September 25, 2015 (Beverly, MA) – Well-known and well-liked, Charlie Kellogg, passed away on September 21, 2015 following a relatively short battle with cancer surrounded by the warmth and love of his family.

He saw the world through loving eyes with a large measure of wonderment; while having great accomplishments in skiing, he simply loved the out of doors and was also a very active runner, kayaker and hiker. He hiked in Nepal several times.

Kellogg was a true force of nature and ennobling to be around – his was a life full of action, enthusiasm and kindness. He was known for his patience and encouragement, as young racers like myself would ask him endless questions and his advice was always tendered with kindness and inspiration. Kellogg had many friends both in and outside of skiing circles and that larger community grieves as one.

He was born in Boston on January 12, 1940 and discovered cross-country skiing while he was a student at Holderness School. From there he moved to Williams College, where he was coached by the legendary Ralph Townsend. While there he competed in multiple ski events and was no stranger to the podium at many Winter Carnivals. He graduated from Williams in 1962 and then obtained an MBA at Dartmouth

Following his graduation from Williams, Kellogg enlisted in the U.S. Army and following basic training he was assigned to the Modern Winter Biathlon Training Center at Fort Richardson, Alaska. He proved a natural at the sport and earned a spot on several traveling teams during the winter of 1964, achieving a top performance at the CISM World Military Games in Ostersund, Sweden.

Following his stint in the army, Kellogg left Alaska for Andover, MA, and continued to compete in both cross-country and biathlon events, winning the biathlon national championships in 1965 at the famed Williams Lake Lodge in Rosendale, NY where he was a regular.

While working at IBM, Kellogg continued to race and was named to the U.S. National XC team in 1968 and ultimately earned a berth on the U.S. Olympic team for cross-country at the Grenoble Games, where he competed in both the 30km and 50km events. He continued to race nationally until 1972.

His former coach and longtime friend, John Caldwell, said he was both stunned and saddened by the news. “Our friendship transcended the usual coach-athlete relationship. He saw the large picture and was very active during much of the time when we operated the xc ski program on a $4K budget, with no paid staff. Charlie was one of those unsung heroes who really helped to promote both xc skiing and biathlon,” commented Caldwell.

Caldwell also recalled, “He was eager at all our camps and competitions and was one part of two pairs of guys who helped push our program ahead, back in the Dark Ages. He and Bob Gray were always duking it out at camps and races for years and years, I might add. The other two “big” competitors were [Mike] Gallagher and [Bob] Elliott.”

Kellogg took part in three World Masters Championships, winning gold in his age group at the 1998 Worlds in Lake Placid.

For his national and international racing accomplishments and his time behind the scenes with the USBA, Kellogg was inducted into the U.S. Biathlon Hall of Fame. At the time of his death he was the vice-chairman of the USBA and had been both a Board member and an officer for the last 20 years, making an incalculable contribution of both his time, and wisdom, to help develop the USBA program into what it is today.

Kellogg will be remembered not only for his skiing results, but also as a brilliant thinker and seeker of the truth, a devoted family man, and a non-stop promoter of fitness, sportsmanship and good will. He lived a great deal of his life subscribing to Williams James words that “the strenuous tastes better” and he was the richer for it. So were we all.

The sport is sure going to miss him.

A service for Charlie Kellogg will be conducted on Saturday, October 3, at 11 am at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Beverly, MA.