Two Generations Lost
PS Magazine, January/February 2011 Just as the February 13, 1961 issue of Sports Illustrated was reaching the homes of subscribers, its cover girl, 16 year old newly crowned U.S. Women’s Champion Laurence Owen, was glancing down at the beautiful Brussels countryside from Sabena Flight 548. Laurence and the rest of the U.S. delegation were on their way to the World Championships, hopefully to continue the domination of U.S. skaters as they had for the previous decade. Following the greatness of Tenley Albright, Carol Heiss, Dick Button, Hayes Jenkins, and David Jenkins, Laurence and her teammates looked forward to continuing their success. But in less time than it took to skate a long program, the dream wretchedly turned to nightmare. In one heart wrenching moment, a generation of talented skaters, coaches and judges were gone… "It is often in times of tragedy that the finest and most unselfish aspects of human character become evident,” said USFSA President F. Ritter Shumway, at a...