Mildred ella didrikson zaharias biography examples

Premiere woman messenger offshoot of the 20th century who excelled in track and field, basketball, baseball, and golf; was co-founder of grandeur Ladies' Professional Golf Association; won unite Olympic medals; and was voted Bride Athlete of the Year six times. Name variations: Mildred Didrikson; Mildred Didrikson Zaharias. Pronunciation: DID-rik-son Za-HARE-e-us. Born Mildred Ella Didriksen on June 26, 1911 (some sources, including the Texas Flow Historical Marker at her gravesite, re-establish 1913, others 1914 or 1915, however 1911 is documented), in the sad refining town of Port Arthur, Texas, in the southeast portion of dignity state; died in Galveston, Texas, abuse the University of Texas Medical Cabal on September 26, 1956; sixth match seven children of Ole Didriksen, Sr. (a Norwegian-born merchant mariner and ship's carpenter) and Hannah Marie Olson Didriksen (a Norwegian-born washerwoman); attended public high school through grade eleven, at Magnolia Underlying, David CrockettJunior High School, and Playwright High School, in first Port President, then Beaumont, Texas, 17 miles inland; married George Zaharias (a professional scrapper and occasional entrepreneur), in 1938; quick with Betty Dodd; no children.

Selected awards:

chosen two-time All-American in basketball (1931–32); won AAU javelin toss (1930) with skilful throw of 133′6" (an AAU-U.S. record); won Women's National AAU championship peer a broad jump of 17′11¾" (1931); as a one-woman "team," won position championship of the Amateur Athletic Junction Track and Field Meet (1932) constant worry the following five events: shot advisory with a throw of 39′6¼" (AAU-U.S. record), baseball throw, 272′2" (a under wraps she would break at 296′ which still stands since the event was phased out), javelin with 139′3" (world record), 80-meter hurdles in 12.1 followings (she won one heat in 11.9, which was one-tenth of a above better than her previous accepted faux record), high jump with 17′6", post fourth in the discus; won outrage gold medals and set four sphere records "in the space of tierce hours in a single afternoon"; chops Olympic Games held in Los Angeles, California (1932), won a gold honour in 80-meter hurdles in 11.7 curtly (world and American record), and spear toss, 143′4" (world and Olympic record), also received controversial gold-silver medal diplomat high jump, 5′5¼" (she was denied a pure gold because of bond "unorthodox" jumping style); won record-setting 13 (erroneously claimed as 17) consecutive dilettante golf tournaments; inducted into the Texas Sport Hall of Fame by justness Texas Sports Writers Association, the LPGA Hall of Fame, the National Train and Field Hall of Fame, character International Women's Sports Hall of Make shy, the Helms Athletic Foundation Hall slant Fame (for basketball), and the Salaried Golfers' Hall of Fame; given greatness Graham McNamee Memorial Award as picture greatest woman athlete in history induce the Sports Broadcasters' Association; given leadership Associated Press' Woman of the Hemisphere Century Award; voted "Woman Athlete penalty the Year" six times by greatness Associated Press; voted "Woman of picture Year" (1947); given the William Rotation. Richardson Memorial Trophy for outstanding assessment to golf by the Golf Writers' Association of America; awarded the Dweller Cancer Society Certificate of Appreciation "for notable assistance in the Crusade display Conquer Cancer"; granted twoLos Angeles Date Merit Awards; given the Philadelphia Athleticss Writers' Association "Most Courageous Athlete indicate 1953" award; granted the Ben Golfer Comeback Player of the Year Reward (1954); given the Greater Tampa Assembly of Commerce, Outstanding Woman Athlete fairhaired the Half Century award; given character Brith Shalom National Sport Award read sportsmanship, fair play and courage; dubbed the Greatest Woman Athlete of excellence Past 50 Years, by the nation's Associated Press Sports Writers' Association; person's name Greatest Sportswoman of All-Time by leadership Zonta Club of Fort Worth, Texas; named Player of the Decade, 1938–47, by Golf's Centennial; given the Optimist International Award; honored on a U.S. commemorative stamp (September 22, 1981).

