AUBURN – Richard and Mary Kendall relaxed in the living room of their Auburn home while the crisp autumn air outside signaled the coming winter. It’s safe to say that the Kendalls have enjoyed their fair share of winters in Maine.
The state and its skiing community will forever be in their debt.
Fulfilling a prophecy made when the two were high school sweethearts, the Kendalls, married for 60 years, have become synonymous with Maine’s skiing success.
For their efforts as instructors, directors, timers and most importantly parents, Richard, 82, and Mary, 81, were recently inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame.
“When we’re inducted with the likes of Karl Anderson, who was an Olympic skier in two Olympics, we feel in pretty good company,” said Richard.
Prophetic predictions
The prediction was specific. Mary Briggs, a senior at Cony High School, would grow up to marry her sweetheart, Richard Kendall. Together, they would have six boys, and Richard would become a ski instructor.
It sounded a bit bizarre, but the whole thing was a big laughing matter in high school anyway.
They were just yearbook fodder, after all.
“They forecast that we’d get married, that we’d have six sons and that I’d be a ski instructor, all of which came true,” said Richard. “They got wind of it in Boston, and they sent a fellow up from the Boston Herald who interviewed us.”
In high school, the Kendalls were two skiers living in a town without a skiing tradition.
“Cony didn’t have a ski team then,” said Richard, “which bothered me a lot because I played hockey my freshman year, but I was tall and skinny and got creamed by these short, stocky kids.
“I spent too much time on the ice so I said, Geez, I’ve got to find a different sport where I won’t get creamed,’ so I picked up skiing. I taught myself. I used to go over to North Conway to go to Mount Cranmore on my own, and when Mary and I became friendly, she used to go skiing with me, too.”
It was a passion the future husband and wife carried with them for the rest of their lives.
Building a legacy
By the time the Kendalls were married after Richard returned from World War II, the couple moved to the Lewiston-Auburn area. Richard worked in a local mill. Six years later, the first prophecy was complete when youngest son Stephen was born.
The family took to skiing immediately, fulfilling prophecy No. 2.
“It’s a great, great family sport,” said Mary. “It was something that we all could get together and do it. We’d go up to Titcomb Memorial, and other Auburn families used to go, too, before Lost Valley started. That got us all skiing.
“There were 10 of us that could go in one of those regular station wagons years ago. Nowadays, with all of their duffel bags and all of their equipment, there’s no way.”
“And you had to have seat belts on,” added Dick. “You couldn’t get 10 people in a car like that anymore.”
Two daughters followed the six sons, bringing the total number of Kendall children to eight. Keeping track of the kids was often the toughest part of ski outings.
“We bought 10 light blue zip-up sweaters one time, and gave them all to the kids,” said Richard. “Then we’d use the different colored hats to identify them. You could tell they were ours with the sweater, and then which one with the hat.”
By that point, Richard was involved with Lost Valley and its school of instructors.
“The area kind of built itself, though, through the program. It’s not so much what we did.”
The Edward Little High School ski team benefited from the Kendall’s involvement with the sport.
“Every year, except one when there were two or more Kendalls skiing for the team at Edward Little, they’d win the state championship,” said Richard. “It was seven years in a row, but they missed in one year. They had won the state the year before but missed in 64, but then went and won the New Englands.”
Richard also took charge of the Auburn Ski Association for four years.
“We worked with a gentleman who was in charge of recreation, and we teamed up and held what was the first ski swap,” said Richard. “Back then, I could advise people on just what to get. Well, after a number of years of doing that, I realized I’m getting out of touch with all of the sophisticated plastics and curvatures of the skis. I decided I wasn’t going to be an advisor anymore, and I just went out and helped.”
“It’s been a great thing,” added Mary. “It’s paid for a lot of equipment for the skiers of the area.”
On a personal level, the Kendalls watched as four of their eight children won national skiing titles.
“We had gone over to Japan to see our son compete,” said Richard. “He was on the U.S. Ski Team then. All of the kids did well enough that we’re proud of all of them. By the age of 12, they were all better skiers than either Mary or myself.”
Not slowing down
In 1980, the Kendalls helped to time events at the Lake Placid Olympic Games. There, according to Richard, they did something no other Mainer did that year: Won a competition.
“We won a dance contest,” said Richard, as Mary tried to stop him from telling the story.
“It has nothing to do with skiing, really,” said Mary.
“We like to joke about it,” said Richard. “We were the only Mainers to bring back an award. It was a pickup affair among officials. There were only about 30 couples that got on the floor, and we were the ones left.”
Twenty-two years later, with the Olympics back in the United States, the Kendalls went again, thanks to son Tom’s timing company.
“That’s how we really got into the Olympics,” said Mary. “There were seven in the family, including a son-in-law at the last Olympics.”
Even today, as octogenarians, the Kendalls will help Tom out when he needs them for his timing company, Team BART.
“We like to participate one way or another,” said Richard. “Over at Middlebury, Dartmouth. Our son has a contract with all of the Eastern colleges to time their events, so if he puts us up and feeds us, we come down to help out, be a part of his crew.”
The Kendalls still cross country ski. They also travel to Black Mountain to help time events for the Chisholm Ski Club.
“The colder weather is not as easy to bear as it used to be,” said Richard.
But the Kendalls have learned to live with the Pine Tree State’s frigid temperatures, and they still get out to enjoy a season that has brought them, and Maine, plenty of success.
Breakout info
Richard and Mary Kendall’s skiing highlights
Richard was president of the Auburn Ski Association for four years
Richard established the first ski swap in conjunction with the Auburn Recreation Dept.
Richard was president of the Maine Alpine Racing Association
Richard was the first director of the Lost Valley Ski School and served as an instructor for 9 years
Mary was an instructor at the Lost Valley Ski School for 9 years
Mary Established a ski instruction program for children at the Auburn Recreation Department
Richard established the junior racing program at Lost Valley
Mary was a delegate to the Conference on Promotion of the Development Team for the US Olympic Team
They were timing officials at the 1980 and 2002 Olympic games, and both have timed numerous junior, senior and collegiate national championships.
They are both proud parents of eight skiers, four of whom became national champions.
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