Dick Rasmussen was born Ralph Richard Rasmussen on February 23, 1927 in Washington and was my grandmother's only brother, so that makes him my great uncle. Here he is, year unknown.
I don't know a ton about him but the one thing I do know is pretty exciting! He was in the Ice Follies, which was founded in 1937 and merged with Holiday on Ice in 1979. The Ice Follies featured grand production numbers and novelty acts. It is unclear how Dick came to be such a great skater, but at the age of 15 (in 1942ish) he got permission from his parents to join the Ice Follies and off he went.
I don't know a ton about him but the one thing I do know is pretty exciting! He was in the Ice Follies, which was founded in 1937 and merged with Holiday on Ice in 1979. The Ice Follies featured grand production numbers and novelty acts. It is unclear how Dick came to be such a great skater, but at the age of 15 (in 1942ish) he got permission from his parents to join the Ice Follies and off he went.
Here is a picture from the 1949 Ice Follies of Bill Cameron (l) and Dick Rassmussen (r). The things my ancestors wore! Dick writes to the manufacturer of his ice boots: "To Mr. Harlick - Sincere best of wishes always to a swell person. Thanks millions for your wonderful work on my skating boots. They are the best. Your skating friend, Dick Rasmussen."
Here is a photo from the 1950 Ice Follies with Dick Rasmussen (l) and Bill Cameron (r). The message is basically the same: Best wishes and thanks for the great skating boots.
I found an article from January 15, 1953 in the Pittsburgh Press that also mentioned Dick in that year's Ice Follies. The latest newspaper reference I found is 1953. It is possible he continued on or that he stopped that year. It is clear that he was most likely a very good actor and a comedian on ice. As you can see, he was quite tall and skinny. It is said he took after his father Ralph Rasmussen, as he was also tall and skinny.
Here is a picture of Dick's father Ralph holding Shirley, Dick's older sister. Ralph would've been about 24 in this picture, about the same age Dick is in his Ice Follies photos. You can't see his face too well but their body type and shape look very similar to me.
After the Ice Follies he tried to open his own skating rink in the Los Angeles area but that didn't work out too well. Afterward, he worked with his brother-in-law, Bill Grant, in Bill's bread business. He got married in his parents' home in Manhattan Beach, CA in June 1954. He had one son. Dick died June 24, 1979 in Los Angeles, CA of Carcinoma of Lung, or Lung cancer. Not good but he did smoke all the time. So in tribute to Great Uncle Dick, here's hoping I get to meet you someday and find out how you got to be so good at ice skating.
I found an article from January 15, 1953 in the Pittsburgh Press that also mentioned Dick in that year's Ice Follies. The latest newspaper reference I found is 1953. It is possible he continued on or that he stopped that year. It is clear that he was most likely a very good actor and a comedian on ice. As you can see, he was quite tall and skinny. It is said he took after his father Ralph Rasmussen, as he was also tall and skinny.
Here is a picture of Dick's father Ralph holding Shirley, Dick's older sister. Ralph would've been about 24 in this picture, about the same age Dick is in his Ice Follies photos. You can't see his face too well but their body type and shape look very similar to me.
After the Ice Follies he tried to open his own skating rink in the Los Angeles area but that didn't work out too well. Afterward, he worked with his brother-in-law, Bill Grant, in Bill's bread business. He got married in his parents' home in Manhattan Beach, CA in June 1954. He had one son. Dick died June 24, 1979 in Los Angeles, CA of Carcinoma of Lung, or Lung cancer. Not good but he did smoke all the time. So in tribute to Great Uncle Dick, here's hoping I get to meet you someday and find out how you got to be so good at ice skating.
No comments:
Post a Comment