Once Upon a Time in the Vest

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

V7 N. 63 Martin Broomall Biles, Olympic Javelin Thrower R.I.P.

Martin Broomall Biles    passed away August 25, 2017 in Houston, TX..  Biles finished 6th in the javelin in the 1948 Olympics with a throw of 65 meters.   For many years he resided in Naples, FL and the following edited Obituary appeared in the Naples Daily News on Sept. 20, 2017.



NAPLES, FL

Martin passed peacefully on August 25, 2017 in Houston, Texas at the age of 98. He lived a long and rich life filled with personal satisfactions and achievements

He was born in San Diego, California on March 30, 1919 to Herbert Elmore and Anna Elizabeth (Broomall) Biles. He attended the University of California at Berkeley where he earned his BS and MS in Engineering, and after WWIIcontinued his studies to earn a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering at North Carolina State University.

At Cal he was a star athlete where he was the AAU javelin champion in 1943-44, after winning the NCAA javelin title in 1940-41. He represented the United States in the first post war Olympics held in London in 1948 in the Javelin event.

After being discharged from the Air Force with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel he worked for the Atomic Energy Commission until retirement in 1977 with the title of Director of Operational Safety. In this capacity he also served as Scientific Attaché with the US Embassies in Brussels and Paris.

He lived in Kensington, Md. for 40 years with his first wife, Francis Lee Kennedy and daughters before moving in 2001 to Naples with Lee who died in 2002.
An inurnment ceremony will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a time to be determined.
Published in Naples Daily News on Sept. 20, 2017

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