Here is a great little speech that our prez, Don Tocher, did for our oldest competitor at the 2002 BCOT International Race, 81 year old Charlie Burchinal.

CHARLIE BURCHINAL – BORN MAY 1st, 1921.

Charlie Burchinal is not older than everything. For example FIRE came before Charlie and the WHEEL was invented before Charlie was born. In fact a number of things happened before Charlie was born. To put things in perspective for you young bucks under 70 we will chronicle the goings on around the time Charlie was born.

Events of 1920 : therefore Charlie is younger than the following:

The League of Nations.

Prohibition.

The Tommy Gun.

Oh Henry bar created.

First known regularly scheduled radio broadcasts.

American Professional Football Association, first U.S. professional football league, was organized. (Renamed the NFL in 1922). So Charlie is both younger and older than the NFL.

Trojan condoms debut. Charlie's younger than rubber.

Grand Canyon National Park is dedicated. This makes it official that Charlie is younger than the Grand Canyon.

THE YEAR 1921: so all of these things are about the same age as Charlie

One million Fords produced.

Betty Crocker was invented.

Whistling tea kettle invented.

Ritz Hotel created the Bloody Mary

Premiere of The Kid , Charlie Chaplin's feature-length film debut.

French Aviator Etienne Oehmichen makes the first helicopter flight.

Radio Station WJY broadcasts Georges Carpentier vs. Jack Dempsey heavyweight boxing title bout from Jersey City, N.J. It's the first heavyweight fight aired

First baseball game with a "play-by-play" description airs on KDKA in Pittsburgh

A "bathing beauty" pageant is held in Atlantic City, N.J.--an event that would soon be known as the Miss America Pageant. With the invention the year before of the Jantzen elasticized one-piece bathing suit, this event was the first to feature women in skin-tight suits with knees exposed.

First stretch of the autobahn completed in Germany.

1921 World Series is described in play-by-play fashion, recreated after the fact and not during the game.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier established.

Southern part of Ireland declared a British dominion, with the same home rule status as Canada.

Quaker Quick Cooking Oats created.

A loaf of bread costs 5 cents.

Winning Indianapolis race car drove 89.6 miles per hour.

Astronaut John Glen was born July 18th. Charlie was born May 1 st so Charlie is older than Space.

Coco Chanel introduces her signature fragrance, Chanel No. 5, in France.

Team of Canadian doctors are first to extract insulin from human pancreas as potential diabetes treatment. Following studies in dogs in 1921, the researchers administer insulin to human patients in 1922.

1922 – so Charlie is older than All of the following

U.S. inventor Charles Francis Jenkins makes first lab transmission of a television picture signal.

Lincoln Memorial dedicated in Washington, D.C.

The British Broadcasting Co. (BBC) is founded.

1923

First wireless telephone call.

First true television demonstration.

Yankee Stadium opens in New York City.

First transcontinental airplane flight.

•  popsicles were created.

1926 - pop-up toasters were invented.

1928 – penicillin was invented.

1930 – sliced bread created.

Back to 1923 - First issue of Time , the first weekly news magazine, is published. That makes Charlie older than time.