Pat Spurgin

Karen Patricia "Pat" Spurgin (later Pitney, born August 10, 1965) is an American sports shooter, now living in Fairbanks, Alaska. Born in Billings, Montana, she competed and won a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics.[1][2] She became the first Olympic Champion in Air Rifle for Women, at the time being an 18-year-old student at Murray State University, Kentucky. She earned a degree in engineering physics from Murray State University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.[3]

Pat Spurgin
Spurgin in 1984
Personal information
Birth nameKaren Patricia Spurgin
BornAugust 10, 1965 (1965-08-10) (age 55)
Billings, Montana, U.S.
Medal record
Women's shooting
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
1984 Los Angeles Air rifle

Pitney volunteered as an assistant coach for the Alaska Nanooks at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for almost two decades.[4] The team won nine NCAA Rifle Championships during that time.[5]

The Pat Spurgin Rifle Range at Murray State University is named after her.[6]

Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games

Pitney was a torchbearer for the Sochi 2014 Olympics torch relay. She traveled 3,100 miles on the Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy to the North Pole, where the crew ignited a cauldron with the Olympic torch.[7]

State of Alaska

In December 2014, newly elected Alaska Governor Bill Walker appointed Pitney as director of the Office of Management and Budget[8], temporarily interrupting a career at the University of Alaska that had culminated after 23 years with Pitney's tenure as vice chancellor for administrative services at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.[9] During the 2014-2018 Walker administration, Pitney focused on managing the impact of collapsing oil prices on the Alaska state budget. Pitney then became finance director for the Alaska Legislature in January 2020.[10]

Interim University of Alaska President

Pitney became interim president of the University of Alaska system on 1 August 2020. She succeeded acting President Michelle Rizk, who had stepped in after the resignation of President Jim Johnsen on 22 June.[3] Pitney is expected to serve until at least the spring of 2022.[11]

References
  1. "Pat Spurgin". databaseOlympics.com. databaseSports.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 6 February 2021.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Pat Spurgin". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
  3. "UA regents name Pat Pitney as interim president". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  4. Bernier, Blake (19 May 2020). "Spurgin's Olympic gold moment". Murray Ledger. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  5. "Pat Spurgin". Olympedia. OlyMADMen. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  6. "Pat Spurgin Rifle Range". Murray State Racers. Murray State University Athletics. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  7. Zaccardi, Nick (25 October 2013). "Olympic flame's trip to North Pole (photos)". NBC Sports. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  8. Cole, Dermot (27 December 2014). "Alaska state budget director has Olympic credentials". Anchorage Daily News. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  9. "Meet the President: Interim President Pat Pitney". University of Alaska. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  10. McChesney, Rashah (27 January 2020). "Pat Pitney to head Legislative Finance". Alaska Public Media. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  11. "Regents set Spring 2022 for presidential search; extend Pitney contract". University of Alaska. 20 January 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2021.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.