Skippy Baxter

Lloyd Valdemar "Skippy" Baxter was an American figure skater and Broadway performer, born on December 6, 1919, in Saskatchewan, Canada, and died on December 18, 2012. His family relocated to Oakland, California when he was one year old. As a youth, Baxter suffered a serious accident involving a tractor that nearly resulted in the amputation of one of his legs. At his mother's urging, he took up skating as a means of strengthening the injured limb, a decision that set the course of his professional life.

Baxter began his athletic career as a speed skater, regularly winning youth competitions in Oakland. He transitioned to figure skating and earned two medals at the 1940 United States Figure Skating Championships, taking a bronze in men's singles and a silver in pairs skating alongside Hedy Stenuf. He was named to the United States Olympic Figure Skating team, though the Winter Olympics were cancelled that year due to World War II.

In 1943, Baxter enlisted in the United States Army and served in Northern Italy with the 10th Mountain Division, alongside his brother Meryl Baxter. During their service, the two brothers were granted weekend leave to continue performing in ice shows. Following his military service, Baxter skated professionally with the Ice Capades and worked with Sonja Henie in her productions. He became known for regularly performing a backflip during his shows.

His stage career brought him to Broadway between 1941 and 1949, where he appeared in It Happens on Ice, Stars on Ice, Icetime of 1948, and Howdy, Mr. Ice. He also starred in Howdy, Mr. Ice of 1950.

Beyond his performing career, Baxter choreographed a skating segment for the 1969 animated film A Boy Named Charlie Brown, in which the character Snoopy skates. This work grew out of a personal connection: Baxter and his brother Meryl owned an ice rink on Summerfield Road in Santa Rosa, California, where cartoonist Charles Schulz brought his family for skating lessons. The two men formed a close friendship that continued until Schulz's death. Schulz later built the Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa, where Baxter coached figure skating and helped operate the facility alongside his brother. Baxter was inducted into the United States Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 2003.