![Art Devlin statue, Lake Placid](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Art_Devlin_statue%2C_Lake_Placid.jpg)
Arthur "Art" Donovan Devlin (September 7, 1922 – April 22, 2004) was an American
ski jumper
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fina ...
who competed during the 1950s. A native of
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,303.
The village of Lake Placid is near the center of the town of North Elba, southwest of Plattsburg ...
, he finished fifth in the individual large hill at the
1950 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships which were held in Lake Placid. Devlin also made five Olympics teams, competing in the
1952
Events January–February
* January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses.
* February 6
** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...
and
1956 Winter Olympics, where he finished 15th and 21st in the individual large hills, respectively.
[
Prior to the 1950s, Devlin also flew fifty combat missions over ]Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as a B-24
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
, earning three Purple Heart
The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, ...
s and numerous other military honors.
While in ski jumping
Ski jumping is a winter sport in which competitors aim to achieve the farthest jump after sliding down on their skis from a specially designed curved ramp. Along with jump length, competitor's aerial style and other factors also affect the fina ...
, Devlin went into the hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...
business in 1953, opening Art Devlin's Olympic Motor Inn, a hotel he would run until he retired and passed it onto his son, Art, Jr., in 1992. He also was a color commentator
A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main ( play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The phrase "colour commentator" is primarily used in Canadian English and ...
for ABC Sports
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Televisi ...
during the 1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...
, 1968
The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide.
Events January–February
* January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.
* Janu ...
, 1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 ...
and 1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States.
Lake Placid was elected ...
,[ becoming lifelong friends with sportscaster ]Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and bar ...
.
Devlin, with fellow Lake Placidians J. Bernard Fell, Norman Hess, Ronald MacKenzie, Jack Shea, Vern Lamb, Luke Patnode, Serge Lussi, Bob Peacock and Bob Allen, also led the effort to bring the 1980 Winter Olympics
The 1980 Winter Olympics, officially the XIII Olympic Winter Games and also known as Lake Placid 1980, were an international multi-sport event held from February 13 to 24, 1980, in Lake Placid, New York, United States.
Lake Placid was elected ...
to Lake Placid, lobbying across Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
to present their case to the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
. In 1974, ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine gave each kudos for their efforts.
Devlin married and had three children. His first wife died in 1989 and he remarried several years later. He died of brain cancer in 2004.
Devlin appeared as an imposter on the October 2, 1961 episode of the game show '' To Tell the Truth''. He received one of four possible votes. After he identified himself by name, Host Bud Collyer
Bud Collyer (born Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., June 18, 1908 – September 8, 1969) was an American radio actor and announcer and game show host who became one of the nation's first major television game show stars. He is best remembered for ...
told the audience of his background as an Olympic athlete.
References
Further reading
*"Art Devlin's Olympic Motor Inn". (1999). In ''AAA New York Tour Book: Good through 4/2000''. Heathrow, FL: AAA Publishing. p. 280.
*
''(Plattsburgh, NY) Press-Republican'' April 24, 2004 article on Devlin's passing.
- Accessed March 25, 2007.
1922 births
2004 deaths
United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II
American male ski jumpers
Olympic Games broadcasters
Olympic ski jumpers of the United States
Ski jumpers at the 1952 Winter Olympics
Ski jumpers at the 1956 Winter Olympics
People from Lake Placid, New York
{{US-skijumping-bio-stub
Sportspeople from New York (state)
United States Army Air Forces officers
Deaths from brain cancer in the United States