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2005 Vermont Ski Museum Hall of Fame Inductions

Frederick Henry Harris

Frederick Henry Harris (1887-1961)

Founder of the Brattleboro Outing Club (1921) and the Dartmouth College Outing Club (1909); Pioneer of ski jumping - designer of Harris Hill and organizer of the Harris Hill Jumping Tournament (1922); co-founder of USEASA (1922); Lifelong advocate for the improvement of winter sports.

"The Man Who Put America on Skis"

  • Born 9/8/1887 Charles and Elizabeth Harris in Brattleboro, VT
  • Investment securities for Baker, Young, and Co. Boston
  • Co-founder of USEASA, officer in the National Ski Association, 3 time official at the Winter Olympics (1932 and 1960)
  • Tennis - New England intercollegiate champ 3x, all New England champ 4x, 30 state titles
  • Sailor - organized the Lake Spofford Yacht Club

Question asked by Harris as founding Dartmouth Outing Club 1909 - "'What is there to do at Dartmouth in the winter?'. Purpose of the outing club: 1. to stimulate interest in the out of door winter sports 2. to have sort cross country runs weekly and one long excursion each season (say Mooselac). 3 to build a ski jump and to hold ski jumping contests. 4. to hold a meet or field day during February at which a program of event similar to the following may be contested : 100 yard dash on snowshoes, cross country run on snowshoes, obstacle course run on snowshoes, 100 yard dash on skis, cross country fun on skis, ski jumping contests, and other events that may be suggested.. By taking the initiative on this matter, Dartmouth might well become the originator of a branch of college organized sports hitherto undeveloped by American colleges."

"I believe firmly that nothing can stop the progress of commercial aviation and that a few ears hence we will see planes used for business and sport purposes. The general public is still skeptical and will have to be shown."

  • 1910 - Winter Carnival at Dartmouth - help from Vermont Academy who had begun Winter Carnival in Vermont in 1909 by James Pop Taylor
  • Dartmouth class of 1911. From David Bradley, Ski January 1959 "No, there was already small but lively tradition of winter sports at Dartmouth - What the tradition needed most was a dominant figure, an organizer, and this was Fred Harris."
  • Fred Harris, Ensign US Naval Reserve Flying Corps, With his own plane: Volume 27, 1922, The Vermonter: Author :Aviation in Southern Vermont part of the first NY to Vermont flight May 10, 1920
  • Harris Hill $2000 to build in 1921: ".He financed, designed and built Brattleboro's ski jump, new this year, on which all New England, Eastern US, and Eastern Canadian ski records were broken with a jump of 1581/2 feet."
  • Feb 4 1922 1 st Vermont State Championship Ski Jump at Harris Hill 3000 spectators
  • Feb 21 1922 - elected president of the new USEASA; first annual meeting Jan 19, 1923
  • 1929 Vice Pres of the National Ski Association
  • 1930 US FIS rep in Oslo
  • USEASA funded 1938 Olympic team, started individual record cards, report sheets for tournaments, and registration card system, FH helped divided country into regional divisions
  • National ski jump championships at Harris Hill 1924, 20, 38, 42, 51
  • Married Helen M. Choate Feb 25, 1950
  • Sandra Kathryn born March 21, 1952

 

Hear about Fred Harris.

 

Warren "Winger" Chivers (1914-2006)

Warren Chivers1937 National and 1938 Intercollegiate Nordic Combined Champion; 1937 Dartmouth Ski Team Captain; 1936, 1940 Nordic Combined Olympian, Alternate to Alpine Team; Vermont Academy Ski Coach- four events 1939-1980.

"My object in living is to unite/ My avocation and my vocation/ As my two eyes make one in sight." Robert Frost

