Jack Poole

{{Short description|Canadian businessman (1933–2009)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2019}} {{Infobox person | name = Jack Poole | image = Jack_Poole,_OBC.jpg | alt =  | caption = Jack Poole, circa 2003 | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|OC|OBC}} | birth_name = John Wilson Poole | birth_date = {{Birth date|1933|04|13}} | birth_place = | death_date = {{Death date and age|2009|10|23|1933|04|13}} | death_place = | nationality = | other_names = | alma_mater = University of Saskatchewan | occupation = businessman | years_active = | known_for = Leader of the VANOC bid committee for 2010 Winter Olympic Games | notable_works = }}

'''John Wilson "Jack" Poole''', {{post-nominals|size=85%|OC|OBC}} (April 14, 1933<ref name="BCBusiness">{{cite web|url=http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/top-stories/2009/07/02/vanoc-chairman-jack-poole-never-quits|title=VANOC Chairman Jack Poole Never Quits|first=Gary|last=Mason|publisher=BCB Business Online|date=July 2, 2009|accessdate=October 23, 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026142627/http://www.bcbusinessonline.ca/bcb/top-stories/2009/07/02/vanoc-chairman-jack-poole-never-quits|archivedate=October 26, 2009}}</ref> – October 23, 2009) was a Canadian businessman who, as the head of the VANOC bid committee, was responsible for bringing the 2010 Winter Olympics to Canada.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.concertproperties.com/2009/06/01/backgrounder_concert_properties_executive_team.htm |title=Concert Properties Bio |access-date=June 22, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100730231601/http://www.concertproperties.com/2009/06/01/backgrounder_concert_properties_executive_team.htm |archive-date=July 30, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

He died of pancreatic cancer shortly after midnight on October 23, 2009, hours after the Olympic Flame was lit at the beginning of the 2010 Winter Olympics torch relay, in Olympia, Greece.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/vancouver-olympic-chairman-poole-dies-1.805811|title=Vancouver Olympic chairman Poole dies|publisher=CBC news|accessdate=October 23, 2009 | date=October 23, 2009}}</ref><ref>[http://www.vancouver2010.com/olympic-news/dear-friend-and-chairman-jack-poole-passes-away-peacefully-october-23rd--2009_181404DY.html "Jack Poole passes away peacefully"]{{Dead link|date=October 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, vancouver2010.com</ref>

== Professional history ==

Poole graduated from the University of Saskatchewan in 1954,<ref>[http://www.engr.usask.ca/alumni-friends/wall-of-distinction.php College of Engineering: Wall of Distinction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090304162025/http://www.engr.usask.ca/alumni-friends/wall-of-distinction.php# |date=March 4, 2009 }} at the University of Saskatchewan</ref> with a degree in civil engineering. He subsequently entered the field of real estate development (in which position he hired B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell, then a teenager, as a labourer; Poole later joked that he had given Campbell "his first job", and that by choosing Poole to chair VANOC, Campbell "gave me my last").<ref>[http://iocc.ca/documents/WinningNameOfGame.pdf Winning name of his game: Jack Poole has a big challenge to bring Winter Olympics here] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706183059/http://iocc.ca/documents/WinningNameOfGame.pdf# |date=July 6, 2011 }}, from The Province, January 27, 2002 (archived at IOCC.ca)</ref> Poole co-founded Daon Development Corporation, the second-largest real estate development company in North America until its collapse in the early 1980s recession when it was purchased by Bell Canada Enterprises.<ref name="BCBusiness"/>

== Family == His father John "Jack" Poole was a grain dealer of Cree descent.<ref name="BCBusiness" /> He is survived by his second wife Darlene, four daughters, his stepson Ryan Young and his extended family. One of his grandsons, Blake Hawksworth, was a Major League Baseball pitcher. His granddaughter Erin Hawksworth is a reporter.<ref>[http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/about_us/personalities/Erin_Hawksworth_012709 "Erin Hawksworth"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100818225519/http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/about_us/personalities/Erin_Hawksworth_012709 |date=August 18, 2010 }} at MyFoxBoston.com</ref>

==Honours== thumb|Olympic Cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza thumb|Olympic Cauldron at Jack Poole Plaza

Poole was made a member of the Order of British Columbia in 2003,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.protocol.gov.bc.ca/protocol/prgs/obc/2003/2003_JPoole.htm|title=Order of British Columbia citation}}</ref> an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=10717|title=Order of Canada citation}}</ref> and a member of the Order of the Sash by the Metis Nation British Columbia in March 2007.<ref>Barkwell, Lawrence. http://www.metismuseum.ca/media/document.php/12003.Jack%20Poole%204.pdf</ref>

To honour his work and achievement for the 2010 Winter Olympics and 2010 Winter Paralympics, the former Thurlow Plaza was renamed Jack Poole Plaza in his memory.<ref>[http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/guidelines/CD-1/V001.pdf VANCOUVER CONVENTION ANDEXHIBITION CENTRE (VCEC) CD-1GUIDELINES - 100 THURLOW STREET]</ref><ref>[http://www.vancouverconventioncentre.com/jack-poole-plaza/ Vancouver Convention Centre {{!}} Jack Poole Plaza] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604030459/http://www.vancouverconventioncentre.com/jack-poole-plaza/ |date=June 4, 2010 }}</ref> The external cauldron for the games was chosen to be built at the Jack Poole Plaza as well.

==References== {{reflist}}

== Further reading == * {{cite book |last1=Newman |first1=Peter C. |title=Heroes: Canadian Champions, Dark Horses and Icons |date=2010 |publisher=HarperCollins Canada |location=Toronto |isbn=978-1-55468-422-9 |pages=57–60 |url=https://archive.org/details/heroescanadianch0000newm |url-access=registration |chapter=Jack Poole: The Shy Birth Father of the Vancouver Games}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poole, Jack}} Category:1933 births Category:2009 deaths Category:Deaths from pancreatic cancer in Canada Category:Deaths from cancer in British Columbia Category:Canadian people of Métis descent Category:Members of the Order of British Columbia Category:Officers of the Order of Canada Category:Businesspeople from Vancouver Category:University of Saskatchewan alumni Category:Recipients of the Olympic Order Category:Indspire Awards