Donald J. Arnold, BPE ’62.
July 14, 1935 – June 27, 2021.
We are saddened to say that Donald J. Arnold, BPE 62 passed away on June 27, 2021. Don received Canada’s first-ever Olympic gold medal in rowing for the coxless fours at the 1956 Summer Olympics n Melbourne, together with Archibald MacKinnon, Lorne Loomer and Walter D’Hondt. At the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games Arnold received a gold medal in eights, and a silver medal in coxed fours. He received a silver medal in eights at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, as a member of the Canadian team. He was inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame in 1958 as well as the British Columbia Sports Hall of Fame in 1966, and the UBC Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.
Upon graduating from UBC in 1962, Arnold was presented the Bobby Gaul Award, the highest honour a UBC graduating athlete can achieve. He went on to earn a Ph.D. in Outdoor Recreation and Resource Management from Indiana University Bloomington in 1970 where he was named the most outstanding graduating athlete. He went on to co-found the post-secondary degree program in Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo.
Read about how Donald won Canada’s first Olympic gold in rowing: Click Here.
After retiring from rowing, he later taught at the University of Waterloo, managed Canadian international rowing crews and co-founded Rowing BC. He remained a steadfast supporter of the Vancouver Rowing Club and UBC rowing his entire life. He also maintained strong roots in Winfield, BC, where he grew up on an apple farm and in West Vancouver where he lived the last portion of his life.
Our condolences go out to Don Arnold’s family and friends.