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In 1908, John Baxter Taylor, Jr. became the first African-American winner of a gold medal in the Olympics and the first African-American to win a gold medal as a United States team member. He was born on November 3, 1882 in Washington, D.C. to John and Sarah Thomas Taylor. He attended Central High School in Philadelphia, where he was captain of the track team and interscholastic quarter-mile (440 yards-one complete lap around a quarter lap track) champion for two years. In 1902, he entered Brown Preparatory School, and while there, he and two other teammates set a record in the one-mile interscholastic relay championship. In 1903, he entered the University of Pennsylvania. As an undergraduate, he became one of the first thirteen members of the Greek fraternity Sigma Pi Phi.
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In 1908, John Baxter Taylor, Jr. became the first African-American winner of a gold medal in the Olympics and the first African-American to win a gold medal as a United States team member. He was born on November 3, 1882 in Washington, D.C. to John and Sarah Thomas Taylor. He attended Central High School in Philadelphia, where he was captain of the track team and interscholastic quarter-mile (440 yards-one complete lap around a quarter lap track) champion for two years. In 1902, he entered Brown Preparatory School, and while there, he and two other teammates set a record in the one-mile interscholastic relay championship. In 1903, he entered the University of Pennsylvania. As an undergraduate, he became one of the first thirteen members of the Greek fraternity Sigma Pi Phi.