Wilma Rudolph
In July 1994, shortly after her mother’s death, Wilma Rudolph was diagnosed with brain and throat cancer. On November 12, 1994, at age 54, she died of cancer in her home in Brentwood, Tennessee. At the time of her death, she had four children, eight grandchildren, and over 100 nieces and nephews.[14] Thousands of mourners filled Tennessee State University's Kean Hall on November 17, 1994 for the memorial service in her honor. Others attended the funeral at Clarksville's First Baptist Church. Across Tennessee, the state flag flew at half-mast.
Nine months after Wilma's death, Tennessee State University, on August 11, 1995, dedicated its new six-story dormitory the Wilma G. Rudolph Residence Center. A black marble marker was placed on her grave in Clarksville's Foster Memorial Garden Cemetery by the Wilma Rudolph Memorial Commission on November 21, 1995.
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Legacy
In 1994, Wilma Rudolph Boulevard is the name given to the portion of U.S. Route 79 in Clarksville, Tennessee.
The Women's Sports Foundation Wilma Rudolph Courage Award is presented to a female athlete who exhibits extraordinary courage in her athletic performance, demonstrates the ability to overcome adversity, makes significant contributions to sports and serves as an inspiration and role model to those who face challenges, overcomes them and strives for success at all levels. This award was first given in 1996 to Jackie Joyner-Kersee.[15]
A life-size statue of Rudolph, hand-crafted from bronze, stands at the southern end of the Cumberland RiverWalk at the base of the Pedestrian Overpass, College Street and Riverside Drive, in Clarksville.[16]
In 2000 Sports Illustrated magazine ranked Rudolph as number one in its listing of the top fifty greatest sports figures in twentieth-century Tennessee.[17]
In 2004, the United States Postal Service issued a 23 cent postage stamp in recognition of her accomplishments.
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Footnotes
- ^ Rome, 1960, Games of the XVII Olympiad Photo Gallery of Wilma Rudolph
- ^ Biracree, Tom. Wilma Rudolph: Champion Athlete, Chelsea House Publishers, New York, (1988)
- ^ Biracree, Tom. p. 82
- ^ Time Magazine, The Fastest Female, Monday, September 19, 1960
- ^ Biracree, Tom. p. 32
- ^ Biracree, Tom. p. 47
- ^ Biracree, Tom. p. 16
- ^ Wilma Rudolph biography. Women in History. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ National Black Sports and Entertainment Hall of Fame
- ^ National Track and Field Hall of Fame
- ^ Women's Hall of Fame
- ^ NBC "Wilma"
- ^ Lanker, Brian. I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, Stewart, Tabori and Chang, (1989), page 140-141 - ISBN 1556709234
- ^ Smith, Maureen Margaret. Wilma Rudolph: A Biography, Greenwood Press, (2006)
- ^ Wilma Rudolph Courage Award
- ^ Wilma Rudolph Statue
- ^ Wilma Rudolph (1940-1994) and the TSU Tigerbelles
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Resources
- Biracee, Tom. Wilma Rudolph, Holloway House Publishing Company; (June 1990) - ISBN 0870675656
- Braun, Eric. Wilma Rudolph, Capstone Press, (2005) - ISBN 0736842349
- Coffey, Wayne R. Wilma Rudolph, Blackbirch Press, (1993) - ISBN 1567110045
- Conrad, David. Stick to It!: The Story of Wilma Rudolph, Compass Point Books (August 2002) - ISBN 0756503841
- Harper, Jo. Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Runner (Childhood of Famous Americans), Aladdin (January 6, 2004) - ISBN 0606297391
- Krull, Kathleen. Wilma Unlimited: How Wilma Rudolph Became the World's Fastest Woman, Harcourt *Children's Books; Library Binding edition (April 1, 1996) - ISBN 0152012672
- Maraniss, David. Rome 1960: The Olympics That Changed The World, Simon & Schuster, (2008) - ISBN 1416534083
- Ruth, Amy. Wilma Rudolph, Lerner Publications (February 2000) - ISBN 082254976X
- Schraff, Anne E. Wilma Rudolph: The Greatest Woman Sprinter in History, Enslow Publishers, (2004) - ISBN 0766022919
- Sherrow, Victoria. Wilma Rudolph (On My Own Biographies), Carolrhoda Books (April 2000) - ISBN 1575052466
- Smith, Maureen Margaret. Wilma Rudolph: A Biography, Greenwood Press, (2006) - ISBN 0313333076
- Streissguth, Tom. Wilma Rudolph, Turnaround Publisher, (2007) - ISBN 0822566931
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External links
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