The S.A.E Olympics

The Record | Volume 44 – Issue #3 – Fall 1924

By J. Oliver Macdonald (Lafayette ’26)

[The writer of this article, Brother Macdonald, is too modest to tell of the wonderful work, he himself did, as a member of the 1,600 meter relay race, which won for America, the world’s record time. After the Olympics were over, the American team was divided into smaller teams, going to London, Brussells, Vienna and Budapest. Brother Macdonald went to Vienna and Budapest. In Vienna he won the 100 and 400 meter races and was on the two winning relay teams. Sigma Alpha Epsilon is proud it did its share in this athletic festival of world consequences.–Editor]

Sigma Alpha Epsilon was in the Olympian games at Paris as this good old fraternity is in everything great and important and the sons of the goddess of Minerva did their best to acquit themselves with credit. We have just arrived back in America in these late August days and the editor has asked me to make a statement of S.AE.’s participation in the Great World Games.

The following will furnish the necessary data:

1. J. Alfred Le Coney of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at Lafayette College, member of the four hundred meter relay team, which won the world’s championship.
2. Merwin Graham of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at the University of Kansas, competitor in the hop, step, and jump.
3. Carl Madera of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at Pennsylvania State College, heavyweight boxer.
4. Oliver Macdonald of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at Lafayette College, now of the University of Pennsylvania, member of the sixteen-hundred-meter relay team which won the world’s championship, setting a new world record.
5. Earle Wilson of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at the University of Southern California, competitor in the hop, step, and jump.
6. Oliver Horn of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon chapter at Washington University, St. Louis, competitor in water polo.

We were all wonderfully proud of the great showing made by Brother “Al” Le Coney, who ran anchor man on the four-hundred-meter relay, which broke the world’s record, negotiating the distance in 41 seconds as against the previous record of 42 2-5 seconds. In England, LeConey also ran on the relay team, which broke the world’s record for 400 yards in the time of 37 4-5 seconds, the previous time being 39 seconds. In France it was Le Coney’s great running that practically won the race. Lanson Robertson, head Olympic coach, said, “Le Coney ran so fast, the timers could not time him accurately.”

Many times after we finished training, the S.A.E.’s could be seen at a table in congenial fellowship, and it was also our good fortune to see some of France together.