Name/Title
1936 Olympic ScarfEntry/Object ID
2025.14.1Description
This framed artifact is a commemorative scarf from the 1936 Olympics! That year, the Summer Olympics were held in Berlin, and the Winter Olympics were held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. This piece was donated to us by Suzanne and Marty Perna. The scarf was acquired by Michael Perna during World War II. While he didn’t compete in the Olympics, he did play for the U.S. Army Championship Hockey team in 1947. The American flag in the middle is not part of the original scarf. It has been added by the owner. Along the border are flags representing each country who participated in the Olympics in 1936. Note the Nazi flag along the right border. Adolf Hitler had become the chancellor a few years prior. Hitler attempted to use the Olympics as a propaganda tool for the Nazis and intended to push his vision of Aryan/ White supremacy. However, the United States’ athletes undermined his goals – Jesse Owens, a Black track and field athlete from Michigan, made history by winning four Gold medals. Larry Schwartz of ESPN credited Owens with “single-handedly crushing Hitler’s myth of Aryan supremacy.” In addition to Jesse Owens, there were also several athletes from New Jersey who competed. In fact, four out of the six representatives for the United States female gymnast team were from Jersey – Ada Lunardoni (West Hoboken), Irma Haubold (Union City), Marie Kibler (Atlantic City), and Jennie Caputo (Newark).Location
Location
* Untyped Location
Town Hall StorageDate
November 19, 2025Condition
Reason for Exam
At AcquisitionOverall Condition
GoodDate Examined
Nov 19, 2025Examined By
Deborah White