Meet Gold Medalist Foy Draper. 1936 Berlin Olympics. Pictured with teammates: Left to Right: Jesse Owens, Ralph Metcalf, Foy Draper and Franky Wykoff. Despite his 5'7" height, he could run! A native of California, he attended the University of Southern California. A track and field athlete he won the IC4A championship in 200 m in 1935. In 1936 he won the Gold Medal in the 4 x 100 relay. He was the pilot of an A-20 Havoc during WW2 and was shot down in Thelepte, Tunisia. On January 4, 1943. The plane and the crew were never found.

Foy's brother, Weldon, was also a star athlete for the University of Southern California in the sprint and sprint relay events, class of 1929. Weldon Draper joined with Charlie Borah and two other USC sprinters to win the 440 yard four-man sprint relay, setting a new world record in 41.6 seconds. Due to injuries he failed to qualify for the Olympics. He died in 1967 at the age 61.


Now, meet Frank Price Draper. He was a member of Company A, 29th Infantry Division. In September 1943, while stationed at Tidworth Barracks, Frank played as an outfielder for the 116th Regiment's baseball team. A four-day, U.S. services, baseball tournament was held in London, which his team won it hands down! On D-Day, June 6, 1944, he was part of the attack on Omaha Beach. He never made it to the beach as a Nazi artillery shell struck the landing craft he was riding, ripping his entire arm off. His name is listed among the "Bedford Boys" in the National D-Day Memorial, Bedford, Virginia, USA.
