Jeanne Georgette Stunyo (born April 11, 1936) is a former world-class diver who earned a

silver medal A silver medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc ...

on the three-meter

springboard A springboard or diving board is used for diving and is a board that is itself a spring, i.e. a linear flex-spring, of the cantilever type. Springboards are commonly fixed by a hinge at one end (so they can be flipped up when not in use), and ...

at the 1956

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

. At those same Games,

Irene MacDonald Irene Margaret MacDonald, (November 22, 1931 – June 20, 2002) was a Canadian athlete, sports executive and broadcaster from Hamilton, Ontario. She won Canada's first-ever Olympic diving medal, a bronze, at the 1956 Summer Games. Orphan ...

finished in third place to become

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

's first Olympic medalist in diving. Standing at the top of the awards podium was

gold medalist A gold medal is a medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture. Since the eighteenth century, gold medals have bee ...

Patricia McCormick of the United States. Prior to her performance at the 1956 Olympics, Jeanne Stunyo was a three-meter springboard finalist at the 1952 US Olympic Trials; Jeanne also won a silver medal at the 1955

Pan-American Games The Pan American Games (also known colloquially as the Pan Am Games) is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas featuring summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The competition is held ...

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

. Coached by four-time Olympian,

Clarence Pinkston Clarence Elmer "Bud" Pinkston (February 1, 1900 – November 18, 1961) was an American diver. Born in Wichita, Kansas, he attended San Diego High where he won a Gymnastics title at age 15. He is the first San Diegan to win an Olym ...

, Jeanne Stunyo and teammate Barbara Sue Gilders competed for the

Detroit Athletic Club The Detroit Athletic Club (often referred to as the DAC) is a private social club and athletic club located in the heart of Detroit's theater, sports, and entertainment district. It is located across the street from Detroit's historic Music Hall ...

; Jeanne also attended the

University of Detroit The University of Detroit Mercy is a private Roman Catholic university in Detroit, Michigan. It is sponsored by both the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Sisters of Mercy. The university was founded in 1877 and is the largest Catholic universi ...

. Stunyo was born in

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the ...

References

1936 births American female divers Divers at the 1956 Summer Olympics Olympic silver medalists for the United States in diving Sportspeople from Gary, Indiana Living people Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in diving Divers at the 1955 Pan American Games Detroit Mercy Titans women's divers Medalists at the 1955 Pan American Games {{US-acrobatics-diving-bio-stub