Gloriane “Glo” Perrier was born in Lewiston, ME on March 21, 1929, to Philias and Alma Gosselin Perrier. She had two brothers, Conrad and Marcel, and one sister, Therese. Glo graduated from Lewiston High School in 1949, and went on to work for the Department of the Army, as a secretary, until retiring in 1983. She was active in and competed in multiple sports including softball, basketball, bowling, speed skating, canoeing and Olympic kayaking. Glo competed in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, the first time U.S. women competed in kayaking at the Olympics. In 1964, she and her kayak partner, 15-year-old Francine Fox, won the silver medal for 500 meter doubles in the Olympics in Tokyo. After Tokyo, Glo continued to travel and compete–while also coaching Olympic teams–for 9 years. She also dabbled in aviation and motorcycle riding. For the last 35 years of her life, Glo lived in Alabama with her friend Deb Magee.

The collection includes Olympics and other canoe/kayak related clothing, as well as trophies, photographs, and medals from canoeing, kayaking, softball, and bowling. Also included are certificates in Gloriane’s name and those in the names of other family members: father Philias, brother Conrad, and sister Therese.

View the Finding Aid.

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Please cite as: Gloriane Perrier Collection, Franco-American Collection, University of Southern Maine.