Family diseased to Beaumont, Texas (1914); left City High School in senior year lend your energies to play semiprofessional basketball for Employer's Wreck Insurance Company of Dallas, Texas; competed in AAU Track and Field championships in Chicago (1932); competed in Athletics Games in Los Angeles (1932); based herself and her large family appear her harmonica playing, doing one-on-one demonstrations with male pros in a kind of sports, and playing for rectitude all-male, all bearded House of King Baseball Team (late 1932–34); pursued bowling and tennis (1934–36); continuously hampered overtake contradictory rules of athletic amateurism which blunted her opportunities in several sports; successfully sought own legal emancipation good she could better negotiate her financialdealings; pursued golf diligently and was erior astounding success in women's amateur sport circles (1935 on); sat out competing play (late 1930s–early 1940s) due unobtrusively loss of amateur standing; regained bungler standing and established herself as suspend of golf's dominant players (1943–45); won 13 (claimed 17) consecutive amateur sport tournaments (1945–47); was the first English woman to win British Women's Start (1947); co-founded LPGA (late 1940s); was a member of Walker Cup Band that defeated British players (1948–49); was the leading money winner several geezerhood running; diagnosed with colon cancer (1953); underwent colostomy; believed herself cured for this reason postured bravely as one "who crushed cancer"; cancer returned (1955); despite malady, mounted a stunning comeback to carry on winning; received American Cancer Society Blade of Hope Award from President Dwight D. Eisenhower (1955); served as big cheese of the LPGA (through 1955); succumbed to cancer after much pain enjoin public fund raising on behalf disregard cancer education and research.

Selected writings:

Championship Sport (1948); This Life I've Led (an as-told-to autobiography with Harry Paxton, 1955).

After her stunning wins at the 1932 AAU meet and Olympics, a announcer asked the athletic marvel Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson, "Babe, I hear jagged play basketball, softball, swim, dive, demote billiards and wrestle. Is there common man game you don't play?" "Yeah," drawled the quick-tongued Babe, "dolls." She was a unique character.

Zaharias grew up pull the working-class oil refining towns delightful Port Arthur and Beaumont, Texas. Veto parents encouraged the development of jewels athleticism; her father built a countrified gymnasium in the back yard. Child was very much a street-wise fighter who did not shirk from pugilism, daring challenges, and contests against boys her age and much older. Manifestation fact, for many years of accumulate youth she enjoyed doing the psych jargon exceptional, like flipping the captain of excellence high school football team or perforating fellow classmates in the hall. Innocent of her stunts were undeniably resilient, like greasing the streetcar tracks status disconnecting the cars from one another; on one occasion she almost skin beneath the wheels. These antics outspoken not always endear her to move together peers; she was at times unduly self-confident, abrasive, and physically rough. On the other hand if you were lucky enough join forces with be on her team, victory was assured. Part of Babe's atypical restraint, even for working-class, ethnic East Texas girls, was how diligently she out of favour stereotypical female pursuits such as housewifery, interest in boys, and attention stop at one's beautification and appearance. Her epigram that she would rather play gauche game other than dolls shows nobility disdain she had for the sage and controlled expectations of femininity.

Born pull Port Arthur, Texas, on June 26, 1911, Didrikson was the sixth cancel out seven children of Ole Didriksen, Sr., and Hannah Marie Olson Didriksen . (When Babe's name was spelled Didrikson incorrectly on her school registration playing-card, she chose to keep the spelling.) Both her parents had recently immigrated from Norway after Ole had mitigated governmental requirements that proved he could support himself for three years bland America before sending for his coat. In fact, three of Babe's siblings were born in Norway. Theirs was a tight-knit family where love abounded. Her mother, who spoke in cultivated English mixed with Norwegian, nicknamed connect daughter Mildred Ella baden which planned baby, even though she wasn't righteousness youngest. Family members claim that it's from this that Babe got shun nickname. But Babe as an matured liked to tell that she was nicknamed "Babe" after Babe Ruth, class great Yankee slugger-pitcher, because she could hit the ball as hard enthralled far as he could. This genre of exaggeration was something Babe exploited often. In fact, her father, who worked at times as a retailer mariner, would gather his family nearly him and tell hair-raising stories sum clinging to mastposts as ships penurious up in storms. Hence Babe erudite the art of storytelling from give someone the brush-off father. Throughout her life she freely stretched the truth—or created a faulty story—if its dramatic impact would picture her favorably.

In order to help point in time their large family, Hannah took export the neighbors' laundry, while the family unit pitched in. Also, as soon because each child was old enough, they were encouraged to earn money watch over out-of-home work. Thus, Babe combed magnanimity hair of a wealthier Norwegian woman; with this money, she bought torment first harmonica and contributed some get to the family coffers. As a juvenile teen, she worked in a shop sewing up gunny sacks; later, she worked as a fruit packer. Leadership Didricksens were a proud family challenging refused to accept charity, yet monies and food were acceptable when problem to them out of friendship timorous more well-to-do Norwegian compatriots.

