| 1 | House Resolution |
| 2 | A resolution remembering and honoring Alfred Oerter, Jr. |
| 3 |
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| 4 | WHEREAS, Alfred (Al) Oerter, Jr., was born in New York City |
| 5 | in 1936 and reared on Long Island where he competed in track as |
| 6 | a high school sprinter and miler, and |
| 7 | WHEREAS, when a discus landed at his feet, Al Oerter picked |
| 8 | it up and casually threw it back so far that the coach |
| 9 | immediately made him a discus thrower, and |
| 10 | WHEREAS, while earning a business degree from the |
| 11 | University of Kansas, Al Oerter went on to win two NCAA titles, |
| 12 | and |
| 13 | WHEREAS, Al Oerter became the first modern track and field |
| 14 | athlete to win four consecutive Olympic titles in one event, and |
| 15 | WHEREAS, as a discus thrower, Al Oerter won Olympic gold |
| 16 | medals in 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968, all the more remarkable |
| 17 | because in each victory he broke the Olympic record, beat the |
| 18 | world recordholder, overcame an injury, and was not favored to |
| 19 | win, and |
| 20 | WHEREAS, in an era before elite athletes trained full time, |
| 21 | Al Oerter worked full time as a computer executive for Grumman |
| 22 | aircraft corporation, and |
| 23 | WHEREAS, after his fourth gold medal and retirement from |
| 24 | track and field, Al Oerter returned to the sport many times and, |
| 25 | when asked what he had to prove at that age, he replied, "It's |
| 26 | not whether you get there. It's the journey," and |
| 27 | WHEREAS, in 1980, at the age of 43, Al Oerter threw a |
| 28 | personal career best and the second longest discus throw in the |
| 29 | world that year and, at the age of 47, he reached the finals of |
| 30 | the 1984 Olympic Trials, and |
| 31 | WHEREAS, having quit elite competition in 1987, Al Oerter |
| 32 | discovered a new passion in abstract painting and helped found |
| 33 | Art of the Olympians, a program to help former Olympians |
| 34 | showcase their art work, and |
| 35 | WHEREAS, Peter Ueberroth, chairman of the U.S. Olympic |
| 36 | Committee, captured the spirit of Al Oerter when he said, "His |
| 37 | legacy is one of an athlete who embodied all of the positive |
| 38 | attributes associated with being an Olympian," and |
| 39 | WHEREAS, with the passing of Al Oerter near his home in |
| 40 | Fort Myers Beach, Florida, on October 1, 2007, USA Track and |
| 41 | Field CEO, Craig Masback, summed up Al Oerter's life by saying, |
| 42 | "What made him even more special was his excellence off the |
| 43 | track, in pursuits ranging from community outreach to art. The |
| 44 | track world has lost a legend, a Hall of Famer, and a true |
| 45 | gentleman," and |
| 46 | WHEREAS, Al Oerter is survived by his wife, Cathy Oerter, a |
| 47 | former competitor in international long jump events; his two |
| 48 | daughters, Crystiana Beardslee and Gabrielle Oerter; his sister, |
| 49 | Marianne Boland; and three grandchildren, NOW, THEREFORE, |
| 50 |
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| 51 | Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of |
| 52 | Florida: |
| 53 |
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| 54 | That Alfred Oerter, Jr., is remembered and honored for his |
| 55 | many accomplishments as one of the greatest track and field |
| 56 | athletes of the 20th Century. |