>> THIS FRIDAY SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE WILL HONOR THE MEMORY OF
1959 GRADUATE, THE LATE DR.
TOM WADDELL, THE FOUNDER OF THE
INTERNATIONAL GAY GAMES.
ROB CARNEY, AND JACK SAVOIA CAME 10 TALK ABOUT THE MAN THEY ARE
REMEMBERING.
>> THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST ATHLETES IN SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE
HISTORY, A THREE-SPORT ATHLETE IN FOOTBALL, GYMNASTICS, TRACK
AND FIELD.
SO GOOD IN TRACK AND FIELD HE MADE THE U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM IN
1968 IN MEXICO CITY.
THE DECAT ALONE ITSELF, PERHAPS THE MOST VERSE TILE CHALLENGE,
TOOK SIXTH IN THE WORLD.
PROVIDING SERVICE, SERVICE TO IMPOVERISHED PEOPLE WITH
INFECTION DISEASES.
AN OUTSPOKEN ADVOCATE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE.
WENT DOWN TO SELMA IN 1965 AND SUPPORTED MARTIN LUTHER KING'S
FIGHT FOR VOTING RIGHTS.
CAME OUT AS GAY IN THE MOST PUBLIC WAY POSSIBLE IN 1976 IN
"PEOPLE" MAGAZINE AND LAUNCHED THE GAY GAMES IN 1982.
ABSOLUTELY REMARKABLE LIFE, AND REAL REASON SANCE MAN A GENUINE
SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE HERO.
>> JACK SAVOIA, YOU KNEW TOM AS A CLASSMATE AND FRIEND IN THE
1950s.
THERE WAS SO MUCH MORE TO HIM THAN A GREAT MULTISPORT ATHLETE.
I ASSUME HE WAS NOT OPEN ABOUT HIS PERSONAL LIFE AT THAT TIME.
NOT ONLY DIFFICULT, IT COULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS TO BE OPENLY
GAY IN THOSE DAYS.
>> RIGHT.
WE WERE VERY CLOSE AS STUDENTS, AS FRIENDS.
HE -- NO WAY WOULD ANYONE EVER KNOW THAT TOM WAS GAY.
IN FACT, HIS LAST YEAR IN 1959 HE GOTTEN GAUGED TO A GREAT GAL,
BEA BROWN FROM VERMONT.
AND HE HID THAT HE WAS GAY FOR A LONG TIME UNTIL HE FINALLY FELT
SAFE, THAT HE COULD COME OUT.
I THINK THAT'S -- HIM COMING OUT LIKE THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS
THAT MADE TOM SUCH A GREAT HUMANITARIAN.
WHAT HE DID, HE SAID TO THE GAYS, DO NOT FEAR BEING GAY.
WHAT HE DID WAS VERY COURAGEOUS AND AS YOU CAN SEE NOW, HOW
THINGS HAVE CHANGED.
IT STARTED WITH TOM AND GOING ON TO THE GAY GAMES AND I THINK I
WAS VERY THANKFUL AND GLAD THAT HE WAS MY FRIEND.
I HAVE NOTHING BUT PLEASANT MEMORIES OF HIM.
WHEN HE FINALLY CAME OUT I THINK -- I'VE REALLY NOT THOUGHT ABOUT
GAY, BEING GAY.
WHEN IT CAME OUT AND I SAW IT ON THE MAGAZINE I SAID TO MYSELF, I
JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT, THIS IS TOM.
BUT WITHIN THE HOUR IT CAME TO ME, SO WHAT?
I THINK THAT'S WHERE IT STARTED FOR ME, THAT I COULD ACCEPT THIS
-- ANY DIVERSITY.
SO WHAT?
I THINK THIS WAS HIS HUMANITARIAN MESSAGE TO ALL OF
US.
SO WHAT?
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THOSE SENTIMENTS, SIR.
>> ROB CARNEY, A GRADUATE STUDENT NOE NOW IN ATHLETIC
TRAINING, YOU'RE A GRAD STUDENT.
YOU'VE COMPLETED AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL, THE HIGHEST
LEVEL IN YOUR SUPPORT, OPENLY GAY.
TOM WADDELL'S LEGACY HAS TO HAVE GREAT MEANING FOR YOU.
>> NO, IT ACTUALLY DOES.
I DID MY UNDERGRADUATE WORK THERE AND NOW MY GRADUATE
STUDIES.
JUST THIS PAST OKAY I CAME OUT AT GAY, I'M THE ONLY OPENLY GAY
PROFESSIONAL STRONGMAN.
HAVING THOSE CONNECTIONS WITH TOM WADDELL AND MYSELF AND JUST
BEING IN THE SPOTLIGHT OF YOUR SPORT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF BEING
THE FRONT-RUNNER ALL THE TIME KIND OF PUTS YOU IN THE POSITION
OF BEING AN ADVOCATE.
BUT ALSO, YOU KNOW, STILL STAYING TRUE TO YOUR ROOTS AS
JACK AND MARTY HAVE SAID.
THE HUMANITARIANISM, JUST ALWAYS LOOKING FOR WHAT'S BEST IN
EVERYBODY.
>> THINKING ABOUT WHAT MR.
SAVOIA SAID, HAVE YOU FOUND -- I GUESS WE'D HAVE TO CREDIT DR.
WADDELL AS BEING ONE OF THE PIONEER THAT BROKE DOWN THE
BARRIERS -- IN YOUR CASE DO PEOPLE SAY, SO WHAT?
>> I GUESS I CAME OUT IN THE MODERN BAY VERSION OF "PEOPLE"
MAGAZINE, VIA FACEBOOK.
