Art Morris, former mayor of Lancaster, won the J. Freeland Chryst Award in 2005.
My favorite sports memory is winning the Pennsylvania Class A state mile championship in 1963 as part of the great J.P. McCaskey track teams in the 1960s.
I had failed to qualify for states in 1962 and was bitterly disappointed. I was very focused the next year, trained hard and qualified.
When the gun went off for the start of the state mile final, I didn't feel particularly good and just hung in. At the end of the third lap, with 440 yards to go, I was in third place trailing by about 10 yards.
With about 330 yards to the finish, I began a long gradual kick, moving into second place with less than half a lap to go. On the final turn I moved up on the outside shoulder of the leader and slowly moved past him, winning by two steps at the tape.
It was the culmination of hard work, support from many people and, to this day, the thrill of my athletic career.
