George Retzer
| George Retzer | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 14, 1883 Clarion, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | October 7, 1979 (aged 96) Arcadia, California, U.S. |
George Washington Retzer (March 14, 1883 – October 7, 1979) was an American wrestler.[1][2] He competed in the Greco-Roman wrestling featherweight event at the 1912 Summer Olympics.[3]He finished fourth in Stockholm in the Greco-Roman competition. George was a member of the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
He served as secretary-treasurer of the Southern California Olympians for 17 years.
Retzer died Oct. 7, 1978 in Arcadia, California, at the Huntington Drive Convalescent Home. He was 96 years old at the time, and was considered to be the oldest living Olympian at the time of his death. His brother Richard, on behalf of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, delivered the first Los Angeles bid for the Olympic Games to the IOC in Stockholm in 1912. George Retzer was a Pacific Coast Champion in the Lightweight Division in 1909, and the Southern California Champion in the Lightweight division five times (1908-09-10-11-12). Following the end of his sports career, he became a lumber salesman for Crown City Lumber and Mill Company, and spent his later years living in Arcadia. He remained extremely physically fit throughout his life.[4]
Some of his trophies (four sterling silver cups) were auctioned off by the LA84 Foundation in 2016 for $266.40.[5] He was the son of George Washington Retzer, Sr. & Rebecca C. Richards, and was married three times: (1) Pearl Ella Teague Lacey, March 31, 1916 in Los Angeles, California; (2) Emma Bonebrake on Oct. 17, 1958 in Riverside County, California, and (3) Sidney A. Long, June 26, 1970 in Los Angeles County.[6]
References
- ^ "George Retzer". Olympedia. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved June 13, 2021.
- ^ Wagner, Steven K. (October 18, 1978). "Ex-Olympian, 95, promotes exercise". News-Pilot. United Press International. p. 10. Archived from the original on March 3, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "George Retzer Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2013.
- ^ "Retzer, 96, a Wrestler In 1912 Olympic Games", New York Times, Section B, p. 17.
- ^ https://catalogs.scpauctions.com/online-auctions/scp-auctions-inc/lot-of-4-1910-1914-george-w-retzer-jr-1912-olympian-wrestling-sterling-silver-trophy-cups-helms-la84-collection-5963418
- ^ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/88305605/george-washington-retzer
External links