| John Whittemore | |
 Whittemore after throwing the shot put at age 104 in the Santa Barbara Easter Relays, at Santa Barbara City College, Santa Barbara, California | |
| Birth: | 20 November 1899 Missouri, USA |
| Death: | 13 April 2005 Santa Barbara, California, USA |
| Age: | 105 years, 144 days |
| Country: |  USA
|
| Centenarian | |
John Reboul Whittemore, Jr. (20 November 1899 – 13 April 2005) was an American centenarian who was previously credited as being the "world's oldest athlete" (held until 28 June 2015, before being surpassed by Stanislaw Kowalski). A long time Masters Track athlete, his last competition was on 5 October 2004, just six weeks before his 105th birthday. He threw the javelin and discus on that occasion in the Club West Masters Meet held at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Whittemore was born in Missouri, USA on 20 November 1899. His parents were John Whittemore (1871–1951) and Charlotte Whittemore (née Meysenburg; 1877–1951). He had one sister: Carr Whittemore (1907–1935).
Whittemore attended Santa Barbara High School, where he was a long and triple jumper, and graduated in 1917. He often described riding to high school on horseback. Later he attended Stanford University, where he played baseball and was an outstanding tennis player. He spent several decades competing for the Club West Track Club, which named an annual award for him.
He married Frances Farrington in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA on 28 August 1924. The couple had one children: Joan Whittemore (born 28 July 1925).
Masters athlete career[]
Whittemore said of his unique position in the athletic world "If I don't drop it on my foot, I set a world record." Had he competed after his birthday it would have necessitated a new age division in a sport divided by five-year age groups, a situation Whittemore continued to train for. When Whittemore threw the shot put, earlier on 28 March 2004 at the Santa Barbara Easter Relays,(at age 104 years, 4 months), it was covered on Good Morning America on 29 March 2004.
The only other reported instance of a 104-year-old participating in athletic events was Norwegian skier Herman "Jackrabbit" Smith-Johannsen, reported in 1979 and that was not in an organized event. The next active claimant to the title was Australian Ruth Frith, who competed in throwing events at the 2009 World Masters Games in Sydney. She was still active when celebrating her 104th birthday in August 2013, however she died in March 2014. Everett Hosack, who Jay Leno announced as the "world's oldest athlete" at the time, famously participated in the Penn Relays and USATF National Indoor Championships at age 101. On 28 June 2015, Stanislaw Kowalski became the first athlete to compete in the M105 category.
Whittemore died in Santa Barbara, California, USA on 13 April 2005 at the age of 105 years, 144 days.
Gallery[]
References[]
- John R. Whittemore Jr. FamilySearch
- United States World War I Draft Registration Card FamilySearch
- The Old Man And The Ski Sportsillustrated
- USATF-NE Headline News for 2002
- Whittemore, 104, Comes Out of Retirement MastersHistory.org (pdf), May 2004
- John Whittemore LA Times, 26 November 2004
- John Whittemore MastersTrack (dead link)
- A listing of senior olympic records including events, age, record, name, and year. Trivia Library
- John Whittemore Obituary MastersTrack
- Awards, 2009
- 104-year-old Ruth Frith keeps riding ABC News, 23 August 2013
- Masters athlete Ruth Frith dies aged 104 Brisbane Times, 11 March 2014