CAMBRIDGE
Pat Kippax 1941 - 2009
HARRIERS
Pat Kippax - in training before the 1964 Olymp[ics
It is with great sadness that Cambridge Harriers report that Olympian, ex-club President and Life Member, Patricia Ann Kippax, passed away on Monday 17 August 2009.
Patricia Ann Kippax was born on 23rd September 1941 in Brighton in 1941. Father, Jack Kippax was an RA.F. Warrant Officer so mother Judy Kippax and her three children, Pat, the eldest, Brian & David, lived in military quarters during the 2nd World War.
After the war, the family settled in New Eltham, south London, a decision that would greatly shape her sporting future. Pat attended Primary School in New Eltham before going to Prendergast School, a Grammar School in Catford where she represented the School & London Schools in Athletics as well as playing Hockey.
Pat also had other talents too. She played the flute when at School in the National Youth Orchestra.
It was in New Eltham where Pat became lifelong friends with Cambridge Harriers member Hazel Rider, who lived next door and would become instrumental in introducing her to club athletics. Hazel remembers Pat as “a real tomboy” and the two trained together at the Co-op Ground where they had special permission to train as two of other Cambridge Harriers members, Alf & Joe Slack, worked for the Co-op.
From here, Hazel introduced Pat to Cambridge Harriers, where she became a member on 4 July 1956 . It was at the club where Pat met Marlow Hadler (nee Organ) who at the time was her close rival. Now members of the same club, they became great friends.
Pat went on to win the English Schools title in the 150 yards and then in 1960 the 220 yards in 25.2 seconds. She was contemporary with future Olympic silver medallist, Anne Packer Brighwell & may have beaten, as well as been beaten, by her, in the longer School sprint.
During this time Pat was introduced to coach, Charlie Warner, from Highgate Harriers, who also coached June Paul (nee Foulds), one of the top British Sprinters in the 50’s.
Now very close friends, Hazel Rider would take Pat to Parliament Hill on her scooter until she got her own bike, to train with Charlie. Eventually, Charlie came to Cambridge Harriers and was responsible for training many talented women who competed at international level. Among them were Joan Allison (nee Page) who competed in the 1968 and 1972 Olympics and Commonwealth double silver meadalist, Marilyn Neufville, who at the age of 17 won the Commonwealth 400 m. in a new World record time and went on to the 1976 Olympics, Glynis Penny, who would later go on to gain 3rd in the London Marathon in 1983, International Middle Distance runner, Margaret McSherry, later Coomber, now Baldwin, Liz Barnes, silver medallist, in the European Indoor Championships and many other successful Club girls too numerous to mention.
1968 National Senior Cross Country Champions (L to R): Margaret (Mcsherry) Coomber/Baldwin, Joan (Page) Allison, Charlie Warner, Pat Kippax, Hazel(Needham) Rider.
Marlow likened Pat to ‘the Queen Bee’ of the Ladies’ Section and it would be fair to say that she set the standard that the other girls aimed for.
She was arguably the best sprinter nationally over the longer distances in the early 60’s, being the 2nd scoring runner the first time Cambridge won the Kent Cross Country Championships in 1961., the 3rd Club girl home when Cambridge Harriers won the National Senior cross country Team Championships at Coventry in 1968 for the first time...
However, the pinnacle of her career was in 1964, when Pat made the British Olympic team to compete in the 400 meters at the Tokyo Olympic games. Pat’s performances got her through to the semi final, but unfortunately she would miss out on qualifying for the final by just .2 of a second finishing in a time of 54.4 seconds. Had she been in the other Semi Final she would have made the Final but qualifiers were chosen on places and not times.
Following her selectionin the Great British squad for the Olympic games, she was made Life member of Cambridge Harriers in 1965.
From the 1970’s. Pat was the ideal Club girl, loyal, friendly and supportive of all Club members, modest, unassuming and with a dry sense of humour. One International Team Manager said that she was “an ideal member of the International Team”. She was the Club’s 2nd Lady President and popular with all who knew her.
She trained as a Primary School teacher but after her first marriage to Cambridge Harriers sprinter, Joe Stocking, she moved with him to California and was a respected coach at Berkeley, California, when Marilyn Neufville went there as a student on an Athletic Scholarship.
Hazel Ryder met U.S. Veterans when she attended the first World Veterans Champs in Toronto in 1975, who knew Pat whilst she was at Berkeley. Every person she spoke to had a high regard for Pat and had many good things to say of her.
Eventually, Pat returned to England & married Ken Davidson, who was a musician in the Royal Artillery Band at Woolwich. Subsequently Ken passed away and for the last 15 years Pat and John Rickman have shared a very happy partnership.
Upon her return from the U.S. Pat was a member of the team Cambridge Harriers team who won the Women Veterans National Cross Country Team Championships in 1976.
Pat then went on to serve as Club President in 1992-93.
However her most outstanding contribution to the Club may have been when, in 2007, she achieved the passing of a rule which prevents people who take, or have taken, performance enhancing drugs, from being members of Cambridge Harriers. She was totally honest and abhorred cheating of any kind.
As the 2012 Olympics approach, many athletes aspiring to compete in those games could do no better than take inspiration from Pat Kippax, a woman who set high standards and can be described as hardworking, loyal, sporting, modest and supportive.
She will be greatly missed by everybody whose lives she touched.
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