Baltimore Olympian Robert Garrett’s legacy lives on

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Excitement is in the air as the Tokyo Olympics kick off. With so many Maryland natives competing, there are plenty of athletes to cheer on. But more than a century ago, a Baltimore resident was part of the first international Olympic games in modern history. Robert Garrett’s legacy lives on today through athletics and history. 125 years ago, at the 1896 Summer Olympics, Garrett was making headlines, competing with about 240 others. Her grandson, James, said Garrett kind of fell into it. He was studying at Princeton University and was part of the track team. His teacher brought up the idea of ​​going to Greece. “They had a Princeton blacksmith make a disc, what they thought was a disc, about a foot wide, and it weighed between 30 and 27 pounds,” said James Garrett. It was almost impossible to move, let alone throw. The Americans didn’t know the true size of the Greek discus, so they made their best guess. Uncertainty did not prevent them from making the very long journey east. “Robert and three of his teammates decided to do it. So in March 1896 they set sail on a steamboat called of course no airlift,†James Garrett said. After a trip of several weeks, they arrived just a day before the start of the games. It turns out that the Greek discus weighed only 6 pounds and half its size. It only took three tries for Garrett to beat the Greek champion. “He ended up going about 6 inches further than the Greek champion,†said James Garrett. His grandson said Garrett won the shot put and placed second in the long jump and high jump, but his passion for track and field didn’t end after the Olympics. “He was very dedicated to providing young people in Baltimore and across the country with the opportunity to really participate in sports. He developed the athletic field league here, which eventually went into parks and recreation. served as chairman of this board for many years, â€said James Garrett. Garrett was also extremely interested in the story. “Not only was he this formidable Olympian, but in the 1940s, after World War II, he worked to really restore and reinvigorate Preservation Maryland, or what was then known as the Society for the Preservation of Maryland Antiquities,” said Nicholas Redding, President and CEO of Preservation MD. nization celebrates his 90th birthday with a big thank you to Garrett, and his legacy lives on in Maryland. “We revitalize historic buildings. We train the next generation of historic tradespeople and create new career opportunities, and we help historic communities invest in places that matter, â€said Redding. Garrett grew up at Evergreen House on North Charles Street, which is now a museum and library owned by Johns Hopkins. He became known as the last, first Olympian, who died in 1961. He left a lasting mark on the communities and people of Maryland and beyond. Garrett was also a avid collector of ancient manuscripts, collecting 11,000, which would be the largest collection in the US He ended up donating them to the Alma Mater, Princeton University.

Excitement is in the air as the Tokyo Olympics kick off. With so many Maryland natives competing, there are plenty of athletes to cheer on. But more than a century ago, a Baltimore resident was part of the first international Olympic games in modern history.

Robert Garrett’s legacy lives on today through athletics and history.

125 years ago, during the 1896 Summer Olympics, Garrett made headlines, competing with about 240 other people.

Her grandson, James, said Garrett kind of fell into it. He was studying at Princeton University and was part of the track team. His teacher brought up the idea of ​​going to Greece.

“They had a Princeton blacksmith make a disc, what they thought was a disc, about a foot wide, and it weighed between 30 and 27 pounds,” said James Garrett.

It was almost impossible to move, let alone throw. The Americans didn’t know the true size of the Greek discus, so they made their best guess. Uncertainty did not prevent them from making the very long journey east.

“Robert and three of his teammates decided to do it. So in March 1896 they boarded a steamboat called of course no airlift,†said James Garrett.

After a trip of several weeks, they arrived just a day before the start of the games. It turns out that the Greek discus weighed only 6 pounds and half its size.

It only took three tries for Garrett to beat the Greek champion.

“It ended up going about 6 inches further than the Greek champion,†said James Garrett.

His grandson said Garrett won the shot put and placed second in the long jump and high jump.

But his passion for athletics didn’t stop after the Olympics.

“He was very dedicated to providing young people in Baltimore and across the country the opportunity to truly participate in sports. He developed the athletic field league here, which eventually became part of parks and recreation. has served as chairman of this board for many years, â€said James Garrett.

Garrett was also extremely interested in the story.

“Not only was he this formidable Olympian, but in the 1940s, after World War II, he worked to really restore and reinvigorate Preservation Maryland, or what was then known as the Society for the Preservation of Maryland Antiquities. “said Nicholas Redding, President and CEO. of preservation MD.

Redding says the organization is celebrating its 90th anniversary with a big thank you to Garrett, and its legacy lives on in Maryland.

“We are revitalizing historic buildings. We are training the next generation of historic tradespeople and creating new career opportunities, and we are helping historic communities invest in places that matter,†said Redding.

Garrett grew up at Evergreen House on North Charles Street, which is now a museum and library owned by Johns Hopkins. He became known as the last, first Olympian, to die in 1961.

He left a lasting mark on the communities and people of Maryland and beyond.

Garrett was also an avid collector of ancient manuscripts, collecting 11,000 which would be the largest collection in the United States. He ended up giving them to the alma mater, Princeton University.

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