Rene Marleau

Builder (1990)

Speed Skating

Rene Marleau was born in Tisdale January 24, 1931. The family moved to Saskatoon in 1939 and he completed his elementary education at St. Paul's school before entering high school at City Park. While in high school, he played on the intercollegiate teams in hockey, soccer, football, tennis and track and field.

Rene joined the Saskatoon Playgrounds Association staff in 1956 and remained with the city until his retirement.

In the mid 1950s, his interest in speed skating grew and he became a director of the Saskatoon Speed Skating club. After refereeing several local, provincial, Canadian and International Speed Skating championships he was invited in 1967 to Quebec City to assist in organizing the speed skating events at the first Canada Winter Games. He assisted with the 1971 Canada Winter Games and is a past-president and past commissioner of the Canadian Amateur Speed Skating Association.

He holds an honorary life membership with the Saskatoon Speed Skating club and was placed in the Canadian Speed Skating Hall of Fame in 1981. In 1988, he refereed at the Olympic Games in Calgary, the first Canadian to do so.