taggit Summary
He kept his distance from football players, who he said bullied him, but when his Catholic school in New Jersey formed a track team, Tom Ammiano decided to join. Mr. Ammiano, who would grow up to become one of the country’s pioneering gay leaders, an early openly gay comedian and a prominent California elected official, found that he loved running long distance.“That last win put me over the top,” Mr. Ammiano said, and when he was told he had earned a varsity letter, Mr. Ammiano recalled, “I went to seventh heaven.” But before the awards ceremony, he learned that the last meet would no longer count. The other day, Mr. Ammiano, who is 79, received a note in the mail from his alma mater, Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, N.J., that contained some unexpected news — he would finally be getting his varsity letter.