John Lysak
Encyclopedia
John Lysak is an American canoer
who competed in the Olympic Games in 1936
in Berlin. Born in New Jersey
but raised in an orphanage in New York, he competed in the 1936 Olympics in Men's Folding Kayak Doubles, 10 kilometres
, but did not win a medal, placing 7th. After a stint in the United States Marine Corps
during World War II, Lysak attended Springfield College
and worked as a painting contractor until the age of 62. He is currently the San Francisco Bay Area
's oldest living former United States Olympian.
on August 16, 1914. His brother, Steven Lysak
, was a gold and silver medal-winning canoer at the 1948 Summer Olympics
in London. When John was four years old, his mother died in the 1918 flu pandemic
, and his father was forced to send his two sisters to live with relatives in New York. The Lysak brothers, however, were sent to an orphanage
in New Jersey
for two years, before being transferred to Yonkers, New York
.
In their spare time, the duo constructed homemade boats along the Hudson River
using tar paper and barrel staves. They soon joined a local rowing club after their talent caught the attention of the members. There John met Jimmy O'Rourke
, who was to become his partner at the 1936 Summer Olympics
.
, on a lake just outside of the capital city. The duo did not win a medal, placing 7th in the competition.
While observing some of the athletic events
, he claims to have witnessed Adolf Hitler
refusing to congratulate or shake the hand of Jesse Owens
. On the return journey to the United States, Lysak encountered Owens and inquired about the incident. According to Lysak, Owens responded that "that kind of thing had been going on his whole life. He'd gotten used to it." After the games, Lysak never returned to Europe.
in Massachusetts
, where he met his wife, June. He served as a United States Marine
during World War II in the South Pacific
. After the war, Lysak moved to California to work as a painting contractor, until he retired at the age of 62. His wife, with whom he had two sons, died in 2001. As of 2008, Lysak is in fair health, having been able to kayak until 2002, and lives in Fremont, California
with his two sons and a German shepherd
. He is the San Francisco Bay Area
's oldest living former Olympian, although he does not display any memorabilia from the games in his house.
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
who competed in the Olympic Games in 1936
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
in Berlin. Born in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
but raised in an orphanage in New York, he competed in the 1936 Olympics in Men's Folding Kayak Doubles, 10 kilometres
Canoeing at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Canoeing was an official Olympic sport for the first time at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. It had been a demonstration sport twelve years earlier at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. A total of nine events were contested at the 1936 Games, all in canoe sprint for men.The competitions were...
, but did not win a medal, placing 7th. After a stint in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during World War II, Lysak attended Springfield College
Springfield College
Springfield College is a private, coeducational university located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield College is most famous as the site where the sport of basketball was invented...
and worked as a painting contractor until the age of 62. He is currently the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
's oldest living former United States Olympian.
Early life
Lysak was born in Bound Brook, New JerseyBound Brook, New Jersey
Bound Brook is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. At the United States 2010 Census, the population was 10,402.Bound Brook was originally incorporated as a town by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 24, 1869, within portions of Bridgewater Township...
on August 16, 1914. His brother, Steven Lysak
Steven Lysak
Steven Lysak was an American sprint canoer who competed in the late 1940s.At the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, he won two medals with Stephen Macknowski. This included a gold in the C-2 10000 m and a silver in the C-2 1000 m events.Born in Newark, New Jersey, Lysak designed and built the canoe...
, was a gold and silver medal-winning canoer at the 1948 Summer Olympics
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was held in London, England, United Kingdom. After a 12-year hiatus because of World War II, these were the first Summer Olympics since the 1936 Games in Berlin...
in London. When John was four years old, his mother died in the 1918 flu pandemic
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
, and his father was forced to send his two sisters to live with relatives in New York. The Lysak brothers, however, were sent to an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
for two years, before being transferred to Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
.
In their spare time, the duo constructed homemade boats along the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
using tar paper and barrel staves. They soon joined a local rowing club after their talent caught the attention of the members. There John met Jimmy O'Rourke
James O'Rourke (canoer)
James Jerome O'Rourke was an American canoer who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics.He was born and died in Yonkers, New York. He was the father of James O'Rourke, Jr....
, who was to become his partner at the 1936 Summer Olympics
1936 Summer Olympics
The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin, Germany. Berlin won the bid to host the Games over Barcelona, Spain on April 26, 1931, at the 29th IOC Session in Barcelona...
.
Olympic career
On their journey to Berlin, Lysak and O'Rourke destroyed much of the equipment in the ship's gymnasium and were prohibited from entering it for most of the trip. Lysak competed with O'Rourke in Men's Folding Kayak Doubles, 10 kilometresCanoeing at the 1936 Summer Olympics
Canoeing was an official Olympic sport for the first time at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. It had been a demonstration sport twelve years earlier at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris. A total of nine events were contested at the 1936 Games, all in canoe sprint for men.The competitions were...
, on a lake just outside of the capital city. The duo did not win a medal, placing 7th in the competition.
While observing some of the athletic events
Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics
At the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, 29 athletics events were contested, 23 for men and 6 for women. The program of events was unchanged from the previous Games. There was a total of 776 participants from 43 countries competing.-Medal table:...
, he claims to have witnessed Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
refusing to congratulate or shake the hand of Jesse Owens
Jesse Owens
James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens was an American track and field athlete who specialized in the sprints and the long jump. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the...
. On the return journey to the United States, Lysak encountered Owens and inquired about the incident. According to Lysak, Owens responded that "that kind of thing had been going on his whole life. He'd gotten used to it." After the games, Lysak never returned to Europe.
Later life
Lysak returned to the United States and graduated from Springfield CollegeSpringfield College
Springfield College is a private, coeducational university located in the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield College is most famous as the site where the sport of basketball was invented...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, where he met his wife, June. He served as a United States Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
during World War II in the South Pacific
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
. After the war, Lysak moved to California to work as a painting contractor, until he retired at the age of 62. His wife, with whom he had two sons, died in 2001. As of 2008, Lysak is in fair health, having been able to kayak until 2002, and lives in Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
with his two sons and a German shepherd
German Shepherd Dog
The German Shepherd Dog , also known as an Alsatian or just the German Shepherd, is a breed of large-sized dog that originated in Germany. The German Shepherd is a relatively new breed of dog, with its origin dating to 1899. As part of the Herding Group, the German Shepherd is a working dog...
. He is the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
's oldest living former Olympian, although he does not display any memorabilia from the games in his house.