Hans Feigenbaum used to be born in Berlin on July 14, 1937. His father, a German soldier, used to be killed all the way through World War II. When Hans used to be 11 or 12, his mom despatched him to Miami to are living with an aunt, who followed him. He modified his first identify to John and took the aunt’s married identify, Uelses. Because he spoke no English, he began faculty in Miami in fourth grade. He later was a United States citizen.
He used to be presented to the pole vault as a highschool senior. The first day, he cleared 10 toes 6 inches. By season’s finish, he reached 13 toes and gained the Florida highschool championship. Then got here the Marines, after which 365 days on the University of Alabama. He mentioned he left Alabama as a result of he had gained no training; “All they cared about was football,” he mentioned.
After moving to LaSalle University in Philadelphia, he was an NCAA champion. He graduated in 1965. During the Vietnam War, he used to be a Navy fighter pilot, and in later years coached highschool vaulters.
The present world-record holder in pole-vaulting is Armand “Mondo” Duplantis, 23, of Sweden. His present highest mark, set this 12 months, is 20 toes 4 inches (indexed as 6.22 meters). Like maximum pole-vaulters lately, he makes use of a fiberglass pole.
In addition to his daughter, Ms. Robertson, Uelses is survived via his spouse, Mickey Uelses: a brother, Fred; a son, Mark; two grandsons; and one great-granddaughter.
Weeks after Uelses’s second of glory at Madison Square Garden, John Glenn orbited the Earth.
“He was the second Marine astronaut to go into space,” Uelses advised The San Diego Union-Tribune. “I was the first.”
Frank Litsky, an established Times sportswriter, died in 2018.