Name/Title
Print, PhotographicEntry/Object ID
2004.48.03Description
\The long frame that helped make Lute Jerstad a successful athlete at Peninsula High and Pacific Lutheran University is dwarfed by towering peaks on one of his many expeditions. Jerstad was born in Minnesota in 1936 and weighed only about 3 pounds. He was small enough to fit in a shoe box but grew into a larger-than-life figure. In 1949, his family moved to Gig Harbor where he lettered in football, basketball and baseball at Peninsula High. At PLU, he helped the Lutes reach two NAIA tournaments and was voted the team's Most Inspirational Player his senior year. Along the way, he fell in love with the mountains and became a guide. In 1963, he became one of the first Americans to reach the summit of Mount Everest, the world'd tallest peak. He died in 1998 from a heart attack while climbing Mount Kala Pattar.Lexicon
Search Terms
Mountaineering, Mountain Climbing, Professional/Semi-ProRelationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Jerstad, Lute