John Litchfield ’39
John Litchfield ’39 died in Denver on June 10, 2011. Some said John “was probably born with skis on his feet,” as he was skiing at age 7 and competing in ski jumping by the time he was 14. He was a natural and it helped that his late father, Norman, was a ski-jumping coach. He skied with the famous 1939 ski team and enjoyed skiing with Dick ’39 and Jack ’39 Durrance, Warren ’38 and Howard ’39 Chivers and Ted Hunter ’38. John was chosen to ski for the United States in the 1940 Winter Olympics, but the event was canceled as a result of World War II. He taught skiing at Sun Valley, Idaho, and became director there. Then he went into the military and was assigned to the famed 10th Mountain Division, which trained in the Colorado Rockies. He served in Italy and earned a Bronze Star. After the war he and two friends from the 10th Mountain Division opened the Aspen Ski School, and he and a business partner bought and renovated the Red Onion restaurant. He was recalled to active duty during the Korean conflict and worked in the intelligence division in the Pentagon. He attended the Army’s Strategic Intelligence School. John married and divorced three times and had no children.
