Past Harvard Olympians Remininsce Days of Yesteryear

competition. Dr. Tenley E. Albright '53-'55 captured the gold medal in 1956.

In 1952, Albright travelled to Oslo, Norway, and finished second to Great Britain's Jeanette Altwegg, garnering a silver medal, an honor that surprised her.

"I went over second from this country, so I couldn't have expected to get a medal," Albright said.

Albright said that participating in the Olympics was one of the most incredible educational experiences she could have had.

"It was quite an experience to be in an Olympic Village," Albright said. "In sport you find a way to communicate with people who don't speak your language. We saw people who came from behind the Iron Curtain, and we shared a lot of the same interests. That really impressed me."

After receiving her degree from Radcliffe in 1955, Albright travelled to Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, for the 1956 Olympics. Skating to a Jacques Offenbach medley on February 2, 1956, Albright received from the judges eight 5.8s, two 5.7s, and one 5.6, out of possible score of 6.0.

Those scores gave her first place in the competition, and the gold medal. Albright became the first American woman to capture a Winter Olympic gold medal, and gave the USA one of only two gold medals it would garner in those Winter Games.

"It's very difficult to describe in words," said Albright of winning for her country. "It's a welling up of all feelings. You feel very strongly attached to everyone in the nation--whether you know them or not--when the flag goes up and the music starts."

Albright--who wrote a recommendation for Wylie to come to Harvard--also received a degree from the Harvard Medical School in 1961, and specializes in surgery and clinical research at the Advanced Medical Research Clinic in Boston.

While figure skating has produced three gold medals for Harvard Olympians, another ice sport has contributed the rest. The Harvard hockey program, which--along with Brown--is the oldest intercollegiate hockey program in the nation, continually produces some of the best players on the U.S. Olympic hockey team. Harvard has been well represented on the Olympic ice since 1932. when John Chase '28, and John Garrison, '31, coached by Alfred Winsor '02, took the silver medal at Lake Placid, N.Y.

The 1988 Olympic team features two players--MacDonald and Bourbeau--who are taking a year off from their studies to play for the squad, plus another--Fusco, the Hobey Baker award winner in 1986 as the nation's top collegiate player--who recently graduated.

The '84 team in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia had Fusco, and his brother Mark '83, who had also been honored with the prestigious Hobey Baker Award in 1983, but failed to produce a medal. In 1980, when the Miracle-on-Ice U.S. team upset the Soviet Union and Finland to capture the gold medal for the second time ever, Jack Hughes '80, was an alternate on the squad.

The 1960 Olympic team in Squaw Valley, Ca., which brought the Olympic hockey gold home for the first time ever, was stocked with former Crimson stars. The team's leading scorer was Bill Cleary '56 who currently serves as the coach of the Harvard hockey team.

Cleary had played on the 1956 team, which earned a silver medal behind the Soviet Union, and he continued his quest for the gold four years later. The United States had its first-ever gold medal in hockey when the 1960 squad upset the Canadians, the Soviets, and finally, on February 28, 1960, the Czechs, 9-4.

On Cleary's gold-medal winning line were his brother Bob '58, and Bob McVey, '58. Together that line produced four of the six third-period goals that keyed the team's comeback victory over the Czechs in the championship game. Defenseman Bob Owen, '58 also played a key role for the squad.

Grand Marshalls

For their efforts, the Cleary brothers were given a parade through Cambridge in their honor the day after the victory.

The past Harvard Olympians cherish their memories of the Games in which they were crowned the world's best, and the Olympics still hold an attraction for them.

"Seeing the Games brings back every feeling you've ever had related to the Olympics," said Albright, who will be heading for Calgary to see the end of the Games. "It's one more demonstration of people pushing the human being to the limit. It's not just physical, either. The mental part is so important."

While there is no guarantee that the next generation of Harvard winter olympians will share in the success of their predecessors, the older generation is willing to offer their advice and expertise.

Albright is friendly with both Wylie and Stanford's Debi Thomas, who is favored to take the silver medal in the women's figure skating competition. Her advice to the two is simple.

"Expect the unexpected and make it work for you," Albright said. "I remember when we had the competition outside, and there was a threat of snow. It didn't bother me because I thought I might handle it better than everyone else."

And if the Olympians heed those words, and get a little luck, they may experience the feeling that few have had--the feeling of being the best in the world.

"It's a lot like catching the perfect wave in surfing," Albright said about winning the gold. "Everything falls into place. If you've ever had that feeling--in sport, or whatever field you pursue--it's something that you definitely want more of. That's why so many of us are drawn to the T.V. or to Calgary. We want to see people bring themselves to the best level that they can."

"That's why athletics is important in itself," Albright added. "It teaches people to succeed and not just to win."