Collection Guide
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Carpenter (Ken) Collection
SPC.2019.042
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Contributing Institution:
California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections
Title: Ken Carpenter Collection
Creator:
Carpenter, William Kenneth, 1913-1984
Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2019.042
Physical Description:
5 boxes
(one document box; one photograph box; three oversized boxes)
Physical Description:
6 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1934-1937; 1946; undated
Abstract: This collection contains athletic event programs, correspondence, magazines, photographs, certificates, postcards, and other
material mostly related to Ken Carpenter's college athletic career in discus including his time on the United States track-and-field
team during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany where he won a gold medal.
Language of Material: Collection material is in English.
There are no access restrictions on this collection.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives
and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical
materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
For information about citing archival material, see the
Citations for Archival Material guide, or consult the appropriate style manual.
William Kenneth "Ken" Carpenter (April 19, 1913 – March 15, 1984)
"Ken Carpenter was USC's first 2-time NCAA champion in a weight event. He won the NCAA discus throw title in 1935 and 1936
(he was the runner-up in 1934), helping lead the Trojans to the NCAA team championship both years. A 2-year letterman (1935-36),
he also won a pair of AAU crowns in the event in those years. He then captured the gold medal in the discus at the 1936 Berlin
Olympics with an Olympic record heave of 165-7. He held the American record in the discus from 1936 to 1940. He came to USC
from Compton (Calif.) High, where he starred in football and track. After a neck injury ended his football career in his freshman
year at USC, he concentrated on the discus. After USC, he served in the Navy, then began a 33-year career as a junior college
coach and teacher at College of the Sequoias and Compton College. He died in 1984 at age 70."
USC Athletics. "2003 Inductees For USC Athletic Hall Of Fame Announced." USC Athletics, USC Athletics, 1 May 2017, https://usctrojans.com/news/2002/10/19/2003_Inductees_For_USC_Athletic_Hall_Of_Fame_Announced.aspx?path=general.
The Ken Carpenter Collection (1934-1937; 1946; undated) contains 6 linear feet of material that includes athletic event programs
related mostly to track-and-field and football; correspondence; magazines; photographs; negatives; certificates; postcards;
newspaper articles and clippings; ephemera; and other material mostly related to Ken Carpenter's college athletic career in
discus. A majority of the materials in this collection relate to Carpenter's time on the United States track-and-field team
prior to and during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany where he won a gold medal.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection was donated with the cooperation of the Compton 125 Historical Society, 2018; 2022.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Compton (Calif.)
Track and field athletes
Discus throwing
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Newspapers
Compton (Calif.) -- Newspapers
Olympic Games (11th : 1936 : Berlin, Germany)
University of Southern California