John Wilson "Jack" Poole, (April 14, 1933 – 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.
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."Jack Poole passes away peacefully", vancouver2010.com
Professional history
Poole graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1954,College of Engineering: Wall of Distinction at the University of Saskatchewan 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".Winning name of his game: Jack Poole has a big challenge to bring Winter Olympics here , from The Province, January 27, 2002 (archived at IOCC.ca) 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.
Family His father John "Jack" Poole was a grain dealer of Cree descent. He is survived by his second wife Darlene, four daughters, his stepson Ryan Young and his extended family. One of his grandsons, Blake Hawksworth, was a Major League Baseball pitcher. His granddaughter Erin Hawksworth is a reporter."Erin Hawksworth" at MyFoxBoston.com
Honours
Poole was made a member of the Order of British Columbia in 2003, an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006, and a member of the Order of the Sash by the Metis Nation British Columbia in March 2007.Barkwell, Lawrence. http://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/12003.Jack%20Poole%204.pdf
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.VANCOUVER CONVENTION ANDEXHIBITION CENTRE (VCEC) CD-1GUIDELINES - 100 THURLOW STREETVancouver Convention Centre Jack Poole Plaza The external cauldron for the games was chosen to be built at the Jack Poole Plaza as well.
References
Further reading