This week on the blog, we’re paying tribute to helveticka co-founder John Richard Mraz, who celebrates a special birthday this Friday. But before we officially kick things off, I want our readers to know that, along the way, I’ll be sharing a few insights about John that I believe—to the best of my memory, anyway—are mostly true. Whatever details I may miss, well…let’s just say that helveticka isn’t a news organization. And that fact-checking is overrated among friends.
Here’s John in 1965. Legend has it that the Colton High School Wildcat got most of his morning farm chores done before school, and that he was a below-average basketball player and a way-above-average student. (Of course, he graduated with only 18 classmates, so how hard could that have been?) In fact, Colton High’s valedictorian standards were sufficiently low as to enable John to achieve this distinction.
Interestingly, the Rolling Stones released The Rolling Stones No. 2; The Rolling Stones, Now!; Out of Our Heads; December’s Children (And Everybody’s); and Got Live if You Want It!—all in that same year. John, an aspiring drummer, remains a lifelong fan.
by Craig