Gregory C. Thompson

The evolution of skiing in the Intermountain West is rich with enterprise and inspiration, rife with innovators and Olympians. At the helm of the preservation of that priceless record is respected historian, educator, and administrator Dr. Gregory C. Thompson, born in 1943.

In 1989, Greg and Sue Raemer were the co-founders of the Ski Archives housed at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library. Dedicated to his art of preserving treasured research materials, Greg provided untiring expertise and guidance as the Ski Archives amassed its prized collections, scrapbooks, photographs, and film and became one of America’s foremost repositories of ski history.

Greg received his MA and doctorate degrees from the University of Utah where he served as Associate Dean for Special Collections at the Marriott Library and as an adjunct assistant professor of history. He was a noted lecturer, editor, writer, and author on several historical fronts, especially in the American West. His contribution to perpetuating the history of skiing is of epic proportions

The impressive exploits of Karen Korfanta, born in 1945, span the ski racing spectrum. They range from learning to ski at a small ski area founded by her parents near Pinedale, WY, to the global stage. She dominated the region’s junior racing circuit, winning the U.S. Junior Nationals Slalom Championship in 1963 and the senior title in 1964. At the University of Utah, she competed in the World University Games in Italy and Finland. She was a member of the U.S. National Alpine Team in 1967-70, the U.S. Olympic Team in 1968, and the U.S. FIS Universiade teams in 1966 and 1970. Her post-racing triumphs include being the coordinator for the Men’s and Women’s U.S. Alpine Ski Program, Assistant Alpine Director of the U.S. Ski Team, Assistant Director of the National Training Center at Park City, and FIS technical delegate. As the race department manager of Park City Mountain Resort, she successfully orchestrated America’s Opening World Cups and the 2002 Olympic Winter Games competitions at that venue.

In a notable tribute to the respect she commands on the international skiing scene, Karen was named chairwoman of the FIS Ladies Alpine Skiing Subcommittee in 2008. That same year she received the prestigious S. J. Quinney Award for her contributions to skiing from the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Ski Archives, the Intermountain Region’s foremost authority on skiing history.