Walker Breeze Smith (November 1, 1896 – February 27, 1993) was an American track and field athlete.[1] Smith attended Cornell University, where he set records in hurdling.[2] He was the IC4A Champion in 1919 in 120 yard high hurdles and 220 yard low hurdles. The year before he placed second in both events.[3]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| National team | United States |
| Born | November 1, 1896 Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States |
| Died | February 27, 1993 (aged 96) Orange County, California, United States |
| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Height | 5 ft 10.5 in (179 cm) |
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg) |
Smith competed in the men's 110 metres hurdles at the 1920 Summer Olympics. He finished in 5th place.[4] In 1978, Smith was inducted into the Cornell University Hall of Fame.[5]
Personal life
editSmith is named after his maternal grandfather, lumber and art magnate T. B. Walker.[4]
When Smith was 10 years old, he had his right eye removed, and wore an artificial eye.[4] He was not allowed to play football because of the missing eye, so he took up track & field.[4] As a child, he attended Phillips Exeter Academy.[4] During World War I in 1916, Smith went to France to serve in the American Field Service.[4] Due to his missing eye, he was designated with a 4-F classification and unable to serve in the US army, so he returned to the United States in 1917.[4]
Smith married Marge Billheimer in 1922. Together they have two children, a son and a daughter. They have eight grandchildren as well as eight great-grandchildren.[6]
After retiring from athletics and worked in various jobs, including real estate and investment companies.[4]
References
edit- ^ "Walker Smith". Olympedia. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
- ^ The Cornell Alumni News. 1919. pp. 312–.
- ^ "Sports Reference - Olympics Walker Smith". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Hodak, George A. (1988). "AN OLYMPIAN'S ORAL HISTORY: WALKER SMITH 1920 OLYMPIC GAMES TRACK & FIELD" (PDF).
- ^ "Cornell Hall of Fame: Walker Smith Class of 1920".
- ^ "News of Alumni". Cornell Alumni News. Vol. 91, no. 4. November 1988. p. 43.