Benjamin T. Wright -- RIP

aftershocks

aftershocks

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The skating world has lost a remarkable man and a passionate devotee to the sport. My heart breaks... I just found out on Ryan's Skateguard blog that Mr. Wright passed away at the age of 97 on November 30, 2019. :( Mr. Wright served as President of the U.S. Figure Skating Association from 1973 - 1976, and he was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997. More than that, he was one of the sport's great historians. He was such a kind man, always willing to share his knowledge. I doubt if most people in the skating community are even aware of what we have lost with his passing... :saint:

Thank you Ryan (@SkateGuard) for reminding us on your blog of the sport's wonderful moments and forgotten memories. Thanks for staying on top of the sport's history and sharing your knowledge. ♥

skateguard1.blogspot.com

Skate Guard Blog

The ultimate authoritative guide to figure skating history
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Benjamin Wright Obituary (1922 - 2019) - Concord, MA - The Lexington Minuteman

View Benjamin T. Wright's obituary, send flowers and sign the guestbook.
www.legacy.com
 
https://www.usfsa.org/story.aspx?id=92876&type=media
Excerpts:
BENJAMIN T. WRIGHT: AUG. 24, 1922 - NOV. 30, 2019 ...
For more than seven decades, Wright served in virtually every capacity at The Skating Club of Boston, U.S. Figure Skating and the International Skating Union (ISU).
He became a national judge in 1950, a national accountant in 1952, a national referee in 1958, an international judge in 1962, an international referee in 1966, a World judge in 1967, a World referee in 1970, an international dance referee in 1971 and a World dance referee in 1974.
Wright served as an official at six Olympic Games, 22 World Championships, 12 European Championships, eight World Junior Championships and 25 U.S. Championships.
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“Ben Wright was a lion in the sport of figure skating and at The Skating Club of Boston,” The Skating Club of Boston President Joe Blount said. “A member for many, many decades, Ben served the Club in multiple capacities, including chief historian and longtime board member.
“No matter how far Ben went in the sport as judge, official and referee, both nationally and internationally, he always chose to return to Boston for test sessions and competitions, and to do what he could for advice and support for skaters at every level at the club. We will always remember and treasure Ben for his keen memory, sharp insight, dry wit and ever-direct manner.”
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ETA:

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Thanks for sharing @Sylvia. I should rephrase that most young people in the skating community wouldn't know or remember Mr. Wright unless they happened to have met him or read his books. All the old-timers who knew him and his work, and were beneficiaries of his passionate knowledge about figure skating, of course, would be possibly somewhat more aware of what the sport has lost.

ETA:
From Ryan's Skateguard blog tribute:
"Skating's current incarnation is just a blip on a long and storied highway and unless we peer into the pavement cracks and challenge what we think we know, we'll never quite get a handle on the sport's complex evolution. It's now up to all of us to carry on Benjamin T. Wright's important work and trust me, he'd want it done right."

Thanks again, Ryan!

Books by Benjamin T. Wright:

Skating in America 1921-1996: The 75th Anniversary History of the U.S. Figure Skating Association, 1996

Reader's Guide to Figure Skating's Hall of Fame, 1978
 
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Wright served as an official at six Olympic Games, 22 World Championships, 12 European Championships, eight World Junior Championships and 25 U.S. Championships.
Click to expand...
Imagine being witness to such a span of figure skating history. :eek:

In a sport dependent on volunteers, Ben Wright was the embodiment of selflessness driven by a pure love of figure skating. May his extraordinary life of service be an inspiration to others to give back. RIP Benjamin Tappan Wright, after a life well-lived.
 
So sad...

So he must have known all the skaters (so many from Skating Club of Boston) from the 1961 tragedy as well...

I think I will check out his books.....
 
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My strongest memory of Wright was during Gordeeva and Grinkov's free skate at the 1987 European Championships. Sergei's boot strap on his trousers snapped, and as the referee for the event, Wright blew his whistle so that they would halt the performance. When they ignored him and kept going, he simply shrugged and said, "I can't make them stop"
 
Sylvia said:
Gordeeva's My Sergei memoir has an extended description of Benjamin Wright's referee role at 1987 Euros (G&G were disqualified from the comp. & Wright later apologized to them at 1987 Worlds).

The ISU has published a statement re. Wright's death (Dec. 10): https://www.isu.org/inside-isu/isu-communications/communications/23152-isu-communication-2299/file
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I think Wright was correct to halt the performance. That boot strap could have caused them all sorts of issues if Grinkov had caught it on his skate blade. Especially during a lift or a side by side spin.

(For some reason, the link isn't taking me to the extended description.)
 
In the book, Frozen in Time: The Enduring Legacy of the 1961 U.S. Figure Skating Team, Benjamin Wright remembers Maribel Vinson Owen's strong, no-nonsense personality. Wright recalled that "Maribel had an outspoken side. 'She did not waste words,' [said Wright] ... Maribel was known as a hard-driving coach... She was Auntie Mame and the Unsinkable Molly Brown wrapped up into one combustible soul..."

The book also discusses the talent and personalities of Maribel's two daughters, Maribel Jr., and Laurence. Since young Maribel was named for her mother, she was called, 'Mara.' Younger daughter, Laurence, is described as 'outgoing and strong-willed.' Laurence had a quick temper and a huge smile, and she was the more talented jumper, thus she was a rising star in ladies' singles. "Mara, though shy and soft-spoken could still raise her voice at times, showing the famous Owen family moxie." Mara excelled in pairs skating, and she was beginning to fall in love with her pairs partner, Dudley Richards.

An interesting tidbit from the book that I was surprised to learn is how the U.S. National Championships used to be held after the World Championships up until 1959. It doesn't seem to make any sense that Nationals would be held after Worlds, but I guess so much was very different back then. The book indicates that it was Mara, (as a fifteen-year-old) serving on the U.S. Skating Governing Council in Boston, who suggested that U.S. Nationals be held before Worlds "which would allow the new [national] champions to be presented on the world stage ... also ensuring that skaters in the best physical shape would represent the U.S. at Worlds."

Pairs skating looked so different in the early 1960s: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qICTuC1SeWk
 
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