1 Photo
John Conner
John Conner, a renowned, multiple record-setting runner, was “a teacher, a mentor, a kind and thoughtful person,” said Cliff Clark, himself a running legend and national collegiate champ. “He was a multiple national and world champion medalist.”
Conner, who lived on Old Stone Highway in Springs, died on December 18. He was 89.
Conner was a mentor to untold numbers of running enthusiasts, a builder, an actor, a lover of life, those who knew him remembered.
“The thing I’m most going to miss about John is listening to him,” Clark said, “watching him always wanting to mentor and help somebody else in anything, particularly running. He was just that guy. He always wanted to help, to share with someone what he had learned so they could be better.”
“John was a legend,” agreed Kevin Barry, the East Hampton High School boys cross country coach. “He was a coach, a friend, a mentor. He built, probably, several hundred houses in East Hampton,” shunning McMansions in favor of homes for the likes of teachers and firefighters. “He was an amazing guy, a great runner himself, a world record-holder.”
“People were thankful — without him, they would probably not have had a house,” said Rasa Tarailaite-Vaughan, who credited Conner for instilling the discipline with which she ran the New York City Marathon last month and who plans to run a marathon on every continent. She added, “Every runner knew him. He would not miss any race, even when he was in a wheelchair.”
“Being Irish, he was prone to really good stories,” said David Vaughan, Tarailaite-Vaughan’s husband. “He liked to have a cold beer, and he would always ask you about yourself. He would remember the last conversation he had with you. He was like that — he kept up.”
“He had the best stories,” Tarailaite-Vaughan remembered. “He had a very interesting life, very colorful. He knew a little bit of everything. Very hospitable, he liked people coming over. He was a social butterfly.”
John Conner was born on February 24, 1935, in the Hollis neighborhood of Queens to George Conner and the former Alice Kelly. He attended Saint Clare Catholic Academy in Queens; the Brothers of the Sacred Heart boarding school in Huntington, called Coindre Hall after Andre Coindre, the founder of the religious order; and Delbarton School in Morristown, New Jersey, a Benedictine Catholic preparatory school.
“Benedictine monks — their whole thing is to have a life of service,” said Conner’s wife, the former Henrika Hadjipopov. That spirit and belief in dedication to others was impressed upon the young Conner there, she said.
He went on to Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where he earned a bachelor’s degree, and Stony Brook University and Southampton College for graduate study.
He served in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958, receiving an honorable discharge with the rank of corporal.
In his varied career, Conner worked for the New York State Thruway Authority in the early 1950s and later the admissions office at New York University. He drove a New York City taxi, served on the Mexican Olympic Committee and worked at the Manhattan Art and Antiques Center.
On the South Fork, he worked for Ed Pospisil Real Estate, served as director for the Head Start program in East Hampton, and founded the John Conner Real Estate and John Conner Construction firms, building affordable houses for many East Hampton families. He also served on the board of the Windmill II complex of affordable housing for senior citizens, his wife said.
“He gave so many people in East Hampton and Springs the opportunity to buy a house,” Vaughan said. “He assisted countless people in that regard — I keep hearing these stories: ‘John Conner helped me get my house.’ He was one of a kind, he really was.”
Conner was among the organizers of the annual East Hampton Artists and Writers Charity Softball Game, a charitable event, and organized numerous footraces for charity including serving on the initial committee of the Great Bonac Footraces. He also performed in amateur theater for 25 years, including playing McMurphy in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and Fagan in “Oliver!” When dinner theater was offered at the Royal Fish restaurant, “John was one of their staples,” his wife said.
He chaired the East Hampton Town Democratic Committee in 1973, the year that Judith Hope was first elected supervisor, becoming the first woman elected to the position. He was a member of the American Legion, and enjoyed painting and fine art, hiking, playing the recorder, listening to jazz, opera, blues, classical and pop music, philosophy, kayaking, gardening and teaching, his wife said.
But running was his passion, along with triathlons. He ran for the New York Pioneer Club and the New York Athletic Club at Masters and World Veterans competitions. He finished in first place in numerous races and set world records in 800-meter, 1,500-meter and mile races in the 55-to-59 age bracket. At age 50, he ran New York’s Fifth Avenue Mile in 4 minutes, 40.1 seconds. The Old Montauk Athletic Club’s Montauk Mile cup is now known as the Montauk Mile John F. Conner Cup.
He was inducted into the Delbarton School’s Hall Of Honor, and was named the New York Athletic Club’s Runner of the Year in his 50s. He was president of the Masters Sports Association and OMAC.
Conner’s first marriage, to Patricia Sundburg, ended in divorce. He and Henrika were married on June 11, 1983.
His running career was derailed by an accident around 25 years ago, when he was he was hit from behind by a truck while on his bicycle.
“When he got hit by a car, he would say, ‘I have to rediscover myself for the 12th time,’ Barry remembered. “He was extremely positive to the end. He lived a life we all wish we could live.”
“John was a great guy, an interesting man,” said Diane O’Donnell, coach of the East Hampton High School girls’ varsity cross country team. “He had lot of ideas about a lot of different things. Later in life, he decided to teach himself to speak and read Spanish, so he would watch Spanish TV and read Spanish newspapers. His interest in life was ongoing, and he was always trying to add a new element into his life.”
In addition to his wife, Conner is survived by his granddaughter, Sarah M. Sireci; a son-in-law, Mario T. Sireci Jr.; and his cousins, Patricia Cirigliano, Eileen Mulliken, Charles Kelly, Frank Kelly, Maryann Kelly and Charles McRoberts. He was predeceased by his stepdaughter, Mary Sireci.
Conner was a member of Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in East Hampton. A service will be held there at noon on January 11, 2025, followed by burial at Most Holy Trinity Cemetery.
Henrika Conner has suggested memorial contributions to the Springs Fire Department, 179 Fort Pond Boulevard, East Hampton, N.Y. 11937, or springsfd.org/donate.
