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COL. NORMAN VAUGHAN -- Our 2006 Honorary Musher
Born in 1905, when Teddy Roosevelt was president and polar exploration was in its heyday, Norman was weaned on tales of Robert Peary, Roald Amundsen, and Sir Robert Falcon Scott. In 1925 he left Harvard to join one of his heroes, Sir Wilfred Grenfell in Newfoundland, bringing medical supplies by dog sled to isolated villages. He left school again three years later to go to Antarctica with Admiral Byrd - a bold move that changed his life.

Norman was part of history as the chief dog driver on the first Byrd Antarctic Expedition in 1928-30. He raced with the best in sprint mushing demonstration races in the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympic Games. In 1967, drove a snowmobile 5000 miles from Alaska to Boston. Brazenly declared himself dog driving champion of the Pentagon to compete as the first non-Alaskan dog driver in the North American Sled Dog Championships in Alaska. At age 68, moved to Alaska for dogs and adventure with empty pockets after a business collapse and a shattered marriage. Shoveled sidewalks for food, found a job as a janitor, and built a dog team. Participated in 13 Iditarods, running his first one at age 72. Norman completed 6 with his last finish being in 1990 at the age of 84. Crashed President Carter's inaugural parade and was in the next two. Taught John Paul II how to mush. In 1997 organized the annual 868-mile Serum Run from Nenana to Nome, Alaska. This commemorates the 1925 dash to Nome by the fastest village dog teams to deliver diphtheria serum to save Nome. Norman "Dreamed big & dared to fail".

Col Norman Vaughan passed away on the 23rd of December 2005 , peacefully in Anchorage, Alaska at the age of 100.





 

Amazing Accomplishments,
Just to name a few:

  • 1928-1930: Byrd Antarctic Expedition
  • 1932 Winter Olympics
  • 1942-1952 W.W.II Air Force Search & Rescue with 425 dogs
  • Instigated rescue of 24 Aircrew, Greenland
  • Single-handedly recovered Norden bombsight off B-17
  • Took 209 sled dogs to Battle of the Bulge
  • 1952 First Lower 48 team to compete in North American Championship
  • 1959 Trainer and coach of a polo team that represented the U.S. in an international competition in Iran.
  • 1967 Rode a snowmachine from the Arctic Circle in Alaska to Boston
  • 1973, 1977, 1981 Presidential parades
  • 1981 Gave Pope John Paul II dog sled ride
  • 1990 Having entered 13 Iditarod Dog Sled races beginning in his 70s, he finishes last in 1990 at age 84
  • 1994 Summits Mt. Vaughan in Antarctica on December 16 at age 88
  • 1997 Heads the first commemorative Serum Run expedition from Nenana to Nome at 91

Dog Mushing Awards:

  • 1987 - Most inspirational musher
  • 1989 - Timberland Spirit of the Iditarod Award
  • 1990 - Musher of the Year
  • 1990 - Musher Hall of Fame

Books, Videos, & Cassettes:

  • "With Byrd at the Bottom of the World" by N. Vaughan
  • "My Life of Adventure" by N. Vaughan
  • National Geographic's "Height of Courage" video
  • Cassette: "An Afternoon with Norman Vaughan at Cyrano's"