Gretchen Fraser, 1948 Olympic Champ, Dies

SUN VALLEY, Idaho - Gretchen Fraser, the first American to win an Olympic gold medal for skiing, died today of natural causes. She was 75.

Her husband, Don Fraser, died last month. He also was a former U.S. Olympic skier.

A spokeswoman for the Sun Valley Co. said Fraser died at the Wood River Medical Center after being taken there late yesterday.

"She was cross-country skiing with a friend just a week ago," Shannon Besoyan said.

Fraser, a former Tacoma resident, won the slalom gold medal in the 1948 games in St. Moritz, Switzerland. She also took the silver medal in the combined.

Gretchen Fraser and her husband both were members of the U.S. Ski Hall of Fame.