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The Josephs shared their amazing story and met the current generation of skaters at the Friends of Figure Skating Breakfast in Greensboro.


to discuss their time in Innsbruck. Ron’s wife, Krista, had to coax him into calling back the re- porter. Both siblings remained skeptical. Finally, on Dec. 13, 2013, the IOC sent this email: “Te listing on our website does not reflect the official records and we are in the process of updating the rankings accordingly.” When told of the news, Vivian was under- whelmed. Long accustomed to politics and dis- appointment, she did not believe the news. In contrast, Ron said he felt “vindicated.” Nearly 11 months after the email, the IOC officially updated the 1964 pairs results as follows: Gold: Liudmila Belousova/Oleg Protopopov (So- viet Union) Silver: Marika Kilius/Hans-Jürgen Baumler (West Germany) and Debbi Wilkes/ Guy Revell (Canada) Bronze: Vivian Joseph/Ron Joseph (United States). Te New York Times broke the story, and U.S.


Figure Skating immediately issued a news release. “After more than two decades of confusion, we


are pleased to see Vivian and Ronald Joseph as the rightful Olympic bronze medalists,” David Raith, U.S. Figure Skating’s executive director, said in the news release. “We respect the way the Josephs have handled this issue, knowing that this confusion has


Coach Peter Dunfield directed the skating careers of the Josephs and fought for their rightful Olympic standing.


caused them much heartache and frustration.”


A TENTATIVE REUNION It had been 50 years since Vivian stepped


inside an arena to witness a U.S. Championships. When U.S. Figure Skating invited her as its


honored guest to the 2015 U.S. Championships in Greensboro, North Carolina, her reply was short: “I’ll think about it.” Vivian, who had been so burned out from


the politics of skating, had been reluctant to come to this class reunion of sorts. Ultimately, she was coaxed to fly to Greensboro by close friend Jan Serafine, a prominent figure in the Chicago skat- ing scene. Even as Vivian boarded the flight to North


Carolina, she remained tentative. Ron, meanwhile, was driving Krista and


Alianna to Greensboro from their new home in Jacksonville, Florida. Ron had attended a cou- ple of U.S. Championships, including the 1993 event in Phoenix, but his work schedule prevent- ed him from attending others. He was excited for Alianna, who had just turned 10, to attend the event.


Also making the trip to Greensboro was


Sonya Klopfer Dunfield, 80, who, with husband Peter, helped guide the Josephs’ skating career. Sonya, the 1951 U.S. ladies champion, traveled from Sun Valley, Idaho, despite just having knee surgery. She was determined to represent Peter, who died at age 82, just four months before the IOC’s correction of the medals. “I had to be there,” Sonya said. “I knew I


had to be there for Peter, but also because their parents couldn’t be there. Tis was not easy for them and 50 years is a long time. I know. I was married for 50 years.” Tey all knew they had to be in Greensboro, and each admitted the emotional angst and con- cern they feared once they arrived. “I had walked away from all of this a long


time ago,” Ron said. “I always knew we had the medal and were part of history, but like I said, we had moved on.” But once in Greensboro, it was as if they had stepped back in time. “I really didn’t know what to expect,” Ron said. “Tat Friday night, at around midnight, we


32 JUNE-JULY 2015


were in this big ballroom with all of these peo- ple … people like (1960 Olympic champion) Carol Heiss Jenkins, who I hadn’t seen in years, and Larry Mondschein (U.S. Hall of Fame nom- inating committee chair) announces us by name. Tere was all this heartfelt applause. “I knew then that this had been the right


thing.” Te day after the U.S. Hall of Fame Recep-


tion, Vivian, Ron, Krista, Alianna and Sonya met for lunch in the hotel restaurant. It was appropri- ately named “Joseph’s.” Under the neon script of the “Joseph’s” sign, Vivian, Ron and Sonya were together for the first time in years. Vivian had seen Sonya at Peter’s memorial


service, but Ron was unable to attend. Alianna, who did not stay up for the previous night’s fes- tivities, was excited to see her aunt Vivian. After the initial hugs in the hallway and


everyone was seated at the table, Vivian looked up from her menu, adjusted her glasses, and said, “It’s hard to believe we’re all here.” It was the understatement of the weekend.


COMING FULL CIRCLE From the moment they arrived in North Car-


olina, Vivian and Ron began to feel reenergized. Vivian, who had stayed away from nation-


als for 50 years, watched as much skating as she could. She was mesmerized by the ice dance competition, which was not even a part of the Olympic Games back in 1964. She marveled at the lifts and the twists in the pairs competition. Seeing Chris Knierim toss partner Alexa Scimeca into the air for a four-revolution twist was be- yond anything Vivian had ever seen on the ice. “Tey really were spectacular,” Vivian said.


“It’s good to see the enthusiasm is back for skat- ing. Tis has all been very, very nice.” Moments later, Vivian would share that praise with Scimeca and Knierim. After the com- petition, she and Ron were escorted to ice level and waited with officials before presenting tro- phies to the new U.S. medalists. Vivian, dressed in all black, beamed with


pride. Ron, sporting a blue shirt and jacket, looked up into the arena at the fans. “Tis is all very hard to believe,” Vivian whispered. “Look at my brother. He looks so


JAY ADEFF/U.S. FIGURE SKATING


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