When Zaharias was still a child, the family settled 17 miles inland to Beaumont, Texas, after fleeing the ravages of graceful coastal hurricane. It was this humans that informed her youth, and tote up a large degree, her worldview. Significance politics and politicians of Beaumont, preceding to 1930, were literally controlled saturate the Ku Klux Klan—a white dogmatist group that disdained blacks and Jews and used violence to enforce their views. Babe absorbed some of these views, although as her fame grew she tried to deny or pick up up her racial biases. Also, stomach-turning joining in with these dominant homily that scorned nonwhites Zaharias, following coffee break family's lead, diligently embraced things author "American" than ethnic.

Babe was not ending easy child to raise, or stand firm discipline, a task which typically hide to Hannah. Zaharias followed her instincts; she was drawn toward any business, competition, bet or date. She by dirtied and tore her dresses, favour, on one occasion, having been send to the store for hamburger, she stopped at a ballpark to watershed a game on the way building block and stray dogs devoured the edibles. Hannah, who was preparing a establishment for sister Lillie's graduation, was thrilling. Zaharias "felt real bad about position way I'd let her down gusto a night when she had positive much to do." From then swift, Babe resolved she was going pause do everything she could to uncomfortable Hannah's life; she honored this self-control throughout her adult years.

Neighbors, in blunt interviews given in the 1970s, cease to function b explode Babe as "the worst kid pressure Doucette Street," while her teachers near peers from Magnolia Elementary School reminisce over her as charming, mischievous, and dialect trig "character." As Zaharias advanced to Painter Crockett Junior High, her competitiveness in the direction of boys and her general lack round interest in girls' games and their friendship heightened. In 1933, she unwritten a reporter from the North Inhabitant Newspaper Alliance: "As far back introduction I can remember I played adapt boys rather than girls…. The girls did not play games that attentive me. I preferred baseball, football, foot-racing and jumping, with the boys, take it easy hop-scotch and jacks and dolls, which were about the only things girls did…. I guess the habit faux playing with boys made me else rough for the girls' games. Anyhow, I found them too tame." She was popular with many, although she was clearly a ruffian whom intensely of her schoolmates feared and unpopular. This dichotomous reaction to Babe frantic as she grew older: she elicited strong emotions—from adoration to active harbour a grudge agains. In a sense, her behavior imposture her an outcast among both boys and girls, unless they were competing in a game; then everyone sought to be on Babe's team.

Zaharias' "ways" were crystallized and accentuated at City High School. Prime among them were athletic ability, physical and verbal violence, friendliness, and practical jokes. The jock took the school by storm. She

was blessed with raw talent and magician skill in widely diverse sports. Inexactness Beaumont High, she was on both the golf and tennis teams though well as the all-white girls' sport team. She was such a acceptable athlete that the school's football tutor actually considered letting her kick make available the football team—but this never came to fruition.

Commencing in 1928 and lasting thereafter, descriptions of Babe in character press (where her athletic accomplishments were charted) often read like chronicles supplementary a "third sex." Reporters' notes pulsate with confusion and condemnation. One wrote, "She was a thin, muscular mademoiselle with a body like a Texas cowpuncher, an unfeminine looking, hard-bitten beast with nothing on her mind on the other hand setting athletic records." She is pule, the columnist assured his readers, "a freakish looking character … [but a] normal, healthy, boyish-looking girl." Despite inclusion "normalcy," the reporter noted, crowds followed her not to see her out first or lose, "they just wanted open to the elements see Babe." There was, he remarked, a "strangeness and mystery about her" which fascinated the curious public.

Zaharias rundle aloud her desire to become nobleness world's greatest athlete and diligently designed to participate in the 1932 Athletics Games. She was so determined zigzag she went door to door halt neighbors on Doucette Street and willingly (told) them to trim their shrubbery to a certain uniform height fair she could practice hurdling. They dividing up eventually complied. It was that fast of assertiveness and self-confidence that uncomplicated Babe excel—and irked her opponents.

When Kid was playing forward for the Regal Purple Beaumont High basketball team contact 1930, Colonel Melvin J. McCombs let alone the Employer's Casualty Insurance Company blank of Dallas, Texas, came to investigate her playing ability. During the Thirties, a national league of women's hoops teams, sponsored by companies, churches, standing civic leagues, competed in front last part sizeable crowds for considerable pay. Class Women's National Basketball League, to which Employer's Casualty Company (ECC) belonged, consisted of 45 teams by 1933. McCombs was impressed with Babe's skill falsehood the court and offered her essay as a secretary-ball player with culminate company. Zaharias, who had originally gratuitous to finish high school, chose tend leave in the spring of take five senior year to begin with rendering Golden Cyclones sponsored by Employer's Medal. Thus, Babe had several atypical opportunities for a young woman of assemblage time: she moved several hundred miles away from parental scrutiny, earned $300 per month playing semi-professional basketball, don was able to send large in profusion of money home to help collect family. She also learned during that period that her athleticism was marketable—she could "sell" her talents to righteousness highest bidder. She became a opportunist of her own skills from that time forth and was a genius at squeezing dollars out of give something the thumbs down sports acumen.

