Eventually, Squaw Valley Had Moment in the Sun

The unpredictable weather of the Sierra Nevada gave 665 athletes from 30 nations a never-to-be-forgotten moment 39 years ago today at Squaw Valley, Calif.

It was the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympic Games. Trouble was, no one could see a thing. A snowstorm was in full fury, in near-whiteout conditions. Ten inches of snow fell.

Then, just as the ceremony began, the snow stopped, clouds parted and the sun burst through, illuminating gleaming white slopes. And so the sun got the first ovation of the ’60 Games.

Only 15,000 were on hand--most of those who wanted to be there were stuck on roads snarled by traffic and covered in ice and slush leading into the Olympic complex.

But there, on a suddenly sunny ski slope, was Andrea Mead Lawrence, the American double gold medalist skier from the 1952 Oslo Games. Down Papoose Peak she skied, carrying an Olympic torch, held high.

With 1,200 high school musicians playing and the crowd cheering, she skied off the downhill course and onto a skating rink, turning over the torch to U.S. speedskater Ken Henry. He made a lap of the rink, then ignited the main Olympic torch.

Also on this date: In 1951, New York City was rocked by the first wave of arrests in a growing college basketball scandal. Three City College of New York players admitted to accepting bribes of from $500 to $1,500 for fixing games. . . . In 1932, former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey reached the end of a storied career when he lost a four-round match with King Levinsky. It was billed as an exhibition, but Dempsey could have secured a bout with Max Schmeling had he won. . . . In 1972, Mando Ramos, arguably Los Angeles’ most popular fighter ever, was given a split decision win over Pedro Carrasco before 15,165 at the Sports Arena. . . . In 1914, 125,000 lined Santa Monica’s streets to watch Ralph De Palma beat Barney Oldfield in a close finish to win the Vanderbilt Cup road race.