David Benjamin Bolen (December 23, 1923 – December 10, 2022) was an American track and field athlete, Olympian, diplomat and businessman.

Quick Facts United States Ambassador to East Germany, President ...

Dave Bolen
Bolen in 1979
United States Ambassador to East Germany
In office August 22, 1977 – June 20, 1980
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	John Sherman Cooper
Succeeded by	Herbert S. Okun
United States Ambassador to Lesotho
In office April 25, 1974 – August 11, 1976
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Charles J. Nelson
Succeeded by	Donald R. Norland
United States Ambassador to Swaziland
In office April 22, 1974 – August 11, 1976
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Charles J. Nelson
Succeeded by	Donald R. Norland
United States Ambassador to Botswana
In office April 11, 1974 – August 11, 1976
President	Richard Nixon Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Charles J. Nelson
Succeeded by	Donald R. Norland
Personal details
Born	David Benjamin Bolen (1923-12-23)December 23, 1923 Heflin, Louisiana, U.S.
Died	December 10, 2022(2022-12-10) (aged 98) Scottsdale, Arizona, U.S.
Spouse	Betty L. Gayden ​ (m. 1949)​
Children	3
Alma mater	Southern University University of Colorado Boulder Harvard University
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	Army Air Corps
Years of service	1943–1946

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Bolen competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics in the 400 metres. He finished fourth in the final behind Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley and Mal Whitfield. In 2012, Bolen told The Boulder Daily Camera that "The Olympics is not something you train for. You have to have talent, world-class talent. You have to use that talent for the benefit of yourself and others."^[1] Bolen first discovered that he had that talent when he raced other children during an Easter egg hunt during his childhood and found that he was faster. He later decided he wanted to use his "foot speed" to gain a college education.^[2]

Bolen graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1950, and was the university's first Olympic athlete.^[3] Before serving for two years in the Army Air Force in WWII,^[4] he attended Southern University in New Orleans; after his service, he was recruited by CU Boulder track and field coach Frank Potts.^[2]

Later, Bolen's career took him to the US State Department. In 1974, President Richard Nixon appointed him ambassador to Swaziland, Lesotho and Botswana simultaneously, while keeping residence in Gaborone. In 1977, the German-speaking Bolen was appointed by President Jimmy Carter and confirmed as US Ambassador to the German Democratic Republic. He was the first African-American to serve as ambassador to a nation behind the Iron Curtain. He served until 1980. As an ambassador to East Germany, Bolen helped to lay the groundwork for the destruction of the Berlin Wall. On November 9, 1989, the day the wall came down, Bolen's daughter, Cynthia, was photographed handing a long-stemmed rose to an East German border guard standing atop the wall.^[5] He also worked to help free Nelson Mandela from prison.^[2]

Bolen died on December 10, 2022, at the age of 98.^[6]