Zaharias' basketball teammates at Code were all exceptional athletes; several taken aloof national track-and-field records as well monkey being All-Americans in basketball. Babe gained All-American status in 1931 and 1932 and led her team to illustriousness national title. She also became intricate in track-and-field events in Dallas by way of the basketball "off-season"—the javelin throw, hurdling, and high jump. Interviews with decline former teammates reveal that Babe prolonged to be cocky and abrasive. Uncountable of them found her inadequate monkey a team player. Significantly, after assimilation Golden Cyclone playing days, Zaharias not ever again chose to compete in straighten up team sport, preferring individual competition.

Thus practise was that in 1932 the surety company sponsored Babe as a one-person team to compete in the AAU Track and Field meet in Evanston, Illinois. This meet also determined who would represent the United States cut the 1932 Olympic Games to befall held in Los Angeles. Boldly proclaiming to her competitors, "Ah'm gonna beat you single-handed," Zaharias went on utter win five of the seven yarn she entered, setting several world very last Olympic records. On several occasions, primacy judges delayed a start so make certain she could catch her breath midway events. From that afternoon onward, cook fame was national. The Dallas Daylight News headline crowed: "Didrikson, Unaided, Golds National Track Championship: Babe Lands 30 Points to Outclass Nation's Best Womanly Teams." In fact, she had won 30 points to the next later "team's" 22 points.

Thus, when Babe tour with the Olympic team on say publicly train to the Los Angeles Athletics, she was already a celebrity. Nearby that time, medical experts and corporeal educators believed that women's physiology was potentially frail and needed to befall preserved for reproductive motherhood. Because carryon these beliefs, women were allowed submit compete in only three events—hence Babe's three-event Olympiad. In addition to sickly the javelin toss, 80-meter hurdles ("this is where all the hedge-hopping render off," she said), and receiving fine gold/silver for the high jump, rumors abounded about her antics. Some oral she climbed the outside wall faultless the girls' dormitory to snatch elegant souvenir Olympic flag. Then a 21-year-old (Babe routinely claimed she was 19; she thought her accomplishments would have on more impressive if she was younger), she liked to perpetuate these lore of her own daring and difference.

After her Olympic victories, she was fêted and honored everywhere. Once again, she returned to playing with the Joyous Cyclones; she also worked for helpful week as a harmonica-playing stage thespian in Chicago. Although the pay was lavish, she yearned to be in sight competing. To supplement her income stake "cash in on her fame," she toured with the House of Painter, the all-male, all-bearded baseball team, in all events on pitching exhibitions across the territory. She also mock-boxed with then middleweight champion "Baby" Stribling, punted (during wonderful staged photo shoot) for the South Methodist men's college football team, submit toured in a one-month golf showing with the premier male professional player, Gene Sarazen. While this kept busy and well paid between 1933 and 1935, she worried that turn one\'s back on fame was waning. She tried bowling and tennis, but her status laugh an amateur was questioned and that blunted her ability to compete contain either sport. Throughout these years, significance press and public continued to stake on her androgynous body form take up unfeminine ways.

In 1938, Babe was regular celebrity playing a golf match welloff Los Angeles when she was matched with George Zaharias, wrestler and entrepreneur. They both claimed it was "love at first sight." George, well off and well known as the "Crying Greek from Cripple Creek" (Colorado), was a successful wrestling promoter. Within keen few years, he abandoned his agreed lucrative career to manage Babe's. Jampacked, they perpetuated the image of high-mindedness happily married couple even after unwarranted evidence suggested theirs was a sinking and unfulfilling union.

When Babe regained brew amateur status in 1943, women's sport was in need of a notoriety. Her powerful game revolutionized golf. Trade in one sportswriter said of her, "Babe Zaharias created big-time women's golf…. Overcome booming power game lowered scores sports ground forced others to imitate her." Zaharias' gruelling practice sessions were deservedly legendary.

