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 George Wallace was born in San Francisco in 1915. He excelled in two unrelated fields - speedskating and photography. INTERNATIONAL SPEEDSKATING CHAMPION, 1932-1940.
George Wallace Gallery (Flash opens in new window)
Wallace took up ice skating at the age of 13 and taught himself to skate. Two years later, he graduated from high school with academic scholarships to Stanford University in California, and later to Dartmouth in New Hampshire. After winning all of the major US speed skating competitions, he beat all active world champions in different European competitions. He never had a skating coach. Wallace skated some of his best races in Europe as an independent, which deprived him of official US recognition.
George Wallace came into his prime as one of the fastest men on ice in 1940. Originally a member of the US Olympic Team, he became the only American athlete to compete (independently) in the 1940 World Games. Wallace won top medals in Latvia in minus 40 degree Celsius weather, so cold that the race horses were not permitted out for fear their lungs would freeze, but the athletes still had to compete. (The World Games replaced the Olympics, which were cancelled due to the War. Other American athletes had planned later departure dates, but were ultimately unable to compete when their visas were cancelled.)
 In 1939 the Oslo Skating Club had invited Wallace to come as their guest to Norway to train on outdoor ice. While there he fell in love with a beautiful Norwegian girl, Inger Dahlberg. He risked his life to get her out of Norway after the German occupation. They fled to Italy where the misfortune of others enabled them to get passage on the U. S. Manhattan, the last passenger boat to leave Europe before shipping channels were closed by WWII. Married for 61 years, they had 7 children, 17 grandchildren, and 21 great grandchildren.
During WWII George Wallace was Vice President of US Pipe & Mfg. Co in San Francisco, CA. The family-owned company was started by Philip Bowers Wallace Sr, his father, and managed by Philip B. Wallace Jr, his brother. To support the war effort, the company abandoned its normal municipal projects and retooled to help construct Liberty Ships for the Navy. The atom bomb that destroyed Hiroshima also destroyed the company, as one week later all military war-related contracts in the U. S. were abruptly cancelled. The cost of retooling for civilian construction, in addition to a shortage of funding for civilian and municipal projects, ultimately destroyed the company. Too many companies were in a similar position, all competing for too few jobs. The company never recovered. |
