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Wednesday, December 17, 1997 i COMMUNITY CALENDAR • LIFESTYLES • SPORTS • COMMUNITY CORRESPONDENCE • TV LISTINGS "The Flying Scotsman" Wouldn't Race on Sunder Orono Woman Recalls Life of Famous Dad by Laura J. Richards Staff Writer Sports fans knew him as the a 1924 Olympic gold medalist in the 400 metre event. Moviegoers Moviegoers know him as the man whose story inspired the movie, "Chariots of Fire." Still others knew him as a distinguished missionary missionary who died tragically in a prisoner-of-war camp in China. But Orono resident Patricia Russell knew Eric Liddell as Daddy. On Nov. 25, she unveiled a statue of 'The Flying Scotsman' in the reception area of the Old College, University of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was one of the many times she has returned to her fleet-footed father's homeland to honour his name and his races. 1924 Olympic Gold Medal Patricia Russell's father was the famed runner, whose capture of a gold medal in the 400 metre race at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris was immortalized in the movie 'Chariots of Fire.' Liddell was the runner who absolutely refused to race at the Olympics on a Sunday, God's day of rest. Patricia returned from Britain last week following following the festivities on behalf of her father and after a 90th birthday celebration for her mother- in-law. Patricia's husband, Mervyn, is the minister for the Orono and Kirby United Churches. In a recent interview at the the Orono United Church manse, she talked about her father. "The unveiling was on what would have been Mom's 86th birthday," Patricia noted. "If she had been there, she would have said, 'Oh, Eric -- isn't this just over the top!" . Eric Liddell was born in China 1902, but went to school in Scotland, including the University of Edinburgh, where he completed his Bachelor of Science degree. It was during his school days that his athletic prowess emerged on the rugby field and evolved from there to harrier events. There were countless races and wins, she said. However, he never raced on Sunday. In fact, the movie "Chariots of Fire" glossed over the fact that Eric knew ahead of the 1924 Olympics that the heats for his best event would be taking place on Sunday. Consequently, he began training for the 400 metre race months in advance. "He was almost a sure shot for the 100 metres, fiance, Florence, who took nurse's training but he wasn't going to break his principles just at Toronto General Hospital. She returned for a gold medal," Patricia said. to China in 1934 and they were married. It was ironic that he had just months to train Sent to Canada for the longer distance to win the gold and to gold-medal race on Saturday, July 5, 1924 at Stade Colombes, Paris. After the Olympics, Eric graduated from university and, in the summer of 1925, he left for China, where he was posted posted to Tianjin at the Anglo-Chinese College. The school housed 500 boys. It was during his mission to China that Eric met Florence Mackenzie, the daughter of missionary parents. She was 10 years his junior. In 1932, he was ordained during his furlough furlough at home. He returned to China with a stop in Canada to spend time with his break the record. In the booklet entitled 'The Spirit of Eric Liddell' published by the Eric Liddell Foundation, it is written that Liddell clinched his spot on the Olympic team when hè "set a new British record for the 100 yards in 9.7 seconds, a record that was to stand for 35 years." He also won the 220 in 21.6. That race was held at the Amateur Athletic Association Championships at Stamford Bridge in London in July of 1923. So, it was no surprise that he earned a spot on the Olympic team. What surprised people was that he would not run on a Sunday. The book 'The Spirit of Eric Liddell' gave this description of the mood of the sporting community community at the time: "The newspapers called him a traitor and it seemed as if the whole sporting world turned against him, GOLD MEDALIST CAST IN BRONZE -- Emma (Lesley) Pover is the artist who sculpted this half life- sized bronze figure of Eric Liddell. In November, Orono resident Patricia (Liddell) Russell travelled to Scotland to unveil the sculpture at the University of Edinburgh. Pover told those at the unveiling that, while she was doing the work on the sculpture, "she felt his (Liddell's) spirit" becoming a part of the process. When things "got dicey" (with the start of the Second World War), Patricia, six at the time, her younger sister, Heather, and their pregnant mother were sent off to Canada to live. "Daddy was so famous in Scotland, he thought Canada would be better. He became almost like a 'pop' idol," she said. So, off went Florence, Heather and Patricia to Canada to wait for their father to join them. In a BBC documentary about Eric, Patricia finally found out why she had felt a heavy responsibility for her mother and younger siblings all these years. "My mother said that my father told me to be a good girl, to take responsibility for my mother and sister, and 'to look after them until I get back.' "He was to follow us to Canada." It was the last time she saw her father. He died in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp in China after suffering a brain tumour. The 'camp' was called t h e Weihsien -CiVi1 Assembly Centre. Since then, stories stories about how he ' treated fellow fellow camp residents and their children have been brought to her and her family. "There weren't just missionaries in the camp there 1 were prostitutes, pimps, business owners -- 1,500 people in a camp the size of a football football field." Her father helped by "teaching children children in the camp and helping them with sports." "We've met children children (now adults) who were in the camp without without their parents," Patricia said. She noted how appreciative they were of her father for having been there. However, the letters received