Vern Vorhees McGrew, Jr. passed away surrounded by his devoted and loving family at Methodist Hospital, Houston on January 9, 2012.
Vern was born in Big Spring, Texas on December 7, 1929 to Katie Martin and Vern V. McGrew. Vern, Sr. was an early pioneer in the oil field supply business having come to Texas in 1912 with the Oilwell Supply Company. After Vern Sr. followed the oil booms, the family settled in Houston in 1935. Vern attended Houston public schools and graduated from Lamar High School. In 1946, while at Lamar he lettered in basketball and set the Texas Relay and State Record in high jump. Vern often said that he did not realize his grades were good enough to go to Rice University until shortly after the State Track Meet. He lettered four years at Rice, twice winning the Southwest Conference Meet. In 1948, he won the tryouts for the U.S. Olympic team and thus qualified to participate in the Olympic Games held in London. At eighteen, Vern was the second youngest on the team. He was the first track and field Olympian that had graduated from a Houston high school as well as the second Olympian from Rice. Vern was named All American in 1950 after winning the National Collegiate Title.
After graduating from Rice, Vern attended graduate school at the University of Texas and was elected Worthy Master of his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega. Later, after two years of military service, he graduated from University of Texas Law School in 1956. While at Texas he met his future bride, Martha Ann Hamblen, daughter of James "Jake" Hamblen, a renowned Texas Aggie and her mother, Lillie Marie Perlitz Hamblen. Vern and Martha were married at Sacred Heart Cathedral in 1953. After law school, Vern joined the Humble Oil and Refining Company, now known as Exxon. Vern's work took him and his family to Alaska and California before returning to Austin as Exxon's chief lobbyist. After thirty years, he took early retirement and concentrated on hunting, fishing and enjoying his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Vern is predeceased by his loving wife of fifty-four years, Martha Ann Hamblen McGrew, and his son, William Martin McGrew. He is survived by his son, John James McGrew and his wife, Emilia Rusu of Anchorage; daughter Linda McGrew Stevens and her husband, Scott Stevens of Houston; and daughter-in-law Cheryl McGrew of Minneapolis. He enjoyed a special and unique relationship with each of his grandchildren; Stephanie and husband Mark Renn, Katherine McGrew, Mark Stevens, Daniel McGrew, and Jake, Victor and Gema McGrew. He delighted in visiting with his two great-grandchildren, Matthew and Mallorie Renn. Joan Shrader of Baird is his dear cousin. Tetta Johnson is also a loving member of the McGrew family having cared for the family for over fifty-years.
Vern wished to recognize the fondest of memories with the former partners of the Double Eagle Ranch, the Double Eagle Club and the members of the Friday Club that meets on Wednesday, as well as, his dear friends Dale Cheeseman, Bob Cummins, George Glauser, Bubba Pfeffer, Dana Richardson, Gilbert Sevier, Lorenzo Taylor, and DeWitt Waltmon. Vern spent his last year at the Forum and would like to express his thanks for the community's care and kindness.
The family will gather for a private memorial service this summer. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions in Vern's name may be directed to Rice University, Office of Development - MS-80, Attn: Athletic Department, PO Box 1892, Houston, TX 77251-1892.
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Keith Conning:
Texas Boys Track & Field State Champions
High Jump
Year Conference School Student Name Height
1945-1946 Houston Lamar Vern McGrew 6’ 5”
http://uil100.org/archives/athletics/track-field-event-height.php?event==High+Jump&boys_girls=Boys
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1948 U.S. Olympic Trials
Northwestern University's Dyche Stadium
Evanston, IL
High Jump - July 9
Place Name (Team) Failures Height
1. Vern McGrew (Rice) 2 6'8 1/4" (2.038)
2. George Stanich (Los Angeles AC) 4 6'8 1/4" (2.038)
3. Dwight Eddleman (Ill) 0 6'7 1/4" (2.013)
4. Bill Vessie (NYAC) 4 6'7 1/4" (2.013)
5. Tom Scofield (Kansas) 0 6'6 1/4" (1.988)
6. Dick Phillips (Brown) 1 6'6 1/4" (1.988)
7. Henry Coffman (Unat. Houston),
Charles Hanger (Cal),
Irving Monschein (NYU),
John Vislocky (NYAC) 6'4 1/2" (1.943)
11. Lou Irons (Ill) 6'2 1/2" (1.892).
Robert Lewis (Buffalo YMCA) Dnc
Source: THE HISTORY OF THE U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS - TRACK & FIELD
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George Anthony Stanich (born 4 November 1928) was an American athlete who was a collegiate all-American in one sport, and Olympian in another and a professional in still another.
As a basketball player at UCLA, Stanich was a 2-time all-conference guard and in 1950, he led his team to its first NCAA tournament appearance. He scored 9 points in the East-West All-Star Game and was a first-team all-American (as named by Converse), the first of 24 Bruins who would earn this honor under John Wooden. As a Bruin baseball player, he was a pitcher for 3 seasons, including throwing a 5-hit shutout as a sophomore as UCLA beat USC for the first time in five years. He would become a professional baseball player after graduation, pitching for the Oakland Oaks of the Pacific Coast League, as well as Idaho Falls Russets and Stockton.
But it was a high jumper that George soared highest. According to the an unpublished thesis at CSU-Sacramento, "In the summer of 1948, George, a 19-year old having just completed his sophomore year of college, traveled to Chicago to compete at the collegiate tryouts to qualify for the Olympic track and field trials. UCLA paid for the trip, but George, who competed in the high jump, was not one of the six athletes to qualify. The Los Angeles Athletic Club paid for George to stay in Chicago for two weeks so that he could participate in the AAU meet from which the other six tryout qualifiers would be chosen. George finished in eighth place, but because two of the AAU qualifiers had already made the trials in the college competition, he became the final high jumper to qualify for the trials (G. Stanich, personal communication, September 10, 1997). Stanich moved on to the Olympic trials, where he barely cleared 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) on his last attempt, but then was the first to clear 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) and placed second with a jump of 6 ft 8.25 in (2.04 m).
On the morning of July 30, 1948, George Stanich, representing the Los Angeles Athletic Club, was one of 26 participants in the high jump trials at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Twenty men qualified for the finals, and 18 participated in the finals in the rain later that day. The gold medal was won with a jump of 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m); Stanich was one of four competitors who cleared 6 ft 4.75 in (1.95 m). While he thought he had cleared the bar on his last attempt at 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), his trail leg hit the bar ("Stanich," July 30, 1948). Officials from the International Amateur Athletic Federation initially announced that fewer misses would be used to determine the finishing places of the four tied jumpers; the IAAF then announced all four would share second place and the silver medal. Days later they reversed themselves again, and George Stanich became the bronze medal winner (Bushell, 1948)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Stanich
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Sacramento’s George Stanich was John Wooden’s first All-American at University of California at Los Angeles. Stanich played guard for the Bruins and earned his honors in 1950. An all-around athlete, he captured a Bronze Medal in the high jump at the 14th Olympic Games in London and later pitched for Oakland of the Pacific Coast Baseball League. Stanich coached basketball at El Camino College in Los Angeles for 15 years and in 1971 coached Yugoplastika of Split to the national basketball championship. He was Professor of Physical Education at El Camino College in Los Angeles. George Stanich is a Croatian American.
http://www.croatians.com/SPORTS-SKIING-KOSTELIC.htm
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