Olson, John

68, passed away on December 13, 2012. John Olson, 68, died on December 13. Born to Erland and Elnora Olson in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, he grew up in Alberton, Montana. Moving with his mother to Missoula, Montana and then to Tempe, John graduated from Tempe High School and Arizona State University. While at ASU, he worked for the city of Tempe as Sports Program Coordinator. After graduation, he entered the publishing industry, as production manager for Datagraphics Press and founder/operator of Kachina Typesetting. In the early 1960s, he joined Gerald V. Olson’s ASU stats crews, later incorporating as Olson Statistical Services, official sports scorers and statisticians, prior to the Phoenix Suns’ inaugural season. Today, OSS is one of the most highly respected sports statistics companies in the U.S. John was employed as the photo archivist for Phoenix Suns and served similarly for the Arizona Diamondbacks in their early years. An avid athlete himself, he refereed high school and junior college basketball for the AIA for more than 40 years and enjoyed many rounds of golf with friends. John was a long-time member and president of the Ojo Rojo Lions Club of Chandler. He is survived by his wife June and his son David, both of Phoenix. A memorial service will be held on January 5 at 1:00 p.m. at Church of the Epiphany, Tempe. In lieu of flowers, make donations to the John Olson ASU Scholarship Fund at Desert Schools.