In the 70's Muhammad Ali built his Deer Lake training camp in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. The camp was about 30 minutes from where I lived so my brothers, friends, and I used to travel to Deer Lake to watch our idol train. We'd sit ringside in the small gym and have Ali's sweat land on us as he sparred. After his workout, Ali would shake hands, sign autographs, and frequently enthrall the people who hung around with stories and his opinions on various topics. (Sometimes we'd have the chance to sit and talk with his sparring partners; including Larry Holmes.) Ali signed two paintings I did of him and t-shirts on which we drew his picture (while we were wearing the shirts). A picture of the painting he is signing in this photo can be found at my Artistic Photo Gallery. Note that Ali signed this painting while he was in training for his fight with then World Champion Larry Holmes. He had a mustache briefly during this time and referred to himself as "Dark Gable."

Throughout the 80's and into the early 90's, my brother Gary was routinely contracted by the United States Gymnastics Federation to provide computer scorekeeping for major gymnastic events (including the 1984 Olympics in LA). Frequently I would assist him so I got the opportunity to attend many meets and make the acquaintence of several top gymnasts. These photos were taken during the weekend of the American Cup in 1991. George Steinbrenner attended because he was then the president of the USOC. At a dinner during the weekend, he made the comment that these gymnasts were the greatest atheletes he had ever seen.

My all-time favorite gymnast is Julianne McNamara. As a gymnast, Julianne's strength and determination were legendary; matched only by her grace and beauty. By 1991 she had been retired from gymnastics for several years. Still, her smile could light up a gymnasium. Some of her glow comes across in this photo. A picture of a painting I did of and for Julianne can be found at my Artistic Photo Gallery.

 

 

Brandy Johnson, in addition to being a champion gymnast, was and is knockdown gorgeous.

The world renowned Dr. Jane Goodall is, in my opinion, one of the most influential people of this century. She is one of my heroines. I believe her stature will grow in future generations as appreciation of her work and discoveries grows. She, more than any other since Charles Darwin, has blurred the line separating humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. Her understanding and documentation of chimpanzee society and culture help us to understand ourselves more and, I believe, make it clear that our treatment of chimpanzees in zoos, entertainment, and medical research is appallingly unethical.

Tami Sandercock Holsten is a former Class I national champion gymnast in floor exercise. She is a learned world traveler and has spent two and a half years schooling in China and Singapore. A graduate of Duke University and UCLA's law school, Tami has done some acting and modeling. She now lives in Washington, DC with her husband Steve, son Andy, and daugher Julia. I've been privileged to have a close friendship with Tami going back over twenty years. (This photo was taken in 1985. More recent photos of the Holstens can be found with our Washington, DC diaries.)

A New York Yankees fan through his baseball loving years, Curt became enamored of The Big Red Machine (Cincinnati Reds) of the 1970's. His favorite player on that team of favorites was Johnny Bench. The first baseball player Curt painted after Babe Ruth was Johnny Bench (hitting a World Series homerun against the Yankees). Curt met Mr. Bench at a Celebrity golf tournament in May 2000. Fathers were having their young sons pose with Mr. Bench but Curt had Eric take this picture of him posing with the Hall of Famer.

© 1999 frantzs@geocities.com