As the Twinsburg Public Library War & Remembrance program comes to a close for 2013, we are proud to host World War II Veteran and four-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Harrison Dillard.
Harrison Dillard, like his inspiration and fellow East Tech Graduate, Jesse Owens, won 4 Gold Medals. While Jesse Owens won his Gold Medals in the famous 1936 Munich Olympics, Harrison won his in two separate Olympics – 1948 and 1952. He is the only man to win both the Olympic 100 and 110 high hurdles.
Like so many men and athletes, World War II interrupted a promising track career. Dillard served in the famed 92nd Army Infantry Division known as the Buffalo Soldiers. It was the only black infantry division to see combat. Harrison and the other Buffalo Soldiers fought in the Italian peninsula at times alongside another famous group, the 442nd Regiment, a Japanese-American troop also known as Nisei.