Tom Corcoran, an Olympic skier who founded the Waterville Valley ski resort in New Hampshire that became popular among racers and celebrities, has died. He was 85.
Former assistant Jan Stearns said Corcoran died Tuesday at his home in Seabrook Island, South Carolina, following a brief illness.
Born in Japan, Corcoran grew up in Canada but attended school in New Hampshire. After graduating from Dartmouth College, he competed in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and won four U.S. alpine championships. He opened Waterville Valley Resort in the winter of 1966-67.
Republican Gov. Chris Sununu, whose family bought the resort in 2010, said Wednesday he grew up skiing with Corcoran's family and called Corcoran not just the ski resort's founder but its spirit.
