Andrea Mead-Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Andrea Mead Lawrence (April 19, 1932 – March 30, 2009) was an American
alpine ski racer
. She competed in three Winter Olympics
(and two world championships) and was the first American alpine skier to win two Olympic gold medals.
ski area. At age 14 she made the national team, and at age 15 competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics
in St. Moritz
, Switzerland
, where she placed eighth in the slalom
, and sixth at the 1950 World Championships
in Aspen
.
At the 1952 Winter Olympics
in Oslo, Norway, she was selected as captain of the U.S. women's team at age 19. She won both the slalom
and the giant slalom
events. She succeeded Gretchen Fraser
, who had won gold in the slalom in 1948
, as the top American woman ski racer. She also competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics
, placing fourth in the giant slalom. She was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame
in 1958 and carried the torch at the 1960 Winter Olympics
in Squaw Valley, California
, passed it to America gold medalist speed skater Ken Henry, who circled the ice rink then ascended the Tribune of Honor and ignited the Olympic flame..
supervisor in 1982, and served for 16 years.
In 2003, she founded the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers, a non-profit organization committed to conservation, specifically in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. A resident of the area for over 40 years, she was also a long-time advocate for the preservation of Mono Lake
and other environmental concerns.
On April 29, 2010 U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
and U.S. Representative Howard P. “Buck” McKeon announced legislation to rename Peak 12,240 in Mono County “Mt. Andrea Lawrence,” in memory of Lawrence.
member David Lawrence in 1951. They moved to Aspen, Colorado
in the 1960s, where she became a member of the town's planning board. The couple separated and divorced in 1967. With five young children and little money, she moved her family in 1968 to Mammoth Lakes, California
, near Mammoth Mountain
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
alpine ski racer
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
. She competed in three Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing has been contested at every Winter Olympics since 1936, when a combined event was held in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. From 1948–80, the Winter Olympics also served as the World Championships in Olympic years...
(and two world championships) and was the first American alpine skier to win two Olympic gold medals.
Skiing career
Andrea Mead was born in Rutland County, Vermont to an alpine skiing family that owned and operated the Pico PeakPico Mountain
Pico Mountain Ski Area was one of the first commercial ski resorts in Vermont, USA. The base lodge was located on the northwest side of Pico Peak on U.S. Route 4. In 1996, the resort went into receivership and was bought by the Killington Mountain Resort and Ski Area in December 1997. Ski runs have...
ski area. At age 14 she made the national team, and at age 15 competed in the 1948 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics
At the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the six alpine skiing events were held from Monday, February 2 to Thursday February 5, 1948.After these games, the combined event was dropped as an Olympic medal event for four decades, until 1988...
in St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where she placed eighth in the slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
, and sixth at the 1950 World Championships
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1950
The FIS Alpine World Ski Championships 1950 were held February 13-18, 1950, on Ajax Mountain in Aspen, Colorado, U.S.A.These were the first World Championships held outside of Europe, and the first official world championships since 1939...
in Aspen
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
.
At the 1952 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1952 Winter Olympics
At the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway, the six alpine skiing events were held from Thursday, February 14 to Wednesday, February 20, 1952.The giant slalom made its Olympic debut, and the combined event was dropped as an Olympic medal event for four decades, until 1988...
in Oslo, Norway, she was selected as captain of the U.S. women's team at age 19. She won both the slalom
Slalom skiing
Slalom is an alpine skiing discipline, involving skiing between poles spaced much closer together than in Giant Slalom, Super-G or Downhill, thereby causing quicker and shorter turns.- Origins :...
and the giant slalom
Giant Slalom skiing
Giant slalom is an alpine skiing discipline. It involves skiing between sets of poles spaced at a greater distance to each other than in slalom but less than in super G....
events. She succeeded Gretchen Fraser
Gretchen Fraser
Gretchen Kunigk Fraser was an alpine ski racer. She was the first American to win an Olympic gold medal for skiing....
