Ken Bartholomew
Encyclopedia
Kenneth "Ken" Eldred Bartholomew (born 10 February 1920) is a former speed skating
champion from the United States
.
Bartholomew was born in Leonard, North Dakota
. His parents were William "Bill" N. Bartholomew and Clara U. Bartholomew. Bill and Clara had five children: Earl
, Vern, Ken, Ardys, and Carl. Bill was the head timer at local, state, and national speed skating events for about 35 years and a member of the timing committees at the US Olympic speed skating trials in the 1950s.
Living in Minnesota
, Bartholomew skated mostly at local, state-wide, and national events, winning more than 1,000 medals and trophies. Among these were fourteen National Championships titles between 1945 and 1960, three North American outdoor titles, and one North American indoor title. In 1948, Bartholomew competed in the 500 m at the Winter Olympics
of St. Moritz
and finished second behind Finn Helgesen
. He shared his second place with fellow United States team member Bob Fitzgerald
and Norwegian
skater Thomas Byberg
.
Bartholomew worked for Northwestern Bell
, laying and repairing telephone lines. He also owned a tree service. In his later years, he competed in ski jumping
and golf
.
Bartholomew and his wife Evelyn had five daughters. He was inducted in the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame in 1959 and in the National Speedskating Hall of Fame in 1968. At the 1974 Senior Olympics
in Lake Placid, New York
, Bartholomew won gold medals in the 200 m, the 500 m, the 1,000 m, and the 1,500 m.
His brothers Earl and Carl also were renowned in sports: Earl Bartholome
– he dropped the final "w" from his surname in order to avoid confusion with Ken – was a professional ice hockey
player, inducted in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1977, while Carl once held the world record for non-stop speed skating with a time of 54½ hours.
Speed skating
Speed skating, or speedskating is a competitive form of ice skating in which the competitors race each other in traveling a certain distance on skates. Types of speed skating are long track speed skating, short track speed skating, and marathon speed skating...
champion from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Bartholomew was born in Leonard, North Dakota
Leonard, North Dakota
As of the census of 2000, there were 255 people, 116 households, and 74 families residing in the city. The population density was 514.9 people per square mile . There were 124 housing units at an average density of 250.4 per square mile . The racial makeup of the city was 98.04% White, 1.18% Native...
. His parents were William "Bill" N. Bartholomew and Clara U. Bartholomew. Bill and Clara had five children: Earl
Earl Bartholome
Earl Franklin Bartholome , born as Earl Bartholomew, was an American ice hockey player.Bartholome was born in Valley City, North Dakota. His parents were William "Bill" N. Bartholomew and Clara U. Bartholomew. Bill and Clara had five children: Earl, Vern, Ken, Ardys, and Carl...
, Vern, Ken, Ardys, and Carl. Bill was the head timer at local, state, and national speed skating events for about 35 years and a member of the timing committees at the US Olympic speed skating trials in the 1950s.
Living in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, Bartholomew skated mostly at local, state-wide, and national events, winning more than 1,000 medals and trophies. Among these were fourteen National Championships titles between 1945 and 1960, three North American outdoor titles, and one North American indoor title. In 1948, Bartholomew competed in the 500 m at the Winter Olympics
1948 Winter Olympics
The 1948 Winter Olympics, officially known as the V Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated in 1948 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. The Games were the first to be celebrated after World War II; it had been twelve years since the last Winter Games in 1936...
of St. Moritz
St. Moritz
St. Moritz is a resort town in the Engadine valley in Switzerland. It is a municipality in the district of Maloja in the Swiss canton of Graubünden...
and finished second behind Finn Helgesen
Finn Helgesen
Finn Helgesen was a speed skater from Norway. He was born in Drammen, Buskerud.At the Norwegian Championships, Helgesen won the 500 m in 1947 and 1949. He became Olympic Champion on the 500 m at the 1948 Winter Olympics in St...
. He shared his second place with fellow United States team member Bob Fitzgerald
Bob Fitzgerald
Bob Fitzgerald is a TV play-by-play voice for the Golden State Warriors and San Jose SaberCats on CSN Bay Area, and is a co-host of the show Fitz and Brooks on KNBR with co-host Rod Brooks.-Education:...
and Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
skater Thomas Byberg
Thomas Byberg
Thomas Hedvin Byberg was a Norwegian speed skater. He represented Hommelvik Idrettslag and Trondhjems Skøiteklub.He was born in Hommelvik....
.
Bartholomew worked for Northwestern Bell
Northwestern Bell
Northwestern Bell Telephone Company served the states just north of the Southwestern Bell area, including: Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska.- Early beginnings :Northwestern Bell's earliest roots begin in Deadwood, South Dakota...
, laying and repairing telephone lines. He also owned a tree service. In his later years, he competed in ski jumping
Ski jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
and golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
.
Bartholomew and his wife Evelyn had five daughters. He was inducted in the Minnesota Sports Hall of Fame in 1959 and in the National Speedskating Hall of Fame in 1968. At the 1974 Senior Olympics
Senior Olympics
The National Senior Games or "Senior Olympics" is a sports competition for seniors from the United States. It is a multi-sport event specifically devoted to adults aged 50+ . It is composed of regional competitions held yearly in all American states...
in Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid, New York
Lake Placid is a village in the Adirondack Mountains in Essex County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 2,638....
, Bartholomew won gold medals in the 200 m, the 500 m, the 1,000 m, and the 1,500 m.
His brothers Earl and Carl also were renowned in sports: Earl Bartholome
Earl Bartholome
Earl Franklin Bartholome , born as Earl Bartholomew, was an American ice hockey player.Bartholome was born in Valley City, North Dakota. His parents were William "Bill" N. Bartholomew and Clara U. Bartholomew. Bill and Clara had five children: Earl, Vern, Ken, Ardys, and Carl...
– he dropped the final "w" from his surname in order to avoid confusion with Ken – was a professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player, inducted in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame
United States Hockey Hall of Fame
The United States Hockey Hall of Fame was established in 1973 with the goal of preserving the rich history of the game in the United States while recognizing the extraordinary contributions of select players, coaches, administrators, officials and teams....
in 1977, while Carl once held the world record for non-stop speed skating with a time of 54½ hours.