The History of the South Side Sportsmen's Club

Historical figures of Connetquot Park and the South Side Sportsmen's Club.
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John Merrill Olin

John Merrill Olin (November 10, 1892 – September 8, 1982) was an American businessman and the son of Franklin W. Olin.

Early life

Born in Alton, Illinois, Olin graduated from Cornell University with a B.Sc. degree in chemistry and as a brother of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. With major financial contributions to the School of Business and the Olin Library at Washington University in St. Louis, both buildings were named after him. In addition, Olin Library at Cornell University bears his name, as does a classroom building, Olin Hall, at Johns Hopkins University.

He married twice. By his first wife, the former Adele Levis, a granddaughter of the founder of Illinois Glass Company, he had two daughters, Adele Louise and Georgene. With his second wife, Evelyn Brown, he had one stepdaughter, Evelyn.

Business

Olin started his career in 1913 as a chemical engineer for his father's Western Cartridge Company, a predecessor of Olin Industries, Inc. In 1935, following Western Cartridge's acquisition of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, he was named First Vice-President of the merged Winchester-Western and head of the Winchester division. He became President of Olin Industries in 1944 and upon merger of the company with Mathieson Chemical Corporation in 1954 became Chairman of the Board of the new corporation, named Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation. Subsequently the name was shortened to Olin Corporation. Mr. Olin retired as Chairman of the Board in 1957 to become Chairman of the Executive Committee, a position he held until he was elected Honorary Chairman of the Board in 1963.

Olin was an inventor or co-inventor of 24 United States patents in the field of arms and ammunition manufacture and design and was responsible for numerous developments in ballistics.

He was also a leader in conservation and wildlife preservation, playing a major role in the study of bobwhite quail management, the life cycle of the Atlantic salmon, and a crippling hip disease in the Labrador dog.

John Merrill Olin died in 1982 at age 89 at his home in East Hampton, New York.

Thoroughbred horse racing

John and Evelyn Olin bred and raced a number of Thoroughbred racehorses, notably winning the 1963 Epsom Oaks with the filly, Noblesse, and the 1974 Kentucky Derby with the colt, Cannonade. His granddaughter, Adele B. Dilschneider, is also a Thoroughbred owner and breeder whose memberships has included the Kentucky Derby Museum, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, the American Horse Council, the Thoroughbred Club of America, and the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.

Champion Labrador Retrievers

In the 1950's, he established Nilo Farms near Brighton, now operated by the Winchester Group of Olin Corporation.

He was a trainer, handler and breeder of Champion Labrador retrievers. In the early days of the National Amateur Stake, Mr. Olin himself, was an active participant - handling his own dogs. In 1952 and 1953, his Labrador retriever KING BUCK, became the National Champion. King Buck was known to millions of hunters as the dog appearing on the 1959-60 federal duck stamp. The story behind the stamp appeared in the January 1959 issue of Field Trial News. Buck was purchased by Olin in 1951 and was handled by Olin's trainer and handler, T. W. "Cotton" Pershall. Buck's Championships were won in 1952 at Weldon Spring, Missouri and in 1953 at Easton, Maryland. The 1965 National Champion, MARTEN'S LITTLE SMOKY, was also owned by John Olin. Olin's High Point Derby dogs were: (1954) Tanca's Rocky of Random Lake; (1955) Stonegate's Ace of Spades and (1965) Time of Frontier.

In 1960, Olin served as the Trial Chairman for the National Championship Stake. Also in 1960, he was the recipient of the Martin Hogan Memorial Award - made annually to the person in the Midwest, who in the opinion of the award Committee, had at all times displayed good sportsmanship and had contributed the greatest advancement to any or all retriever breeds and Retriever Field Trials. The honor being bestowed him was not in recognition of his dogs, but instead, an acknowledgement of his contributions to retrievers. In 1962 he became President of the National Retriever Club. Anything worthwhile in retriever trials, always had John Olin's generous support. He was a staunch supporter of both Nationals and his generosity furnished the ammunition used at the Nationals, through the Winchester-Western Corporation.^[1]