Norwood Penrose Hallowell III (2 November 1909 – 28 March 1979) was an American

middle distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

who competed in the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

. He broke the Olympic record for the 1500-meter race.

Early life

He was born to Norwood Penrose Hallowell Jr. (1875-1961), a president of Lee, Higginson & Co. and Margaret Ingersoll Bowditch Hallowell (1881-1953), a great-granddaughter of navigator

Nathaniel Bowditch Nathaniel Bowditch (March 26, 1773 – March 16, 1838) was an early American mathematician remembered for his work on ocean navigation. He is often credited as the founder of modern maritime navigation; his book '' The New American Practical Navi ...

. He competed for

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

after prepping at

Milton Academy Milton Academy (also known as Milton) is a highly selective, coeducational, independent preparatory, boarding and day school in Milton, Massachusetts consisting of a grade 9–12 Upper School and a grade K–8 Lower School. Boarding is offered ...

, and later spent time at

Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...

, one of Oxford's oldest constituent colleges. Hallowell participated in Oxford's track team. While at Harvard, he captained his freshman and varsity cross country teams. His 4m 12.4s mile was the fastest ever stepped by a college student. In 1931, he won the intercollegiate one-mile outdoor track championship. He held both the indoor and outdoor intercollegiate mile titles. He was second marshal of his class and a member of the

Hasty Pudding Hasty pudding is a pudding or porridge of grains cooked in milk or water. In the United States, it often refers specifically to a version made primarily with ground ("Indian") corn, and it is mentioned in the lyrics of "Yankee Doodle", a tradit ...

, Institute of 1770, and

Porcellian The Porcellian Club is an all-male final club at Harvard University, sometimes called the Porc or the P.C. The year of founding is usually given as 1791, when a group began meeting under the name "the Argonauts",, p. 171: source for 1791 origins a ...

clubs. His relatives,

John Hallowell John White Hallowell (December 24, 1878 – January 5, 1927) was a prominent American businessman and American football, football player. He played college football at Harvard University and was a consensus All-American at the End (American footb ...

and

Frank Hallowell Frank Walton Hallowell (August 12, 1870 – June 1, 1933) was an All-American football player and coach. He played at the end position for the Harvard Crimson football team of Harvard University, and was twice selected as an All-American, in 1890 ...

, were also prominent in Harvard Athletics.

Career

Norwood Hallowell won the AAU 1,500 in 1932 and the IC4A mile in 1931. Hallowell was expected to become the first American to win the Olympic 1500-meter event since

Mel Sheppard Melvin Whinfield "Peerless Mel" Sheppard (September 5, 1883 – January 4, 1942) was an American athlete, member of the Irish American Athletic Club, and winner of four gold medals and one silver medal at the 1908 Summer Olympic ...

won at London in 1908. He broke the Olympic record for the 1500-meter race. Hallowell was the head of the Drama department at Philips Andover Academy and produced many Shakespearian plays. He had been a member of the Board of Directors of the Theatre Company of Boston. During World War II, he served in the US Navy, attaining the rank of lieutenant commander. He was an executive officer on two ships.

Personal life

Hallowell married Priscilla Choate (1908–1998), a daughter of

Joseph H. Choate Jr. Joseph Hodges Choate Jr. (February 2, 1876 – January 19, 1968), was an American lawyer who chaired the Voluntary Committee of Lawyers, a group established in 1927 that promoted the repeal of prohibition. Upon repeal in 1933, President Fran ...

on April 3, 1934, in Manhattan, New York City.

References

1909 births 1979 deaths Hallowell family American male middle-distance runners Olympic track and field athletes for the United States Athletes (track and field) at the 1932 Summer Olympics Harvard University alumni 20th-century American people Harvard Crimson men's track and field athletes {{US-middledistance-athletics-bio-stub