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
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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. He helped so
many kids that had a background similar to the
young man who shot him.”
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