Jack Peck Inducted to Athletic Hall of Fame

Peck

John "Jack" Peck '56 #446 has been nominated for the Pomona Athletic Hall of fame. The induction ceremony will be held at this year's Alumni Weekend. A reception will begin at Friday, April 25 at 6:30 p.m. in Frank Dining Hall. Dinner will begin at 7:30 p.m.. It would be prudent to verify the time, date, and location with the Pomona College Alumni Office or your class representatives.

Jack's nomination came, at least in part, through the efforts of at least Rich Hungate '56 #442. Rich examined issues of The Student Life from the years 1953-1955 and reported that information to Edward W. Malan, Chair of the Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee (who, by the way, will emcee the Awards Ceremony).

Some of the information brother Rich culled from that research includes:

The frosh swim team in '53 and the varsity teams in '54 and '55 were league champions.

In '54 the varsity was undefeated in dual meets and won the conference meet: Pomona-Claremont 92, Oxy (2nd) 63. Jack was second in the 220 and 440, and swam on the winning 4x100 relay.

In '55 the team did very well. Clarke (Gordon, '54 #414?), Garrettson, Peck, and Baird broke the school record in the 4x400 freestyle by 2.5 seconds. In April, they beat Oxy for the fourth consecutive P-C league championship. Jack won the 440 and 220 freestyle events, setting a school record in the 220. Against Redlands he set a school record in the 440. At the SCIAC Championship meet, Jack won the 220 and 440. The score was P-C 84, Oxy (2nd) 62. Jack's 440 record lowered the prior mark by 3 seconds (in the Redlands meet). Against Oxy Jack won the 220 and 440, and swam on the winning freestyle relay team.

John M. Peck '56 #446

Due to the efforts of brothers Rich Hungate '56 #442, John Nelson '69 #695, and Ed Carrigan '56 #435, I've been notified by Ed Malan that I've been elected to the Pomona-Pitzer Athletic Hall of Fame. The awards ceremony is scheduled for Alumni Weekend, April 25.

Back in the early and mid-fifties we were fielding teams with Claremont Men's College. We all competed because it was fun to compete, especially if we won. There wasn't a lot of glory in the so-called minor sports, but there was a great feeling representing Pomona. President Lyon used to say we had the greatest athletes money could buy--his idea of humor, as of course there was no such thing as an athletic scholarship.

Although I had played water polo and swam four years in high school, I wanted to try football at the start of my freshman year. It didn't take long to see I was not a football player, so at the end of the season back to the swimming pool I went. Football ended one Saturday, I went out for frosh water polo on Monday, was a substitute on Wednesday, and a starter in the game the next Saturday.

In the fall of 1955, we played USC at their pool. USC had two men already picked for the 1956 US Olympic water polo team, and one Canadian Olympian. As we warmed up we watched one of their Olympic guys throw a ball the length of the pool, where it hit the edge, rebounded near the ceiling and hit the wall behind him. Our goalie, a Nappie Tony Lehman '56 #444, had visions of having his head separated from his body. Sadly, we lost by a big score.

Swimmers really had some problems in Alumni Pool back then. The chlorine was often so strong that I could hardly see as I headed up Frary to wait tables in support of the long-defunct concept of "gracious living." Tough to study when the text in front of you is blurry! Modern goggles have made it possible for swimmers to go several miles a day now. Control of the water temperature wasn't much better. Sometimes hot, sometimes so cold we would lie on the floor of the shower room with two or three nozzles aimed at our backs to warm up after practice. I often wonder how good the swimmers of the 50s could have been if:

1) Someone had invented goggles a few years earlier.

2) Someone had figured out how to control the temperature of alumni pool at a steady 80 degrees instead of ranging between 75 and 90 degrees.

3) That that same someone had found a happy medium with the chlorine level (see #1).

The meets made everything worthwhile. We had a small bunch of fans that gave us great support. Many swimmers were also water polo players at Pomona/Claremont and at the schools we competed against, so we got to know people from Oxy, CalTech and the rest.

All in all, it was great fun. I loved (almost) every minute of it.

By the way, you missed one Nappie Hall of Fame member. Bob Fendler '56 #437, an outstanding high jumper, who was elected in 1970.

I am looking forward to the brunch on Sunday.

Best fraternal regards,

Other NAP Athlete Hall of Famers

FB  = Football
TR  = Track
BSB = Baseball
BKB = Basketball
TEN = Tennis