David Benjamin Bolen (December 23, 1923 – December 10, 2022) was an American track and field athlete, Olympian, diplomat and businessman.

Biography

Bolen competed at the

1948 Summer Olympics The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...

in the

400 metres The 400 metres, or 400-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics (sport), athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor runn ...

. He finished fourth in the final behind

Arthur Wint Arthur Stanley Wint OD MBE (25 May 1920 – 19 October 1992) was a Jamaican Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot during the Second World War, sprinter, physician, and later High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Competing at the 1948 and 1952 Olympic ...

Herb McKenley The Hon. Herbert Henry McKenley OM (10 July 1922 – 26 November 2007) was a Jamaican track and field sprinter. He competed at the 1948 and 1952 Olympics in six events in total, and won one gold and three silver medals. Born in Pleasant Vall ...

and

Mal Whitfield Malvin Greston Whitfield (October 11, 1924 – November 19, 2015) was an American athlete, goodwill ambassador, and airman. Nicknamed "Marvelous Mal", he was the Olympic champion in the 800 meters at the 1948 and 1952 Summer Olympics, and a memb ...

. In 2012, Bolen told '' The Boulder Daily Camera'' that "The Olympics is not something you train for. You have to have talent, world-class talent. You have to use that talent for the benefit of yourself and others." Bolen first discovered that he had that talent when he raced other children during an Easter egg hunt during his childhood and found that he was faster. He later decided he wanted to use his "foot speed" to gain a college education. Bolen graduated from the

University of Colorado Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado syst ...

in 1950, and was the university's first Olympic athlete. Before serving for two years in the

Army Air Force The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

WWII 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 opposin ...

, he attended Southern University in New Orleans; after his service, he was recruited by CU Boulder track and field coach Frank Potts. Later, Bolen's career took him to the US State Department. In 1974,

President Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he previously served as a United States House ...

appointed him ambassador to Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana simultaneously, while keeping residence in

Gaborone Gaborone ( , , ) is the capital and largest city of Botswana with a population of 246,325 based on the 2022 census, about 10% of the total population of Botswana. Its agglomeration is home to 421,907 inhabitants at the 2011 census. Gaboron ...

. In 1977, the German-speaking Bolen was appointed by

President Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...

and confirmed as US Ambassador to the

German Democratic Republic German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

. He was the first African-American to serve as ambassador to a nation behind the Iron Curtain. He served until 1980. As an ambassador to East Germany, Bolen helped to lay the groundwork for the destruction of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

. On November 9, 1989, the day the wall came down, Bolen's daughter, Cynthia, was photographed handing a long-stemmed rose to an East German border guard standing atop the wall. He also worked to help free

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

from prison. Bolen died on December 10, 2022, at the age of 98.Life Celebrated For Ambassador Dave Bolen, Cu’s First Olympian
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Competition record

References

* *http://www.blackpast.org/aah/bolen-david-benjamin-1923 *https://web.archive.org/web/20140212082044/http://www.coloradanmagazine.org/2013/03/01/running-down-dream/ *http://www.cubuffs.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=920399 *http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=7770 United States Ambassador to the German Democratic Republic Nomination of David B. Bolen. July 8, 1977 *http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_21168978/first-cu-boulder-olympian-games-are-not-something 1923 births 2022 deaths Olympic track and field athletes of the United States American male sprinters Athletes (track and field) at the 1948 Summer Olympics Ambassadors of the United States to East Germany 20th-century American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Botswana Ambassadors of the United States to Lesotho Ambassadors of the United States to Eswatini Harvard University alumni African-American diplomats People from Heflin, Louisiana Military personnel from Louisiana Track and field athletes from Louisiana United States Foreign Service personnel United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people {{US-diplomat-stub