“Louis Zamperini, who was one of USC’s greatest distance runners and gained international acclaim for his amazing exploits during World War II, will be honored at a dinner celebrating his 90th birthday on Friday, Jan. 26, at 6:30 p.m. at USC’s Town & Gown.
A 3-year USC letterman (1938-39-40) who co-captained the 1940 Trojan squad and was a member of 3 NCAA championship teams, Zamperini was the NCAA champion in the mile run in 1938 and 1939. The collegiate mile record (4:08.3) that he set lasted for 15 years. He placed eighth in the 5,000-meter run at the 1936 Olympics.
He was lost at sea during World War II, spending 47 days adrift and then two-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war in Japan. Following the war, he returned to Japan as a missionary. In 1998, he carried the Olympic torch (his third of five times) through his former POW camp outside Nagano. His experience was the subject of a CBS-TV feature and an upcoming book.
Tables and seats for the dinner are available by contacting Friends of Louis Zamperini, P.O. Box 50107, Pasadena, Calif., 91115 or emailing John@JohnNaber.com. Personal messages can be included in the tribute’s printed program for a tax deductible contribution.”
A book on his exploits is available on Amazon.com
Happy Birthday, Louis
Roger Freberg
Hmmmmm… years ago, Grandma Frankie asked me as a little boy, “when did you learn that little girls legs weren’t attached to the bottom of their skirts?”
Well… I remember the whining… the ‘Urbanizing’ of many blogs that said that the Trojans were unworthy to face big bad Ohio State and that Michigan should get it’s chance…. BECAUSE they really deserved it.
