The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

PAGE 4 â€" WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 1992 The Ray and Fran show touched many along the way Most touching Monday was Ray‘s remembrance of his first assignment â€" and last one 33 and a half years later â€" ironically being the same Kitchener Panthers. And Fran‘s recollection of their early days together, and how they grew inseperable. And among all the jokes, and the laughter, current Record sports editor Mickey Mowbray paid them the highest compliment of all, calling both Ray and Fran "honest, and fair." It was one of the finest hours for the Alice St. boys. Yep, 1 and 1 A, up there in the spotlight, heading into what we all hope will be a long and fulfilling retirement. And each leaving behind a pair of spikes that will definitely be tough to fill. SWhat‘s the QB‘s name? Connors. Dave Connors? How ‘bout Chuck, yeh, we‘ll call him Chuck Connors, eh Rick? Chuck Connors, the Rifleman. Yeh, the Rifleman. Connors. Hope he can throw the ball." That‘s the main reason why they packed the joint to tip the bowler hat to Ray and Fran Monday night. Fran was equally supportive and a strong ally. Will forever remember the image across the desk as he pecked away, two fingerâ€"style. Never tired of the corny yarns he got so roasted for Monday night. Or the great expressions he used like salvo, discard heap, second sacker, and bark, all of which you may notice have often found their way into my own writings. His determination to never come back to the office until he had the best angle for a story. And of course, his penchant for hanging a nickname on an athlete, any athlete. [ll always remember Ray for placing that faith in me, especially betore | learned a ‘K‘ was a symbol for a strikeout, not a breakfast cereal. I won‘t forget the day he raced over to my desk with the first letter praising my style. Or the fact he never showed me three previous critical letters, instead taking the heat for a cup reporter himself. Nor, will I forget the 4 a.m. phone calls from the Montreal Olympics. when you had to relay stories on the phone, and he told me to spell Grecoâ€"Roman wrestling champion Nicholau Asabastorescwiou "just the way it sounds." Sidekicks since their early days on Alice St. in the Ward in Guelph, Ray and Fran have remained close not only on the job at the Record, but in their personal lives as well. What better way to cap off Ray‘s 33 and a half years, and Fran‘s 26 years as respected and wellâ€"known sportwriters at the Record than this shared salute. In that regard. chief organizers Jack Minaker and Laverne (Red) Reichert did an outstanding job, assisted admirably by emcee and local sports broadcaster Don Cameron. Both Ray and Fran have played significant roles in my career. In fact, on blind faith recommendation from then WLU assistant football coach Rich Newbrough, Ray gave me my first shot at writing by hiring me out of university as a summer student on the sports staff. That "summer" lasted 16 months, and brought me to the Chronicle as sports editor. The rest, as they sav. is history Both Ray and Fran retired this year, Fran earlier on and Ray just over a week ago, and with friends, area sportspeople and coâ€"workers attending in droves, their surprise retirement party was a fitting tribute to the way these two have touched so many along the way Well, "1 and 1A" as Fran affectionately refers to Ray and himself, had their deserving moment in the spotlight Monday night at Kitchener Knights of Columbus when close to 200 people came to pay tribute to their outstanding journalistic careers and many contributions they have made to the community They‘re practically household names in Kâ€"W sporting circles, my alter ego being Waterloo‘sâ€"own Larry Anstett, and the two father figures being Ray Alviano and Fran Campbell. Sixteen vears ago, when I was but a babe in Kâ€"W Record‘s Toyland, the monicker outsiders bestowe on the sports departâ€" ment of a newspaper, I was fortunate to have a partnerâ€"inâ€"crime and two father figures. Waterloo Chronicle Second Class Mail Registration Number 5540 Published every Wednesday by The Fairway Group Incorporated 215 Fairway Rd. S., Kitchener, Ont. August 26, 1992 THAT‘S LIFE Pick Qam old ced stiesupmen in o ~ uind