Pete George: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
+note
wording was a bit awkward, tried to improve it
 
(21 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|American weightlifter}}
{{Short description|American weightlifter (1929–2021)}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
{{Infobox sportsperson
| name = Pete George
| name = Pete George
Line 20: Line 20:
}}
}}


'''Peter T. George'''<ref name="sports-ref"/> (June 29, 1929 &ndash; July 27, 2021) was an American [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifter]] and Olympic and World champion. He was later an [[assistant professor]] of [[stomatology]]. Because of [[Bulgarian Americans|his ethnic origin]], and despite the long list of Bulgarian weightlifters [[Bulgaria at the Olympics|with Olympic medals]], he was the first Bulgarian to win Olympic gold.<ref>Peter George, Secrets of the Squat Snatch; Gatekeeper Press, 2018; {{ISBN|1619846861}}, Autoritative review.</ref>
'''Peter T. George'''<ref name="sports-ref"/> (June 29, 1929 &ndash; July 27, 2021) was an American [[Olympic weightlifting|weightlifter]] and Olympic and World champion. He was later an [[assistant professor]] of [[stomatology]]. George was the first weightlifter of [[Bulgarian Americans|Bulgarian descent]] to win Olympic gold, which has since been achieved by other [[Bulgaria at the Olympics|Bulgarian Olympians]].<ref>Peter George, Secrets of the Squat Snatch; Gatekeeper Press, 2018; {{ISBN|1619846861}}, Autoritative review.</ref>


== Biography==
== Biography==
His Bulgarian parents<ref>Marty Gallagher, Pete George. The greatest American Olympic Weightlifting prodigy of all time. [https://startingstrength.com/article/pete_george Starting Strength Weekly Report, October 11, 2012.]</ref><ref group=note>The cited source describes his parents first as "Macedonian immigrants" and then as ""Bulgarian immigrants"</ref> Trayan and Paraskeva Taleff originated from [[Bitola]],<ref>[http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=3250 Ohio History Central]</ref> from where they immigrated to the U.S. in 1929.<ref>Cal, Volume 47, Coe Laboratories, 1983 [https://books.google.bg/books?id=yd4aAQAAMAAJ&dq=Pete%27s+parents+immigrated+to+the+U.S.+from+Bulgaria+in+1929.+His+father%27s+name+was+Tryan+Taleff%2C+but+an+immigration+officer+at+Ellis+Island+misunderstood+his+speech+and+put+down+the+name+of+a+relative+instead.&focus=searchwithinvolume&q=Bulgaria p. 21.]</ref> His father was an activist of the [[Macedonian Patriotic Organization]] and both his parents were members of the [[Macedonian Bulgarians|Macedono-Bulgarian]] [[St. Elia the Prophet Orthodox Church (Akron, Ohio)]].<ref>Macedonian Directory: 1951, Publisher Central Committee of M.P.O. of the U.S. and Canada, p. 9.</ref>
His Bulgarian parents<ref>Marty Gallagher, Pete George. The greatest American Olympic Weightlifting prodigy of all time. [https://startingstrength.com/article/pete_george Starting Strength Weekly Report, October 11, 2012.]</ref><ref group=note>The cited source describes his parents first as "Macedonian immigrants" and then as ""Bulgarian immigrants"</ref><ref>Dr. Pete George, ''I Macedonian?'' an article published in the Macedonian Tribune newspaper of the [[Macedonian Patriotic Organization|Macedonian Patriotic Organisation]] on September 1, 2014.</ref><ref group=note>The author describes his parents and himself as "Bulgarians" stating that "Macedonian" is simply a geographic designation: ''My parents, however were Bulgarians born in Macedonia. I, therefore must say, my nationality is Bulgarian''.</ref> Trayan and Paraskeva Taleff originated from [[Bitola]],<ref>[http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=3250 Ohio History Central]</ref> from where they immigrated to the U.S. in 1929.<ref>Cal, Volume 47, Coe Laboratories, 1983 [https://books.google.com/books?id=yd4aAQAAMAAJ&q=Bulgaria p. 21.]</ref> His father was an activist of the [[Macedonian Patriotic Organization]] and both his parents were members of the [[Macedonian Bulgarians|Macedono-Bulgarian]] [[St. Elia the Prophet Orthodox Church (Akron, Ohio)]].<ref>Macedonian Directory: 1951, Publisher Central Committee of M.P.O. of the U.S. and Canada, p. 9.</ref>


