Remembering Wilma

When we think of heroes or heroines,

Role models, mentors, or all of these combined,

The name WILMA RANDOLPH is one

That definitely should come to mind.

Wilma was born in 1940,

In Tennessee, the Volunteer State.

As a child she had polio and wore

A brace on her leg until she was eight.

They had to travel a distance to seek

Medical help because of a lack

Of services for folks in their town
If the color of their skin was black.

But Wilma was able to beat the odds

With inner strength and determination,

Along with physical therapy,

Hard work and dedication.

While still in high school in '56,

Winning became her newly found theme

As she won a bronze medal

On the US Olympic team.

Later, back in school holding

Her medal in the air for classmates to behold,

"Skeeter" (which was her nickname back then)

Said that her goal was to go for the gold.

In 1960, at the summer games

In Rome, Italy, the world would see

Wilma win not only ONE gold medal,

But the "fastest woman in the world" won THREE!

The first American woman to win

Three gold medals in track and field

At a single Olympiad, Wilma

Let her expertise be revealed.

One of the most popular

Athletes at the games in Rome,

Wilma became a superstar--

A status which followed her back home.

She then decided to teach and coach

And run a community center. Her name

Would shine along with the others in

The US Olympic Hall of Fame.

To Wilma, reaching your goal meant

You had to work hard--to persevere.

Her stamina guided her to become

A civil and women's rights pioneer.

Wilma succumbed to cancer in the year

1994, but she

And her inspiring life continue

To live on in our memory.

-by Bob B (2-27-18)