FEATURES
Frohnmayer dedicates time for daily exercise
■ university President Dave
Frohnmayer has committed
himself to cardio exercise after
a heart trouble scare
By Katie Ellis
Oregon Daily Emerald
When former President Bill
Clinton went running, CNN news
cameras followed.
When the president has a
physical, his doctor holds a press
conference.
Knowing the physical activity
and condition of the president is a
national media trend. Whether he’s
running, having a physical or “eat
ing” a pretzel, the activity is a lead
ing story on television stations and
in newspapers around the country.
And then there’s the local ex
ecutive, University President
Dave Frohnmayer.
More than two years after his se
rious health scare, daily exercise
is still an essential part of Frohn
mayer’s life. Regardless of his
schedule or his location, he makes
a point to exercise.
Every morning, Frohnmayer
takes a vigorous power walk be
tween 6 and 7 a.m. If it is raining,
he will walk on the treadmill,
and if he is out of town he refuses
to stay at a hotel without an exer
cise facility.
Frohnmayer’s wife, Lynn Frohn
mayer, said he almost never misses
a day. She will walk with her hus
band sometimes, but she said it’s
difficult trying to keep up.
“We usually walk from McMor
ran (Street) t6 the river and back,”
she said. “He walks really fast. I
Thomas Patterson Emerald
University President Dave Frohnmayer usually takes a lap or two around the track at Hayward Field during his morning regimen. He claims
an average speed is ‘around 4.2 miles per hour,’ completing a 2.5-mile daily circuit in about half an hour.
have a hard time keeping up
with him.”
But daily exercise has not always
been routine for Frohnmayer.
“I’m different now compared
to seven years ago,” he said. “I
now have a very regular fitness
program.”
In October 1999, during a speech
at the National Institute of Health,
Frohnmayer suffered cardiac arry
thmia, collapsing in mid-sentence.
“I don’t remember much of
what happened,” he said. “I was
told that I stopped mid-sentence
and fell forward. I was resuscitat
ed for 29 minutes.”
At the time, Frohnmayer was at
his third national meeting in four
days. He said he did not get much
sleep the night before and was
drinking a lot of caffeine. A month
prior to the incident, he had had a
routine physical and was given a
clean bill of health with no fore
seeable problems. The heart trou
ble was highly unexpected, and
Frohnmayer said it was a life
changing experience.
“I got a second chance,” he said.
“That was as close to a wake-up
call as you can get. It definitely in
spired lifestyle changes.”
In December 1999, Frohnmayer
started physical therapy at Sacred
Heart Medical Center’s Cardiac Pul
monary Rehabilitation Center.
Sarah Grail, his cardiac physical
therapist, described Frohnmayer as
an extremely committed patient.
She was particularly impressed
with his dedication to his physical
therapy program in spite of his
busy schedule.
“He was very disciplined,” Grail
said. “He made time to take care of
himself. For someone with his
schedule, I was impressed with his
ability to commit himself.”
Grail worked with Frohnmayer
for almost a year. They did aerobic
training and upper extremity con
ditioning and strengthening. Grail
said he also learned about his phys
ical responses, such as heart rate
and blood pressure, during their
sessions. Even though Frohnmayer
does not attend physical therapy
anymore, Grail said he gives her
updates on his continued progress.
“When I see him, he always tells
me that he’s been doing his walking,”
Grail said. “It’s great to hear that.”
While Frohnmayer continues
walking, he also enjoys other physi
cal activities such as hiking, river
rafting, skiing and biking. During
spring break, he went skiing in
Whistler, British Columbia.
But while he maintains a healthy
diet, he does enjoy the occasional
“guilty pleasure.”
“It can be pretty hard to resist
eggs Benedict at a Sunday morning
breakfast,” he said.
E-mail reporter Katie Ellis
at katieellis@dailyemerald.com.
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