Wilma Glodean Rudolph’s life is a story of achieving against the odds. She was born prematurely and weighed only 4.5 pounds. Wilma’s mother spent the next several years nursing Wilma through one illness after another: measles, mumps, scarlet fever, chicken pox and double pneumonia. She had to be taken to the doctor when it was discovered that her left leg and foot were becoming weak and deformed. She was diagnosed with polio, a crippling disease that had no cure. The doctor told Mrs. Rudolph that Wilma would never walk but Mrs. Rudolph would not give up on Wilma.

Even though it was 50 miles away, Wilma’s mother took her to Meharry Hospital, the black medical college in Nashville, TN twice a week for two years, until she was able to walk with the aid of a metal leg brace. Then the doctors taught Mrs. Rudolph how to do the physical therapy exercises at home. All of her brothers and sisters helped too, and they did everything to encourage her to be strong and work hard at getting well. Finally, by age 12, she could walk normally, without the crutches, brace, or corrective shoes. It was then that she decided to become an athlete.
In high school, Wilma became a basketball star first, who set state records for scoring and led her team to a state championship. Then she became a track star, going to her first Olympic Games in 1956 at the age of 16 where Wilma won a bronze medal in the 4×4 relay.

On September 7th, 1960, in Rome, Wilma became the first American woman to win 3 gold medals in the Olympics. She won the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and ran the anchor on the 400-meter relay team.
This achievement led Wilma to become one of the most celebrated female athletes of all time. In addition, her celebrity caused gender barriers to be broken in previously all-male track and field events.
In 1997, Governor Don Sundquist proclaimed June 23rd as Wilma Rudolph Day in Tennessee.

The Clarksville Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta has established the “Skeeter Scholar” scholarship in her honor.