  • Born Hanover, NH Dec. 12, 1914 - all four boys four event skiers
  • Father Arthur H Chivers '02 is Dartmouth professor
  • Competed first in the Dartmouth Children's Carnival at age 12
  • Played hockey, football and baseball at Hanover High in 1932 he went to Deerfield where he played football, hockey, skiing, and track
  • Skiing career started when Dartmouth ski coach Otto Schniebs challenged him to run cross country due to his shoulder and general strength, so he entered the Dartmouth-Lebanon dual meet, which was practice for choosing the Carnival Team - he won and his skiing career changed.
  • 1936, 1940 Olympian, DOC Racer - 4 event skier
  • Coach for the Vermont Academy - 4 events, focus on developing Nordic program, ski lodge named for him there
  • 1971 Inductee into the US Ski Hall of Fame
  • 1935 sick at Olympic tryouts and finishing in 4 th for combined and langlauf
  • 1935 won Michael Fosch Jumping Trophy at Lake Placid
  • 1936 Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen he finished with the best time of any American on the relay team; named captain of the Dartmouth ski team
  • 1937 Pan American championships in 1937
  • 1936-37 winning the US National Championships in cross country and combined
  • in Minneapolis and the inter-collegiate event in St. Marguerite, Canada
  • Represented the American downhill-slalom team which went to Chile (1937)
  • 1938 he won the international intercollegiate combined championship.
  • Won the 1940 Olympic try outs in jumping and cross country
  • 1939 teach at Vermont Academy
  • 1941-1946 navy air force
  • 1940 American International Team
  • Marry Jeanne stubs 9/3/46, return to VA and remained there since
  • Faculty advisor to clubs including outing club with 100% participation
  • Starts building a new jump in 1949 thanks to Don Cutter '41 and others

 

Hear from Warren Chivers.

 

John Caldwell

John Caldwell 1952 Nordic Combined Olympian; Cross country coach - Putney School 1953-1988, US Olympic and FIS teams 1966-1988; Author - eight editions of The Cross Country Ski Book ; Founder - New England Nordic Ski Association, president first six years.

"When you're on a long race course you will have plenty of time to ask yourself if you trained hard enough for this event."

  • 1952 XC/NC Olympian
  • Wrote Cross Country Ski, first published 1964, 8 printings
  • Ski coach to athletes such as Ned Gillette, Mike Gallagher, Bob Gray, and Larry Damon
  • Class of '46 then math teacher and ski coach at the Putney School (mid 50s-1989)
  • 4 event competitor at Dartmouth
  • US Ski Team Coach 1960-1972, coach of three Olympic teams - Grenoble 1968, Sapporo 1974, Sarajevo 1984; coach of Australian team 1980 Olympics
  • US Ski Hall of Fame Inductee 1983
  • President of the New England Nordic Ski Association, stepped down 2002

 

Hear from John Caldwell.

 

Martha Rockwell

Martha RockwellMember of the 1 st American women's Nordic team (1969); US Nordic Olympic Ski Team (1972, 1976); Best American finish in FIS competition, 10 th in the 10km (1974); 18 time national champion.

"'One must have a mind of winter' and parents like ours, to grow up loving to ski. I had both." Quote from The Snow Man by Wallace Stevens

  • 1972, 1976 US Nordic Olympic Ski Team
  • Holds the best US female international race result - 10 th in an FIS race
  • Successes well documented in press of the time
  • 1986 Inductee into the US Ski Hall of Fame
  • Holds 18 national championship titles

 

 Hear from Martha Rockwell.

 

Tim Caldwell

Tim CaldwellCompetitor in 4 Olympics and 3 World Cups 1972-1984; Member of 1976 record setting Nordic relay team; 1st in 1982 World Cup Nordic relay; 2nd in 1983 World Cup 15km; 7 individual national titles.

"Skiing is in my blood. It became my passion, and continues to play a central role in my life, critical to my spiritual and physical wellbeing."

  • 1972, 76, 80, 84 Olympian
  • FIS competitor 1982-83
  • By 1977, has 4 national titles, one in every discipline from 15-50km and the relay
  • Won 1975 North American Championships in the 50k
  • 1981 - 2 nd in World Cup
  • 1973 - 2 nd in Holmenkollen Junior 15k, 10 th in eastern junior championships, Finlandia Trophy for outstanding US Nordic skier
  • 1976 - 6 th place in relay team, 3 rd fastest time on the 2 nd leg, top finishing US relay team

 

Hear from Tim Caldwell.

 

Bill Koch

Bill KochNordic Olympian (1976, 1980, 1984, 1992); Silver medalist (1976); Bronze medal in FIS (1982), First to use skating technique in competition (1982).

"The more people who cross country ski the better off the whole world would be."

  • 1976, 1980, 1984, 1992 Olympian
  • 1976 Silver medalist
  • 1982 Bronze medal in FIS race
  • First to utilize the skating technique
  • Helped to found the Bill Koch Ski League for 5-13 year olds
  • Promoter of skiing on sand
  • 1976 Inductee into the US Ski Hall of Fame

 

Hear from Bill Koch.