Born in [[Akron, Ohio]],<ref name="sports-ref">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ge/pete-george-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235957/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ge/pete-george-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |title=Pete George |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref> George was the first 15-year-old to clean and jerk 300&nbsp;lbs<ref>[http://archives.starbulletin.com/96/07/15/sports/story2b.html Honolulu Star-Bulletin]</ref> and was the youngest senior state champion of Ohio at 14 and 1/2. His brother [[Jim George (weightlifter)|Jim]] is also weightlifter. Pete won a gold medal at the [[1952 Summer Olympics]] in [[Helsinki]].<ref name=db-ol1952-weightlifting>[http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=13&sp=WEI "1952 Summer Olympics - Helsinki, Finland - Weightlifting"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827100223/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=13&sp=WEI |date=2007-08-27 }} - ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).</ref> George also received silver medals at the [[1948 Summer Olympics]] in [[London]],<ref name=db-ol1948-weightlifting>[http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=12&sp=WEI "1948 Summer Olympics - London, United Kingdom- Weightlifting"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830163655/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=12&sp=WEI |date=2007-08-30 }} - ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).</ref> and at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne]].<ref name=db-ol1956-weightlifting>[http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=14&sp=WEI "1956 Summer Olympics - Melbourne, Australia - Weightlifting"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827202346/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=14&sp=WEI |date=2007-08-27 }} - ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).</ref> He also won five World Championships outside of the Olympics in 1947, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955. George placed second at the World Championships in 1949 and 1950, making a total of ten medals in World and Olympic competition. He also set four world records, three in the clean and jerk, and one in the total.
Born in [[Akron, Ohio]],<ref name="sports-ref">{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ge/pete-george-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417235957/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ge/pete-george-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 17, 2020 |title=Pete George |accessdate=May 7, 2015}}</ref> George was the first 15-year-old to clean and jerk 300&nbsp;lbs<ref>[http://archives.starbulletin.com/96/07/15/sports/story2b.html Honolulu Star-Bulletin]</ref> and was the youngest senior state champion of Ohio at 14 and 1/2. His brother [[Jim George (weightlifter)|Jim]] is also weightlifter. Pete won a gold medal at the [[1952 Summer Olympics]] in [[Helsinki]].<ref name=db-ol1952-weightlifting>[http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=13&sp=WEI "1952 Summer Olympics - Helsinki, Finland - Weightlifting"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827100223/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=13&sp=WEI |date=2007-08-27 }} - ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).</ref> George also received silver medals at the [[1948 Summer Olympics]] in [[London]],<ref name=db-ol1948-weightlifting>[http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=12&sp=WEI "1948 Summer Olympics - London, United Kingdom- Weightlifting"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070830163655/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=12&sp=WEI |date=2007-08-30 }} - ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).</ref> and at the [[1956 Summer Olympics]] in [[Melbourne]].<ref name=db-ol1956-weightlifting>[http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=14&sp=WEI "1956 Summer Olympics - Melbourne, Australia - Weightlifting"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827202346/http://www.databaseolympics.com/games/gamessport.htm?g=14&sp=WEI |date=2007-08-27 }} - ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).</ref> He also won five World Championships outside of the Olympics in 1947, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955. George placed second at the World Championships in 1949 and 1950, making a total of ten medals in World and Olympic competition. He also set four world records, three in the clean and jerk, and one in the total.


After retiring from athletics, he attended Kent State University, the Ohio State University, and Columbia University. George became an orthodontist and served on the faculty of the University of Hawaii. He pioneered treatments for obstructive [[sleep apnea]]. He held the patent for the Nocturnal Airway Patency Appliance (NAPA), a device preventing the stoppage of breathing during sleep. After retirement, George used to spend summertime in the birthplace of his wife, [[Ognyanovo, Blagoevgrad Province]], [[Bulgaria]].<ref>Питър Джордж - първият българин с олимпийско злато. [https://www.blitz.bg/article/6648 Blitz.bg, 28 Авг. 2008.]</ref> In 1993, George was awarded the Macedonian Hall of Fame Award by the Macedonian Businessmen's Club founded in Akron, Ohio in 1950.<ref>[http://macedonianbusinessmensclub.org/?page_id=14 Macedonian Businessmen's Club]</ref>
After retiring from athletics, he attended Kent State University, the Ohio State University, and Columbia University. George became an orthodontist and served on the faculty of the University of Hawaii. He pioneered treatments for obstructive [[sleep apnea]]. He held the patent for the Nocturnal Airway Patency Appliance (NAPA), a device preventing the stoppage of breathing during sleep. After retirement, George used to spend summertime in the birthplace of his wife, [[Ognyanovo, Blagoevgrad Province]], [[Bulgaria]].<ref>Питър Джордж - първият българин с олимпийско злато. [https://www.blitz.bg/article/6648 Blitz.bg, 28 Авг. 2008.]</ref> He is also described sometimes as a [[Macedonian American]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Immigrants in American History |last=Barkan |first=Elliott Robert |date= 2013 |publisher= Bloomsbury Academic|isbn=9781598842197 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AP7QCteb0o0C&dq=pete+george+macedonian&pg=PA1115}}</ref> and thus in 1993 George was awarded the Macedonian Hall of Fame Award by the Macedonian Businessmen's Club in Akron, Ohio.<ref>[http://macedonianbusinessmensclub.org/?page_id=14 Macedonian Businessmen's Club]</ref>


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
Line 39: Line 39:


