Flo-Jo's school now named for her

Florence Griffith Joyner died too young, but now her name lives on at the Los Angeles inner-city elementary school she attended.

The nondescript 102nd Street School has been re-christened Florence Joyner Elementary School to honor the Olympic track gold-medalist who died in her sleep at age 38 two years ago.

"They say you are what you are named," said Sandra Wheeler, a local music teacher since 1963. "And now it's named after someone the students can be proud of and inspired by."

The school, which more than a decade ago was identified as low-performing, has improved its reading, math and language test scores.

FloJo grew up in the Jordan Downs housing project in Watts and went on to captivate the world with her speed and flamboyant style in the sprints at the 1988 Olympics.

"Continue to follow your dreams," urged Al Joyner, speaking from a podium in front of a portrait of his late wife on the school playground. "Her dream started here, and it carried her all over the world."

Joyner announced a $2,000 donation to the school from the Flo-Jo Memorial Community Empowerment Foundation to help buy supplies and books.

"I hope this school becomes one of the best elementary schools in the country, starting today," he said.

Vickeey Gibson, a fifth-grader who knew the athlete, said Flo-Jo "was like a sister to me." The girl remembers watching from the bleachers at nearby USC as Griffith Joyner flew by on the track below.

"She was such a nice and intelligent person," said Gibson, who wants to become a doctor or lawyer. "I'm happy our school is named after her."

Hurting in Philadelphia

You can call the Philadelphia Flyers a lot of things, but lucky isn't one of them.

Since last July, the NHL team's announcer, Gene Hart, died after complications for treatment of a tumor; defenseman Dimitry Tertyshny was killed in a boating accident; and Coach Roger Neilson was diagnosed with a rare form of bone-marrow cancer.

Now Lauren Hart - the team's national-anthem singer and Gene's 34-year-old daughter - has non-Hodgkins lymphoma. But she plans to keep on singing as long as her treatment allows.

"I'll try just to think about my singing and sing the best that I can," she said. "I just hope people understand how much I want to be part of the team."

Hart's disease is curable, with survival rates varying widely. If it is not caught before the onset of symptoms, only 36 percent of patients live 15 years, according to the American Cancer Society. More tests were needed to determine how advanced Hart's cancer is.

"I'm positive she's going to beat this thing and be OK," Flyer chairman Ed Snider said. "We wish her the very best, and we're all rooting for her."

And a pinch of Lemon

Bob Lemon, the Hall of Fame pitcher who died last week at age 79, on his secret to success:

"I never took the game home with me. I always left it at some bar."

Compiled by Dwight Perry, The Seattle Times