When I was a boy, growing up on Emerson Ct. in Elyria, I had the chance to meet Larry, some 7 or 8 years older, and his parents. They lived down the street and Larry was already making a name for himself on the tennis courts and as an athlete overall. When I began to play tennis, I would admiringly watch him play tennis at West Rec. and from those early days a friendship grew. My gang of friends, all from Emerson Ct., envied Larry. He was so good! If we weren't playing tennis, we would sometimes shoot hoops or throw the football around. Entering high school, I decided to follow Larry and play tennis. After all, he had been a State Champ and I, too, wanted to be a star player. As I graduated from high school, Larry then helped me get a tennis scholarship at Kent where he had been, of course, a star player. In fact, Larry let me accompany him to Kent one beautiful summer day so he could present me to the Kent coach, a former Elyria tennis and basketball star.
In the following years, Larry and I won a few doubles championships in local tournaments. How grand was it now for me to stand on the court with my mentor, someone who had taken me under his wings when we were just boys growing up on a dead end street.
Larry Stark was and will continue to be a part of my life. Thanks, Larry.
Jack Janosik
