Wilma Ruloph

Biography of Wilma Rudolph

Never underestimate the power of your dreams and the influence of the human spirit . We are all the same in this notion . The potential for greatness lives within each of us (as cited in Wilma Rudolph Biography ' n .d . These are the words of Wilma Rudolph , an American athlete whose amazing life and remarkable career inspired many people Indeed , she knows what she 's taking about , as she successfully overcame life 's struggles and reached her full potential for greatness . This research aims to discuss the life , career

, achievements and legacy of Wilma Rudolph

Family Background

On June 23 , 1940 , Wilma Glodean Rudolph was born in St . Bethlehem Tennessee (Roberts , 2008 . She grew up in Clarksville , Tennessee . Her parents were Ed and Blanche Rudolph (Women in History , 2008 . Her father was a railroad porter and handyman , while her mother worked as a maid for rich Caucasian families (Women in History , 2008 Wilma Rudolph ' 2008 . Wilma was the 20th child in a family of 22 children ( Wilma Rudolph ' 2008 . This is because prior to her father 's marriage to his mother , he already had 14 children (Lovett , 1997 Despite their parents ' hard work , the Rudolph family remained poor . The 1940s was a rather difficult time for numerous Americans the Great Depression rendered many people unemployed and homeless (Women in History , 2008 . The Rudolph family was part of this period because life was hard , they had to improvise , using flour sacks to make dresses for the girls (Women in History , 2008

In 1963 , Rudolph was married to Robert Eldridge , her high school sweetheart (Women in History , 2008 . They had four children , which consisted of two boys and two girls , namely : Yolanda , Djuana , Robert and Xurry (Lovett , 1997 . Rudolph and Eldridge were later divorced (Women in History , 2008

Childhood

As a result of her premature birth , Rudolph only weighed 4 .5 pounds (Women in History , 2008 . At the time of her birth , there was racial segregation . The local hospital could not admit Wilma 's mother because it was for Caucasians only . In Clarksville , there is a single African-American doctor present , but due to financial constraints Rudolph and her mother could not see that doctor either (Women in History , 2008 . Her mother did to her what any other dedicated mother would have done she took care of her daughter and nursed her to health for every illness she endured . At the tender age of four , Wilma suffered from double pneumonia and scarlet fever (Owens , 1976 . Other illnesses she suffered included chicken pox , measles , whooping cough and polio (Lovett , 1997 . She also suffered from mumps (Women in History , 2008

Among all the illness that struck Rudolph , polio was the worst . They noticed that Wilma 's left leg and foot was slowly being malformed . Her mother 's efforts did not suffice to remedy her daughter 's condition , so they were prompted to see the doctor . They later found out that it was polio , and the doctor believed Rudolph would never be...