Donald Spero

Donald M. Spero ( born August 9, 1939 in Chicago) is a former American rower. In 1966 he was World Champion in One.

His first international medal winning Spero 1961, when he won with coxswain at the Maccabiah Games in four. In 1963 he occupied at the helm European Championships together with Seymour Cromwell second in the double sculls behind the Czechoslovaks Vladimir Andrs and Pavel Hofman but before the Soviet rowers Oleg Tyurin and Boris Dubrovsky, the Olympic champion in this boat class were a year later.

Spero rowed at the 1964 Olympic Games in One, but came to the finale of injured and reached the finish in sixth and last place. At the European Championships in 1964, he finished third behind Olympic champion Vyacheslav Ivanov and Dutchman Robert Groen. 1965 won the Diamond Sculls Spero at the Henley Royal Regatta. Speros greatest success as a rower was the victory in the one at the World Rowing Championships in 1966 ahead of Jan Wienese and Jochen Meissner.

Spero was an American champion in 1963, 1964 and 1966 in One, in 1963 and 1965 in the double sculls sculls. He rowed for the New York Athletic Club. He was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

After his study of physics at Cornell University and his doctorate at Columbia University he worked at the University of Maryland in research on microwave lamps. His knowledge he used for the establishment of its Fusion Systems, of which he was 21 years old. Later he taught corporate practice at the University of Maryland.