HISTORY
The War Torn Games
Geoffrey Tootell ’44 and the 1946 Inter-Allied Games By Eliott Grover ’06
Since the modern Olympics began in 1896, they have been canceled three times. Once for the First World War and twice for the Second. The upcoming Tokyo Olympics nearly suffered the same fate. As the COVID-19 pandemic raged through last fall and into the winter, officials feared that postponing the Games to the summer of 2021 would not suffice. Thankfully, the global health picture has improved. The precarious arrival of this 32nd Olympiad, however, offers an occasion to revisit a little-known chapter of Olympic history. Like all good stories, ours begins in Marion. Geoffrey Tootell ’44 arrived at Tabor in the fall of 1940. A lanky
marching battalion and boat drills, navigation and first-aid
freshman from Kingston, Rhode Island, he had big dreams.
training, and a drum corps, all as part of the school's contribu-
World War II was a world away, and Marion provided the per-
tion to “national preparedness” for the war. An act of Congress
fect bubble to pursue them. His father, Fred, had won the gold
designated Tabor as a Naval Honor School in 1941. In 1942,
medal in the hammer throw at the 1924 Paris Olympics. The son
Headmaster Walter Lillard announced that he would be leaving
had similar aspirations as a shot putter. He was also an ambi-
Tabor after 26 transformative years to return to the Army as a
tious student and hoped to attend an elite university. From his
lieutenant colonel. This was devastating news, but his versatile
first day at Tabor, he pursued these goals with the tenacity of
successor, James Wickenden, ensured the continuity of strong
a tornado.
leadership.
The war didn’t stay away for long. Starting in 1940, students
By Tootell’s senior year, he was the big man on campus—liter-
participated in the new “Defense Training” program, which in-
ally and extracurricularly. At 6-foot-5, he towered over his peers
cluded riflery and manual of arms, Morse code and semaphore,
and teachers. He was a starting tackle on the football team and
12 TABOR TODAY | Spring 2021
