Oldest U.S. Winter Olympian dies at age 91

LAKE PLACID, N.Y., Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Jack Shea, the oldest living Winter Olympic gold medal winner in the United States, died Tuesday at age 91 in his native Lake Placid. He had been looking forward to watching his grandson, a third generation Olympian, compete in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

Shea died from injuries sustained when his car was struck by a van driven by Herbert J. Reynolds, 36, of Saranac Lake, N.Y. According to police, Reynolds was arrested for driving while intoxicated.

At age 22, Shea won two gold medals for speed skating at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid in 1932 for the 500 and 1,500 meters.

After completing his education at Dartmouth University in 1934, Shea was ready to compete at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch and Partenkirchen in Germany's Bavarian Alps. He did not compete in 1936, however, at the request of a Lake Placid rabbi.

Finding work in the Depression in the Adirondacks was difficult for the Olympian, so he worked as a mail carrier and later in his family's store. He was featured in a color ad for Camel cigarettes in the 1930s that said, "To relieve fatigue, get a lift with a Camel."

Shea was credited with bringing the Winter Olympics to his native Lake Placid in 1980 where he served as supervisor of the Town of North Elba for eight years.

He said at the time that bringing the Winter Olympics back to his hometown was his way "of getting one more medal."

When the Olympic Torch Relay came through Lake Placid three weeks ago en route to Salt Lake City, Shea carried the torch into the Olympic Speedskating Oval and lit the cauldron where he had won his own gold medals. Shea was further buoyed by the news that New York Gov. George Pataki wanted to see the Winter Olympic games at Lake Placid for a third time.

However, he was most excited about going to Salt Lake City and watching his grandson, Jim Shea Jr., march into the Olympic Stadium with the rest of the U.S. team.

Jim Shea Jr. was the World Champion in Skeleton in 1999 and is considered a medal contender for the 2002 Winter Olympic games. Skeleton is similar to Luge except the person goes down the bobsled track headfirst. The slider's head is two inches from the ice and the sled reaches speeds of up to 80 mph.

Skeleton appeared in the 1928 and 1948 Olympic Games but later faded from popularity until the late 1970s when it resurged in Europe and a World Cup series of races started in 1985. It is appearing for the first time in the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City since 1948.

"This will be devastating to Jimmy, he worshiped his grandfather and was dedicated to be a third-generation Olympian," Paul Bruno, Shea's scheduler of public appearances, told United Press International. "All three Sheas are currently appearing in a Sprint commercial tied to the Winter Olympics, they're very close and supported Jimmy tremendously in his bid to be an Olympian."

Jim Shea Sr. competed in three Nordic events in the 1964 Winter Olympics.

Jack Shea is also survived by his wife Elizabeth. Their son Patrick committed suicide in 1978.