Guy Rochon Owen (August 22, 1913 – April 21, 1952) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
figure skating
Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are me ...
champion.
Owen initially competed in the men's individual figure skating event, winning the 1929 Canadian junior men's singles championship. He went on to specialize in the "Fours Event" with great success. For five straight years between 1933 and 1937, Owen and his skating partners
Margaret Davis,
Prudence Holbrook, and
Melville Rogers
Melville F. Rogers (January 5, 1899 – September 26, 1973) was a Canadian figure skater and figure skating judge. He competed in the disciplines of single skating, pair skating, ice dancing, and fours. He won the Canadian championship several ...
won the Fours Event at the Canadian National Figure Skating Championships plus they also captured the bi-annual North American Figure Skating Championship three successive times in 1933, 1935, and 1937.
In 1938 Guy Owen married
Maribel Vinson
Maribel Yerxa Vinson-Owen (née Vinson; October 12, 1911 – February 15, 1961) was an American figure skater and coach. She competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles and pair skating. As a single skater, she was the 1932 Olympic bronze me ...
, nine-time United States ladies figure skating champion,
and settled in
Berkeley, California
Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
. They had two daughters,
Maribel Owen
Maribel Yerxa Owen (April 25, 1940 – February 15, 1961) was an American figure skater.
She was the daughter of skaters Maribel Vinson and Guy Owen and the sister of 1961 U.S. Ladies' Champion Laurie Owen. With pairs partner Dudley Ri ...
(1940–1961) and
Laurence Owen
Laurence Rochon "Laurie" Owen (; May 9, 1944 – February 15, 1961) was a Hall of Fame American figure skater. She was the 1961 U.S. National Champion and represented the United States at the 1960 Winter Olympics, where she placed 6th. She ...
(1944–1961).
Guy and Maribel Owen turned professional, earning a living as performers with ice skating shows such as the International Ice Skate Revue before setting up their own show. They divorced in 1949 and she and the daughters moved back east to the
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
area in 1952, where they lived with her recently widowed mother in
Winchester
Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...
.
During his final year, Owen worked in
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...
.
While visiting his parents in
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
, Owen died at age 38 of a
perforated ulcer
A perforated ulcer is a condition in which an untreated ulcer has burned through the mucosal wall in a segment of the gastrointestinal tract (e.g., the stomach or colon) allowing gastric contents to leak into the abdominal cavity.
Signs and symp ...
on April 21, 1952.
His ex-wife and daughters died nine years later in the
Sabena 548 plane crash in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, which killed the U.S. figure skating team in February 1961.
Results
Men's singles
Fours
(with
Margaret Davis,
Prudence Holbrook, and
Melville Rogers
Melville F. Rogers (January 5, 1899 – September 26, 1973) was a Canadian figure skater and figure skating judge. He competed in the disciplines of single skating, pair skating, ice dancing, and fours. He won the Canadian championship several ...
)
(with
Frances Claudet,
Kathleen Lopdell, and
Melville Rogers
Melville F. Rogers (January 5, 1899 – September 26, 1973) was a Canadian figure skater and figure skating judge. He competed in the disciplines of single skating, pair skating, ice dancing, and fours. He won the Canadian championship several ...
)
See also
*
Maribel Vinson
Maribel Yerxa Vinson-Owen (née Vinson; October 12, 1911 – February 15, 1961) was an American figure skater and coach. She competed in the disciplines of ladies' singles and pair skating. As a single skater, she was the 1932 Olympic bronze me ...
*
Maribel Owen
Maribel Yerxa Owen (April 25, 1940 – February 15, 1961) was an American figure skater.
She was the daughter of skaters Maribel Vinson and Guy Owen and the sister of 1961 U.S. Ladies' Champion Laurie Owen. With pairs partner Dudley Ri ...
*
Laurence Owen
Laurence Rochon "Laurie" Owen (; May 9, 1944 – February 15, 1961) was a Hall of Fame American figure skater. She was the 1961 U.S. National Champion and represented the United States at the 1960 Winter Olympics, where she placed 6th. She ...
References
External links
*
Canadian male single skaters
1913 births
1952 deaths
20th-century Canadian people
{{Canada-figure-skating-bio-stub