Arthur "Art" Donovan Devlin (September 7, 1922 – April 22, 2004) was an American ski jumper who competed during the 1950s. A native of

Lake Placid, New York Lake Placid is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, Essex County, New York (state), New York, United States. In 2020, its population was 2,205. The village of Lake Placid ...

, he finished fifth in the individual large hill at the 1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships which were held in Lake Placid. Devlin also made five Olympics teams, competing in the 1952 and

1956 Winter Olympics The 1956 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Cortina d'Ampezzo 1956 ( or ), were a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, from 26 January to 5 February 1956. Cortina, which ...

, where he finished 15th and 21st in the individual large hills, respectively. Prior to the 1950s, Devlin also flew fifty combat missions over

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as a B-24 pilot, earning three Purple Hearts and numerous other military honors. While in

ski jumping Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the final ...

, Devlin went into the

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

business in 1953, opening Art Devlin's Olympic Motor Inn, a hotel he would run until he retired and passed it onto his son, Art, Jr., in 1992. He also was a color commentator for ABC Sports during the 1964, 1968,

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

and 1980 Winter Olympics, becoming lifelong friends with sportscaster Chris Schenkel. Devlin, with fellow Lake Placidians J. Bernard Fell, Norman Hess, Ronald MacKenzie, Jack Shea, Vern Lamb, Luke Patnode, Serge Lussi, Bob Peacock and Bob Allen, also led the effort to bring the 1980 Winter Olympics to Lake Placid, lobbying across

to present their case to the

International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; , CIO) is the international, non-governmental, sports governing body of the modern Olympic Games. Founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas, it is based i ...

. In 1974, ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine gave each kudos for their efforts. Devlin married and had three children. His first wife died in 1989 and he remarried several years later. He died of brain cancer in 2004. Devlin appeared as an imposter on the October 2, 1961 episode of the game show '' To Tell the Truth''. He received one of four possible votes. After he identified himself by name, Host Bud Collyer told the audience of his background as an Olympic athlete.

References

Further reading