Norman Freeman

About

Norman Douglas Freeman (November 14, 1931 – December 27, 2021) was an American sailor, lawyer and convicted sex offender who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics. He raced Flying Dutchman and finished in sixth place.

Freeman was born in Niagara Falls, New York, the son of Cornell Law School professor Harrop Freeman. He attended Ithaca High School and Westtown School in West Chester, Pennsylvania before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from Cornell University and graduating from Cornell Law School in 1956.
After graduation, Freeman practiced law in Niagara Falls from 1956 to 1957 and later became a law clerk for New York Supreme Court Justice Floyd E. Anderson in Binghamton, New York.
He opened his own law practice in Ithaca, New York, in April 1963. He was named Ithaca city attorney in December 1963, holding the position until 1967.

Freeman began sailing as a freshman at Cornell in 1949, and also captained the men’s swimming team. He won the Comet International Championship in 1961 and 1962. In 1963, Freeman won the final race in the North Flying Dutchman Championships, but lost the title to Buddy Melges. In 1964, he finished third in the Olympic…