The KC community is saddened at the passing of Jimmy Grant, a track & field giant from the 1960’s-some of the greatest years of Track & Field at KC.
I can still recall sitting in the stands at the National Stadium for “Champs” and the hush before a race that Jimmy was competing in. What a thrill it was to witness the ease and grace with which he won his races.
He went on to glory as a Track & Field Coach both in Jamaica and at the University of Iowa. By all accounts, he was well respected and loved.
Jimmy died at 60 years of age and many of my contemporaries are within close proximity of that age--it must give us a momentary hesitation to ponder our own mortality.
Death is not a pleasant topic. I know people who avoid the topic like the plague. Yet it is something we must all face eventually.
If you want to know the date you will die based on a statistical calculation factoring your birth date, sex and other factors, there is a web site known as the death clock (www.deathclock.com) which will provide such a date as well as how many seconds of life you have remaining.
While the idea of checking the date of your death may seem a bit macabre, it could also be quite instructive. You might want to see what could be done to extend your expected life or it might cause you to think more carefully about what you wish to do with the remaining time you have left on the planet.
As we mourn Jimmy and others who have gone before us, let us also try to make good use of the rest of our tenure.
