John Wilson "Jack" Poole, (April 14, 1933 – October 23, 2009) was a Canadian businessman who, as the head of the VANOC bid committee, was responsible for bringing the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

to Canada. He died of

pancreatic cancer Pancreatic cancer arises when cell (biology), cells in the pancreas, a glandular organ behind the stomach, begin to multiply out of control and form a Neoplasm, mass. These cancerous cells have the malignant, ability to invade other parts of t ...

shortly after midnight on October 23, 2009, hours after the Olympic Flame was lit at the beginning of the

2010 Winter Olympics torch relay The 2010 Winter Olympics Torch Relay was a 106-day run, from October 30, 2009 until February 12, 2010, prior to the 2010 Winter Olympics. Plans for the relay were originally announced November 21, 2008 by the Vancouver Organizing Committee f ...

, in

Olympia, Greece Olympia ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ολυμπία ; grc, Ὀλυμπία ), officially Archaia Olympia ( el, label=Modern Greek, Αρχαία Ολυμπία; grc, Ἀρχαία Ὀλυμπία, links=no; "Ancient Olympia"), is a small town in E ...

Professional history

Poole graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1954, with a degree in civil engineering. He subsequently entered the field of real estate development (in which position he hired B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, then a teenager, as a labourer; Poole later joked that he had given Campbell "his first job", and that by choosing Poole to chair VANOC, Campbell "gave me my last"). Poole co-founded Daon Development Corporation, the second-largest real estate development company in North America until its collapse in the early 1980s recession when it was purchased by Bell Canada Enterprises.

Family

His father John "Jack" Poole was a grain dealer. He is survived by his second wife Darlene, four daughters, a stepson and his extended family. One of his grandsons, Blake Hawksworth, was a Major League Baseball pitcher. His granddaughter Erin Hawksworth is a reporter.

Honours

Olympic Flame of Vancouver 2010 Olympics (day)

Olympic_Flame_of_Vancouver_2010_Olympics_(night)

Poole was made a member of the Order of British Columbia in 2003, an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006, and a member of the Order of the Sash by the Metis Nation British Columbia in March 2007. To honour his work and achievement for the

and

2010 Winter Paralympics ) , nations = 44 , athletes = 506 , events = 64 in 5 sports , opening = 12 March , closing = 21 March , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Zach Beaumont , stadium = BC Place , winter_pr ...

, the former Thurlow Plaza was renamed Jack Poole Plaza in his memory.Vancouver Convention Centre Jack Poole Plaza
The external cauldron for the games was chosen to be built at the Jack Poole Plaza as well.

Professional history

Family

Honours

References

Further reading