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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 1984)
Braithwaite well-respected By Diana Elliott Of the Kmerald Shortly after 8 a.m. on Nov. 12, Chris Brathwaite laced up his running shoes and head ed out for a morning workout on Pre’s Trail. A few hundred yards away at Skipworth Juvenile Detention Center where Brathwaite worked as a counselor to delinquent children, 15 children were methodically finishing with breakfast and attending to morning chores. For the children at Skipworth, morning tasks are a daily requirement. It's all part of a plan to emphasize teamwork as a method to help these emotionally disturbed youths adjust to society. '‘It’s so ironic... Chris tried to provide guidance to kids who were violent — Paul Lenarduzzi But this, morning the two-time Olympic com petitor wouldn’t return to praise the residents on a job well done. While Brathwaite was on his routine workout, 19-year old Michael Feher, allegedly clad in army fatigues and equipped with a .223-caliber rifle was climbing to the rim of Autzen Stadium. In a shooting spree Feher open ed fire on the unaware runner and killed him with a shot that penetrated his side and lodged a bullet into his chest. Aside from seeing that the students at Skip worth did their duties and cooperated with one another, the 39-year-old Brathwaite specialized in counseling the troubled youths. Skipworth is a public dentention center, which houses children under the age of 18 who have had trouble at home or problems with the law. The average stay ranges from 12 to 14 days, but most stay for less than five days. "What he did wasn’t too different from what a parent must do in a family setting,” says Paul Lenarduzzi, director of Lane County Juvenile Department. “He did the mechanical task of supervising activities, but he also did a lot more,” Lenarduzzi says. “Chris brought in the human element. If a child was distraught about a parent missing a visit or upset about bad news in a letter, Chris would counsel them, talk to them, and calm them down.” Brathwaite wasn’t one to leave things un finished, remembers Lenarduzzi. “He always followed through to the conclu sion. He was one of those employees who would arrive early and stay late if he needed to finish something,” Lenarduzzi says. It was that dedication that often haunted Brathwaite. “He would appear extremely hurt when children returned to detention. It’s that thought that you could have done something more,” Lenarduzzi says. But Brathwaite couldn’t be critized for not giving his all to the kids at Skipworth. Last August while many Americans were awed by athletes such as Marv Lou Retton and Carl Lewis, Braithwaite was busy organizing a mini Olympic competition for his students. “He did it all on his own time," Lenarduzzi recalls. “He went to businesses to ask for dona m< iiumki Wash the winter away weekly! on carwash or wax We are brushless... using cloth to wash your car the way you do. :ugene Quality CarwasH 115 West 29th St., at Payless 345-WASH * UUlMv.U\t| EXPIRES 11/30184 • WITH COUPON ONLY tions of prizes for the kids. He got ribbons and made sure that every student would be acknowledged.” “He blended his talents for running with his work at the detention center,” Lenarduzzi say’s. The talented sprinter set a national record of 9.2 seconds for the 100-yard-dash in 1973 while attending East New Mexicao State University. It was his talent for running that brought Brathwaite to Eugene in 1975. The native of Trinidad ran for the University during the 1975-76 track seasons under head coach Bill Dellinger. In 1976 and again in 1980, Brathwaite par ticipated in the Olympic Games, competing for Trinidad and Tobago. At Moscow in 1980 he was a semi-finalist in the 100-meter at the age of 35. His persistence to continue training and com peting in international meets into his late 30’s that awed many in the track community. “He was very dedicated to training,” Dell inger says. “He was 25 years-old when he came to Oregon. He was more mature than his teammates and very likeable.” Aside from his individual training, Brathwaite was also very involved with the Oregon International Athletic Team, an interna tional track club comprised of about 30 postgraduate track and field athletes. OIAT was founded in 1983 by several athletes who decided to break away from the Oregon Track Club. Brathwaite had recently been elected presi dent of the club that has orgainized such ac tivities as the Eugene Indoor Meet and the Womens’ 10K Run. It is also instrumental in sponsoring the Butte to Butte and The Race. "He was very serious about running, but he wasn't grim,” says Paul Banta, administrator for the OIAT. “Athletics were important to him, but he didn’t make them the only dimension of his life. He balanced out his running with his work and his family. He just had a really good perspec tive on the role that athletics played in his life.” Brathwaite made no secret of the importance of his wife, Sharon and his five-year-old son, Shawn, in his life. “He helped so many kids that had a background similar to the young man who shot him. 99 — Paul Lenarduzzi “Chris always brought his family to the meets,” Dellinger recalls. “He used to bring his boy to the all-commers’ meets, and (Shawn) would run the 50-yard-dash.” Most who knew Brathwaite, knew him to have drive. And his drive not only pushed him to the finish lines, but also caused him to excel in child care, notes says Lenarduzzi. “He made kids tow the line,” Lenarduzzi says. “He made it clear to them what needed to be done, and they knew they had to do it. But he didn’t do it in an authorative fashion, the kids just respected him.” Lenarduzzi believes that Brathwaite just had a knack for dealing with children. “He was always seeking to make them think before acting,” Lenarduzzi says. “It’s just so ironic,” Lenarduzzi says with a hint of disbelief. “Chris tried to provide guidence to kids who were often violent. 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