Jump to content

Jack Poole

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jack Poole
Jack Poole, circa 2003
Born
John Wilson Poole

(1933-04-13)April 13, 1933
DiedOctober 23, 2009(2009-10-23) (aged 76)
Alma materUniversity of Saskatchewan
Occupationbusinessman
Known forLeader of the VANOC bid committee for 2010 Winter Olympic Games

John Wilson "Jack" Poole, OC OBC (April 14, 1933[1] – October 23, 2009) was a Canadian businessman who, as the head of the VANOC bid committee, was responsible for bringing the 2010 Winter Olympics to Canada.[2]

He died of pancreatic cancer shortly after midnight on October 23, 2009, hours after the Olympic Flame was lit at the beginning of the 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay, in Olympia, Greece.[3][4]

Professional history

[edit]

Poole graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1954,[5] with a degree in civil engineering. He subsequently entered the field of real estate development (in which position he hired B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, then a teenager, as a labourer; Poole later joked that he had given Campbell "his first job", and that by choosing Poole to chair VANOC, Campbell "gave me my last").[6] Poole co-founded Daon Development Corporation, the second-largest real estate development company in North America until its collapse in the early 1980s recession when it was purchased by Bell Canada Enterprises.[1]

Family

[edit]

His father John "Jack" Poole was a grain dealer of Cree descent.[1] He is survived by his second wife Darlene, four daughters, a stepson and his extended family. One of his grandsons, Blake Hawksworth, was a Major League Baseball pitcher. His granddaughter Erin Hawksworth is a reporter.[7]

Honours

[edit]
Olympic Cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza
Olympic Cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza

Poole was made a member of the Order of British Columbia in 2003,[8] an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006,[9] and a member of the Order of the Sash by the Metis Nation British Columbia in March 2007.[10]

To honour his work and achievement for the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics, the former Thurlow Plaza was renamed Jack Poole Plaza in his memory.[11][12] The external cauldron for the games was chosen to be built at the Jack Poole Plaza as well.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Mason, Gary (July 2, 2009). "VANOC Chairman Jack Poole Never Quits". BCB Business Online. Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  2. ^ "Concert Properties Bio". Archived from the original on July 30, 2010. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  3. ^ "Vancouver Olympic chairman Poole dies". CBC news. October 23, 2009. Retrieved October 23, 2009.
  4. ^ "Jack Poole passes away peacefully"[permanent dead link], vancouver2010.com
  5. ^ College of Engineering: Wall of Distinction Archived March 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine at the University of Saskatchewan
  6. ^ Winning name of his game: Jack Poole has a big challenge to bring Winter Olympics here Archived July 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, from The Province, January 27, 2002 (archived at IOCC.ca)
  7. ^ "Erin Hawksworth" Archived August 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine at MyFoxBoston.com
  8. ^ "Order of British Columbia citation".
  9. ^ "Order of Canada citation".
  10. ^ Barkwell, Lawrence. http://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/12003.Jack%20Poole%204.pdf
  11. ^ VANCOUVER CONVENTION ANDEXHIBITION CENTRE (VCEC) CD-1GUIDELINES - 100 THURLOW STREET
  12. ^ Vancouver Convention Centre | Jack Poole Plaza Archived June 4, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

Further reading

[edit]