Jack Whitman (died September 30, 2004) was an American

paralympic The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Kore ...

archer Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a bow to shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting and combat. In modern ...

and dartcher. He competed at the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

and

1964 Summer Paralympics The , originally known as the 13th International Stoke Mandeville Games,
dinf.ne.jp, March 17, 1 ...

Biography

Whitman was raised on a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

Galesburg, Illinois Galesburg is a city in Knox County, Illinois, United States. The city is northwest of Peoria, Illinois, Peoria. At the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, its population was 32,195. It is the county seat of Knox County and the principal cit ...

. He attended

Galesburg High School Galesburg Junior Senior High School (also known as Galesburg High School) is a public high school in Galesburg, Illinois. Galesburg Junior Senior High School was established in 1861 in downtown Galesburg. It has since moved to Fremont Street on t ...

, where he played football and track athletics, graduating in 1948. After graduating, Whitman attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

in 1949, where he became

paralyzed Paralysis (: paralyses; also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, r ...

in an accident while competing in the

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

team. He returned to the University of Illinois in 1952. He took up

archery Archery is the sport, practice, or skill of using a Bow and arrow, bow to shooting, shoot arrows.Paterson ''Encyclopaedia of Archery'' p. 17 The word comes from the Latin ''arcus'', meaning bow. Historically, archery has been used for hunting ...

after a neighbor provided him with a

bow and arrow The bow and arrow is a ranged weapon system consisting of an elasticity (physics), elastic launching device (bow) and long-shafted projectiles (arrows). Humans used bows and arrows for hunting and aggression long before recorded history, and the ...

in 1960. Whitman participated at the

1960 Summer Paralympics The 9th Annual International Stoke Mandeville Games, retroactively designated as the 1960 Summer Paralympics, were the first international Paralympic Games, following on from the Stoke Mandeville Games of 1948 and 1952. They were organised under ...

, with participating in the first

competition at the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...

. He was awarded the

gold medal A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have b ...

in the men's FITA round open event. Whitman scored 829 points. He also participated in the men's Windsor round open event, being awarded the gold medal. Whitman scored 800 points. He also participated in the first dartchery competition at the Paralympic Games. Whitman was awarded the gold medal along with athlete,

Wayne Broeren Wayne Henry Broeren (2 March 1933 – 26 March 1991) from Champaign, Illinois, was a United States Paralympic athlete. In the 1960 Summer Paralympics, he competed in multiple sports including dartchery and wheelchair basketball. In the 1960, he ...

in the mixed pairs open event. He participated at the

1964 Summer Paralympics The , originally known as the 13th International Stoke Mandeville Games,
dinf.ne.jp, March 17, 1 ...

, with participating in the

competition at the Paralympic Games. Whitman participated in the men's albion round open, winning no medal for which he came in fourth place with his score being 759 points. He also participated in the albion round team open and FITA round team open events, winning gold medals in both. Whitman participated in the albion round team open event along with Dick Robinson and Dean Slaugh, scoring 2253 points. He also participated in the FITA round team open event along with Jim Mathis and Dean Slaugh. Whitman was inducted into the United States Wheelchair Sports Hall of Fame, in 1971. He died on September 30, 2004, at his home in

Champaign, Illinois Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in ...

References

External links

Paralympic Games profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whitman, Jack Place of birth missing Year of birth missing 2004 deaths People with paraplegia American male archers Archers at the 1960 Summer Paralympics Archers at the 1964 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Paralympics Medalists at the 1964 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in archery Dartchers at the 1960 Summer Paralympics Paralympic medalists in dartchery Paralympic archers for the United States Paralympic gold medalists for the United States University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni American male artistic gymnasts 20th-century American sportsmen