Richard Michael Romero, BHS 1964Burbank Leader, March 24, 2004
Richard Michael Romero, 57, died March 13, 2004, in Sun Valley. He was born Oct. 22, 1946, in Burbank, and was a lifelong Burbank resident.
He is survived by a daughter, Esther Romero of Los Angeles; and a sister, Yolanda Robortello of La Crescenta.
He is survived by a daughter, Esther Romero of Los Angeles; and a sister, Yolanda Robortello of La Crescenta.
Services were Monday and Tuesday. He was interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery.
Jeff Tully
ReplyDeleteThose who knew Rick Romero as a standout athlete at Burbank High can attest to his talent as a distance runner. But those who knew Romero personally will tell you his talent didn’t come close to the size of his heart, or the love he had for his family and friends.
Although there were fine Bulldog runners prior to Romero’s arrival, and there have been a number of star athletes at the school since he graduated in 1964, he has a unique distinction. “Rick was really the first of my talented runners at Burbank High,” said former Coach Frank Kallem.“He was the one who started all the success and really paved the way for many of the other great runners.”
Fred Ortega not only ran alongside Romero as his teammate at Burbank, but the two became life-long friends. Ortega said Romero’s contribution to the eventual success of the Bulldog track and cross-country programs is unmistakable. “Rick became the mold of the talented Burbank distance runner,” Ortega said. “All the success started with Rick, and he was the one who showed all of us what we needed to do to become good runners. “Rick taught me so much, and I owe him a great deal. I love him very much and I am going to miss him.” Ortega and Romero became fast friends while attending Burbank. The two could often be seen on the school’s track, or at Griffith Park, on training runs. And in what seems like an odd preference in today’s world of high-tech running shoes, the two always ran barefoot. “To run barefoot was how we preferred it back then,” Ortega said. “Boy, I’ll tell you, all that running in our bare feet made them really tough. “Those are some great memories we had back then. Running and being friends with Rick was the best time of my life.”
When Kallem took over the Burbank running programs in 1962, Romero was a junior. Under the coach’s tutelage, the athlete became one of the finest milers in the state. His crowning achievement in high school came in 1964, when he captured the Southern Section mile championship in 4 minutes 14 seconds. Kallem said he remembers how the CIF championship mile race unfolded for Romero. “I told Rick to stay up with the leaders so he would be close on the last lap,” he said. “He didn’t have great finishing speed, but Rick was very competitive and he had tremendous drive. And with probably about 330 yards to go, Rick made his move and he won the race.”
With a natural, easy-going running style and amazing grace for an athlete his size, Romero made the transition from high school and became a successful college runner at UCLA. Romero saved his finest collegiate performance for his senior season. On May 6, 1967, he won the mile race with a blistering 4:02.
Along with his talent, Romero was also known for his competitive spirit and his willingness to completely devote himself to his sports. Legendary UCLA track coach Jim Bush once said of Romero: “He’s one of the most courageous runners I’ve ever coached. He has tremendous competitive attitude and he gives 100%.”With such a wealth of talent, and his share of success, one might think Romero was the type who would flaunt his attributes. However, the opposite was true. One of Romero’s schoolboy friends is Mickey De Palo, a long-time Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services program director. DePalo said Romero -- who was admitted to UCLA Medical Center suffering from phenomena when he died -- never flaunted his success. “He was a very modest person,” he said. “He was so good-natured that he would never brag about himself, and would help and compliment other runners. “He was just a great person who cared a lot about other people.”Along with being modest, those who knew Romero also talk about what a shy person he was. “Rick wouldn’t really talk that much, and sometimes you had to pry things out of him. He was that shy,” said former Burbank Coach Dave Kemp.
“But that was just how he was. He was just a great kid.”
Jeff Tully
ReplyDeleteThose who knew Rick Romero as a standout athlete at Burbank High can attest to his talent as a distance runner. But those who knew Romero personally will tell you his talent didn’t come close to the size of his heart, or the love he had for his family and friends.
Although there were fine Bulldog runners prior to Romero’s arrival, and there have been a number of star athletes at the school since he graduated in 1964, he has a unique distinction. “Rick was really the first of my talented runners at Burbank High,” said former Coach Frank Kallem.“He was the one who started all the success and really paved the way for many of the other great runners.”
Fred Ortega not only ran alongside Romero as his teammate at Burbank, but the two became life-long friends. Ortega said Romero’s contribution to the eventual success of the Bulldog track and cross-country programs is unmistakable. “Rick became the mold of the talented Burbank distance runner,” Ortega said. “All the success started with Rick, and he was the one who showed all of us what we needed to do to become good runners. “Rick taught me so much, and I owe him a great deal. I love him very much and I am going to miss him.” Ortega and Romero became fast friends while attending Burbank. The two could often be seen on the school’s track, or at Griffith Park, on training runs. And in what seems like an odd preference in today’s world of high-tech running shoes, the two always ran barefoot. “To run barefoot was how we preferred it back then,” Ortega said. “Boy, I’ll tell you, all that running in our bare feet made them really tough. “Those are some great memories we had back then. Running and being friends with Rick was the best time of my life.”
When Kallem took over the Burbank running programs in 1962, Romero was a junior. Under the coach’s tutelage, the athlete became one of the finest milers in the state. His crowning achievement in high school came in 1964, when he captured the Southern Section mile championship in 4 minutes 14 seconds. Kallem said he remembers how the CIF championship mile race unfolded for Romero. “I told Rick to stay up with the leaders so he would be close on the last lap,” he said. “He didn’t have great finishing speed, but Rick was very competitive and he had tremendous drive. And with probably about 330 yards to go, Rick made his move and he won the race.”
With a natural, easy-going running style and amazing grace for an athlete his size, Romero made the transition from high school and became a successful college runner at UCLA. Romero saved his finest collegiate performance for his senior season. On May 6, 1967, he won the mile race with a blistering 4:02.
Along with his talent, Romero was also known for his competitive spirit and his willingness to completely devote himself to his sports. Legendary UCLA track coach Jim Bush once said of Romero: “He’s one of the most courageous runners I’ve ever coached. He has tremendous competitive attitude and he gives 100%.”With such a wealth of talent, and his share of success, one might think Romero was the type who would flaunt his attributes. However, the opposite was true. One of Romero’s schoolboy friends is Mickey De Palo, a long-time Burbank Park, Recreation and Community Services program director. DePalo said Romero -- who was admitted to UCLA Medical Center suffering from phenomena when he died -- never flaunted his success. “He was a very modest person,” he said. “He was so good-natured that he would never brag about himself, and would help and compliment other runners. “He was just a great person who cared a lot about other people.”Along with being modest, those who knew Romero also talk about what a shy person he was. “Rick wouldn’t really talk that much, and sometimes you had to pry things out of him. He was that shy,” said former Burbank Coach Dave Kemp.
“But that was just how he was. He was just a great kid.”