His advice to young athletes.
“Just listen to your coach. If you want to go into track and field the word I always say, ‘Listen.’
My grandfather used to say to me, you wouldn’t say listen, you would say ‘list–sen’ (accenting
each syllable). Listen to your parents, listen to your coaches and work hard, because nothing
comes easy. If you’re going to be a champion, you want to be a world champion, you’ve got to
hurt. And you’ve got to love the sport because you don’t become an Olympic champion or a
champion at anything that you do if you don’t get out and work for it. And that’s what I stress to
all kids. Nothing comes easy in life. Especially if you’re black. You’ve got to be twice as (good)
as the next person. You have to work hard – that’s what I got from my grandfather. Be all you
can be and be the best that you can be in everything that you do. I don’t care if it’s sweeping the
floor. You sweep the floor better than anybody else sweeps the floor. The way you get up in the
morning and you comb your hair and you put your clothes on, your shoes, make sure your shoes
are shined, your clothes are creased – I’m military. I have a crease in my pants, crease in my
shirts, I keep my shoes polished. Look the best, be the best. And work hard.”
At the time of this interview, Pender and his wife, a minister, were living in suburban Atlanta. Pender had retired from business after owing a bottled water company in Lesotho, South Africa. He also had a business consulting company and did speaking engagements. “Now I’m trying to be happy and live the rest of my life helping people as much as I can,” he concluded.
