...but it does deserve to be told.
Setup: the London Olympics began tonight. I just sat through three+ hours of Opening Ceremonies, much of which was very entertaining and enjoyable, but I was also MAJORLY disappointed. In my less-than-humble opinion, Sir Roger Bannister is one of the greatest living Britons and easily their greatest living athlete, so I was more than a little disappointed that he was not even a minute participant in tonight's ceremony. He should have been the one to light the flame, but he was not even mentioned as a footnote. This is a disgrace. And a travesty.
The Story: I have a beloved cousin who is the closest being I have to a sister. I love her so dearly. We have led rather different lives, however. Once upon a time she was hanging out with a bit of a jetset crowd in Switzerland over the Christmas holidays. She and her boyfriend (now husband) were at a house party somewhere in or near Klosters and the place was full of Bielenbergs and Schindlers and the like. There were lots of people smoking cigarettes at the party and not much ventilation, so eventually my cousin fled for an outside balcony, even though it was quite cold (Der Schweiz and Christmas, go figure).
While she was clearing her lungs, she was joined by another party refuge and they engaged in small talk. My cousin mentioned that her father was a physician and her mother a nurse, all very health conscious, and she just couldn't handle the cigarette smoke. Her temporary companion said that his father was also a physician and "somewhat of a sportsman" and that he, too, found excessive cigarette smoke unbearable. They chatted a few minutes more and then decided to head back inside. At that point, my cousin thought she should introduce herself to the kind gentleman so she extended her hand and did so. He reciprocated and introduced himself as Stephen (or maybe it was Andrew or Phillip) Bannister and they said "happy to meet yous" and then rejoined the party.
She isn't sure how long it took for her to realize that Mr. Bannister's father, the somewhat athletic physician, was Sir Roger Bannister, the first person to break the 4 minute barrier in the mile.
