Archive Record
Metadata
Catalog Number |
FAM 1977.34 |
Title |
Vinson-Owen Collection |
Collection |
Family Records |
Object Name |
Records |
Scope & Content |
The V-O collection was donated to the Winchester Historical Society in 1977 by Frank V. Monkiewicz who bought the V-O house at 195 High St. The items were left in the house by the previous owner, Gertrude Vinson, mother of Maribel Vinson-Owen. In 1983, Mary Vitka (1922-2007) donated items that were part of the Vinson-Owen Elementary School collection. Mary was a secretary in the Winchester School Department and a member of the Winchester Historical Society. This collection contains papers and materials that belonged to the members of the Owen family who were U.S. National Champion figure skaters and resided in Winchester, Mass. They died tragically in 1961 when the airplane carrying the U.S. team crashed on the way to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague. The Vinson-Owen family consisted of Maribel (Vinson) Owen (1911-1961), a nine-time singles U.S. National Champion figure skater, her husband, Guy Owen (1913-1952), an individual and pairs skater, and their two daughters Maribel Owen (1940-1961), a pairs U.S. National Champion figure skater (1961) and Laurence Owen (1944-1961), a singles U.S. National Champion figure skater (1961). |
Admin/Biographical History |
Maribel Yerxa Vinson was a world figure-skating hall of fame singles and pairs skater. Born in Winchester October 11, 1911 to Thomas and Gertrude Vinson, both figure skaters. She grew up in Winchester and studied at Radcliffe College. She learned to skate at the age of three and by the age of twelve, won the U.S. Junior Ladies title. At the peak of her career, Maribel Vinson won the U.S. Women's Singles title nine times between 1928 and 1937, and also won the U.S. Pairs Championship with partner, Thornton L. Coolidge in 1928 and 1929, and with partner, George E.B. Hill in 1933, 1936, and 1937. In 1932, Maribel Vinson earned a bronze medal at the Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. Maribel Vinson was also an avid writer, and was not only a sportswriter at the New York Times in the 1930s, but also authored three books on figure skating: Primer of Figure Skating (1938), Advanced Figure Skating (1940), and the Fun of Figure Skating (1960), during her lifetime. In the late 1930s, Maribel Vinson retired from figure skating and in 1938 married Canadian skater, Guy Rochon Owen (1913-1952). With Guy, Maribel continued figure skating, touring the country in ice-skating shows and revues. Tragically, in 1952 Guy Owen died unexpectedly. The Vinson-Owen family, who were living in Berkeley Calif. at the time, relocated to Maribel Vinson Owen's hometown of Winchester, Mass. In Boston, she became a local figure skating coach, coaching Tenley Albright, an Olympic medalist and U.S. National Champion. When Maribel wasn't instructing others, she was busy training both her daughters who, like their parents, had a natural talent and passion for the sport. Maribel Yerxa Owen was born April 5, 1940 in Boston, Mass. the eldest daughter of Maribel Vinson and Guy Owen. Named after her mother, "Maribel Jr.," she began skating at the age of two, and became a member of the St. Mortiz Ice Skating Club in Oakland, Calif. After the Vinson-Owen family moved to Boston, Maribel Jr. became a pair's skater, forming a team with Charles Foster. In 1956, they became U.S. Junior National champions. After Foster retired to attend medical school, Maribel Jr. formed a pair's team with Dudley Richards. In 1960, they competed in the 1960 Winter Olympics where they came in ninth place, and in 1961 they won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and received the silver medal at the North American Figure Skating Championships. Laurence Rochon Owen, nicknamed, "The Winchester Pixie" was born May 9, 1944 in Oakland, California. Like her older sister, Laurence was passionate about figure skating. In 1956, Laurence won the Eastern Junior Ladies Championship. In 1958, she placed third in the U.S. Junior Figure Skating Championship, and won the title a year later. In 1960, Laurence placed third in the 1960 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, which would qualify her for the 1960 Winter Olympic games, where she finished sixth. In 1961, Laurence won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships as well as the North American Figure Skating Championships. These wins brought her into the spotlight, providing her with national recognition, and a Sports Illustrated cover and feature article. As national champions, both Laurence and Maribel Jr., were selected to compete in the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships in Prague, Czechoslovakia as part of the U.S. Skating Team. On February 14, 1961, Laurence, Maribel Vinson, Maribel Owen and her partner Dudley Richards, boarded Sabena Flight 548 at Idlewild Airport in New York. During an attempted landing in Brussels, Belgium, the plane crashed, killing all seventy two passengers aboard. Maribel and her two children are buried at the Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Mass. On January 28, 2011, both Maribel and Laurence Owen were inducted posthumously into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame along with entire 1961 U.S. skating team, including Maribel Vinson Owen, who was inducted for a third time for being the U.S. World Team's coach. |
Copyrights |
Permission to publish material from this collection is subject to approval by the Town of Winchester. |
Finding Aids |
A finding aid with detailed information about the contents of the collection is available. Contact the Archives for a copy. |
Subjects |
Aircraft accidents Athletes Competition entries Ice skating |
Search Terms |
Girls Latin School Harvard University High Street National Figure Skating Championships National Pairs Championships Skating Club of Boston Winchester Public Library Winchester Star World Figure Skating Championships |
People |
Coolidge, Thornton L. Dudley, Richard Foster, Charles Hill, George E.B. Owen, Guy Rochon Owen, Laurence Rochon Vinson, Gertrude Vinson, Maribel Yerxa Vinson, Thomas |
Containers |
Clippings Books Books Skating Materials and Published Articles Family Papers Materials Relating to High Street Property Family Papers Misc. Skating Materials Vinson Books Ledgers and Mass Cards Photographs Scrapbook (Photographs) Scrapbooks Magazines and Oversized Clippings |