BOB Leuten is on a mission: He is assembling information about Gordon Joinville, a San Mateo police officer who was slain in 1968.

For locals, the case was a very big deal at the time. Joinville was gunned down in broad daylight at Fifth Avenue and Claremont Street. The suspect, Zachary Lillard, who had an extensive criminal record, was caught, tried and convicted of the murder. He died in prison.

Joinville remains the only San Mateo officer ever killed in the line of duty. His name is memorialized at a swimming pool in the Shoreview area of the city.

That's where Leuten comes in. He's been a member of the Master Marlins adult swim team since 1975. He's also the group's Web honcho. The Marlins train at the Joinville pool. They have been doing so for a long time — it's their home base.

Leuten is in the process of filling in details about Joinville's life — who he was, what he did, how he was perceived in the community — for the Web site.

One reason for Leuten's efforts is the looming possibility that the Joinville pool's operating hours could be severely restricted because of San Mateo's budget problems.

Leuten is eager to spread the word about what the Joinville name means for those with some knowledge of San Mateo's history — and for those without any perspective. He notes that the new San Mateo Police Department headquarters includes a small lobby display of

When he was killed, shock and outrage reverberated throughout San Mateo and the Peninsula for months.

Leuten's efforts may seem like a minor matter 41 years later, but they have real relevance, even in a new century. You can visit the Marlins' Web site at www.mastermarlins.org.

Quite a pair

At Aragon High School, no one can accuse the cross-country team's coaching staff of lacking experience. Bill Daskarolis and Frank Hunt are a combined 141 years of age.

Hunt, 70, runs with the young athletes on a regular basis — which is impressive, considering that he underwent multiple coronary bypass surgery several years ago.

Hunt, a volunteer, joined the coaching staff at Aragon after a decade of doing the same thing at Burlingame High School and Skyline College in San Bruno.

Daskarolis, though retired as a full-time instructor, has been on the Aragon coaching roster since the early 1960s. In fact, the 2009 long-distance running season marks his 46th at the San Mateo school. There is no one coaching prep sports in San Mateo County who comes even remotely close to that amazing record of longevity.

Let's just dub these two dedicated guys — Aragon's own fit-as-a-fiddle, dedicated AARP duo — Scintillating Senior Citizens.

Invisible genetics

We overheard this nifty little bogus tale last week: It was almost the perfect marital scenario. The Invisible Man took the Invisible Woman as his bride. But there was a problem — their children were nothing to look at either.

Reach John Horgan at jhorg@hotmail.com or P.O. Box 117083, Burlingame, CA 94011.