My Journey of 100 Years
I had the good fortune of turning 100 in February! My doctor told me he’s never had a 100-year-old patient who could walk, talk and be of sound mind. Indeed, I’m fortunate.
I was born in 1918 in Oakland, CA. I attended University High School in Oakland where I played basketball and had good grades. 90% of my friends went on to UC Berkeley but I wanted to venture farther from home and after exploring St. Mary’s and Santa Clara, I enrolled in Stanford University in the fall of 1936…one of the best moves I ever made. After five weeks I was nearly flunking all five of my classes. I quickly became much more serious about my studies and turned it around with respectable grades!
At Stanford, I played basketball with the great Hank Luisetti. He was the innovator of the modern “jump shot” in basketball and is likely one player who could still play in the NBA if he was a young man today. He still holds the Stanford record for most points in a game (50). I used to tell Hank during the games, “I don’t know if they’re cheering for me to come in or for you to go out.” Last month I attended what may be my last Stanford basketball game. It was a thrill!
I earned my teaching credential at Stanford and began my Master’s Degree there but that was interrupted on December 7, 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbor. I entered the military three weeks later and I was fortunate to play for and coach the U.S. Army Air Corps basketball team. I served the Air Corps proudly for 4 ½ years.
Following my military service I was a player/coach for an AAU team in Sacramento, a precursor to the NBA. After two years with the AAU, I took a teaching/coaching job at Monterey High School in 1947. A short time later I received a call from the great MJC coaching legend, Fred Earle, who asked if I’d like to coach basketball at MJC. I convinced my wife to move from beautiful Monterey and I accepted the position in 1948 and commenced a 33-year career at MJC where I loved the work as much the last day as the first. So fortunate to coach and teach with the outstanding men and women of the MJC faculty and staff. Earle, Pavko, Johnson, Schaake, Maroney, Fitzhenry, Boylan, Quisenberry, and many more…all wonderful colleagues. But the students and players were my greatest joy!
As a coach, I always appreciated the loyalty and camaraderie of my teams but I didn’t understand my impact in the classroom until one day a young man came from the back of the class and said, Mr. Lafaille, “you’re the only man who’s ever loved me.” Surprised, I said, “how do you get that impression?” He said, “because all semester you’ve been talking directly to ME.” It was then that I understood the true power of teaching.
Many have asked me what’s the secret to living to 100? I say: good genes, a loving family, a healthy diet with a glass of wine for lunch, dark chocolate in moderation, NO junk food, I walk my dog and ride my bike every day, and as little stress as possible!
- Leon Lafaille