LANCASTER -- Considered one of the top five runners in the world during his time, H. N. "Barney" Ewell possessed legs that carried him to prominence in the 1948 Olympic Games in London, England.

The 1942 Penn State graduate won a gold medal in the 4x100 meter relay and silvers in the 100-and 200-meter dashes. Never mind that he was 30 years old at the time, years past a sprinter's prime. Sandwiched between the times of Jesse Owens and Bob Beamon, Ewell was of equal ability, but he never reached their legendary proportions.

Forty-six years later, Ewell, 75, is confined to a wheelchair, his right leg amputated. Poor blood circulation in his once-magical legs caused his toes to blacken. After having several toes removed from his right foot and witnessing no improvement, he had little choice but to have it amputated last July.

His weight has dropped rapidly, from a muscular 155 pounds molded onto his 5-foot-9 frame, to a wispy 117 pounds. His biceps, once swollen with bulging veins, now are soft and fleshy.

But his magnetic personality and confident mentality remain intact.

"People say, 'Don't give up. Keep up the spirits,' " Ewell told the Lancaster New Era. "I try to look at it from that point of view."

Ewell is temporarily living in Conestoga View, a Lancaster County nursing home, and awaiting the arrival of a prosthetic device to fit his leg, which is cut about three inches below the knee. The wait has been long and tedious. Two and a half months have passed, and there are no results.

But Ewell still manages to look at the brighter side of life. His memory is as sharp as his humor is quick, and he laughs while reminiscing about old Penn State and Olympic teammates while flipping through a photo album.

"It hurt me, after being in athletics all my life since grade school days, high school, college and then the Olympics," he said of the amputation.

But it didn't destroy him. Having a friend like former Penn State and Olympic teammate Herman Goffberg helps ease the pain.

Goffberg, who competed in the 10,000 meter run in '48, has helped raise more than $4,000 to help defray expenses and erase debt for his longtime friend. An additional $5,000 was recently donated by members of the Penn State Football Letterman's Club.

"Barney was a charismatic character and a great competitor," Goffberg, 72, said of Ewell. "Even on the Olympic team, he was always the most charismatic."

No Olympic Games were held in 1940 or 1944 because of World War II, and Ewell's chances to compete were confined to Amateur Athletic Union events in the prime of his career.

"Everyone speculated at what he would have done," Goffberg said.

The Lancaster native remains the only athlete to ever win the 100- and 200-yard runs and the long jump in amateur competition more than once. More impressively, he did it three straight years.

"You have to take into account that he did this on a cinder track, which was horrible, and wore those heavy, leather shoes," Goffberg said. "When the chips were on the line, that's when he was at his best."

His fame is limited to his past success, and for such a late age for a sprinter, his remarkable performance shocked the athletic world.

"It's a shame that athletes weren't paid in his era," said Ken O'Neal, pastor of the Methodist Church in Millersville, which helps Goffberg handle the donations to Ewell. "Today, he'd be a multi-millionaire."

He is by no means wealthy, but Barney Ewell's memories are rich. And people are showing that they remember, too.