In the early and mid-nineties, John Wall served as a member-at-large for two years and Vice President/Photographer and Editor of Footprints for two years. As a member-at-large, he assisted the then executive director, Chuck George, with whatever small fires needed attending to. This ranged from picking up fruit the day before a race, helping set up and tear down the start-finish area, assisting with water stops, or setting mile markers on the course. Once the race started, the photography job began and continued through the awards ceremony. John never requested compensation for film or development charges (this was long before the digital scene took over).

He had made agreements with local fast-food restaurants to provide ice for the races. Long after his terms ended, one could spot him helping out: tearing down the finish area, breaking down tables, loading the equipment van, or just picking up trash – although he was a paid participant in the race, his volunteerism couldn’t be stopped. He joined the NOTC in the eighties while living in Opelousas, LA. It was once he returned to New Orleans that he was more able to assist in these numerous capacities. In 1990, he was president of the Chalmette Track Club and spearheaded the origin of the (now well-known and well-enjoyed) Pelicanman Duathlon.

Although a self-admitted “slightly better than average” runner, he was seldom seen on the award podium. He did finish in the Top 500 in the CCC. He was better known in the running community for his marathon travels. On July 25, 2000, John became the first person in the New Orleans metro area (the first person in Louisiana, for that matter) to finish a marathon in all 50 States + D.C. Five years later, on February 25, 2005, after completing the Antarctica marathon, he was the first person in Louisiana to finish a marathon on all 7 continents. Unknown to most, he arranged to carry with him, during his marathon trips, Mardi Gras marathon entry forms and handed them out at the races’ expos and afterwards, at the finish. This was before one could Google on the internet; he felt he should try whatever he could do to help promote NOTC events. He was quite often surprised when other runners would tell him they didn’t even know there was a marathon in New Orleans.