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SJSU Wrestling Club News |
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| May 4, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
| Former Spartan wrestler Wayne Jones passed away after fighting a long illness. Wayne was a Varsity wrestler for San Jose State in the early 80's | ||||||||||||||
| San Jose will be holding a Wrestling Demonstration and Fundraiser at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds on Sunday
May 10th, 2009 from 100pm to 600pm. If you are interested in coming out and wrestling against current members of the Spartan team, please contact Coach Redman at 408-782-1030 or email at dawgcatcher@msn.com. Please include your name and estimated weight so that we can pair you up. If you register prior to the event you will be placed on a list which will allow free parking and entry to the Festival. All donations received at the event will go directly to the San Jose State Wrestling Team to assist wth travel expenses for the 2009-2010 season. |
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| April 3, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
| SJSU Wrestling program alumni, Brian Canali, participating in a Tour de Cure bicycle ride for the American Diabetes Association. Click here to go to the website. The link to Brian's page is on the list in lower left of the page. | ||||||||||||||
| March 12, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
| I know some of you may have already heard the news regarding the health of our friend, Wayne Jones. In case you
are completely in the dark about his situation, allow me to educate you. In February of 2008, after many misdiagnosis
and examinations, Wayne was diagnosed with Bulbar onset ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis - Lou Gehrig's Disease).
Based on what I have learned from his wife, Carolyn, it has progressed at a fairly rapid pace. Unfortunately, Wayne is not able to speak, and for the most part he is wheelchair bound. The condition with which Wayne is afflicted affected his face and throat first, thus making speaking, chewing, and swallowing next to impossible. I am going to be very blunt regarding the purpose of this email; Wayne and Carolyn need money. Carolyn is still working, but there are times when she is forced to miss work. Wayne cannot be left alone, and Carolyn counts on friends and family to stay with him while she is at her job with Walmart. They are paying the COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) benefit payment of $250 a month out of pocket; it will double or triple in June. They also are contending with a $1,600 a month mortgage. In addition to Carolyn's income from Walmart, the only other assistance they receive is Wayne's monthly SSI benefit. I want to be clear about one thing - they are not asking for help. This is completely my idea, and when I told Carolyn what I was going to do, she was humbled and moved to tears. I am asking for all of us to dig into our pockets to help-out an ex-teammate and friend who is in need of our assistance. If each of us gives whatever we can each month, it will allow Carolyn to spend more time at home with Wayne, and also to save a little bit of money for future unforeseen expenses. I know financial times are difficult for everyone. If you can only give a few dollars one time, or if you can give upwards of $100 each month, any amount will be very much appreciated by Wayne and Carolyn. After you have considered what you can give, please mail your check (payable to Carolyn Jones) to: 7026 Heaton Moor Dr, San Jose, CA 95119. I don't want anyone to feel pressure to do something that is beyond your means, so by mailing your check directly to Carolyn, only you and Wayne and Carolyn will be aware of who has donated what. I will send out monthly reminders and updates regarding Wayne's condition. On behalf of Wayne and Carolyn, thank you in advance for your generosity. I will double check with Carolyn, but I think Wayne enjoys having old friends stop by for visits. ---Jeff Smith |
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| March 6, 2009 | ||||||||||||||
| Hi guys, Would you please pass this email along to anyone it might pertain to? I think you might have some contacts that I don't. I've just come back from visiting Wayne Jones and his beautiful wife. I went over there with Rudy Guevara. I was a teammate of Waynes' for only a year but I never forgot him or the stellar performance he put on at the 1982 NCAA championships . He was an unseeded wrestler who ended up placing third and beating Iowa States Joe Gibbons (In Iowa!) for third place. Many of you knew Wayne much better than I and spent 3 or 4 years as his teammate. Until yesterday I hadn't seen (except on ESPN) him in 25 years! I didn't want to go..I didn't know what to expect. Would he even remember me? Then I thought about how I got to the hospital a day late to see Michael Hairston. Michael had passed the morning of the day I got there. I felt like I had let him down. I would've wanted everyone to come see me! This isn't about you or me though..it's about one of our brothers. He is one of us. He went through our brutal practices. He got $10 meal money on a road trip. He ran laps around the campus. He cut weight. He got hurt. We all did this together. When Rudy and I walked up to the door his wife answered. We told her who we were and she was excited to see us. We entered and Wayne was standing just inside the doorway. He had oxygen tubes hooked up to him...his upper body has atrophied... he can barely move his arms...he can't talk...but there was the same old sparkle in his eyes. His mind and thoughts are still intact. He knew who we were! We brought along all the media guides and photos we had. His wife had never seen these and was thrilled! We went through them page by page...wrestler by wrestler. We told stories...cracked jokes...and caught up on the last 25 years! You could see in his eyes how happy he was we were there. He smiled..nodded his head forward in a laugh. It was awesome! I'm writing you this in the hope that you take the time to go see him. It's okay to be afraid. I'd recommend going with a friend. Wayne wants you to. His wifes' name is Carolyn. She's pretty, funny, strong, and in love with Wayne. We dropped off a couple dollars to them also as I'm sure the bills are crazy. This isn't necessary...but showing up is. When we left Waynes' house we felt very good. We had helped out a teammate. I grabbed some of his PKA (Professional Kick Boxing) championship belts and I'm going to frame them and take them back. In case you didn't know...he is the Light Welterweight Champion of the World! Here's his address and phone number...I would call first and give them a heads up. 7026 Heaton Moore Rd., San Jose, 95119. Literally across the road from Santa Theresa golf course! The phone number is 408-578-6047. Do yourself a favor...go see him! ---Ken Brison '81-'86 |
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