Claire Waters Ferguson was born on September 24, 1935. She began skating at a young age and became a judge at age 16, working her way up to the national level and then to the Olympic level. She attended
Michigan State University where she was a member of
Alpha Phi and graduated with a degree in communication skills and English in 1957. In 1992, Ferguson became the first woman in the 75-year history of the
United States Figure Skating Association to be named its president (1992–1995). Ferguson was president during the
1994 Winter Olympics and the
Nancy Kerrigan/
Tonya Harding incident. Ferguson was also the first woman elected to the
International Federation for Figure Skaters. She served on the
International Skating Union Council, the first U.S. woman to do so. She was on the board of directors of the
Rhode Island Sports Council and a member of the
Jamestown, Rhode Island Town Council. Ferguson died on January 12, 2024, at the age of 88. ==See also==