Alfred Proksch (December 11, 1908 – January 3, 2011) was an Austrian Olympic athlete and
graphic designer
A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming ...
. The son of one of the co-founders of the
Wiener Sport-Club
The Wiener Sport-Club, sometimes abbreviated as WSC, was established in 1883 in Vienna, Austria and is one of the country's oldest athletics clubs. Their traditional home is in the Dornbach quarter of the city ( 17th district).
History
At vari ...
, Proksch took an active interest in both athletics and graphic design from an early age. By the age of 19 he had started his own design company and would later become a founder, then president, of the Confederation of Austrian Graphic Designers. He was also a key figure in the founding of
Icograda
The International Council of Design (ICoD; formerly known as ico-D, International Council of Communication Design or Icograda, which was formerly an initialism for International Council of Graphic Design Associations) is an international organis ...
.
By the age of 17, Proksch was a champion
pole vault
Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...
er and competed internationally, most notably placing 6th in the event at the
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
. He broke the Austrian record for the event on eight separate occasions. Even after turning 100, he continued to compete at the
World's Masters Championships, often unopposed in his age bracket. Having won 14 gold medals at the games after 1994, he was considered the world's oldest active athlete. He was one of the last two known surviving track and field competitors from the 1936 Olympic Games to still be competing (the other being
Ljubica Gabric-Calvesi).
Early life
Proksch was born on December 11, 1908, in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
to Ignaz Proksch and Henriette Gaugusch. His father was a secretary to the
House of Schwarzenberg
The House of Schwarzenberg () is a German (Franconian Circle, Franconian) and Czech (Kingdom of Bohemia, Bohemian) aristocratic family, formerly one of the most prominent European noble houses. The Schwarzenbergs are members of the German nobili ...
and, although his family was initially poor, they became better off financially after World War I. He attended boarding school with his four brothers and, by the age of 15, was already earning money as an illustrator under the pseudonym ''Fedor Broskow''. He worked at various jobs designing posters until 1926, when he entered the
University of Applied Arts Vienna
The University of Applied Arts Vienna (, or informally just ''Die Angewandte'') is an arts university and institution of higher education in Vienna, the capital of Austria. It has had university status since 1970.
History
The predecessor of the ...
. He later took courses at the
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna
The Academy of Fine Arts Vienna () is a public art school in Vienna, Austria. Founded in 1688 as a private academy, it is now a public university. The academy is also known for twice rejecting admission to a young Adolf Hitler in 1907 and 1908.
...
.
[Kern, Anita. ''Grafiker eines Jahrhunderts – Alfred Proksch''. In: ''Österreichisches Grafikdesign im 20. Jahrhundert.'' Design Austria][Koschatzky-Elias, Gabriela. ''100 Jahre Alfred Proksch. Das grafische Werk.''Amalthea Signum Verlag]
Professional career and Olympics
In 1927, at the age of 19, Proksch started his own design company and was one of the original 10 founders of the Confederation of Austrian Graphic Designers (now
Design Austria). He was for a time in the 1960s President of the Confederation of Austrian Graphic Designers.
He encountered hardships, however, with the onset of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
and experienced difficulties in finding work. In 1933 he married Ida Moser, a fashion designer and model, and had four children with her.
Proksch's father was one of the co-founders of the
Wiener Sport-Club
The Wiener Sport-Club, sometimes abbreviated as WSC, was established in 1883 in Vienna, Austria and is one of the country's oldest athletics clubs. Their traditional home is in the Dornbach quarter of the city ( 17th district).
History
At vari ...
and encouraged his son to participate in athletic activities. At the age of 17 he was the Vienna Youth Champion and over the course of his career he set the Austrian record in the
pole vault
Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a #bar, bar. Pole jumping was already practiced by the ...
eight times.
At the
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI Olympiad () and officially branded as Berlin 1936, were an international multi-sport event held from 1 to 16 August 1936 in Berlin, then capital of Nazi Germany. Berlin won the bid to ...
in Berlin he placed 6th in the
Men's Pole Vault competition with a height of 4.00m.
He set his personal best at this event on August 2, 1937, in London with a height of 4.115.
Later life and World's Masters Championships
Proksch served during World War II in Russia, France and
Albania
Albania ( ; or ), officially the Republic of Albania (), is a country in Southeast Europe. It is located in the Balkans, on the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea, and shares land borders with Montenegro to ...
. At the end of the war he hid in
Waldviertel
The ''Waldviertel'' (; ; Central Bavarian: ; ) is the northwestern region of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is bounded to the south by the river Danube, to the southwest by Upper Austria, to the northwest and to the north by the Czech ...
and
Spitz
A spitz (; , in reference to the pointed muzzle) is a Dog type, type of domestic dog consisting of between 50 and 70 breeds depending on classification. There is no precise definition of 'spitz' but typically most spitz breeds have pricked ears ...
, working low-key jobs as a graphic designer, before settling in
Eichgraben
Eichgraben is a town in the district of Sankt Pölten-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria
Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities ...
in 1947. In 1963 he was present at the meeting that helped found what has become the world body for professional communication design and visual communication,
Icograda
The International Council of Design (ICoD; formerly known as ico-D, International Council of Communication Design or Icograda, which was formerly an initialism for International Council of Graphic Design Associations) is an international organis ...
. Awarded the title of "Professor" in 1967, he retired from graphic design at the age of 70. His son
Peter Proksch is also a painter and graphic designer.
From 1955 to 2005 he was President of the
Vienna Cricket and Football-Club
Vienna Cricket and Football-Club is a sports club based on Döbling district, Vienna. Established on 23 August 1894, it is the second oldest team after their rivals First Vienna FC 1894. It is familiarly known to Austrians by the English name ' ...
. Through 2009, Proksch continued to compete in athletics tournaments and lived on his own, his wife having died in the 1980s. Between 1994 and 2009 he won 14 gold medals, as well as one silver, in the World's Masters Championships, in the
discus,
shot put
The shot put is a track-and-field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical Ball (sports), ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. For men, the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games, modern Olympics since their 1896 Summer Olym ...
and
javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown as far as possible. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's de ...
events.
In 2009 he had
cardiac surgery after a heart attack, as well as knee surgery, but nevertheless continued to participate in shot put events, winning gold medals in discus and shot put (with a distance of 2.8m) at the 2009 World's Masters Championships in
Lahti
Lahti (; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Päijät-Häme. It is located in the Finnish Lakeland. The population of Lahti is approximately , while the Lahti sub-region, sub-region has a population of approximately . It is the mo ...
as the only competitor in the 100+ age bracket.
He was the
Austrian Athletics Association's oldest athlete and was considered the world's oldest active athlete.
Proksch was also a painter, and his works were displayed from December 9 to 23, 2008, and from January 13 to 31, 2009, in a gallery in
Vienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
in honour of his
100th birthday
1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
.
He was made honorary president for life of Design Austria.
He died on January 3, 2011, at the age of 102.
See also
*
List of centenarian masters track and field athletes
In the sport of athletics, centenarian competitors were recorded in the early 20th century, and have become increasingly common in the 21st century. This has occurred during a period of population ageing and increased longevity in wealthy countrie ...
References
External links
Peter Proksch's art website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Proksch, Alfred
1908 births
2011 deaths
Austrian men centenarians
Athletes (track and field) at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Olympic athletes for Austria
Austrian graphic designers
Athletes from Vienna
Austrian male discus throwers
Austrian male shot putters
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni
Austrian masters athletes
Austrian military personnel of World War II
20th-century Austrian sportsmen