Jack Parker

Roger "Jack" Parker was born on September 27, 1915 in Beaver, Oklahoma. Parker was an all around track and field athlete at Lamoni High School in Lamoni, Iowa. In 1933 Parker fell three points shy of winning the Iowa state high school championships single-handedly, but still won six events at the state finals just the same. Jack went on to place second in the long jump at the National High School Championships held in Chicago, Illinois that same year. Following graduation from high school Parker attended Sacramento Junior College in Sacramento, California. Jack represented the United States at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he won the bronze medal in the men's decathlon. Parker had previously won another bronze medal in that same event at the 1936 AAU championships. He died at age 48 on May 29, 1964.