{"id":28996,"date":"2020-09-01T10:00:33","date_gmt":"2020-09-01T15:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=28996"},"modified":"2020-09-01T09:34:30","modified_gmt":"2020-09-01T14:34:30","slug":"wilma-rudolphs-olympic-gold-medal-runs-still-inspire-60-years-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2020\/09\/01\/wilma-rudolphs-olympic-gold-medal-runs-still-inspire-60-years-later\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilma Rudolph\u2019s Olympic Gold Medal Runs Still Inspire 60 years later"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"CustomsClarksville, TN<\/strong> – Destined to a life of immobility, a child who suffered from severe illnesses grew up to become the fastest woman in the world, a civil rights activist, educator and an inspiration to a world of admirers.<\/p>\n

Now, 60 years after winning three gold medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics, we once again celebrate the woman who shattered barriers and overcame the impossible. That woman was Wilma Glodean Rudolph.<\/p>\n

\"Wilma<\/a>

Wilma Rudolph Parade<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Wilma Rudolph was born in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee on June 23rd, 1940. She was born the 20th<\/sup> of 22 children.<\/p>\n

At a young age, she contracted several life-threatening illnesses including polio, scarlet fever and pneumonia. Doctors put her in a leg brace and told her she may never walk again. However, she had big dreams, and despite the odds, by age 12, not only was she able to walk, she began to run.<\/p>\n

Wilma loved and excelled in sports. At Clarksville\u2019s Burt High School, she played basketball, where Ed Temple, then Tennessee State University track and field coach, discovered her. He recruited her to the collegiate track and field team and in 1956, at the young age of 16, Wilma was on her way to the Olympics in Melbourne, Australia.<\/p>\n

While there, Wilma won a bronze medal in the 4×100 meter women\u2019s relay. Already a successful Olympiad, Wilma returned home to her family, but she was not willing to hang up the running shoes yet.<\/p>\n

\"Wilma<\/a>

Wilma Rudolph with Olympic Medals<\/p><\/div>\n

Four years later, as a 20-year-old student at TSU, Wilma was a member of the U.S. Women\u2019s team for the 1960 Rome Olympics. Wilma once again defied the odds and won three gold medals in the games, while simultaneously breaking several world records.<\/p>\n

On September 2nd, 1960, Wilma won a gold medal in the 100-meter race, running it in 11 seconds flat, breaking the standing world record. On September 5th, she won gold in the 200-meter race in 24 seconds, again breaking the world record. Then on September 9, Wilma and her teammates won gold in the 4×100 meter relay breaking the world record with a 44.5-second time.<\/p>\n

She became the first American female Olympian to win three gold medals in track and field during one Olympic game. Wilma was now an international sensation and became known as \u201cthe fastest woman in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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[470center]<\/p>\n

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Upon her return home to Clarksville, the city proclaimed October 4th, 1960, as Wilma Rudolph Day and her homecoming involved many celebration activities for the Olympian. However, at that time, Clarksville was a typical segregated southern town. A determined Wilma made use of her fame and explained to city officials that she would only attend the celebrations if they were racially integrated.<\/p>\n

Organizers agreed and Wilma Rudolph Day became the first large, integrated gathering in Clarksville history. County Judge W.D. Hudson commented at the banquet that evening, \u201c\u2026the absolute best music comes out of the piano when you play both the black and white keys together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Wilma<\/a>

Wilma Rudolph exhibit at Customs House Museum<\/p><\/div>\n

Wilma retired from running and became an educator in her hometown. She continued to inspire young generations to overcome their own barriers. “Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit,\u201d Wilma once said. \u201cWe are all the same in this notion: The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”<\/p>\n

August 25th \u2013 September 11th is the 60th<\/sup> anniversary of the 1960 Rome Olympics and Wilma\u2019s gold medal runs. The Customs House Museum & Cultural Center memorializes the local icon with a dedicated space for the Olympian in the Challenges & Champions Sports Gallery.<\/p>\n

The Museum encourages the community to remember the struggle of young Wilma Rudolph and how her running into greatness broke records and barriers that are forever written in history.<\/p>\n

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[470center]<\/p>\n

About the Customs House Museum<\/h3>\n

\"Customs<\/a>Located in the heart of historic downtown Clarksville, Tennessee, the Customs House Museum and Cultural Center is the State\u2019s second largest general museum. The original portion of the building was constructed in 1898 as a U.S. Post Office and Customs House for the flourishing tobacco trade. Incorporating a number of architectural styles, the original structure is one of the most photographed buildings in the region.<\/p>\n

With over 35,000 square feet of the region\u2019s best hands-on activities and special events\u2026people of all ages agree \u2013 the Customs House Museum is well worth the stop!<\/p>\n

The Explorer\u2019s Gallery is packed with fun, learning and fantasy in Aunt Alice\u2019s Attic, McGregor\u2019s Market and kitchen, and of course \u2013 the Bubble Cave! Finally, get \u201call aboard\u201d to see our fantastic model trains. Our volunteer engineers \u201cride the rails\u201d every Sunday afternoon from 1:00pm to 4:00pm.<\/p>\n

Regular museum hours are 10:00am to 5:00pm Tuesday through Saturday, and 1:00pm to 5:00pm on Sundays. Adult admission is $7.00, Senior Citizens and College ID $5.00, Ages 6 to 18 $3.00, and under six years and Museum members are free.<\/p>\n

The Customs House Museum is located at 200 South Second Street. For more information, call 931.648.5780 or visit their website at www.customshousemuseum.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Clarksville, TN – Destined to a life of immobility, a child who suffered from severe illnesses grew up to become the fastest woman in the world, a civil rights activist, educator and an inspiration to a world of admirers. Now, 60 years after winning three gold medals at the 1960 Rome Olympics, we once again […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[34885,512,825,1050,4126,13949,34884,9204,11373,9699,3551,8279,6833],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4xGYI-7xG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28996"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28996"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28996\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28997,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28996\/revisions\/28997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}