Peter Kennedy

When born, he was christened Michael Edward Kennedy, but a relative took one look at him, said, “That’s a Peter!” and he was ever after called Peter. Peter Kennedy and his sister, Karol, have the best record in world competition of any American pairs skaters. In 1950 they became the first Americans to win the world pairs title, after second place finishes in 1947 and 1949. They also finished second in the World’s in 1951 and 1952 as well as at the Oslo Olympics. They were United States champions from 1947 until 1952. Peter Kennedy retired from competitive skating after the 1952 Olympics and took up skiing. He went to the Olympic trials at that sport in 1956 but just missed the team. This led to a career for him, however, as he became a consultant and representative to several firms in the skiing industry.