The World's (Kennydale) Greatest Athlete

Until the early 70's or so, if you were to ask just about anyone "whose is the most widely recognized and revered name in sports, worldwide?" the answer probably would have been "Babe Ruth". Later, it likely was "Muhammad Ali". "Pele'" may be in there somewhere, too, in the post-Ruthian eras.

At Kennydale School, however, from 1952 to 1954 it was "Jerry Creek". Jerry was an amiable big kid (he absolutely towered over the rest of us and could have been the nastiest sort of bully if he wanted) who could do everything in all our sports.Besides being a nice guy, he was the softball pitcher and basketball center who made us competitive in our interschool rivalries with Henry Ford, Sartori and Bryn Mawr - and our ultra-nemesis, Highlands. We were winners with Jerry!

Until the end of the 1952 school year, that is, when Renton School District expanded and built a second school in the northeast part of the city.The Creek kids were transferred in 1953 to first, Highlands Elementary, and then the new school, Hillcrest. So...in what turned out to be a hint of the free agency era in pro sports just over the temporal horizon, Jerry had gone over to the dark side and become our athletic enemy.

Before every game it was: "What are we gonna do about Creek?" We were as fearful as we had been proud. It would be nice to say we, though starless, rose to the occasion, competed as a team and even prevailed, but as I recall he beat the tar out of us, too. As other kids grew up and developed talents when we moved on into junior high (not middle school, then) and high school, Jerry's dominance diminished and then disappeared. I'm not even sure if he was on any Renton High teams. It could be that he had it too easy too early and hadn't learned to work and practice; or that he lost interest in athletics; or that he had to contribute more time to his family; or.... But just between us all, I believe he was being punished for leaving Kennydale.