August 14, 1936: Intrepid Miler Gene Venzke Earns Spot on Olympic Team

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

August 14, 1936: After unsuccessful attempts in 1928 and 1932, the internationally renowned track start and intrepid miler Gene Venzke, who grew up in Engelsville and ran track for Boyertown High School, has been selected for the 1937 United States Olympic team. At the games held in Berlin, Germany, Venzke won his heat with the fastest 1500 meters of any of the Americans in the trials with a time of 3:52.3, and placed 9th in the final race.

Venzke had sustained a pulled muscle during a training session for the 1932 Olympic team, but he still tried out and just missed making the team. He was a student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating this year.

He has competed in track events for 18 years, and at one time held a world record in the mile with a time of 4:08.2. The Venzke Relays, begun in 1939 at Boyertown High School, were named for this Boyertown hero.

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