Walter Stokes

Walter Stokes graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1918 and then went on to earn both an LL.B. and an M.D. degree, one of only two American Olympians to do so (fencer Graeme Hammond being the other). Both professional degrees came from George Washington University and, while he was in school, Stokes coached the school’s rifle team to intercollegiate championships in 1924, 1927, and 1928. As a competitor himself, Stokes was on the rifle, swimming and wrestling teams at Annapolis. He competed internationally for the U.S. as a rifle shooter from 1919 until 1923, at which time he entered medical school. At the 1921 World Championships in Lyon, France he was a member of the free rifle team which won four titles – prone, kneeling, standing, and 3-position.