Clare Boothe Luce
American writer, politician, ambassador, journalist and anti-Communist activist (1903-1987)
Rafer Lewis Johnsonwas an American decathlete and film actor. He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956.
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About the Rafer Johnson
Rafer Lewis Johnsonwas an American decathlete and film actor. He was the 1960 Olympic gold medalist in the decathlon, having won silver in 1956. He had previously won a gold at the 1955 Pan American Games. Johnson was the U.S. team’s flag bearer at the 1960 Olympics and lit the Olympic cauldron at the Los Angeles Games in 1984.
In 1968, Johnson, football player Rosey Grier, and journalist George Plimpton tackled Sirhan Sirhan moments after he had fatally shot Robert F. Kennedy.
After he retired from athletics, Johnson turned to acting, sportscasting, and public service and was instrumental in creating the California Special Olympics. His acting career included appearances in The Sins of Rachel Cade (1961), the Elvis Presley film Wild in the Country (1961), Pirates of Tortuga (1961), None but the Brave (1965), two Tarzan films with Mike Henry, The Last Grenade (1970), Soul Soldier (1970), Roots: The Next Generations (1979), the James Bond film Licence to Kill (1989), and Think Big (1990).
11 Quotes by Rafer Johnson
- 1.
Tonight I’m going to shower and then just walk for about four hours and look at the moon.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 2.
What I can tell them is the way you become an Olympic champion is to start working now. I tell them why it’s always worth it to put the time and effort into something you want to be good at.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 3.
It’s very warm there, so we were outdoors all the time. The local people had programs for us year-round, where as kids we had the opportunity to play football, basketball, baseball, track and field – we just went from one sport to the next, year-round.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 4.
So I had the opportunity to do what the kids in the Hershey program do, except that the Hershey program lets them do it on such a larger scale, with the regional and national competitions.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 5.
I also meet with city officials, representatives from governors’ offices, really anyone in that sort of position who has shown an interest in youth fitness, to let them know why this sort of program is so important. I give the same message when I speak at conferences.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 6.
I tell them how what matters is becoming the best you can be at whatever you’re doing.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 7.
I make appearance at local park and recreation agencies when the program starts, when they have the qualifying meets at the local levels. Then I try to go to the regional competitions, and of course I’m there in Hershey, Pa., in August for the North American final.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 8.
Through the program, they get the basics of what it takes to train.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 9.
The main thing is that it’s nice to see these young people – 9 to 14 years old – take the opportunity to get more involved in their health and fitness. We need more kids to be more active.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 10.
The whole decathlon is ridiculous, but the 1,500 meters is insanity.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor
- 11.
I don’t care if I never see Texas again.
Rafer JohnsonAmerican athlete and actor