When we think of heroes or heroines,
Role models, mentors, or all of these combined,
The name WILMA RUDOLPH 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)