 Rantz in 1936 | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1914-03-31)March 31, 1914 Spokane, Washington, U.S. | |||||||||||
| Died | September 10, 2007(2007-09-10) (aged 93) Redmond, Washington, U.S. | |||||||||||
Medal record
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Joseph Harry Rantz (March 31, 1914 – September 10, 2007) was an Americanrower and chemical engineer. He won the Olympic gold in the men's eight at the1936 Summer Olympics.[1] Rantz worked as a chemical engineer for theBoeing aviation company for 35 years. He pioneered a dust-free particle workspace concept known as "safe room" that had wide impact on improving work environments in both aerospace and medical facilities.[2] It was a precursor to thecleanroom.
Born inSpokane, Washington,[3][4] Joe Rantz had a harsh childhood in Boulder City, Idaho and, later,Sequim, Washington. His mother, Nellie Maxwell (1881–1918), died from throat cancer when Rantz was four.[5] His father, Harry Rantz (1880–1966), remarried in 1921, but Rantz did not connect well with his stepmother, Thula LaFollete (1897–1935), who struggled to raise Rantz and her four younger biological children.[5]
Rantz was abandoned by his family at the age of 12, and had to fend for himself from that point on.[6] He supported himself working in hay fields and by chopping down trees along theDungeness River and selling the wood to a pulp mill inPort Angeles.[6] He reared himself in an unfinished house abandoned by his father and stepmother and put himself through high school.[5] He attended Seattle'sRoosevelt High School.[6] He gained admission to theUniversity of Washington.[5]
Rantz rowed in theUniversity of Washington senior varsity eights which won US nationalIntercollegiate Rowing Association titles in 1936 and 1937 as well as the victorious sophomore eight of 1935 and freshman eight of 1934.[5][7] Rantz is the central character in the non-fiction bookThe Boys in the Boat, which chronicles his struggles through life in his early years, culminating with his Olympic gold medal win from the seven seat of the US men's eight at Berlin in 1936.[5] The book inspired thePBS documentaryAmerican Experience: The Boys of '36 anda 2023 feature film directed byGeorge Clooney, where Rantz was portrayed byCallum Turner.
Rantz earned a chemical engineering degree from the university and worked forBoeing for 35 years following his retirement from rowing, inventing a precursor of thecleanroom known as "safe room".[2]
In 1939 Rantz married his college sweetheart, Joyce Simdars. They were married for 63 years until Joyce's death in 2002. They had five children.[8]
Rantz died ofcongestive heart failure at the home of his daughter inRedmond, Washington,[6] at age 93.[1][5]
