July 10, 1948: Jerry Karver Earns Placement on the 1948 United States Olympic 1500 Meter Team

By Margaret Leidy Harner from her book One Day at a Time: A Social History of Boyertown, PA.

July 10, 1948: Boyertown named Jerry Karver was one of the 12 premier milers in the United States selected to try out for the 1948 United States Olympic 1500 Meter Team.

In a photo finish, he came within a hairsbreadth of making the three-man squad in an incredibly close race. The winning time was 3:52.2, and he clocked at 3:52.6, only four tenths of a second behind the winner! His fourth-place finish won him a spot as the alternate.

Life magazine on July 19, 1948m featured a poignant full-page picture of the physically and emotionally drained Karver in the aftermath of the race, trying to catch his breath.

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