About Tell Berna
Lived 1891 – 1975 (aged 83). Tell Berna was an American athletics competitor.
Tell Schirnding Berna (July 24, 1891 – April 5, 1975) was an American middle-distance and long-distance runner.
His 1912 American record at two miles stood for twenty years. He competed for the United States in the 1912 Summer Olympics held in Stockholm, Sweden in the 3000 metre team, where he won the gold medal with his teammates Norman Taber and George Bonhag. He also finished fifth in the individual 5000 meters.
Berna graduated from Cornell University in 1912 and was a member of the Sphinx Head Society. After college, Berna had a career in the machine tool industry; in 1937, he became general secretary of the National Machine Tools Business Association and served in that post through World War II. He was serving as general manager of the organization in 1950 when he contributed an article to American Affairs.
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Important facts
People in Tell Berna's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Tell Berna's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Tell Berna?
athletics competitor (1891–1975)
When was Tell Berna born?
Tell Berna was born on 24 July 1891 in Pelham.
When did Tell Berna die?
Tell Berna died on 5 April 1975 in Nantucket.
What was Tell Berna's occupation?
Tell Berna was an athletics competitor.
What nationality was Tell Berna?
Tell Berna was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Tell Berna. https://biography.guide/tell-berna/
MLA: "Tell Berna." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/tell-berna/.
Chicago: "Tell Berna." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/tell-berna/.
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