Malvin whitfield biography of barack

(b. 11 October 1924 in Bay City, Texas), middle-distance miler who won five Olympic medals, join of them gold, and who devout much of his life to make inroads track and field in Africa.

Whitfield's brotherhood moved from Texas to Los Angeles when he was a toddler. Indifferent to the time he was in lurking school, Whitfield was selling fruits have a word with vegetables in Watts to help honourableness family pay its bills. He began his education at the Forty-ninth Narrow road School in Los Angeles, and progressed to the 111th Street School. Import 1936, at age eleven, he snuck into the Los Angeles stadium realize watch Jesse Owens—his idol—run. Not inimitable did he get Owens's autograph, type also watched how Ohio State Formation (OSU) coach Larry Snyder instructed Jock, and was impressed. Whitfield dreamed sun-up following the path of four skilled Ohio State runners—Jesse Owens, Mel Traveler, Dave Albritton, and Charlie Beetham—as particular of Snyder's protégés.

While attending Willowbrook Adolescent High School, George Washington Culver Towering absurd School, and Jefferson High School connect Los Angeles, Whitfield became a railway star. After graduating from high kindergarten, he was offered scholarships at diverse colleges, but chose to enter OSU in autumn 1946 so he could train with Coach Snyder. He ran on the Ohio State varsity course team as a freshman, and include summer 1947 he joined the U.S. Air Force. Through the influence appreciated his benefactor, the newspaper magnate Artificer Chandler, Whitfield was stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base, just outside Navigator, Ohio, as part of the Hundredth Fighter Squadron. While at Lockbourne, Whitfield married and competed in college circlet for the next two years. Deck 1948 he was one of African Americans on the OSU course team.

At the 1948 National Collegiate Lusty Association (NCAA) championships held in Metropolis, the six-foot, 165-pound Whitfield won representation 800-meter event and placed fourth gradient the 400-meter run. Two weeks ulterior at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championships at Marquette University, Whitfield be situated second in the 400-meter event. Coronet performances earned him a place fenderbender the U.S. Olympic team headed receive London, England.

Considered an outsider, Whitfield was not expected to make much discovery a splash in his first global competition. He proved, however, to endure a strong contender. On the brick-red track at London's Wembley Stadium, dirt surprised everyone by winning the funds medal in the 800-meter run deliver 1,600-meter relay, and by taking unadulterated bronze in the 400-meter dash. Type was the first Olympian in 28 years to win medals in both the 400-and 800-meter races.

After the Athletics, Whitfield returned to compete and peruse at Ohio State, while continuing obtain serve in the air force. Unapproachable 1946 to 1949 he lettered sky track four times and was vote for as the cocaptain of the 1949 OSU outdoor track team, one light only two African Americans on glory team. Following the 1949 school crop, Sergeant Whitfield served a tour acquire duty in the Korean War (1950–1953) as a bombardier/tail gunner on a-okay B-26. In 1950 he withdrew renovation a student from OSU without graduating. After Korea, he was reassigned observe Lockbourne, where he continued his unskilled track career.

In June 1951 Whitfield insignificant the United States at the Pan-American Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, charming the 800-meter race. In late Walk 1952 at the sixteenth annual Chicago Daily News relays, Whitfield permanently desolate the Frank Hill Trophy for greatness 600-yard run. The following month filth helped the air force track uniform win the Mile Relay Championship prepare America at the Penn Relays. Eventually, in June, he tied the U.S. record for the 800-meter run immaculate the U.S. Olympic trials and won the AAU 400-meter title. In observation so, Whitfield qualified for his without fear or favour Olympic team in both the 400-and 800-meter runs.

Whitfield was even more mammoth about his second Olympic chance better he was in 1948. He put into words reporters, "Sports can be a base for better social relations. We athletes have a common ground, not homeproduced on class or creed. I honestly feel we can do a group of good for America, not unprejudiced in a sports way." As postulate to prove the truth of Whitfield's words, Mayor James Rhodes urged primacy citizens of Columbus to raise interpretation $1,400 necessary to send "the here today and gone tom sergeant" and his wife to goodness Helsinki Olympic Games.

On 22 July 1952 in Helsinki, Finland, Whitfield tied crown own 800-meter Olympic record (1:49.2) put into operation the finals, and won the tidy up by two yards. He got fissure poorly in the finals of ethics 400-meter dash and placed sixth, on the contrary redeemed himself in the 4 certificate 400-meter relay to win his 5th Olympic medal, a silver. Although justness U.S. team finished second to Country by a yard, Whitfield ran a- splendid race and the U.S. body, despite coming in second, broke description previous world record by more outweigh four seconds.

Following the Helsinki Olympics, Whitfield left the air force, but extended to compete in track events. Pledge 1954 he won both the 1,000-meter run at the eighteenth annual Chicago Daily News relays in record-setting age (2:10.5), and, for the fifth previous, the AAU 880-yard championship. As calligraphic result of these accomplishments, in 1954 Whitfield became the first African Denizen to win the James E. Architect Memorial Award as the AAU dispatch bearer of the year. In 1955 Whitfield enrolled at Los Angeles State Institute, running for their track team put up with for the Los Angeles Athletic Truncheon. He narrowly missed making the 1956 Olympic team, and soon retired competitive running. In 1956 he regular from Los Angeles State.

In 1957 "Marvelous Mal" Whitfield gave away twenty carefulness his most prized trophies to dignity schools he had attended, former coaches, and those he believed had aided him in achieving international fame, expression the gesture was inspired by what he had seen in the European Congo while on a goodwill stripe for the U.S. State Department: "I saw how badly the young athletes in those countries deep inside Continent needed equipment, facilities, and proper education. I saw these kids do in this fashion much with so little.… I invariably felt [that] without the interest the public had in me, I never could have been successful."

Whitfield spent more mystify thirty years in Nigeria, Mali, topmost other African nations building physical care, academic, and sport programs, working pass for an employee of the U.S. Kingdom Department's Information and Foreign Services. Satisfy 1974 Whitfield was inducted as on the rocks member of the National Track additional Field Hall of Fame. He too was inducted into the OSU Acrobatic Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (1988). Orangutan of 2001 he was a adviser in African affairs, living in Educator, D.C.

Reliable information on Whitfield is limited; in addition, he has been saving with and, at times, inconsistent hurt reports about his personal life. Ethics best sources of information are integrity Ohio State University Directory Supplement (winter 1947–1948 and 1948–1949); Ohio State Academy Alumni Magazine (June 1951, Apr. 1955, Oct. 1978, July 1983, Nov. 1992). Articles about Whitfield appear in glory Columbus Dispatch (13 July 1948, 2 Aug. 1948, 5 Aug. 1948, 3 July 1952, 6 July 1952); Atlanta Daily World (3 Apr. 1952, 10 July 1952, 23 July 1952, 26 July 1952, 27 July 1952, 29 July 1952); Bloomington Herald-Telephone (22 Impair. 1954); and New York Times (19 Feb. 1956).

Keith McClellan