‘The Kansas Grasshopper’ was a Jayhawk, Olympian and ... mayor? The wild life of Tom Poor

Two gray boxes filled with about 50 manila folders sat on a red cart in Lawrence’s Kenneth Spencer Research Library.

Inside: a glimpse into the colorful life of Tom Woodson Poor — “The Kansas Grasshopper” — a Jayhawk star, Olympian, mayor and, well, so much more.

Learning about this forgotten Jayhawk took a journey — a call and drive to the Spencer archives, reserving boxes of information, calls to relatives, searching hundred-year-old photos and newspaper archives.

It’s rare to have that many hurdles to learn about a person, especially in the age of the internet. But this research wasn’t straightforward. Tom Poor, who shined at the Olympics 100 years ago, couldn’t be properly covered by a quick Google search.

If Dos Equis commercials starred “the most interesting man in the world,” The Kansas Grasshopper was certainly a close second.

A Jayhawk, Olympian and ‘self-made chap’

Iconic is the best word to describe Poor’s life.

Poor, born in Bismarck, Missouri, in 1903, was most famously known as an excellent high jumper who competed at the 1924 Paris Olympics. But he had plenty of other athletic feats.

Poor joined KU’s track and field team in 1921 after a successful high-jumping career at McAlester High School. He was elected into the McAlester Alumni Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002.

Although he grew up in Oklahoma, Poor bled crimson and blue.

“He loves KU,” Melanie Poor, his 83-year-old daughter, told The Star. “He felt very privileged to go to KU.”

Poor won the Missouri Valley Conference championship three years in a row and a national high jump title as a sophomore in 1923.

In a letter to Poor’s parents, his track and field coach at Kansas described Poor as “one of the most splendid boys of whom I know.” The archives’ copy of the letter cuts off before the signature, but KU’s track and field coach at the time was Karl Schlademan.

“He is certainly modest and has a world of ability,” the letter read. “You do not have to make Tom. He is a self-made chap. ...

“Mrs. Poor, you speak about the dreams you had of long ago. It is very necessary that we dream, and as you state that you dreamed of the deeds that you would do and from a distance thought success was such an easy thing, I want to say that you made no failure so far as these two splendid sons of yours are concerned.”

Also in that letter, a prediction for Poor.

“In my opinion,” the letter read, “he will break the world’s (high jump) record before he is through the University.”

The 1924 Paris Games

Poor’s college success allowed him to compete in the 1924 Olympic Trials in Boston. He took first in the high jump and earned the chance to represent Kansas at the Olympic games in Paris.

Soon after, he crossed the Atlantic Ocean via a ship — not a plane — and arrived. That’s where his life was forever changed.

“I didn’t realize it until later, but the Olympic trials and competition in the games was my greatest sports thrill,” Tom Poor told The Star in 1952. “Getting to represent my country in competition against the best athletes in the world was what I had dreamed of and worked for from the time I had starting jumping in grade school.”

While Poor trained in Oklahoma for the Olympics, he received a personal letter from former KU basketball coach Phog Allen. He’d sent Poor a Jayhawks sweater to wear in Paris.

“I am sure you have not forgotten to spread the gospel (of) the University of Kansas,” Allen wrote in the letter.

The expectations surrounding Poor heading into the Olympics were immense. According to an article from the Associated Press, Poor was considered the favorite to win. Poor finished in fourth but still received a medal.

Throughout his Olympic experience, he stayed in touch with his mother with letters. In one letter, he expressed his raw emotions shortly after his fourth-place finish.

“This is the morning after and I am feeling fine, other than having a stiff neck,” Poor wrote in the letter. “As you well know, (3) succeeded in beating me. Two of which were Americans and 3rd place went to a French jumper.”

Before he returned to America, he stopped by Buckingham Palace for dinner. He returned to America with a menu signed by Prince Henry.

His Olympic experience impacted his family for generations.

“The Olympics followed Daddy his whole life,” Melanie Poor said. “Doors opened for me because of it. He said it didn’t matter that he got fourth. He was just so proud to be a part of the team.”

Poor’s high-jumping days continued for another eight years. He high-jumped for KC Athletics after graduating from KU in 1925.

His story was just getting started.

Tales from the past

Even after Poor’s Olympic days, he lived an eventful life. After he graduated from Kansas, he worked as a car salesman in Olathe.

That’s when he met baseball baseball Hall of Famers Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig at a parade — Poor drove the pair around in a Cadillac.

“Those guys signed a baseball for Daddy,” Melanie Poor said. “Daddy was such a giving person. Somebody goes, ‘Oh, Tommy, I’d like to have that.’ Well, he goes, ‘It’s yours.’ He gave away his baseball. He gave away his watches. He gave away his medal. He just wanted people to be happy.”

Poor would later become the Olathe Chamber of Commerce president and eventually was elected mayor. He served as mayor from 1949 to 1951. He is credited with improving the sewer system in Olathe.

Perhaps his most impressive accomplishment? According to a newspaper clipping, he cured his coach’s sickness with a lemon.

“When Tom Poor and coach Requa Bell were on their way to Chicago this week, Bell became ill, and Tom gave him a lemon, which his mother thoughtfully provided,” the newspaper story read. “After sucking the lemon, Bell became so much better that Poor got off at the next station and purchased a dozen.”

Stories like these make Poor’s life seem almost fictional, but the reality is he lived a life most can only dream of.

Poor died due to a heart attack in 1956. He was the embodiment of the American dream. He never forgot his chance to represent KU and the U.S. globally at the Olympics — a feat 592 American athletes will accomplish in Paris shortly.

“He was humble about it,” Melanie Poor said. “He was proud, but he was so humble. He felt so truly grateful that he had this opportunity when he grew up in the old town of McAlester.

“To think that a little kid in the middle of Oklahoma could ride a train all the way to New York City, then take a ship across the ocean. He said coming home was a thrill. … I believe they had a ticker-tape parade.”