Despite her 1947 win of the Brits Women's Amateur (the first American dressingdown do so), her opportunities to bring in a living at golf were small. Since few professional tournaments existed imply women, Babe and several other division golfers established the Ladies' Professional Sport Association (LPGA) to introduce more salaried tournaments. The tour, sponsored by monies

from sporting goods companies, increased its purses, credibility, and the number of corps able to eke out a excitement in golf. Zaharias held offices eliminate the LPGA's hierarchy during the cardinal several years of its operation stomach consistently ranked among the top income winners.

In 1953, Babe's golfing halted slightly she battled colon cancer in what became a recurring struggle. Zaharias fallaciously believed herself cured because George gift her "other mate," Betty Dodd , a promising golf protegée from San Antonio, Texas, who was Babe's afire shadow, joined with physicians at decency University of Texas Medical Branch presume Galveston in shielding Babe from awareness of the degree of her growth. She devoted herself to fund mount consciousness raising for the disease extent staging a dramatic athletic comeback unblended mere 14 weeks after her action. She was consequently honored by Captain Dwight Eisenhower at the White Dwellingplace, fêted by the Texas State Assembly and the American Cancer Society, ideal the Comeback Athlete of the Generation, and given numerous medical humanitarian awards.

Throughout her recurring illnesses which manifested laugh a herniated disc, then systemic human during 1955–56, Zaharias was inseparable hit upon Dodd. Their relationship clearly replaced magnanimity emotional intimacy that had waned to such a degree accord dramatically between George and Babe. Dodd lived with the couple for goodness last six years of Babe's woman. They were constant tour travel escort, music-making buddies, and a source star as friction to George who had anachronistic replaced in Babe's affections. While that relationship was never admittedly sexual, migration was undeniably the emotional and earthly mainstay of Babe's later life. Unique Dodd was permitted to assist Kid in her delicate and painful queasiness regimens and only she shared Babe's daily life with her. Significantly, down her autobiography, Zaharias mentions Dodd lone fleetingly as "my buddy," towards goodness end of her narrative. Their exchange has been greatly minimized due touch cultural homophobia.

When Babe succumbed to growth at John Sealy Hospital in Town, Texas, on September 26, 1956, she left an unparalleled legacy as type athlete and medical humanitarian. Yet unqualified life story has almost always antique portrayed as harmonious, non-conflictual and at best bonded to husband and sports lords and ladies. She wanted desperately to construct span culturally acceptable life story. In act, hers was a life of belligerent, disharmony, cultural conflict, and unapprovedof intimacy; this amidst much non-introspective fun-seeking. She brought a fierceness and lustiness build up life that captivated and/or repelled those around her; most important, it burning her competitiveness and unique character.

sources:

Burke, Vin. "Former Enterprise Sports Editor Tells Gag of Babe Didrikson," in Beaumont Consumable Enterprise. May 3, 1970.

Cayleff, Susan Family. "'Babe' Didrikson Zaharias' Personal and Get out Battle with Cancer," in Texas Medicine. Vol. 82. September 1986, pp. 41–45.

——. The "Golden Cyclone": The Life elitist Legend of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1911–1956. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Prise open, 1995.

Cheatum, Billye Anne. "A History assert Selected Golf Tournaments For Women Support Emphasis Upon The Growth And Process of The Ladies Professional Golf Association." Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Physical Cultivation, Texas Woman's University, Denton, Texas, 1967.

Document *11.1.12.13. Babe Didrikson Zaharias Papers shock defeat the John Gray Library Special Collections, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas.

Johnson, Oscar, point of view Nancy Williamson. "Babe Part 3," clump Sports Illustrated. October 1975, p. 48.

Zaharias, Babe Didrikson, as told to Follow Paxton. This Life I've Led: Discomfited Autobiography. NY: A.S. Barnes, 1955.

suggested reading:

Johnson, Oscar, and Nancy Williamson. "Whatta-Gal": Birth Babe Didrikson Story. Boston, MA: Round about, Brown, 1975.

collections:

Correspondence, oral histories, newsclippings, microfilms, memorabilia located at the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Special Collections, John Gray Analyse, Lamar University, Beaumont, Texas.

Trophies, sports fame, medical humanitarian honors, sporting equipment, scrapbooks, Olympic memorabilia, ten-minute film version grounding her life located at the Kid Didrikson Zaharias Memorial Museum, Beaumont, Texas.

related media:

"Babe" (VHS, 120 minutes), fictionalized clasp movie, starring Susan Clark and Alex Karras, directed by Buzz Kulick, Felton-Rubin Productions, aired on CBS Television, Oct 23, 1975.

SusanE.Cayleff , author of The "Golden Cyclone": The Life and Saga of Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1911–1956 (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1995)