Cooperative Living February 2017 - 19

Havens recalls a midnight concert
in the Roman colosseum. " The pope
blessed all of us. That meant a lot
to me. "
Havens, who won 10 national
championships, did not add to his
medal count at the 1956 games in
Australia or the 1960 games, but to
this day, he is the only American
canoeist to have won an Olympic gold
medal in a solo single-blade race.
NEW BOYS AND OLD MASTERS
IN THE CANOE
Frank and Junior Havens each had
three sons, who, like their fathers,
trained at the Washington Canoe Club.
" My father and uncle had us on the
water before we could walk, " says Dan
Havens, 65.
In 1985, family members watched
the Olympians compete in the Masters
Games in Toronto. Frank Havens won
eight gold medals and Junior Havens
won two golds, two silvers and
a bronze.
" We beat the Canadian team that
won the silver medal in the 1952
tandem race, " Frank Havens laughs
with satisfaction.
The brothers continued their
winning streak at the World Games
in Denmark in 1989.
'THERE GOES THE OLYMPIAN'
Frank Havens has outlived his wife Kay,
" a real beauty, " and his brother, but the
Olympian stays busy with family and
friends in Harborton, Virginia, on the
Eastern Shore, where A&N Electric
Cooperative provides power. He paddles a
mile most mornings, then greets neighbors
as he tools through Harborton's country
lanes in his golf cart to the town's tiny
post office.
" Frank is a star, " says Kitty Roberts, a
neighbor. " He manages to get in a canoe
every morning. It's so nice to know a man
with his amazing background, energy,
kindness and spirit. "
Mary Ellen Belote, Harborton's
postmistress for 49 years, displays
Havens memorabilia at the Harborton
Museum she and her son, Douglas,
opened in 2016.
" Frank is very special to us all, " Mrs.
Belote says with a twinkle in her eye.
At a restaurant in nearby Onancock,
patrons exclaim, " There goes the
Olympian! " as Havens, a Virginia
Sports Hall of Fame member, walks to
his table. When asked, they all share
their affection for the man.
Last fall, a thief ran Havens' beloved
golf chart into the Chesapeake Bay.
When hearing of the crime, a local
business purchased a new golf cart,
decorated it with the Olympic rings,
and presented it to the athlete.
" Now everyone knows I was in the
Olympics! " Havens laughs, as if people
didn't already know.
PERSONIFYING OLYMPIC IDEALS
The Havens family has inspired
canoeists and kayakers throughout
the U.S. and Canada, where Frank
Havens' paddle is on display at the
Canadian Canoe Museum. Norm
Bellingham, Olympic gold medalist and
a former U.S. Olympic Committee officer,
says, " These men represented the very best
of our country during an extraordinary era
in Olympic sport. They personified the
Olympic ideals and pursued the highest
levels of sporting excellence with dignity,
honor and humility. They set the standard
for future generations. " 
Dan (left, rear) and Bonnie Havens, Dodge Havens, Blaise Rhodes,
Keith Havens, and Priscilla Knight surround Frank Havens at Frank
Havens Regatta at the Washington Canoe Club.
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Frank Havens stays busy with family and friends in Harborton, Virginia,
on the Eastern Shore. He paddles a mile most mornings, then greets
neighbors as he tools through town on his golf cart.
February 2017 | Cooperative Living | 17
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Cooperative Living February 2017

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