Jack Poole, VANOC Chairman, Dies as Olympic Torch Lit in Greece
Vancouver Olympic chairman Poole dies
CBC News, Friday, October 23, 2009
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/story/2009/10/23/jack-poole-obit.html?ref=rss
Jack Poole, the man who brought the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to Vancouver, has died.
Olympic officials confirmed early Friday that Poole, the chairman of the Vancouver Olympic organizing committee's board of directors, died after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer.
The death of Poole, 76, comes a day after the flame for the Vancouver Games was lit in Olympia, Greece.
During the ceremony, International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge gave special thanks to Poole, to whom, he said, "I bring a very warm and special salute."
British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell, who attended the torch-lighting ceremony, also praised Poole's work in bringing the games to Vancouver.
"British Columbia and Canada have lost a great friend," Campbell said in a statement Friday.
"Few citizens reflect the generosity of spirit, the commitment to the public good and the undying dedication to public well-being that was exemplified by Jack Poole. His was an example of leadership, strength and integrity that is unmatched in my recollection".
Poole, born on April 14, 1933, in the small town of Mortlach, Sask., started out in residential construction and went on to become one of B.C.'s top real estate developers.
He was also known for his philanthropic work and was awarded the Order of Canada in 2006.