Peter T. George (June 29, 1929 – July 27, 2021) was an American weightlifter and Olympic and World champion. He was later an assistant professor of stomatology. George was the first weightlifter of Bulgarian descent to win Olympic gold, which has since been achieved by other Bulgarian Olympians.Peter George, Secrets of the Squat Snatch; Gatekeeper Press, 2018; , Autoritative review.
Biography His Bulgarian parentsMarty Gallagher, Pete George. The greatest American Olympic Weightlifting prodigy of all time. Starting Strength Weekly Report, October 11, 2012.The cited source describes his parents first as "Macedonian immigrants" and then as ""Bulgarian immigrants"Dr. Pete George, I Macedonian? an article published in the Macedonian Tribune newspaper of the Macedonian Patriotic Organisation on September 1, 2014.The author describes his parents and himself as "Bulgarians" stating that "Macedonian" is simply a geographic designation: My parents, however were Bulgarians born in Macedonia. I, therefore must say, my nationality is Bulgarian. Trayan and Paraskeva Taleff originated from Bitola,Ohio History Central from where they immigrated to the U.S. in 1929.Cal, Volume 47, Coe Laboratories, 1983 p. 21. His father was an activist of the Macedonian Patriotic Organization and both his parents were members of the Macedono-Bulgarian St. Elia the Prophet Orthodox Church (Akron, Ohio).Macedonian Directory: 1951, Publisher Central Committee of M.P.O. of the U.S. and Canada, p. 9.
Born in Akron, Ohio, George was the first 15-year-old to clean and jerk 300 lbsHonolulu Star-Bulletin and was the youngest senior state champion of Ohio at 14 and 1/2. His brother Jim is also a weightlifter. Pete won a gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki."1952 Summer Olympics - Helsinki, Finland - Weightlifting" - databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on February 22, 2008). George also received silver medals at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London,"1948 Summer Olympics - London, United Kingdom- Weightlifting" - databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on February 22, 2008). and at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne."1956 Summer Olympics - Melbourne, Australia - Weightlifting" - databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on February 22, 2008). He also won five World Championships outside of the Olympics in 1947, 1951, 1953, 1954, and 1955. George placed second at the World Championships in 1949 and 1950, making a total of ten medals in World and Olympic competition. He also set four world records, three in the clean and jerk, and one in the total.
After retiring from athletics, he attended Kent State University, the Ohio State University, and Columbia University. George became an orthodontist and served on the faculty of the University of Hawaii. He pioneered treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. He held the patent for the Nocturnal Airway Patency Appliance (NAPA), a device preventing the stoppage of breathing during sleep. After retirement, George used to spend summertime in the birthplace of his wife, Ognyanovo, Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria.Питър Джордж - първият българин с олимпийско злато. Blitz.bg, 28 Авг. 2008. He is also described sometimes as a Macedonian American, and thus in 1993 George was awarded the Macedonian Hall of Fame Award by the Macedonian Businessmen's Club in Akron, Ohio.Macedonian Businessmen's Club
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