John Terry (York, PA)
Script error: No such module "Draft topics". Script error: No such module "AfC topic".
John Terry (Pittsburgh, December 20, 1908 – High Point, North Carolina, April 17, 1970) was an Olympic weightlifter for the U.S. during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was also a war veteran and an entrepreneur. These are the titles that are rarely talked about when mentioning John Terry. He was not even mentioned during the 1936 Berlin Olympics. On the Wikipedia page titled “1936 Berlin Olympics” his name was not mentioned once. He broke an incredible record during this time and not even that was mentioned. He was able to deadlift 610lbs at only a 132lbs body weight. During the 1936 Berlin Olympics only Jesse Owens was mentioned[1]. Stealing the spotlight from other deserving African American athletes. Adolf Hitler was an advocate for the racial tensions during the Olympics. Upon the results of the events being held at the Olympics; Adolf Hitler ensured that he did not shake any African Americans hand. This neglected their hard work including John Terry’s deadlifting record. This was because during the 1900’s African Americans were treated poorly. Lack of publicity for incredible events, racial tension, segregation during WWII, and the Great Depression.
Life During the 1900's[edit]
Life as an African American during the 1900’s was rough. The Great Depression was a historic event that occurred during the 1900’s that increased adversity in the African American community. The Great Depression was the greatest economic depression that was going on during the 1930’s. This increased the unemployment rate to ~24% and lowered the GDP by ~26%. It was already difficult to find a job as an African American during these times and this certainly did not help. African American looked to enlisting to fight for equality and to become equal themselves[2]. During this period the world had no plans for equality. African Americans during the war had to deal with segregation, with laws being passed to limit African American participation to 9%[3]. In reality the African American participation rate was around 5-6%[3]. John Terry was one of those 5-6% of African Americans participating in WWII. There were full African American troop divisions. Being secluded in that setting is highly degrading. African American successes in the military were not shared to the other troops but their failures were shared[4] amongst everyone. This wasn’t the only example of segregation during WWII. The unfairness lay within the constitution[5]. The constitution was written by slave owners, but African Americans fought every battle in WWII alongside the whites and slave owners. These were some of the many forms of adversity African Americans dealt with during the 1900’s.
Signs of PTSD[edit]
Childhood adversity is a key indicator of being more susceptible to struggling with PTSD[5]. One cannot conclude John Terry dealt with adversity as a child; only assumptions can be made based off the period he was born into. Hyper adversity is a form of adversity where a user experiences extreme types of adversity in a “short” period. This is the case for John Terry. John Terry was exposed to the racial tensions, segregation in the military, and the Great Depression in a short period of time. Many war veterans struggle with PTSD. John Terry was an African American war veteran who has struggled with these examples of adversity. He is a prime example of someone who would struggle with PTSD. Upon coming home from the war, John Terry murdered his wife and served four years at a state hospital. No one knows why he murdered his wife. One can suspect it was because he was struggling with PTSD and did not know what to do to cope with this disease. One cannot conclude that he had PTSD only an assumption based off the evidence provided above. He did go to a mental hospital for treatment.
Giving Back to the York Community[edit]
After all the hardships John Terry has been through, he decided to give back to the York community. Upon the decision of being a free man[6], John Terry purchased a building with his own money. This building would become the International Athletic Club[6]. The International Athletic Club was located on 139 South Newberry street in York City PA.[6] The International Athletic Club was an athletic club for African American children in the York community to get off the street. This stemmed from his own path. John Terry did not want other African American children of York to go down the same path he did. This club provided a safe place for African Americans in York, allowing the children to either relax, work out, or whatever it is they pleased.
References[edit]
- ↑ Drake, Robert (2011). "Jesse Who?: Race, The Southern Press and the 1936 Olympic Games". American Journalism. 28 – via EBSCOHost.
- ↑ Wynn, Neil. WAR AND RACIAL PROGRESS The African American Experience during World War II. Search this book on
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kersten (2002). African Americans and World War II. Oxford University Press. Search this book on
- ↑ Black, Helen. Three Generations, Three Wars: African American Veterans. Search this book on
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Nevarez. "Friendship in War: Camaraderie and Prevention of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Prevention". Journal of Traumatic Stress. 50: 512–520 – via EBSCOHost.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "65 Kids Help John Terry on Road Back".
This article "John Terry (York, PA)" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:John Terry (York, PA). Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
