Helen Stephens & Mabel Robbe

[reviews_and_ramblings]

Helen Herring Stephens (February 3, 1918 – January 17, 1994) was an American athlete, a double Olympic champion in 1936. Helen Herring Stephens lived in Florissant, Missouri with her partner of 41 years, Mabel Robbe, until Robbe's death in 1986. At the 1936 Olympics it was suggested that Stephens and her 100 metres rival Stella Walsh, who had both X0 and XY chromosomes, were in fact male. The Olympics committee performed a physical check on Stephens and concluded that she was a woman. (P: Helen Stephens still running in 1986, at 68)

Stephens, nicknamed the "Fulton Flash" after her birthplace Fulton, Missouri, was a strong athlete in sprint events - she never lost a race in her entire career - but also in weight events like the shot put and discus throw, and she won national titles in both categories of events.

Aged only 18, Stephens was sent out to the 1936 Summer Olympics. There, she won the 100 m final, beating reigning champion and reigning world record holder Stanisława Walasiewicz of Poland (at autopsy, it was discovered that Walsh had both male and female sex organs). Her time of 11.5 s was below the world record, but was not recognised because a strong tailwind was present at the time of the race. Next, Stephens anchored the American 4 x 100 m relay team that won the Olympic title after the leading German team dropped its baton.

Stephens retired from athletics shortly after the Games and played some professional baseball and softball. She attended William Woods University, Fulton High School, and Middle River School in Fulton. From 1938 to 1952, she was the owner and manager of her own semi-professional basketball team. She was employed for many years in the Research Division of the U.S. Aeronautical Chart and Information Service (later, a part of the Defense Mapping Agency) in St. Louis, Missouri.


with Jesse Owens
Helen Herring Stephens (February 3, 1918 – January 17, 1994) was an American athlete, a double Olympic champion in 1936. Helen Herring Stephens lived in Florissant, Missouri with her partner of 41 years, Mabel Robbe, until Robbe's death in 1986. At the 1936 Olympics it was suggested that Stephens and her 100 metres rival Stella Walsh, who had both X0 and XY chromosomes, were in fact male. The Olympics committee performed a physical check on Stephens and concluded that she was a woman.


with Alice Jean Arden
Alice Jean Arden (born July 23, 1914, in Philadelphia) was the daughter of Thomas Raymond Arden , who applied for a patent for the mechanics of the American Flyer, a famous typewriting machine. Alice is seen here on the right, with Helen Stephens; Alice, who grew up in Long Island and was educated at Baldwin High, competed for the US in the women's high jump at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games (as the only New York City female team member). She married basketball player Russel ‘Rusty’ Hodge and their son Russ Hodge (below) was a decathlete at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, making Arden and Hodge the only mother-son Olympians in American history. After Tokyo, Hodge set a world decathlon record on his mother's 52nd birthday.

She died in Saint Louis at age 75.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Stephens & www.albemarle-callaway.com/surnames/getperson.php

Days of Love: Celebrating LGBT History One Story at a Time by Elisa Rolle
Paperback: 760 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; 1 edition (July 1, 2014)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1500563323
ISBN-13: 978-1500563325
CreateSpace Store: https://www.createspace.com/4910282
Amazon (Paperback): http://www.amazon.com/dp/1500563323/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Amazon (Kindle): http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MZG0VHY/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

Days of Love chronicles more than 700 LGBT couples throughout history, spanning 2000 years from Alexander the Great to the most recent winner of a Lambda Literary Award. Many of the contemporary couples share their stories on how they met and fell in love, as well as photos from when they married or of their families. Included are professional portraits by Robert Giard and Stathis Orphanos, paintings by John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini, and photographs by Frances Benjamin Johnson, Arnold Genthe, and Carl Van Vechten among others. “It's wonderful. Laying it out chronologically is inspired, offering a solid GLBT history. I kept learning things. I love the decision to include couples broken by death. It makes clear how important love is, as well as showing what people have been through. The layout and photos look terrific.” Christopher Bram “I couldn’t resist clicking through every page. I never realized the scope of the book would cover centuries! I know that it will be hugely validating to young, newly-emerging LGBT kids and be reassured that they really can have a secure, respected place in the world as their futures unfold.” Howard Cruse “This international history-and-photo book, featuring 100s of detailed bios of some of the most forward-moving gay persons in history, is sure to be one of those bestsellers that gay folk will enjoy for years to come as reference and research that is filled with facts and fun.” Jack Fritscher