2003 Dedication to Jeff Truman

EXCELLENCE THROUGH EXPERIENCE

Jeff mugs for the camera—he rarely allowed anyone to catch him looking serious or dignified on film.

In Dedication … Jeff Truman

Every year since 1997, the On Track catalog has honored an outstanding figure from the world of track and field with a biography in dedication to that person. Some have been world-renowned athletes. Others have been more local heroes, personal favorites, admired by On Track founder, Ron Morris. This year is most certainly a case of the latter.

As many of our regular customers have already heard, On Track experienced a difficult loss this past autumn—that of 27–year–old sales representative Jeff Truman. His sudden passing came as a tremendous shock to our On Track staff, as it did for his family and many friends. On October 13, 2002, we gathered with hundreds of others at Mt. San Antonio College for a tribute to Jeff’s life. Although we came to know and love him over the two years Jeff worked at On Track, at that memorial service we discovered how much more there was to this remarkable young man.

Growing up, we learned, Jeff had a number of physical challenges—small stature, orthopedic and optometric problems— but he took them in stride and began pole vaulting competitively at Covina High School in Southern California in 1991. By graduation, Jeff held all his high school’s pole vaulting records at every class level, capping his high school career with a jump of 15'11" at the Mt. San Antonio College (Mt. SAC) Relays in Walnut, Calif. His next two track seasons were spent competing on behalf of Mt. SAC as a student– athlete, during which time he competed in the State Finals for both seasons he attended the community college.

After receiving his A.A. degree, Jeff transferred to Long Beach State in California, where he continued vaulting. Upon graduating Long Beach with a degree in psychology, Jeff ranked in the top 10 in the university’s history in both the indoor and outdoor recordbooks (P.R. 16'7" Outdoor/15'11" Indoor). Following graduation, Jeff competed one more season as an unattached vaulter, while also working for Family Solutions, a group home for troubled children.

Fellow pole vaulters Jeff Beam (left) and Mel Mueller (right) join Jeff in a pre–surfing pose.

Some would say Jeff’s crowning athletic accomplishment was a lifetime personal best vault of 17'4", but after hearing heartwarming testimonials from the family of a young high school athlete Jeff had been coaching around the time of his death, we feel that sharing his gift of coaching with others may have been even more precious. And it wasn’t just an aptitude for coaching that made Jeff a special individual. Jeff had a positive, outgoing personality that focused him on helping (and entertaining) those around him before he would stop to think of himself—a trait that served him well in dealing with his customers at On Track. Jeff once made it his mission to exceed a customer’s expectations and worked closely with our supplier to see that the coach had his order of several vaulting poles delivered the very next day. You could tell Jeff was thrilled to come through in such an impressive way.

It was so clear that everyone gathered at that memorial service would miss Jeff’s exuberant can–do attitude and often zany antics. There was the story of his pole vaulting in a pink tutu that raised giggles. There were also recounted memories of Jeff bobbing off the Pacific coast on “dawn patrol” astride his longboard, and Jeff’s quest for the perfect photo—whether it be a shot of a fellow athlete or surfer, a raging brush fire, or a full moon over Southern California. As a matter of fact, it was difficult to find good shots of Jeff for this dedication, as he was usually the one taking pictures.

At a time of transition for the On Track family, Jeff brought with him a welcome combination of joy, respect, humor, love and a commitment to service absent in so many people today. We mourn the loss of so much potential—the athletes he could have coached, the life he could have had—we can't know any of this now. One thing is certain though, Jeff’s time among us was well–spent. Well done, Jeffrey Wayne Truman.