{{Footer Olympic Champions Weightlifting Middleweight}}
{{Footer Olympic Champions Weightlifting Middleweight}}
{{Footer World Champions Weightlifting Men Lightweight}}
{{Footer World Champions Weightlifting Men Middleweight}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions Weightlifting Middleweight Men}}
{{Footer Pan American Champions Weightlifting Middleweight Men}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 53: Line 55:
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in weightlifting]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in weightlifting]]
[[Category:American people of Bulgarian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Bulgarian descent]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States]]
[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in weightlifting]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Pan American Games medalists in weightlifting]]
[[Category:People associated with physical culture]]
[[Category:People associated with physical culture]]
[[Category:American dentists]]
[[Category:American dentists]]
Line 64: Line 65:
[[Category:Weightlifters at the 1951 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Weightlifters at the 1951 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games]]
[[Category:American people of Macedonian descent]]

Latest revision as of 18:11, 25 February 2024

Pete George
Pete George (left) and Fyodor Bogdanovsky and Ermanno Pignatti at the 1956 Olympics
Personal information
Full namePeter T. George
BornJune 29, 1929
Akron, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJuly 27, 2021(2021-07-27) (aged 92)
Medal record
Men's weightlifting
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1952 Helsinki -75 kg
Silver medal – second place 1948 London -75 kg
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne -75 kg
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1951 Buenos Aires Weightlifting

Peter T. George[1] (June 29, 1929 – July 27, 2021) was an American weightlifter and Olympic and World champion. He was later an assistant professor of stomatology. George was the first weightlifter of Bulgarian descent to win Olympic gold, which has since been achieved by other Bulgarian Olympians.[2]

Biography[edit]

His Bulgarian parents[3][note 1][4][note 2] Trayan and Paraskeva Taleff originated from Bitola,[5] from where they immigrated to the U.S. in 1929.[6] His father was an activist of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization and both his parents were members of the Macedono-Bulgarian St. Elia the Prophet Orthodox Church (Akron, Ohio).[7]

Born in Akron, Ohio,[1] George was the first 15-year-old to clean and jerk 300 lbs[8] and was the youngest senior state champion of Ohio at 14 and 1/2. His brother Jim is also weightlifter. Pete won a gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.[9] George also received silver medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London,[10] and at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.[11] He also won five World Championships outside of the Olympics in 1947, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955. George placed second at the World Championships in 1949 and 1950, making a total of ten medals in World and Olympic competition. He also set four world records, three in the clean and jerk, and one in the total.

After retiring from athletics, he attended Kent State University, the Ohio State University, and Columbia University. George became an orthodontist and served on the faculty of the University of Hawaii. He pioneered treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. He held the patent for the Nocturnal Airway Patency Appliance (NAPA), a device preventing the stoppage of breathing during sleep. After retirement, George used to spend summertime in the birthplace of his wife, Ognyanovo, Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria.[12] He is also described sometimes as a Macedonian American,[13] and thus in 1993 George was awarded the Macedonian Hall of Fame Award by the Macedonian Businessmen's Club in Akron, Ohio.[14]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ The cited source describes his parents first as "Macedonian immigrants" and then as ""Bulgarian immigrants"
  2. ^ The author describes his parents and himself as "Bulgarians" stating that "Macedonian" is simply a geographic designation: My parents, however were Bulgarians born in Macedonia. I, therefore must say, my nationality is Bulgarian.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pete George". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  2. ^ Peter George, Secrets of the Squat Snatch; Gatekeeper Press, 2018; ISBN 1619846861, Autoritative review.
  3. ^ Marty Gallagher, Pete George. The greatest American Olympic Weightlifting prodigy of all time. Starting Strength Weekly Report, October 11, 2012.
  4. ^ Dr. Pete George, I Macedonian? an article published in the Macedonian Tribune newspaper of the Macedonian Patriotic Organisation on September 1, 2014.
  5. ^ Ohio History Central
  6. ^ Cal, Volume 47, Coe Laboratories, 1983 p. 21.
  7. ^ Macedonian Directory: 1951, Publisher Central Committee of M.P.O. of the U.S. and Canada, p. 9.
  8. ^ Honolulu Star-Bulletin
  9. ^ "1952 Summer Olympics - Helsinki, Finland - Weightlifting" Archived 2007-08-27 at the Wayback Machine - databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).
  10. ^ "1948 Summer Olympics - London, United Kingdom- Weightlifting" Archived 2007-08-30 at the Wayback Machine - databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).
  11. ^ "1956 Summer Olympics - Melbourne, Australia - Weightlifting" Archived 2007-08-27 at the Wayback Machine - databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on February 22, 2008).
  12. ^ Питър Джордж - първият българин с олимпийско злато. Blitz.bg, 28 Авг. 2008.
  13. ^ Barkan, Elliott Robert (2013). Immigrants in American History. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781598842197.
  14. ^ Macedonian Businessmen's Club

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pete_George&oldid=1210246050"