93-year-old John Hay who died last week was a former president of Brighton & Hove AC. His friend and veteran club member Roy Taylor shared his memories of John:
It has not been a good period for the club in the last couple of weeks, and I am afraid that I have to report that another former president John Hay (1995-96) who died in Worthing Hospital on Saturday evening at the age of 93. I have known him, run with him, and been in continual contact since I first joined the club in 1956. By then he was an established county level runner, having made the Sussex team for the Inter Counties Cross Country in 1947 and 1951 after joining the old Brighton and County Harriers aged 20 in 1946.
He ran regularly for the club for many years and in the 1970s was the first over 50 in the Sussex Veterans CC Championship. He was generally looked upon as a good reliable cross country runner, but he was quick enough to run inside 16 minutes for three miles on the track.
In later years he ran many West Sussex Fun Run League events and also Parkrun. He was 86 when he last ran in both events. At the time of the attached photo, he was 89 and had just called in to see me after a couple of laps of Easthill Park!
All at the club send our condolences to John’s family and friends.
John’s funeral is on Monday 24th June at 10.30am at Tribes Funeral Directors Eastern Avenue, Shoreham, BN43 6PE, opposite the Eastern entrance to Buckingham Park.
Donations to Dementia UK & The British Heart Foundation.