Earl Frederick Borchelt (born June 12, 1954 in

Staten Island, New York Staten Island ( ) is the southernmost of the boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County and situated at the southernmost point of New York (state), New York. The borough is separated from the ad ...

) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

former competitive rower, Olympic silver medalist, and esteemed physicist. He was a member of the American men's eights team that won the silver medal at the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Borchelt also participated in the men's coxed fours at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

and placed 11th overall. In 2007, Borchelt was awarded the

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

, the highest award given to civilians by the U.S. legislative branch. The entire American team that was supposed to compete at the

1980 Summer Olympics The 1980 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad () and officially branded as Moscow 1980 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 19 July to 3 August 1980 in Moscow, Soviet Union, in present-day Russ ...

was awarded the medals because of the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was the largest boycott in Olympic history and one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summ ...

. In the words of Borchelt, "It took me a while to forgive President Carter for the boycott, but I have since come to terms with his decision." Fred Borchelt is a

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

alumnus who has served as a patent examiner for the

United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency in the United States Department of Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce that serves as the national patent office and trademark ...

and as the varsity crew coach at St. John's High School in

Shrewsbury, MA Shrewsbury (/ˈʃruzberi/ ''SHROOZ-bury'') is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,325 according to the 2020 United States census, in nearly 15,000 households. Incorporated in 1727, Shrewsbury prosper ...

. As of 2023, Borchelt resides in

Sterling, Massachusetts Sterling is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,985 at the 2020 census. History Previous to its incorporation, it was "the Second Parish of Lancaster." It was commonly called by a portion of its In ...

and continues to teach all levels of high school physics at St. John's High School in

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Borchelt, Fred 1954 births Living people Rowers at the 1976 Summer Olympics Rowers at the 1984 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in rowing Congressional Gold Medal recipients American male rowers Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics World Rowing Championships medalists for the United States 20th-century American sportsmen