OPB Produces Video Short on Alumnus A.C. Gilbert's Olympic Triumph in the Pole Vault
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Gilbert is best known for his innovative construction toy - Erector - which allowed children to construct realistic looking aircraft, ferris wheels, carousels, cranes, vehicles and more.
A native of Salem, Gilbert enrolled at the Tualatin Academy, graduating in 1902 and matriculating to Pacific University, where he led the track team to a state championship before transferring to Yale University to pursue a medical degree.
A profile of Gilbert in Splendid Audacity: The Story of Pacific University describes the nephew of university trustee Andrew T. Gilbert as “intensely competitive in nature.”
Pacific University Archives provided some of the images used in OPB’s online video short.
Monday, Aug. 15, 2016