Luxe Beat Magazine DECEMBER 2014 | Page 137

History
changed and players such as NBA and
NHL stars started to represent the
U.S. With this enlightened attitude,
Jim Thorpe’s Olympic medals were
finally returned to his widow.
Today, Jim Thorpe is regarded as
one of the great all time athletes,
perhaps the greatest ever.

l
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Pennsylvania Poconos ©Maralyn D. Hill

Asa Packer

Another outstanding resident of Jim
Thorpe, PA, before its name change,
was Asa Packer. He started earning
a living as a carpenter, and then
switched to running coal boats on
the Lehigh Canal. Soon, he and his
brother started to build coal boats
for canal shipping.
In 1846, Packer saw the future in
railroads and announced plans to
build one for hauling coal. By the
1850s, the railroad was viable and
his Lehigh Valley Railroad started to
haul coal on a large scale, from mines
to cities and factories. By the time
he died in 1879, his line across New
Jersey and New York and included
650 miles of track.
During his lifetime and in his estate,
Packer gave away about $30 million
of his $54 million personal fortune.
He founded Lehigh University in
Bethlehem and en