WITHIN THE FEW HOURS AFTER I HAD DONE THAT, IT REALLY WAS THE --
THE COMMENTS WERE REMARKABLE.
NOTHING BUT AN OUTPOURING OF SUPPORT.
THERE ARE ALWAYS A FEW ANYWAY-SAYERS THAT ARE TRYING TO
BEAT YOU DOWN.
BUT THE AMOUNT OF POSITIVE SUPPORT I WAS WAS UNBELIEVABLE,
SOMETHING I'LL NEVER FORGET.
>> TOM WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO CALL THEM THE GAY OLYMPIC GAMES.
THE U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE WENT TO COURT AND BLOCKED THAT.
THAT DOGGED HIM ALMOST TO HIS DYING DAY, IT WAS FIGHT THAT
WENT ON AND ON.
>> IT REALLY DID.
IT WAS EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATE.
THE U.S. OLYMPIC COMMITTEE DID NOT DENY MANY OTHER USES OF THAT
TERM, SPECIAL OLYMPICS WAS WIDELY USED AT THE TIME.
I THINK DESPITE THEIR PROTESTATIONS TO THE CONTRARY I
THINK IT JUST PORTRAYED A REAL HOMOPHOBIA WITHIN THAT
ORGANIZATION.
AND THIS WAS A HARD FIGHT, TOM'S LAST YEARS WERE TOUGH.
HE DECIDE DIED OF AIDS IN 1987 AT AGE 49.
IT WAS A TOUGH WAY TO GO.
THE LAST VISIT WITH TOM, WAS SORT OF A PIERCING SORT OF
STORY.
THERE WAS A DIGNITY A WILLINGNESS TO STAND OUT FOR
WHAT HE WAS.
A GREAT MODEL ALL OF US ABOUT SPEAKING YOUR TRUTH, NO MATTER
WHAT.
>> ROB CARNEY, 1817th, TOM WADDELL DAY AT SPRINGFIELD
COLLEGE, ARE YOU PART OF THAT?
I THOUGHT SO.
THERE'S GOING TO BE A SHOWING OF A 1987 ABC NEWS INTERVIEW WITH
TOM WADDELL SHORTLY BEFORE HIS DEATH.
A DEDICATION OF A PLAQUE AT THE SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE ATHLETICS
HALL OF FAME.
YOU'RE GOING TO BE KEYNOTE SPEAKER, MASTER OF CEREMONIES.
WHAT AN HONOR TO BE PART OF THAT, THAT DAY.
>> IT ABSOLUTELY IS.
>> WHEN MARTY CONTACTED ME ABOUT THE CELEBRATION OF TOM WADDELL I
WAS HONORED, ABSOLUTELY HONORED.
BEING A MASTER'S STUDENT WORKING ON MY THESE AND WORKING AS A
GRAD ASSISTANT, A TRAINER, I HAVE A REALLY BUSY SCHEDULE BUT
THIS IS ABSOLUTELY SOMETHING I COULDN'T TURN DOWN.
I'M REALLY, REALLY HONORED TO BE A PART OF IT.
>> RON ACCEPTED IN AN INSTANT.
HE'S BEEN IN A ICONIC PRESENCE ON OUR CAMPUS, A TREMENDOUS,
TREMENDOUS STUDENT LEADER, HAS COMPLETE RESPECT OF THE STUDENT
BODY, THE FACULTY, TRUSTEES.
JUST A GREAT, GREAT AMBASSADOR OF SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE.
IF TOM COULD SEE THIS, HE WOULD BE REALLY HONORED TO SEE ROB
CARRYING THAT TORCH.
>> LET ME ASK YOU, I MEAN, IT MUST BE A SAD DAY IN A WAY THAT
YOUR FRIEND TOM WADDELL CAN'T BE THERE HIMSELF ON HIS DAY OF
HONOR.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO SEE HIM RECOGNIZED IN THIS WAY
ALMOST 30 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH?
>> O I'M VERY HAPPY.
I HAD THE EXPERIENCE WITH THE HALL OF FAME.
AT THAT TIME WHEN TOM PASSED AWAY, UP TO THAT POINT HE'D
NEVER BEEN ELECTED INTO ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME AT SPRINGFIELD
COLLEGE, THE REASON BEING WE WERE HOMOPHOBIC ON THE CAMPUS.
I MADE A PROMISE, TOM, YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN THE HALL OF FAME.
IT WASN'T JUST ME, OTHERS ON CAMPUS, PROFESSORS AND AND SO
FORTH.
WHAT WAS CHANGED WAS THE METHOD OF CHOOSING THOSE THAT WERE ON
THE ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME.
WE WENT TO A BOARD OF JUST THREE PEOPLE, TO A BOARD OF NINE WHICH
EVERY YEAR THREE CAME OFF AND THREE NEW CAME ON.
THROUGH THAT WE HAVE SUCH A WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, ATHLETIC
HALL OF FAME NOW.
I KNOW TOM WOULD HAVE BEEN SO HAPPY.
HE WAS ACCEPTED IN 1990.
AND I HAD THE HONOR AND PRIVILEGE TO ACCEPT IT FOR HIM.
AND THE BIG CHANGE FROM THEN TO NOW, THE PLAQUE WOULD ALSO
INCLUDE HIS WORK WITH THE GAY GAMES.
WE'VE COME A LONG WAY AT SPRINGFIELD COLLEGE.
I'M SO PROUD OF HIM.
>> YOU MADE YOUR PROMISE COME TRUE FOR YOUR FRIEND.
HAVE A GREAT DAY, GENTLEMEN, APRIL 17th, THANK YOU FOR
COMING IN.
>> THANK YOU.