OLEAN, N.Y. (AP) - A western New York community plans to honor a native son whose story is the subject of an Angelina Jolie-directed film being released in December.
Louis Zamperini was born in January 1917 in the city of Olean (OH’-lee-an), on the Pennsylvania border 60 miles south of Buffalo. He was just two years old when his parents moved the family to Southern California, where the 97-year-old Zamperini still lives.
He was a world-class Olympian distance runner in the 1930s. During World War II, Zamperini survived 47 days on a raft in the Pacific after his bomber crashed, then endured two years in Japanese POW camps.
People were interested in these podcasts
His story was told in “Unbroken,” Laura Hillenbrand’s 2010 best-seller.
A group in Olean is raising funds to place a granite marker in Zamperini’s honor in War Veterans Park in August.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.