John W. James Endowment created to fund throwing events

Mark and Lori James & Frias Holding Company have made an initial gift of $200,000 to the USATF Foundation to seed the John W. James Endowment, USATF Foundation Chairman Bob Greifeld and Executive Director Tom Jackovic announced Monday. The endowment will be used to fund elite grants for men and women track athletes in the throwing events and to promote and highlight the throwing events at major competitions.



"We are honored Mark and Lori would choose to honor Mark's dad with this endowment. The Foundation is committed to helping raise the profile of the throwing events and this is a big step forward," said Jackovic.



John W. James was Nevada's state climatologist for many years along with being a geography and meteorology professor at the University of Nevada, Reno. He was a respected authority on alpine climate, particularly in the Sierra Nevada Range and Lake Tahoe Basin. He was the official meteorologist of the 1968 Olympic Trials held high in the Sierras at Elks Summit, above South Lake Tahoe, Calif.



While he lived and breathed the weather, he was also passionate about track & field. In addition to playing tackle at the University of Oregon, he was a Golden Gloves boxer and a top shot putter in high school, in Roseville, Calif.



"My Dad was the biggest track fan I ever knew, but he always wished that his favorite events-the shot put, discus, hammer and javelin-would be featured more at big meets. Although he is gone, this endowment is an effort to make that wish come true," said son Mark.



John W. James would run seven or eight miles every day in the foothills around Reno, where he lived for many years. He even ran a couple of miles a day after he was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2001. As the disease worsened, he continued to walk up to the time of his hospitalization.



"Parkinson's slowly took my Dad's incredible strength away from him, but it couldn't take his spirit. His spirit is in this endowment, and it's going to be behind every U.S. thrower that benefits from this fund," said Mark.



The USATF Foundation provides a means to attract and guide funds to new and innovative track & field programs with an emphasis on providing opportunities for youth athletes, emerging elite athletes, distance training centers and anti-doping education. The Foundation depends upon donations from its Board of Directors and from generous fans of track & field.



For more information, to apply for a grant or to contribute to the USA Track & Field Foundation, visit www.usatffoundation.org.