Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Louise Mae Stokes Fraser |
Born | Malden, Massachusetts |
Sport | |
Sport | Track and field |
Louise Mae Stokes Fraser (October 27, 1913 – March 25, 1978) was an American track and field athlete.
The oldest of six children, [1] Louise Mae Stokes was born in Malden, Massachusetts on October 27, 1913, [2] to William, a gardener, and Mary Wesley Stokes, a domestic. She started running while a student at Beebe Junior High, [1] where she was a center for the basketball team. [3] In 1930, one of her basketball teammates, Kathryn Robley, impressed by her speed, suggested Stokes to join her in the Onteora Track Club, [2] whose sponsor, Malden park commissioner William H. Quaine, knew of Stokes' reputation. [4] Soon, Stokes started winning the sprints and jumping events. [5]
While a junior in Malden High School in 1931, Stokes won the James Michael Curley Cup for the best women's performance at the Mayor's Day track meet, including a New England record 12.6 seconds in the 100-meter dash. [1] In December of that year, she tied the world record for women's standing broad jump at 8 feet 5 3/4 inches. [6] At the 1932 United States Olympic Trials, competed in the 100 meters, where she placed fourth, [7] earning her a spot in the 4 × 100 meter relay pool, making her and Tidye Pickett the first African-American Women to be selected for the Olympics, although coach George Vreeland left them out at the final relay lineup. [5] In Los Angeles, Stokes was given a compact by film star Janet Gaynor. [2]
Stokes continued running, and at the 1936 United States Olympic Trials, she again competed in the 100 meters, winning both her heat and her semi-final. [7] She was leading the final until a costly error pushed her back to fifth. [2] Still, it was good enough for her to become a part of the 4 x 100 meter relay pool. Stokes' hometown of Malden raised $680 in order that she may compete in Berlin. [5] Although she did not compete at the Olympics, she was still given a hero's welcome in Malden. [1] In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including interviews with Stokes' family, was documented in the film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice. [8]
Stokes was considering to compete at the 1940 Olympics before its cancellation due to World War II. [5] In 1941, she founded the Colored Women's Bowling League, and for the next three decades won many awards. [5] In 1944, she married Caribbean cricketer Wilfred Fraser and had a son, Wilfred, Jr., as well as a stepdaughter, Shirley. [1] From 1957 to 1975, she worked as a clerk for the Massachusetts Department of Corporations and Taxation. [5] She died on March 25, 1978. [1]
Malden, Massachusetts have honored her with a fieldhouse with her name in Roosevelt Park, and a statue in the Malden High Courtyard.
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Louise Mae Stokes Fraser |
Born | Malden, Massachusetts |
Sport | |
Sport | Track and field |
Louise Mae Stokes Fraser (October 27, 1913 – March 25, 1978) was an American track and field athlete.
The oldest of six children, [1] Louise Mae Stokes was born in Malden, Massachusetts on October 27, 1913, [2] to William, a gardener, and Mary Wesley Stokes, a domestic. She started running while a student at Beebe Junior High, [1] where she was a center for the basketball team. [3] In 1930, one of her basketball teammates, Kathryn Robley, impressed by her speed, suggested Stokes to join her in the Onteora Track Club, [2] whose sponsor, Malden park commissioner William H. Quaine, knew of Stokes' reputation. [4] Soon, Stokes started winning the sprints and jumping events. [5]
While a junior in Malden High School in 1931, Stokes won the James Michael Curley Cup for the best women's performance at the Mayor's Day track meet, including a New England record 12.6 seconds in the 100-meter dash. [1] In December of that year, she tied the world record for women's standing broad jump at 8 feet 5 3/4 inches. [6] At the 1932 United States Olympic Trials, competed in the 100 meters, where she placed fourth, [7] earning her a spot in the 4 × 100 meter relay pool, making her and Tidye Pickett the first African-American Women to be selected for the Olympics, although coach George Vreeland left them out at the final relay lineup. [5] In Los Angeles, Stokes was given a compact by film star Janet Gaynor. [2]
Stokes continued running, and at the 1936 United States Olympic Trials, she again competed in the 100 meters, winning both her heat and her semi-final. [7] She was leading the final until a costly error pushed her back to fifth. [2] Still, it was good enough for her to become a part of the 4 x 100 meter relay pool. Stokes' hometown of Malden raised $680 in order that she may compete in Berlin. [5] Although she did not compete at the Olympics, she was still given a hero's welcome in Malden. [1] In 2016, the 1936 Olympic journey of the eighteen Black American athletes, including interviews with Stokes' family, was documented in the film Olympic Pride, American Prejudice. [8]
Stokes was considering to compete at the 1940 Olympics before its cancellation due to World War II. [5] In 1941, she founded the Colored Women's Bowling League, and for the next three decades won many awards. [5] In 1944, she married Caribbean cricketer Wilfred Fraser and had a son, Wilfred, Jr., as well as a stepdaughter, Shirley. [1] From 1957 to 1975, she worked as a clerk for the Massachusetts Department of Corporations and Taxation. [5] She died on March 25, 1978. [1]
Malden, Massachusetts have honored her with a fieldhouse with her name in Roosevelt Park, and a statue in the Malden High Courtyard.