George Mattos

George F. Mattos Oct. 6, 1929 - Oct. 18, 2012 Resident of Medford, OR Two-time Olympic pole vaulter, George Frank Mattos, Jr., passed away peacefully at home in Medford from prostate cancer. He was born in Santa Cruz to George Mattos, Sr. & Ada Metzler Mattos. As a senior at Pacific Grove High, he won the pole vault at the California State Meet, earning a scholarship to San Jose State. A world Top Ten vaulter for 10 years, he competed in the '52 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland and the '56 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. George served in the Air Force before starting the music department in 1960 at College of the Siskiyous, which named him Emeritus Professor in 2012. He was inducted into the San Jose State Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and the National Pole Vault Hall of Fame in 2010. He is survived by his wife, Lorraine, brother, Rick, first wife, Ginger, and children: Diana Gilley, Rob Mattos, Dave Mattos, Karen Kozak and Linda Mattos. Donations may be made to the COS Foundation, George Mattos Music Scholarship, Weed, CA.