Delve into the fascinating character of Charles Hitchcock Sherrill, a central figure in the US decision to participate in the 1936 Olympics, comparing him to literary characters like Zellig and Forrest Gump. Explore Sherrill's affluent upbringing, career evolution, and charismatic personality, highlighting his innovative contributions to sprinting and his interactions with influential figures like President Hoover and Teddy Roosevelt.
Charles Sherrill was everything a gentleman of his generation was supposed to be: rich, handsome, charming, Ivy-Leagued. He was impossibly well connected and extravagantly mustachioed. He was also the person who, as much as anything, decided whether American athletes would participate in the 1936 Olympics. Faced with one of the great moral dilemmas of the day, America needed the wisdom of Solomon. Instead, it got the wisdom of Sherrill.
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