Thomas Truxton HARE

Better known as a four-time All-American guard on the Penn football team, track & field was a secondary sport to Truxtun Hare, who was considered by Walter Camp as one of the linemen on his all-time college football team from the turn of the century. Hare’s best performances in track athletics were saved for the Olympics; he never placed higher than second in the IC4A and his throw of 161-2 (49.12) in the 1900 hammer was, by 20 feet, his longest throw ever. He also competed in the 1900 Olympic discus event and in the 1904 All-Arounds, where he finished third after leading through five events. Hare was an amazingly versatile person. He was an outstanding archer and was president of the United Bowmen of America. He became an attorney, specializing in corporate law until his 1951 retirement. He wrote poetry and published eight books of children’s poems. In addition he was one of the civic leaders of Philadelphia, serving on several boards and betterment groups. Despite being frequently misspelled, his middle given name, which he went by, is correctly Truxtun. It is taken from the surname of one of his ancestors, Commodore Thomas Truxtun, of the US Navy.