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Jenkins, Hayes Alan

Hayes Jenkins

Induction Year : 2009

Sport: Figure Skating

The Cleveland Skating Club was home to Hayes Jenkins when he began making his move in the world of men’s figure skating.  In 1948, he was the U.S. junior national champion.  Growing up in Akron, Cleveland saw plenty of Jenkins until he moved to Colorado in 1953 to attend Colorado College.  He had been a member of five U.S. World Figure Skating teams up until then, finishing fourth at the 1952 Winter Olympics in Oslo, Norway.  That set in motion a run of four consecutive U.S. and world championships from 1953 to 1956.  At the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina, Italy, he put the finishing touch on his remarkable career by winning the gold medal.  His younger brother, David, won the bronze medal.  Four years later they became bonded gold brothers when David won the 1960 gold medal.  Retiring from the ice to attend Harvard Law School, he married 1960 women’s gold medalist Carol Heiss in 1960.  Returning to Akron to work in legal affairs for the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, he and Carol raised three children and ten grandchildren.  Like his wife, he has been honored by numerous organizations throughout the skating world.  He retired from Goodyear as Assistant Secretary and Assistant General Counsel in 1998, after which he and Carol moved to Westlake to be closer to his her coaching site.  For nearly 50 years, they have been the area’s first family of figure skating.