Jack Shea

John Amos "Jack" Shea ( born September 7, 1910 in Lake Placid, † January 22, 2002 ) was an American speed skater.

He won the gold medal in the 500 and 1500 meters at the 1932 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. In these games, he also, on behalf of all athletes, the Olympic oath. At the 1936 Olympic Games in Garmisch -Partenkirchen, he took as a Jew not participate due to a counsel of a rabbi.

Jack Shea was a member of the committee that in 1980 the second time brought the Olympic Games in 1932 in his hometown of Lake Placid.

On 22 January 2002 two and a half weeks before the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics, Shea died at the age of 91 years from the effects of a car accident he had suffered the previous day. Shortly before the turn of the year he was still torchbearers for these Winter Games in the stadium of Lake Placid.

His son Jim Shea, Sr. took part in the Olympic Games. He started in 1964 in cross country skiing. His grandson, Jim Shea, Jr. was at the Olympic Winter Games 2002 Olympic champion in skeleton. Thus, the family is Shea, according to the BBC, the first family, who took part with three generations in three different sports at the Olympic Games.