Jesse Owens

Photo taken from: biography.com

Ms. Payumo, World Geography

 JESSE OWENS

Jesse Owens, born on September 12, 1913, in Oakville

Alabama was the son of a sharecropper and grandson of a

slave. His real name was actually James Cleveland Owens.

They called him J.C. for short. His teacher called him

“Jessie” instead of J.C. because she thought that he meant

“Jessie”. He decided to keep the name and decided that he

would be known as Jessie Owens for the rest of his life.

He achieved what no Olympian before him had

accomplished by his outstanding achievement of four gold

medals at the 1936 Olympic games in Berlin. It made him the

best remembered athlete in Olympic history. His

performance has made him a legend. As a student in

a Cleveland, Ohio, High school, he won three events at the

National Interscholastic Championships in 1933 in Chicago.

May 25, 1935, Owens represented Ohio State University

in a Western Conference track- and- field meet at the

University of Michigan. He had a record of 9.4 seconds

for the 100- yard dash equaling the world record. He also

broke the world records for the 220- yard dash by running it
in 20.3 seconds, the 220- yard low hurdles by running it in

22.6 seconds, and the long jump by jumping 8.13 meters or

8 feet. His success at the 1935 Western Conference gave

him the confidence that he was ready to excel at the highest

level.

Photo taken from: JesseOwens.com

http://www.jesseowens.com/photos/1.gif

Jesse entered the 1936 Olympics in Berlin where he

not only discredited Hitler’s master race theory, but also

affirmed that individual excellence, rather than race or

national origin, distinguishes one man from another. He was

a dreamer who could make the dreams of others come true,

a speaker who could make the world be attentive and a man

who held out hope to millions of young people. He shared of

himself and the little material wealth he had while he

worked with the youths. He was fairly the champion on the

playground of the poorest neighborhoods as he was on the

oval of the Olympic games. In 1976, he was awarded the

highest civilian honor in front of the members of the U.S.

Montreal Olympic team. In February, 1979, President Carter

presented him with the Living Legend Award.

March 31, 1980, Jesse Owens died from complications

due to lung cancer. He was buried in Oak Woods Cemetery,

Chicago, IL. Words of sorrow, sympathy and

admiration poured in from all over the world. His work with

young athletes, as an ambassador overseas who was

unofficial, and a spokesman for liberty are a rich legacy to

his fellow Americans.

Jesse Owens’s Family

Jessie’s parents were Henry and Emma Owens. He had

six brothers and sisters. His wife’s name was Ruth Owens.

He had three children, Gloria, Beverly and Marlene.

Jesse Owens’s Quotes

 The battles that count aren't the ones for gold medals. The
struggles within yourself - the invisible, inevitable battles inside
all of us - that's where it's at. -Jesse Owens
If you don't try to win you might as well hold the Olympics in
somebody's back yard.-Jesse Owens
Find the good. It's all around you. Find it, showcase it and you'll
start believing in it. - Jesse Owens
One chance is all you need. - Jesse Owens
We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into
reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-
discipline, and effort. –Jesse Owens
Source: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jesse_owens.html

Photo taken from: jesseowens.com

 REFERENCES
 http://www.google.com/
 http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors
/j/jesse_owens.html
 http://www.jesseowens.com/
 http://www.biography.com/people/jesse-
owens-9431142
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