OPB Produces Video Short on Alumnus A.C. Gilbert's Olympic Triumph in the Pole Vault

Oregon Public Broadcasting has produced a video short on the gold medal-winning effort of one of Pacific University’s most famous alumni, A.C. Gilbert. Gilbert captured gold in the pole vault of the track & field competition at the 1908 Olympic Games in London.

 

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.