By Bev Garber
One of the most exciting things that happened when I was young was when we found out that Bob Richards was going to have a meal at our house. I believe it was 1953 or 1954 although I think 1954 would be accurate. We learned about three weeks ahead of time that this event would take place. The anticipation was almost overwhelming for a young fellow around twelve years old. He was scheduled for a series of speaking engagements through our area.
He was already familiar with this part of the Valley because he had attended Bridgewater College although he didn’t graduate from there. He transferred to the University of Illinois at least for his final year. He was from Illinois originally. He was a Church of the Brethren minister and was known as the Vaulting Vicar and the Pole Vaulting Parson. I assume the Church of the Brethren sponsored the speaking trip and needed families to feed his family while they traveled around the area. Of course, my mother volunteered.
As far as I am concerned, Bob Richards was one of the most famous people in the world at that time. Even people that didn’t follow sports knew who he was. There are probably a lot of people now who are not familiar with that name. I knew all about him before he ever came to our house. In the 1948 Olympics, he won the bronze medal in the pole vault in London. He won the Olympic gold medal in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. In Melbourne, Australia, in the 1956 Games, he won the gold medal again — the only person in the history of the Olympics to win back-to-back gold medals in the pole vault. He was at our house right between those accomplishments. He also placed 13th in the decathlon in the 1956 Games. He had to be considered one of the elite athletes not just in this country, but in the entire world during the 1950s.
Some folks think he was the first athlete on the Wheaties box, but I believe that is not quite accurate. He was the first on the FRONT of the Wheaties box. I believe he was featured on the Wheaties cereal box quite a few years. I wish I had one of these.
The day his family came to our house was on a Sunday. Did I mention the anticipation was almost more than I could stand. They arrived Sunday evening. Earlier in the day Richards was at Bridgewater College training and working up an appetite. During the meal we had fired chicken. I think back then you always had fried chicken. Our minister was along with the Richards family. When my mother would fix a meal for anything, she would have enough food to feed half of Timberville. She told us later that this is one time she was afraid of running out of food. With Richards training that afternoon at Bridgewater College and our minister who could enjoy a good meal; I mean those guys put away some food that evening along with everyone else.
We had this big round oak table with three leaves to make it larger. There were twelve of us at the table. Six in our family and Bod Richards and his wife and three children, plus the minister. Of course, I got his autograph which I haven’t been able to find for the past seventy years. It is here somewhere. My brother took pictures of our guest, and I have copies of those pictures.
I was doing some genealogy work a couple of months ago and was shocked to discover that Bob Richards’ wife was a cousin of mine. At the time they were at our house we had no idea that we were related. That would have made a good discussion. It only took me seventy years to find out that information.
Some people probably don’t know that Bob Richards ran for President of the United States in 1984. He received about 66,000 votes. So this big oak table I eat at a couple of times each day is the same table that a candidate for the office of President of the United States ate at.
I’m not trying to say it makes my food taste any better. My Grandfather bought the table in the early 1900s. It is probably 110 – 115 years old. He bought it at either Sears & Roebuck or Montgomery Ward. The tag is still on the bottom of the table. I am afraid to get down to look at it again. I might not be able to get back up.
