Museum highlights hometown sports stars
A new exhibit at the Valley Center History Museum, titled “Historic Hometown Sports Stars,” spotlights 17 Valley Center men and women whose athletic achievements have broken records and are highlighted in record books.
The display includes Bernie Wrightson, winner of the gold medal in springboard diving at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City; Denise Mueller-Korenek, hailed as the fastest cyclist on Earth, and Fred Biletnikoff, a former wide receiver for the Oakland Raiders who was the MVP in Super Bowl XI in 1977.
The exhibit covers the past eight decades, going back to the 1930s, and spotlights male and female athletes from baseball, football, track and field, diving, cycling, pole vaulting, horse racing and sports car racing. A photo and profile is shown with each athlete highlighted in the exhibit.
Among the earliest athletes featured is Ray Malott, U.S. team captain in track and field at the controversial 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The exhibit includes a 1936 photo of Malott along with a narrative. A display from 1952 highlights famous jockey Alex Maese who had 1,981 wins, including with horse Sea Orbit, who was raised in Valley Center and was a descendant of the famed horse Seabiscuit.
Other sports stars in the show include Kenneth Block, Daniel Brunskill, Kevin Craft, Billy Cundiff, Gary Garrison, Brett Helms, Randy Johnson, Mike Leake, Trevor Reilly, Sean Salisbury, Todd Seabaugh and John Uelses.
Museum President Alan Kirkpatrick said the list is probably not all-inclusive and invites readers to contact the museum if they know of other Valley Center sport stars.
The museum, at 29200 Cole Grade Road, is open from noon to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. Admission is free. Call (760) 749-2993 or visit vchistory.org.