from him dur- MEMORIES -- Patricia Liddell Russell shows a pho-j tograph of the Eric Liddell Memorial Stone at Weifang; China, which was unveiled June 9, 1991. Patricia is extremely proud of her father, not just because he held to his beliefs, but because he did so despite intense pressure! placed upon him. Eric Liddell has gone down in racing history as the man who refused to race on a Sunday; (even in the 1924 Olympics) because of his religious; convictions. ing the imprisonment did not say much about his life there. Information was sparse. ! The family knew that "he had a slight nervous breakdown, and died from the brain tumour on Feb. 21, 1945. We got the news on May 25 or, 26." At that point the young family decided to stay in Toronto where they were "war guests." Patricia and her sisters, including Maureen, who was born after they left China, were considered to be British citizens, thanks to their father. Their mother remarried six years later, when Patricia was 16. Looking back over the last 50 years, Patricia says a lot of good things have come about thanks to her father's talents, including the movie. "We were pleased with the movie," Patricia said. She noted that her Aunt Jenny, however, was not thrilled to be cast as a glum young woman when that was not the case. Looking back over the years since her father's death, Patricia has gained an understanding and appreciation for the love and admiration her father's name invokes in Scotland. When ever she goes to functions like the unveiling of the statue, "I am treated like absolute gold," Patricia said. She noted it's nice treatment and easy to get used to, but it was nice to return home, too. im Eric Liddell: A Runner and A Thinker by Laura J. Richards Staff Writer As a runner, Liddell's three claims to fame were: his refusal to compete on Sunday's; his record run at the 1924 Olympics in the 400 metre race; and his unique style of throwing back his head in competition. He was an extraordinary athlete. A biography entitled 'The Flying Scotsman,' by Sally Magnusson, makes numerous numerous references to Liddell's athletic abilities. The book details Liddell's life, his accomplishments, accomplishments, his missionary work, and, of course, his races. It is noted that Eric and his brother, Robert, got to the point where they were rivals on the sports fields. In 1918, when Eric was only 16, his brother won the Senior Athletic Championship with 27 points. Eric had 23 points, Eric picked up the award in the next year, after Robert had left the school. In 1919, Eric set a new school record of running running the 100 yard race in 10.2 seconds. The record remained unbroken at the time the book was published in 1981, 62 years later. Eric ran, played cricket and rugby. In 1919 he was the captain of the rugby team. An unattributed quote in the book says: "He has captained the team with marked success throughout the season, and has been the mainstay mainstay of the three lines. His kicking is excellent, and his speed and remarkable swerve have decided the issues of several matches, He is the best tackier and the team is inclined to rely too much on him. He is inclined to be too lenient with the slackers of the team." In 1920 he became the captain of the cricket and rugby teams. When Eric left Eltham College, he was off to Edinburgh University to take science at Heriot-Watt College, which is now a university, Eric only began running in university. Before then, the running running was attached to a specific sport like cricket or rugby. From 1921 to 1925, Liddell won the 100 and 220 yard sprints at the Scottish Championship and in his last two years of running, he captured the 440 yard event also, He fit his training in between university classes, and getting ready for his work in the Christian ministry He won the 100 and 200 yard races in the Triangular International Contest of '21, '22, and '23 against England and Ireland. He was 22 years old, and wasn't what most people would consider to be a serious runner these days, since he fit his training in between university classes, and getting ready for his work in the Christian ministry. In July of 1924, Eric received his Bachelor of Science degree. Even during his university years, when he wasn't on the track or working on his degree, Eric was campaigning for his church. From the book 'Eric Liddell: The Making of an Athlete and the Training of a Missionary,' by D.P. Thomson, comes this description of Liddell's speaking engagements: "We spoke during the months that followed in theatres, music halls, churches and public auditoriums of all kinds; in schools and colleges; and at least once, I recall, in a public-house public-house on a Sunday morning, "Often we reached audiences not readily accessible to any other type of evangelist, and it is no exaggeration to say that thousands were deeply moved and stirred by the straightforward straightforward manly message of this young student athlete, athlete, and were gripped by his telling and effective effective illustrations, gathered largely at first hand from the chemical laboratory, the football field and the running track, "No place was too small, ho meeting-house too insignificant, and no audience too unpromising in numbers or in quality for Eric Liddell. The more inconspicuous the service, the happier he was to render it." Eric continued to serve as an evangelist up to the point where lie left for China where he taught science and athletics for 10 years. In 1935, after accepting a call to the ministry, ministry, he went back to China, got married, and, even after being placed into a P.O.W. camp, continued to teach, and serve as a minister. After his death in 1945, Duncan Wright, a British marathon championship runner, would tell those lie coached: "Now, to win an Olympic event is a great honour, perhaps the greatest athletic honour. But Eric Liddell is not remembered remembered for this achievement, but as the man who wouldn't run on a Sunday." ■ViJQUX 1 '