco three years later when he staged another comeback to capture the decathlon championship oi 01 the united states came the first world war and almas athletic training was interrupted in 1919 after the armistice gen ings headquarters wrote richards at brest france asking him to compete in the championships pion ships in paris alma competed and won four medals which gen pershing pinned on his ample chest at the same time saying you are the greatest athlete in the united states army 1 later in 1922 alma was on deck again for another adoth er of his spectacular comebacks come backs competing compelling in the ern pa pacific cefic AAU meet he topped all competitors by scoring 18 points in 1926 14 long years after capturing the olympic crown richards joined the los angeles athletic clubs famed team of forgotten men competing against stanford up north he bagged an unexpected second place in the discus covering the meet I 1 well remembered that the discus decided the outcome and almas three points won the meet for boyd Com stocks arl great at tion of comeback veterans then in 1932 20 years after his I 1 olympic win alma took part in a I 1 i meet at taft calif where he tossed the 56 pound weight ain for a first place this incidentally was the best toss of tiis ads length career it would be interesting to find out u if there is any athlete in the country who having passed his birthday could compete on even cven terms with alma richards I 1 doubt it it is unlikely that alma ever will vill know the names of americas fighting men who have been given his blood but I 1 have an idea that if they could be singled out they too have been able to stage their share of fighting comebacks come backs backi on the battle front bemuse because of his sacrifice I 1 we cant all be champions but we can visit the blood bank the article was accompanied by a picture of alma lying on a hospital cot in the act of making the donation |