Clif Turner could have brought up any number of great performances by Lorrie Thornton when recalling her track and
field career at Flint Central High School.
But the one moment that stood out didn’t take place during a competition. It said more about Thornton, the person,
than Thornton, the star athlete.
“She’s just a great, great person,” said Turner, who coached Central while Thornton was competing from 1977-79.
“One of the things I remember is she’d fight for anybody on the team’s right. We had a special ed young lady on the team.
Some of the girls were like, ‘We don’t want her. She’s so slow.’ Lorrie and Renee, my daughter, said ‘Anybody who wants
to can run. If it takes her a while to run two miles, we’ll wait for her.’ That basic attitude that everybody should have the
opportunity to perform.”
