Melville Rogers (1899-1973): 1924 Chamonix, Figure Skating - Beechwood Cemetery, Ottawa, Ontario

WMPW33

Marker is in section 49, lot 44.

N 45° 26.776 W 075° 39.899

Melville Falkner Rogers represented Canada at the first Olympic Winter Games, Chamonix, France, in 1924, figure skating. He finished seventh, of eleven, in the men's individual event. In the compulsory figures Rogers was ranked as high as fifth by one judge.

Rogers also competed in the mixed pairs event described in a contemporary report in The Ottawa Citizen, 31 January 1924, front page.

Melville F. Rogers, Ottawa, and Miss Cecil Eustace Smith, Toronto, stand seventh in the figure skating competitions in the Olympic winter sports. There is much dissatisfaction over the figure skating event because the Canadian entrants were not permitted to make any preparation before entering the competitions.

The following narrative is taken from the booklet Historic Portraits published by the Beechwood Cemetery.

Rogers was born in Ottawa on January 5, 1899. For 60 years, he was associated with the Minto Skating Club, and he founded the Minto Follies. He served as president of the Canadian Figure Skating Association for two terms and also chaired the international judges committee for 15 years.

Five times Canadian figure skating champion, and twice North American singles figure skating champion, he was also a member of the Canadian and four North American fours title teams. He was a member of the 1924 Olympic team and received the International Skating Union gold medal. Rogers died on September 26, 1973. He was inducted into the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Rogers is buried with his wife Isobel who was also his figure skating partner at Canadian and World Championships.