One more Ford remembrance

I was in the California Capitol - although in a meeting - when Squeaky Fromme tried to assassinate President Ford. But in the Thanksgiving after that we started a tradition that in part memorialized that event. In the 1970s I was a competitive marathoner. On Thanksgiving morning a group of runners started out from my house for a training run. My mother in law was there and she suggested that we start out with a glass of sherry before the run, afterall it was Thanksgiving. Our run then went to downtown Sacramento and as part of it we ran by the Victorian that From had lived in while in Sacramento. The next year we got a bit more formal. We started out with $20 each and stopped at each bar on the way for a pop. The third year we became even more formal. We adopted a motto for the run - I had a greek secretary and so we said "If you can't drink and run, don't run." (Εάν δεν μπορείτε να πιείτε και να τρέξετε μην τρέξτε) We authorized medals, but if you wanted one, it cost $5 more. The last year we ran the thing, I won "best in breed" because the medals could be for any category. The last year we ran it we also did two other innovations. First, because by then women were running, we invited two females on the run (one who was Norwegian complained that all this really seemed to be was a chance to run from bar to bar). Second, we carried a supply of medals to offer to the proprietor of each place we stopped. Needless to say, many of the places we stopped were a bit non-plussed when a group of sweaty runners in shorts came in for a beer and then ran off. We thought the medal would ease things.

The running club I ran for (Buffalo Chips) had a saloon where it was founded (the Buffalo Club) so we of course stopped there. About five years after we ended the 'official' race, I had the chance to be in the Buffalo Club and the medal was still proudly displayed behind the bar.