"White Christmas"

[DoubleRBar]

Happy birthday today (Friday) to an Olympic champion who was born on a Wednesday 119 years ago and won an Olympic gold medal on a Wednesday approximately 4,380 miles (7,048 km) from the athlete's place of birth.

Five people will appear as clues for you and we will call then "A". "B", "C", "D", and "E".

These five letters are in order by age (oldest first "A" and youngest last "E").

All five of these people share the same initials as our birthday individual.

Our birthday champion died at the age of 68 after competing in only one Olympic Games.

Two of the five people with the same initials are women and all five people made movies during their careers.

Person "A" was born when our birthday athlete was almost nine years old.

Three of the five "movie stars" were also born in January.

"B" was born when our birthday person was almost 18 years old.

"C" was not born in the United States and was born when our birthday champion was 19 years old.

"D" was born less than two weeks after our birthday athlete won that Olympic gold medal in Europe.

"E" was born when our birthday Olympian was almost 44 years old.

"It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" and "No Time For Sergeants" might help you with "D".

"Julius Caesar" and "From Here To Eternity" could be clues for "C"

"Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' and "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit" might fit with "B".

"The Five Pennies" and our title go with "A".

You might remember "The Godfather" and "Sleeper" with "E".

I can tell you that "C" and "E" are not men.

Some of you may know that our birthday champion also earned a Ph.D.

Does anyone know our birthday athlete for this fourth Friday of 2021?

Please name this Olympic champion.

[noone]

I am guessing that the initials are AG. (Andy Griffith being D and Ava Gardner C). Off the top of my head, I can't think of any Oly winners in the 1920s with AG

[DoubleRBar]

You made a pretty good guess, noone, however the initials are not A.G. You are right about our birthday athlete winning the Olympic gold medal in the 1920's.

[tandfman]

I assume it was a hurdler (or steepler or multis guy), but I can't go further without looking it up.

[DoubleRBar]

You are absolutely correct, tandfman. Our birthday athlete is a hurdler. How many hurdlers have won Olympic gold medals and earned Ph.D.'s?

[dukehjsteve]

Well, Lord Burghley ( sp. ? ) ( and I do not know the first name ) is my guess. If you are a Lord, that might mean he's got some smarts.

[mcgato]

I was thinking the initials would be DK, for Diane Keaton in Godfather and Sleeper. C could be Deborah Kerr, but I'm not sure of her movie resume. Not sure on the male DKs or the Olympic champion.

[noone]

I think you're right mcgato. Don Knotts was in No Tine for Sergeants

[DoubleRBar]

It is not Dave Burghley, but not a bad guess, dukehjsteve. Our birthday athlete did not compete in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games.

You are correct, mcgato, about Diane Keaton and Deborah Kerr. Those were the two women ("C" & "E").

Don Knotts is correct, noone. He is "D" and was born less than two weeks after our birthday hurdler won that Olympic gold medal.

[bambam1729]

Well, Lord Burghley ( sp. ? ) ( and I do not know the first name ) is my guess. If you are a Lord, that might mean he's got some smarts.

David George Brownlow Cecil, the 6th Marquis of Exeter, Lord Burghley

[bambam1729]

I think you're right mcgato. Don Knotts was in No Tine for Sergeants

Daniel Kinsey

[bambam1729]

David George Brownlow Cecil, the 6th Marquis of Exeter, Lord Burghley

And here's my Lord Burghley story, that I love. 1976 I'm playing the PGA Tour - my sponsors are Canadians from the club in Florida where I worked in 1974-75. Two are from Montreal and one invites me to come up to Montreal for the Olympics which was my first Olympics. They live in a palatial apartment in Westmount Square. When I get there they have tickets for me to everything, and tell me they will be having a cocktail party in a few days for the IOC. Turns out my sponsors' wife, Joan Bourne, was born Joan Dawes, and her father was Sidney Dawes, a former Canadian IOC Member, by then deceased. One of the greatest 10 days of my life - play golf every morning at great clubs in and around Montreal with my sponsors and then go to events every afternoon and evening, sometimes with them, sometimes on my own.

The cocktail party comes and I start talking to and drinking with Lord Burghley, who likes me because I knew who he was in track & field terms. Lord Burghley is getting hammered and I'm on my way as well. My sponsor, John Bourne, is standing nearby when I ask him, probably louder than I should have, "Hey Lord, ya want another drink?" John Bourne looks aghast, and comes over, purportedly whispering in my ear, "Bill, you're not supposed to call him just Lord. Its always Lord Burghley." But its louder than he thinks and Lord Burghley hears it, and responds, "He can call me any bloody thing he wants as long as he gets me another drink."

Fun memories.

[DoubleRBar]

Daniel Kinsey it is. Good job, bambam1729, Kinsey was born in 1902 in St. Louis. He won the 110 hurdles at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. A graduate of the University of Illinois in 1926, Kinsey went to the University of Michigan to earn his Ph.D.

Thank you, bambam1729.

[bambam1729]

Daniel Kinsey it is. Good job, bambam1729, Kinsey was born in 1902 in St. Louis. He won the 110 hurdles at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games. A graduate of the University of Illinois in 1926, Kinsey went to the University of Michigan to earn his Ph.D.

Thank you, bambam1729.

Well, the Deborah Kerr and Don Knotts clues that other people got gave it to me - I had no clue until those.

[DoubleRBar]

That's what they were there for.