- Frank Cuhel
Frank Josef Cuhel (28 September 1904 in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa – February 22, 1943 inLisbon ,Portugal ) was an American athlete who competed mainly in the 400 metre hurdles.At his alma mater
University of Iowa , Cuhel was a three year letterman, playingfootball in addition to track. In 1928 he set the NCAA record for 220m hurdles. [ [http://www.iowavarsityclub.com/member_view.php?memberId=159310&PHPSESSID=559e3301167a2afe2b013e57e3b5db73 National Iowa Varsity Club - Letterwinner ] at www.iowavarsityclub.com] He was elected to the U of I Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.He competed for the United States in the
1928 Summer Olympics held inAmsterdam ,Netherlands in the 400 metre hurdles where he won the silver medal.His success in the Olympics was such that upon graduation he took up work as a business envoy for a number of Dutch firms doing business in America. Eventually this business sent him to
Java inIndonesia , which is where he found himself at the start of World War II.As the islands became a more important strategic theater for World War II operations, Cuhel was hired by
Mutual Broadcasting Systems to serve as a war correspondent, issuing radio reports of any action or newsworthy items. When Java fell to theJapan ese, Cuhel and other correspondents made a daring last minute escape.Cuhel was killed in the crash of the ill-fated
Yankee Clipper "flying boat" into theTagus River on the outskirts ofLisbon ,Portugal on February 22, 1943 (the same flight which badly injuredJane Froman and served as the climax to her biopic "With A Song In My Heart ".) That December, a freighter was christened the "Frank J. Cuhel" in his honor.References
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