The Venice Airport

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 88th birthday today (Friday) to an Olympic gold medalist who was born fifteen days after President Jimmy E. Carter. Our birthday athlete won two Olympic gold medals at the only Games this person attended as an athlete.

As a NCAA champion, this athlete was coached by a man who was born in Oregon when Rutherford B. Hayes was our president.

Our athlete's father was from Idaho and this athlete's sister attended UCLA.

This Olympic champion was married in October and had a daughter named Susan.

After serving two years in the military service, our birthday person went to college on the GI Bill and was an Education major.

University High School is the name of our athlete's high school from which this person graduated in 1943. The eight man mile relay was one of the events our birthday athlete ran in high school.

During college, this athlete worked as a shoe cobbler. Our birthday person returned home from the Olympic Games with only one Olympic gold medal. The second Olympic gold medal was later mailed to our birthday athlete.

A famous Italian shares the same initials as our birthday gold medalist. Can you name this Olympian with two gold medals? I believe this athlete may still be alive today, however I am not completely sure. Name this Olympic gold medalist.

[tandfman]

I believe this athlete may still be alive today, however I am not completely sure.

If Mel Patton has died, Wikipedia is unaware of it.

[DoubleRBar]

Happy 88th birthday today to Mel Patton and congratulations tandfman for getting the answer. Of course you know that Mel Patton won the 1948 Olympic 200 meters 64 years before Usain Bolt won it in London. Mel won his 200 on August 3rd and Usain won his 200 in London on August 9. Mel ran 21.1 while Usain ran 19.32 to win.

Wikipedia didn't seem to know that Bob McMillen (1952 silver medal at 1,500) had died 11 years ago. Anyone know if Mel Patton is still alive and where he might live?

[Per Andersen]

Just so we have no loose ends. The Venice Airport called Marco Polo is actually in Mestre on the mainland, the last train stop before Venice.
Most restaurant personnel in Venice live in Mestre. That's why resataurants in Venice close rather early so these folks can get the last train back to Mestre, 15 mins away.
More info than anybody could want probably but there it is