‘VISIONARY’ MOURNED
Frank King, a key force behind the 1988 Calgary Olympics, was remembered Thursday for his character, kindness and competitive passion. King died Wednesday at age 81.
Celebrated not only as the driving force behind the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, but also as a man of great character, kindness and competitive passion, Frank King died Wednesday. He was 81.
Friends and family confirmed King died of a sudden heart attack around 2 p.m. after a training session at the Glencoe Club.
A lifetime runner, he was preparing for a world seniors track-andfield event in Utah this summer.
He had planned to compete in several races, including the 100-metre, 200-metre, 400-metre, 800-metre and 1,500-metre running events.
“No one was more passionate or competitive than my dad,” said Steve King, 48, the youngest of King ’s three children.
“We found a little note in his desk yesterday, of all the world records in track and field for the 80- to 84-year-old class.
“He was so determined. He wanted to beat those guys.”
King attended the University of Alberta where he received a chemical engineering degree and met the love of his life, Jeanette. They would have celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary later this year.
“Mom has been with him all of her life. She has never been without him. So, this will be very hard.”
Friends and colleagues remember King as a man of great character, whose kindness and interpersonal skills were key to Calgary’s success in attaining the Olympic Winter Games for 1988.
A longtime member of the Booster Club, King co-founded the Calgary Olympic Bid Committee starting in 1978. King was instrumental in winning the bid for Calgary in Baden Baden, Germany, in 1981, along with Bill Pratt, former mayor Ralph Klein and bid vice-chair Bob Niven.
He then helped form OCO ’88, the Olympic Organizing Committee, and CODA, the Calgary Olympic Development Association, which built a legacy of facilities and funding still viable today.
“He created trust in people. They just felt good about him,” said Niven, who was shaken Thursday at the news of King ’s sudden death.
“When he spoke, people trusted him, and they could because he was so trustworthy. He was a tremendous leader who was always focused on relationships and building them with the community, governments, the IOC, all of the different sports federations.
“He was a good man, a dear friend. I will really miss him.”
Born in 1936 in Redcliff, Alta., King continued to work as senior vice-president of manufacturing for Turbo Resources while he chaired Calgary’s bid committee.
Bill Warren, who also worked on the bid committee and OCO ’88 alongside King, called him an innovator ahead of his time, crediting him with the idea to push the Winter Games past the traditional 10-day event, extending Calgary’s to 16 days including three weekends to earn more revenue.
“People didn’t work for Frank; they worked with him. It’s just how he did business.”
He was the first to incorporate thousands of community volunteers in the Games, allowing for huge cost savings and an unprecedented feeling of community that has been replicated at every Games since.
“He was a true innovator, so creative. He always had the greatest ideas,” Warren said.
“I remember he called me once and said, ‘You know, I think it would be so cool to put a flame at the top of the Calgary Tower,’” Warren said.
“And I said to him, ‘Are you kidding me? That will never happen.’”
The Calgary Tower not only became famous for its Olympic flame, and a cross-country torch relay, but the tower still lights its flame to this day to mark significant community events.
Warren said King also suggested the demonstration sports of curling and short-track speedskating, and was the first to allow disabled athletes to compete alongside an Olympic event.
King also worked with the bid committee that landed the 2010 Winter Olympics for Vancouver.
Jerry Joynt, the senior vicepresident of communications for the 1988 Olympics, said King’s “contributions to the city will always be remembered.”
“He will go down in history as one of the great visionaries of the city,” Joynt said Thursday.
“He was successful in business, and as a family person.”
Joynt said he had coffee with King about two months ago and he appeared to be in good physical health.
“He always looked after himself,” said Joynt. “He worked out and he was in training ” for an upcoming event.
King ’s wife Jeanette told Joynt that King had “died with his runners on.”
“Frank was the visionary and Bill (Pratt) was the pragmatic one,” said Joynt. “Together as a team, they worked well. That’s why the dream came true.
“No one will be able to take away that tremendous success of 1988,” he added. “It had a whole bunch of ingredients, but it all started with Frank.”
Dale Oviatt, spokesman for WinSport at Canada Olympic Park, said everyone was saddened by the news of King’s death, saying he was instrumental in bringing the Games to the city and ensuring its legacy continues.
Oviatt quoted from King ’s book, It’s How You Play the Game, saying King said it best in his own words: “The inspiration of the Calgary Olympics will endure long after the Olympic flame has been extinguished. Canadians of all ages will use and enjoy superb Olympic facilities for years into the future. The Olympics will be more than an immediate benefit. The Games will provide a heritage for our children.”
Oviatt agreed, adding that without King ’s relentless efforts, WinSport at Canada Olympic Park would not be here helping hundreds of thousands of Calgarians participate in sport every year.
“Frank is an inspiration to all of us and he will not be forgotten. He was a generous, humble leader who always looked to ensure that everyone he worked with grew and prospered. His efforts and passion have left an indelible mark on the city of Calgary.”
John Furlong, chair with Own the Podium, called King a transformative leader, a patriot and a true advocate for the power of sport.
“He was humble to the core — a champion for his city, province and country — one of the most trusted Canadian leaders of his generation,” said Furlong.
“His vision and goodwill elevated the standard by which the world now measures the success of Olympic and Paralympic Games and their legacies. If Canada is a world-leading winter sports nation today, then much of the credit is owed to Frank King who believed that the Calgary ’88 Games were a beginning that others could then build on.”
After the Calgary Games, King was president of Turbo Resources from 1992 to 1993 and president of Cambridge Environmental Systems from 1993 to 1996.
He leaves behind Jeanette, his wife of 60 years and his three children, Linda, Dave and Steve, as well as nine grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements have yet to be released.
When he spoke, people trusted him, and they could because hewasso trustworthy. He was a tremendous leader who was always focused on relationships ...