Suzanne Morrow Francis (December 14, 1930 – June 11, 2006) was a Canadian figure skater and veterinarian. She competed in Ladies' Singles in the 1948 and 1952 Winter Olympics. Between 1947 and 1948, Francis competed in Pairs Mixed competitions with Canadian figure skater Wallace Diestelmeyer. Together they won the bronze medal at the 1948 Winter Olympics and the 1948 World Figure Skating Championships. They were the first pair team to perform the death spiral one-handed, with the man holding the woman in position with one hand, at the 1948 Olympic Games.
Figure skating Competing in Ladies' Singles, Suzanne Morrow Francis came in 14th at the St. Moritz Winter Olympics but ended up in 6th place at the 1952 Oslo Winter Olympics. She retired from competition in 1953 but did not sever ties with figure skating. While working as a veterinarian, Francis continued to serve as a figure skating judge and has been for over fifty years. Additionally, she planned to work to work with the Peterborough Figure Skating Club. Also, she was included in the top six women skaters in the world five years prior to when she had retired.
At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Francis took the Judge's Oath, the first woman to do so at the Winter Olympics. In 1992, she was inducted into the Skate Canada Hall of Fame together with Diestelmeyer. She continued working as a veterinarian until retirement in 1995.
Veterinary career
In 1952, Francis earned her degree in veterinary medicine from the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario. For a time, Francis shared a clinic with Dr. Edith Williams, the second Canadian woman to earn a degree as a veterinarian. During that time, she also served as an All Breed dog show judge as part of the Canadian Kennel Club.
Francis had always loved dogs and frequently had a dog by her side. Her favourite dog was a German Shepherd. Other than the time she went to veterinary school in Guelph, her longest time she spent in school was two months because figure skating took up the majority of her time. Also because of this, she mostly relied on tutors to get the help she needed to get through school.
Francis' figure skating records
Ladies singles Event 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 Winter Olympics 14th 6th World Championships 13th 4th 4th 4th 5th North American Championships 2nd Canadian Championships 1st J 3rd 6th 1st 1st 1st
Pairs with Norris Bowden Event 1945 1946 Canadian Championships 1st J 2nd
Pairs Mixed with Wallace Diestelmeyer Event 1947 1948 Winter Olympics 3rd World Championships 3rd North American Championships 1st Canadian Championships 1st 1st
Ice dance with Wallace Diestelmeyer Event 1948 Canadian Championships 1st
References
External links
IOC 1988 Winter Olympics (shown as Suzanna Morrow-Francis) Wendl, Karel. "The Olympic Oath - A Brief History" Citius, Altius, Fortius (Journal of Olympic History since 1997). Winter 1995. pp. 4,5. databaseOlympics.com: Suzanne Morrow