Another Penn State Nonagenarian Track Alum of 880U Passes Away

From our good friend and high school coach of several Nittany Lions, Bill Preston, comes news of the passing of William "Bill" Jimeson.

William "Bill" Jimeson, 97, of Ponte Vedra, passed away peacefully at the Bailey Family Center for Caring. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Bill was an accomplished athlete in track and field, setting the Wilkinsburg High School track record 880. He also finished 6th in the Western Pennsylvania Cross-Country Championships and placed 4th in the outdoor 880 mile run. A graduate of Penn State University, Bill was captain of the freshman cross-country team. In a special mile relay event at the 1944 Penn Relays, he made up 25 yards as anchor, in a race voted the most outstanding of the meet. During his post-graduate studies at Johns Hopkins University, Bill won the 440, high hurdles, low hurdles and anchored the mile relay for high point man in the Mason Dixon Championship. One week in April he had the fastest time in the East for low hurdles. Bill placed 5th in the Olympic trials during the National AAU Championship in 1948. He went on to become a coach in track and field for the U.S. National Team, traveling to Russia and Poland. He also founded and coached the Baltimore Olympic Club from 1946-1967, which was the only club to ever have a fall dual meet cross-country season and an outdoor dual meet track season. In fact, the BOC won every South Atlantic Association AAU outdoor track championship from 1946 to Bill's retirement  from coaching. They also won the mile relay crown and had the fastest mile relay ever at old Madison  Square Garden. For 31 years, Bill worked as a sales representative for Allyn and Bacon Publishing Company in Baltimore. In 1979, he moved from Baltimore to South Ponte Vedra, where for 14 years, he served as the Fire Chief at Station 9, the South Ponte Vedra Volunteer Fire Dept. In his spare time, Bill enjoyed big band music and reading the Baltimore newspaper. He was a very devoted husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather, and he will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his wife of almost 72 years, Margaret Jimeson of Ponte Vedra; a daughter, Barbara Dian Jimeson of St. Augustine; grandson, Brian Hayden and his wife Jodi Hayden and great-grandchildren, Amanda and Brian, Jr. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wilbur and Betty Jimeson; sister, Carolyn Martin and his son, William C. Jimeson, Jr.
A celebration of his life will take place at 3 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10, 2018, at the Allegro in St. Augustine.
St. Johns Family Funeral Home  is in charge of arrangements.