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Lowell North

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Lowell North
Personal information
Full nameLowell Orton North
Nickname"The Pope"
NationalityUnited States
Born(1929-12-02)December 2, 1929
Springfield, Missouri, U.S.
DiedJune 2, 2019(2019-06-02) (aged 89)
San Diego, California, U.S.
Sailing career
Class(es)Dragon, Star
Club San Diego Yacht Club
College team University of California, Berkeley
Medal record
Men's sailing
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1968 Mexico City Star class
Bronze medal – third place 1964 Tokyo Dragon class
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1945 Central Long Island Sound Star class
Gold medal – first place 1957 Havana Star class
Gold medal – first place 1959 Newport Harbor Star class
Gold medal – first place 1960 Rio de Janeiro Star class
Gold medal – first place 1973 San Diego Star class
Silver medal – second place 1956 Naples Star class
Silver medal – second place 1963 Chicago Star class
Silver medal – second place 1966 Kiel Star class
Silver medal – second place 1967 Copenhagen Star class
Silver medal – second place 1971 Puget Sound Star class
Bronze medal – third place 1961 San Diego Star class
Bronze medal – third place 1969 San Diego Star class

Lowell Orton North (December 2, 1929 – June 2, 2019) was an American sailor and Olympic Gold Medalist.[1] He competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where he received a gold medal in the Star class with the boat North Star, together with Peter Barrett.[2]

Biography

North was born in Springfield, Missouri on December 2, 1929. He was the son of Williard North.[3] In 1958 he married Kay Gillette North (March 9, 1933 – September 5, 2021). They had three children: Danny, Holly, and Julie.[4] At the time of his death he was survived by his second wife, Bea.[5]

He got his start as a sailmaker at the age of 14, when he and his father raced Star class boats and regularly lost. He recut the sail and improved their record.[6] In 1945, at age 15, he crewed for Malin Burnham in the Star World Championships, which they won. North later said, "It wasn’t me Malin wanted. It was my mainsail."[6][7] During the next 30 years he won another four Star Worlds.

He went on to earn a degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley,[8] but sail design remained his main focus. Opening his first sail making company in the late 1950s, "his methodical and scientific approach to sailmaking changed the industry." He used computer modeling, new materials, and advanced manufacturing techniques.[6] In 1957, he founded North Sails in San Diego, a world wide company producing sailing equipment. [9]

He received a bronze medal in the Dragon class at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.[10]

North participated in 1977 America's Cup defender series where he skippered the 12 metre yacht Enterprise.[11]

North retired in 1984. In 2011, he was inducted into the National Sailing Hall of Fame.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ Wilson, Bernie. "Pioneering sailmaker Lowell North dies at 89". Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  2. ^ "1968 Summer Olympics – Mexico City, Mexico – Sailing" Archived 2008-09-29 at the Wayback Machine databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on April 18, 2008)
  3. ^ "Star Class - History" (PDF). starclass.org. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  4. ^ "Kay Gillette North". San Diego Union Tribune. September 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Eight Bells: Lowell North". Sailing Scuttlebutt. June 3, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c Henry, Tim (June 5, 2019). "The Legend of Lowell North". Latitude 38. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "North, Lowell - 2011 Hall of Fame". www.nshof.org. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  8. ^ "Lowell North Applied Computer Modeling to Art of Making Sails". Wall Street Journal. June 14, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
  9. ^ http://www.na.northsails.com/AboutUs/HistoryofNorthSails/tabid/1951/Default.aspx
  10. ^ "1964 Summer Olympics – Tokyo, Japan – Sailing" Archived 2007-02-21 at the Wayback Machine databaseOlympics.com (Retrieved on April 18, 2008)
  11. ^ "Lowell North Bio, Stats, and Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  12. ^ "Lowell North 2011 Inductee". Nshof.org. Retrieved April 12, 2020.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lowell_North&oldid=1047304978"