Godfrey Dewey | |
Birth Date: | September 3, 1887 |
Birth Place: | New York City, New York, United States |
Death Place: | Lake Placid, New York, United States |
Nationality: | American |
Known For: | the Olympics, English spelling reform |
Education: | Harvard University |
Parents: | Melvil Dewey, Annie Godfrey |
Godfrey Dewey (September 3, 1887 – October 18, 1977)[1] [2] was the president of the Lake Placid Organizing Committee and a winter sports facility designer.[3] He was largely responsible for the successful candidature of Lake Placid for the 1932 Winter Olympics.[4] In addition to his role as the U.S. ski team manager he was chosen as the flag bearer for the 1928 Games in St. Moritz, Switzerland.[5] Dewey was elected to the U.S. National Ski Hall of Fame in 1970.[6]
Godfrey Dewey was the son of Melvil Dewey, the inventor of Dewey Decimal Classification,[7] and his first wife Annie Godfrey. He was the father of Katherin Dewey, who, in 1940, piloted her bobsleigh to victory in the US Championships alongside male brakemen; women were subsequently banned from competing with men. Godfrey went on to become the honorary chairman of the Phonemic Spelling Council.[8] His work on World English Spelling may have influenced the development of SoundSpel, as he and Edward Rondthaler corresponded from 1971.