In 1972 Bill Schmidt did what no one from Canonsburg has ever done or done since, he won the Bronze Medal in Munich, Germany in the javelin throw. In fact he is this country's only medalist in that event in Olympic history. To this day the 'Schmidt Javelin Technique' is considered the most innovative and correct way to propel a steel rod over long distances.
It's sad that this community has not seen fit to honor a favorite son in a way befitting his accomplishment. No front lawn statue for him, no Bill Schmidt day, no Bill Schmidt concert-in-the-park, no Bill Schmidt sign, no Bill Schmidt Drive, no nothing, though Mayor Colaizzo did say that should he ever again decide to implement a ban on outdoor grilling on the Fourth of July he would seriously consider an exemption for Bill Schmidt.
Well Mayor, thats a good start, but it comes up short we think.
This editor has a suggestion. Since Bill's medal is shiny glowing Bronze, why not name the property on lower western Chartiers Avenue the 'Bill Schmidt Radiation Field'?
That way, in 42 million years when the half-life of the buried radium expires and the ground becomes usable again, future residents can look back to the distant past and remember Canonsburg's first Olympic medalist.
1 comment:
Bill Schmidt missed out on the street-naming window of opportunity in
the early 80's during the halcyon Lou Bell cult of personality days when
even George Schmidt could have gotten a thorofare named after himself.
It was reminiscent of the Alaskan gold rush.
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