Anyone who has run in Houston's Memorial Park has seen the trail that bears his name, but few know the incredible legacy left by the late Seymour Lieberman.  He has officially been given the moniker as the "Father of Jogging" by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).  Born in Chicago in 1908, Lieberman set a world record for the 50 yard dash in 5.2 seconds in his senior year of high school in 1927.  After graduating from law school in 1933, he got a job in Galveston, then married and moved to Houston in 1935.  Lieberman continued his impressive career in track by winning the National AAU title in the one-mile walk.  His desire to see his two daughters compete in athletics led to him forming what became known as the Junior Olympics in 1949.

By the late '50s, Lieberman was becoming known as a national advocate for physical fitness.  His 1958 booklet, "Physical Fitness and How to Retard Heart Trouble by Jogging," and a follow-up, "Lieberman's Rhythmical Jogging: The Perfect All-Around Exercise," three years later, were praised by Dr. Paul Dudley (President Eisenhower's physician);  Tex Maule, President Kennedy's physical fitness committee chairman; and distance coach Bill Bowerman, who acknowledged Lieberman's work in his 1967 book, "Jogging."

In May 1981, three months after Lieberman died of leukemia, the Houston meet of Champions, which Lieberman helped organize in 1966, dedicated its 25th anniversary to the memory of Seymour Lieberman.