Jack Eldred Greenwood

Jack Eldred Greenwood died of natural causes on January 9, 2015 at his home in Aurora, Colorado. He was 88 years old. Jack was born February 5, 1926 in Steele City, Nebraska to Chester and Martha (Rasmussin) Greenwood, both preceded him in death. He was a retired banker, working as manager and eventually president of the Barber County Savings and loan from 1955 to 1982. However, Jack was best known as a world record holding track and field athlete. Jack spent most of his youth in Kansas City, Kansas. However, due to his father's work with the Southern Pacific railroad the family moved to California during his junior year in high school. While in California, Jack won his class state championship in both the high hurdles and high jump. After his father's death, his mother moved he and his younger brother Billy back to Kansas City where he attended Argentine high school for his senior year. He again was state champion in the Kansas AA class high jump and high hurdles. He joined the Army in 1945 and after serving and receiving an honorable discharge in 1948 he enrolled at the University of Kansas. There he met his future wife Nancy MacGregor of Medicine Lodge, KS. While at KU, Jack was again a track star winning 5 conference championships and also running internationally as a representative of the United States. After graduation, he married Nancy and moved to Medicine Lodge where he was active in the community in many ways. Jack started the summer baseball program, even before his sons were born. He also served as school board president, was a member of the United Methodist church, active in the Lions Club, American Legion and served as director of the Medicine Lodge Peace Treaty Pageant in the early 80s. In the mid 70s Jack decided to take up running again. When he finally had to retire from running, due to arthritis, he had set more than 20 national and world records, most in the hurdles but some in the decathlon. He was nicknamed the Kansas Kangaroo. Jack was voted the best masters athlete in the world 7 times and was inducted into the Masters Track and Field hall of fame in 1997. ""He's simply one of the greatest age-group athletes in history.""—Ken Stone, Masterstrack.com. Jack is survived by his wife Nancy, who he married in 1953. Together they had two sons, Riley MacGregor Greenwood, a science teacher who lives in Valley Center, KS with his wife Diane (Blurton) and their son Riley Jack. And Jack Martin Greenwood, a Business Analyst with Level 3 Telecom, who lives in Aurora, CO.