water skis
Catalog Number
1992.36.3a-bDescription
Shoe skis, predecessor to barefoot skiing; used by Chuck Sligh's Sligh Ski Troupe in 1949; yellow, rounded and slightly curved and thickened at ends.History
Charles R. "Chuck" Sligh, Jr. (1906-1997) was born in Grand Rapids, MI on 1-8-1906. He married Charlotte Klumph (1904-1964) in 1926.Chuck purchased his first pair of water skis in 1935. He was water skiing's National Amateur Champion in 1940, followed by National Open Men's Champion in 1941.
He founded the Macatawa Water Ski Club, teaching numerous kids to water ski.
It was ca. 1938 that he co-founded the Charles R. Sligh Company in Holland, MI. In 1940 he co-founded the Sligh-Lowry Furniture Company in Zeeland, MI.
Chuck's boys, Charles Sligh III (1928-2010) and Robert L. Sligh (1928-2012), donated the items in 1992.36.