Peter T. George
(June 29, 1929 – July 27, 2021) was an American
weightlifter and Olympic and World champion. He was later an
assistant professor of
stomatology
An oral medicine or stomatology doctor (or stomatologist) has received additional specialized training and experience in the diagnosis and management of oral mucosal abnormalities (growths, ulcers, infection, allergies, immune-mediated and autoim ...
. Because of
his ethnic origin, and despite the long list of Bulgarian weightlifters
with Olympic medals, he was the first Bulgarian to win Olympic gold.
Biography
His Bulgarian parents
[The cited source describes his parents first as "Macedonian immigrants" and then as ""Bulgarian immigrants"][The author describes his parents and himself as "Bulgarians" stating that "Macedonian" is simply a geographic designation: ''My parents, however were Bulgarians born in Macedonia. I, therefore must say, my nationality is Bulgarian''.] Trayan and Paraskeva Taleff originated from
Bitola
Bitola (; mk, Битола ) is a city in the southwestern part of North Macedonia. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba, Nidže, and Kajmakčalan mountain ranges, north of the Medžitlija-Níki ...
, from where they immigrated to the U.S. in 1929. His father was an activist of the
Macedonian Patriotic Organization
Macedonian Patriotic Organization (MPO) is the oldest organization of Americans and Canadians of Macedonian descent in North America. It was founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, in 1922, by Macedonian Bulgarian immigrants originating mainly fro ...
and both his parents were members of the
Macedono-Bulgarian St. Elia the Prophet Orthodox Church (Akron, Ohio).
Born in
Akron, Ohio,
George was the first 15-year-old to clean and jerk 300 lbs and was the youngest senior state champion of Ohio at 14 and 1/2. His brother
Jim is also weightlifter. Pete won a gold medal at the
1952 Summer Olympics
The 1952 Summer Olympics ( fi, Kesäolympialaiset 1952; sv, Olympiska sommarspelen 1952), officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad ( fi, XV olympiadin kisat; sv, Den XV olympiadens spel) and commonly known as Helsinki 1952 ( sv, Helsin ...
in
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
.
["1952 Summer Olympics - Helsinki, Finland - Weightlifting"]
- ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008). George also received silver medals 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
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
,
["1948 Summer Olympics - London, United Kingdom- Weightlifting"]
- ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008). and at the
1956 Summer Olympics
The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December 1956, with the exception of the equestrian events, whi ...
in
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 ...
.
["1956 Summer Olympics - Melbourne, Australia - Weightlifting"]
- ''databaseOlympics.com'' (Retrieved on February 22, 2008). He also won five World Championships outside of the Olympics in 1947, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955. George placed second at the World Championships in 1949 and 1950, making a total of ten medals in World and Olympic competition. He also set four world records, three in the clean and jerk, and one in the total.
After retiring from athletics, he attended Kent State University, the Ohio State University, and Columbia University. George became an orthodontist and served on the faculty of the University of Hawaii. He pioneered treatments for obstructive
sleep apnea. He held the patent for the Nocturnal Airway Patency Appliance (NAPA), a device preventing the stoppage of breathing during sleep. After retirement, George used to spend summertime in the birthplace of his wife,
Ognyanovo, Blagoevgrad Province
Ognyanovo is a resort village with thermal mineral water springs in Garmen Municipality, in Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria.
Geography
The village is situated in the valley of Mesta river in the skirts of the Dabrash part of the Rhodope Mountai ...
,
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...
. He is also described sometimes as a
Macedonian American, and thus in 1993 George was awarded the Macedonian Hall of Fame Award by the Macedonian Businessmen's Club in Akron, Ohio.
Macedonian Businessmen's Club
/ref>
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:George, Peter
1929 births
2021 deaths
Sportspeople from Akron, Ohio
American male weightlifters
Weightlifters at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Weightlifters at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Weightlifters at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Olympic gold medalists for the United States in weightlifting
Olympic silver medalists for the United States in weightlifting
American people of Bulgarian descent
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1952 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1948 Summer Olympics
Pan American Games medalists in weightlifting
People associated with physical culture
American dentists
Macedonian Bulgarians
20th-century American inventors
Weightlifters at the 1951 Pan American Games
Medalists at the 1951 Pan American Games
American people of Macedonian descent