, who had won gold in the slalom in 1948
Alpine skiing at the 1948 Winter Olympics
At the 1948 Winter Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, the six alpine skiing events were held from Monday, February 2 to Thursday February 5, 1948.After these games, the combined event was dropped as an Olympic medal event for four decades, until 1988...
, as the top American woman ski racer. She also competed at the 1956 Winter Olympics
Alpine skiing at the 1956 Winter Olympics
At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, the six alpine skiing events were held from Friday, January 27 to Friday, February 3, 1956.Toni Sailer of Austria won all three men's events to become the first alpine ski racer to win three gold medals in a single Olympics...
, placing fourth in the giant slalom. She was inducted into the National Ski Hall of Fame
National Ski Hall of Fame
The U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame and Museum is located in the City of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, the birthplace of organized skiing in the United States...
in 1958 and carried the torch at the 1960 Winter Olympics
1960 Winter Olympics
The 1960 Winter Olympics, officially known as the VIII Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event held between February 18 and 28, 1960 in Squaw Valley, California, United States. In 1955 at the 50th IOC meeting, the organizing committee made the surprise choice to award Squaw Valley as...
in Squaw Valley, California
Squaw Valley, California
Squaw Valley, California may refer to:*Squaw Valley, Fresno County, California, census-designated place located in Fresno County, California*Squaw Valley, Placer County, California, community in Placer County, California and host of the 1960 Winter Olympics...
, passed it to America gold medalist speed skater Ken Henry, who circled the ice rink then ascended the Tribune of Honor and ignited the Olympic flame..
Life after skiing
After fighting against development at the ski area, she was elected as a Mono CountyMono County, California
Mono County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of California, to the east of the Sierra Nevada between Yosemite National Park and Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,202, up from 12,853 at the 2000 census...
supervisor in 1982, and served for 16 years.
In 2003, she founded the Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers, a non-profit organization committed to conservation, specifically in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. A resident of the area for over 40 years, she was also a long-time advocate for the preservation of Mono Lake
Mono Lake
Mono Lake is a large, shallow saline lake in Mono County, California, formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in a basin that has no outlet to the ocean...
and other environmental concerns.
On April 29, 2010 U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
Barbara Boxer
Barbara Levy Boxer is the junior United States Senator from California . A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives ....
and U.S. Representative Howard P. “Buck” McKeon announced legislation to rename Peak 12,240 in Mono County “Mt. Andrea Lawrence,” in memory of Lawrence.
Family
Mead married fellow U.S. Ski TeamUnited States Ski Team
The United States Ski Team, operated under the auspices of the United States Ski and Snowboard Association , develops and supports men's and women's athletes in the sports of alpine skiing, adaptive alpine, freestyle skiing, cross country, adaptive cross country, ski jumping, and nordic combined....
member David Lawrence in 1951. They moved to Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
in the 1960s, where she became a member of the town's planning board. The couple separated and divorced in 1967. With five young children and little money, she moved her family in 1968 to Mammoth Lakes, California
Mammoth Lakes, California
-History:The European history of Mammoth Lakes started in 1877, when four prospectors staked a claim on Mineral Hill, south of the current town, along Old Mammoth Road. In 1878, the Mammoth Mining Company was organized to mine Mineral Hill, which caused a gold rush. By the end of 1878, 1500 people...
, near Mammoth Mountain
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area
Mammoth Mountain Ski Area is a large ski resort located in Eastern California, along the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the Inyo National Forest.- Description :...
.
Death
Lawrence was diagnosed with leiomyosarcoma in 2000, from which she died on March 30, 2009, several weeks before her 77th birthday.External links
- National Ski Hall of Fame - Andrea Mead Lawrence - inducted 1958
- FIS-ski.com - Andrea Mead Lawrence
- TIME.com - cover of TIME magazine - 21-Jan-1952
- article - "She Skis for Fun"
- Skiing History.org - Andrea Mead Lawrence
- Vermont Ski Museum.org - Andrea Mead Lawrence
- alimar.org - Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers
- Mono Lake Committee.org - Board of Directors
- Nevasport.com - Andrea Mead Biography and photos
- Bio of Andrea Mead Lawrence at Andrea Lawrence Institute for Mountains and Rivers