- Maribel Owen
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This article is about the American pair skater. For her mother, see Maribel Vinson.
Maribel Owen Personal information Full name Maribel Yerxa Owen Country represented 
United StatesBorn April 25, 1940
Boston, MassachusettsDied February 15, 1961 (aged 20)
Berg-Kampenhout, Vlaams-Brabant, BelgiumFormer partner Dudley Richards Former coach Maribel Vinson Skating club SC of Boston Medal recordCompetitor for the United StatesPairs' Figure skating North American Championships Silver 1961 Philadelphia Pairs Maribel Yerxa Owen (April 25, 1940 – February 15, 1961) was an American pair skater. With partner Dudley Richards, she was the 1961 U.S. national champion and represented the United States at the 1960 Winter Olympics, where they placed 10th. She was the daughter of Maribel Vinson and Guy Owen and the sister of Laurence Owen. Maribel Owen died died in the crash of Sabena Flight 548 en route to the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships.
Contents
Life and career
Maribel Yerxa Owen was born in Boston, Massachusetts and was the first child born to Maribel Vinson and Guy Owen. She was named after her mother, and was known as "Maribel, Jr." or "Mara".[1] Her younger sister Laurence was also a champion skater, and they were both coached by their mother.
Owen began to skate at the age of 2 years and 9 months. At the time the Owen family was living in Berkeley, California and Maribel competed in singles competition representing the St. Moritz Ice Skating Club. When the Owens moved to the Boston area, she formed a pair team with Charles Foster (later president of the United States Figure Skating Association). In 1956, when she age 15, she and Foster became the U.S. junior national champions. When Foster retired from competition to attend medical school, she teamed with Dudley Richards.[1]
With Richards, she competed at the 1960 Winter Olympics, placing 9th. They won the 1961 United States Figure Skating Championships and the silver medal at the 1961 North American Figure Skating Championships.
On January 28, 2011 Maribel Owen was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame along with the entire 1961 World Team. Her sister Laurence Owen also was inducted and her mother Maribel Vinson Owen was inducted for a third time in 2011; in her capacity as a 1961 World Team Coach. Previously, her mother had been inducted in the inaugural Class of 1976 as a singles skater and for a second time in 1994 as a pairs skater.[2]
Owen was a student at Boston University, where she was majoring in sociology and anthropology.
Death
As a result of winning the national championships, Maribel Owen was selected to be a member of the U.S. team at the 1961 World Figure Skating Championships, to be held in Prague, Czechoslovakia. She was a passenger on a Boeing 707 operating as Sabena Flight 548 when it crashed near Brussels, Belgium, killing all on board. She was 20 years old. The World Championships that year were cancelled.
Maribel Owen was interred next to her mother and sister in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Results
(pairs with Dudley Richards)
Event 1958 1959 1960 1961 Winter Olympics 10th World Championships 10th North American Championships 2nd U.S. Championships 3rd 3rd 2nd 1st See also
References
- Nichols, Nikki (2006). Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team. Emmis Books. ISBN 1578602602.
- Kubatko, Justin. "Maribel Owen Biography and Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ow/maribel-owen-1.html. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
External links
Categories:- American pair skaters
- Figure skaters at the 1960 Winter Olympics
- 1961 deaths
- Olympic figure skaters of the United States
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Belgium
- 1940 births
- People from Boston, Massachusetts
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