Maribel Vinson Owen and Laurence Owen | Golden Skate

Maribel Vinson Owen and Laurence Owen

Sam_Boni

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
Country
United-States
A few years ago I was researching the life of the late, great Maribel Vinson Owen and her daughters Laurence and Maribel Jr., all whom sadly perished in the 1961 Sabena jet crash in Belgium, on their way to the World Championships in Prague. I have lots of arcane material about them I could share (without overwhelming you, of course). MVO and her life is an integral part of American skating history and tradition.

NOTE: Much of my material is not online anywhere; hard-copy material.

Is there any interest here in having some of that info posted?


Thanks!
 
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TripleAxelQueens3

sasha trusova is superior
Final Flight
Joined
Apr 17, 2018
Fun fact:

Maribel Vinson Owen and Laurence Owen were both raised in my town! We actually have a school named after them.
 

Sam_Boni

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
Country
United-States
I wonder if there was a husband/father and or siblings. How tragic.;

MVO's husband Guy Owen was a championship Canadian figure skater who appeared with her in their Gay Blades ice shows in the 1940s.

They were divorced in 1949; Guy Owen passed away in 1952.

MVO's mother, Gertrude Vinson, a talented skater in her own right, was the sole surviving family member. She passed away in 1969.
 

Saundy83

Spectator
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Yes I am interested! I read the book on the disaster just a few short years ago and have since read it again.
 

Jaana

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Country
Finland
I remember reading about the crash, was still at school, that was horrible news! I like history and would be very interested in the material you have.
 

Sam_Boni

Rinkside
Joined
Jan 8, 2006
Country
United-States
Thank you all for your positive responses.

I'll start posting about MVO over the weekend, as I'm in the process of selecting what to post. They won't be so much MVO standard biography--that is already on the Internet:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maribel_Vinson

I'll post fairly arcane items from my collection about her and her daughters Laurence and Maribel Jr.

Thank you, again.
 

nancela

Rinkside
Joined
Feb 6, 2014
Yes, I'm interested, too. Learned a lot about her in the RISE movie. Also, my sister's late father-in-law was an alternate at the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid in what is now known as the Nordic Combined. He knew Maribel and told me that she did so much for figure skating over the years.
 

Saundy83

Spectator
Joined
Feb 13, 2018
Yes, I'm interested, too. Learned a lot about her in the RISE movie. Also, my sister's late father-in-law was an alternate at the 1932 Olympics in Lake Placid in what is now known as the Nordic Combined. He knew Maribel and told me that she did so much for figure skating over the years.

Is the RISE movie available anywhere to watch online or DVD? I remember hearing about it when it was released and wanted to see it very badly.
 

Basho

Rinkside
Joined
Sep 9, 2017
I was a young skater when that plane crashed. Seeing those lurid photos of the wrecked plane in the papers disturbed me for years. I had friends and a coach on that plane. God, it was awful.
 
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