Cowboy Cal's story touches Greensboro
Kentucky Derby entrant Cowboy Cal is running today in memory of John Long, son of Greensboro residents David and Mellie Long.
The Houston Chronicle reports.
The story goes back more than 30 years, when the Longs' 3-year-old son was diagnosed with liver cancer. Their friends, Bob and Janice McNair, recommended treatment at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where the McNairs lived. Young John succumbed to his disease but not before giving the McNairs' 13-year-old son the nickname Cowboy Cal.
The name stuck around and now belongs to the McNairs' Derby hopeful. Whatever winnings the horse brings home will be donated to M.D. Anderson in John Long's memory.
David Long was a Presbyterian minister who answered calls in many locations during his career. Now he and Mellie are retired and living in Greensboro.
His sister is former state legislator Mary Long Jarrell of High Point. His nephew is Guilford County District Court Judge Tom Jarrell.
The Longs are in Louisville for the race. Until I heard this story, I didn't have a rooting interest. Now I do. Cowboy Cal carries a special name and the memory of a child whose short life hasn't been forgotten.
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