Page 4 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, March 28, 2025 OLYMPIAN | FROM PAGE 3 women had appeared to have earned the right to a spot on that relay team due to their performances at pre-Olympics time trials and the fact their 11th hour replacements were white women, race has been cited by a number of historians as being a factor in their being denied a spot to compete in any official Olympics events in 1932. Both women again were Lawrence A. Simeone Jr. Attorney-at-Law ~ Since 1989 ~ * Corporate Litigation * Criminal/Civil * MCAD * Zoning/Land Court * Wetlands Litigation * Workmen’s Compensation * Landlord/Tenant Litigation * Real Estate Law * Construction Litigation * Tax Lien * Personal Injury * Bankruptcy * Wrongful Death * Zoning/Permitting Litigation 300 Broadway, Suite 1, Revere * 781-286-1560 lsimeonejr@simeonelaw.net picked to compete in the 1936 Olympics, this time the historic Games being held in Berlin, the heart of Nazi Germany. These games were forevermore known as the “Jesse Owens” Olympics, due to Owens, an African-American on the men’s team, winning four Gold Medals. Was the color of her skin the reason she was denied the chance to compete? Once again, Stokes Fraser did not get an opportunity to compete – left off the relay team once again. Was the color of her skin the reason she was denied the chance to compete? Her teammate, Pickett, did go on to achieve notoriety as the first African-American woman in history to compete for the U.S. Olympic Team, though an injury ended her quest for a medal in the semiDan - 1972 Celebrating 52 Years! When in need, call ABC! finals of the 100 meter sprint. Though, by the numbers, Chris 2023 * Travel Humidors * Desk Top Humidors * Many Types of Lighters * Ash Trays * Juuls * Vapes * Glass Pipes * Rewards Program * CBD Infused Products * GIFTS UNDER $30 - GIFT CERTIFICATES ALL MAJOR BRANDS Singles * Tins * Bundles * Boxes SMOKER’S DELIGHT! 15 HANDMADE CIGARS! 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A flat-out paucity of available opportunities for wouldbe women athletes in both team and individual sports was indeed one major barrier. Add to that the belief in many circles that athletic competition was innately wrong, physically and mentally, for women to participate in. From the late 19th century right up until the 1940s, prominent scientific minds spoke against women competing in athletics, citing adverse effects anywhere from the child-bearing process to mental instability. Who was Louise Mae Stokes Fraser? Louise May Stokes grew up near Malden’s downtown and developed a love of running and sports in general at a young age. According to her son, Wilfred Fraser Jr., she beat any girls in town easily, so she began racing neighborhood boys on the B&M Railroad tracks, which ran along the city behind Malden Square, now the site of the Northern Strand Trail Bike Path. She went on to become a student at the then brand-new Beebe Junior High School on Pleasant Street in the late 1920s, before moving on to Malden High School. It was there that Louise Mae began to excel athletically. She starred on the fledgling Beebe girls basketball team, which was a very rudimentary, six-onsix game, with only one dribble allowed per player at a time and only three players allowed over halfcourt of the small court surface at a time. These girls basketball rules remained essentially the same for 50 years, into the 1970s. She caught the eye of a local track enthusiast and organizer, William H. Quaine, who ran the Onteora Club, a private track and field club in the area. Quaine quickly took an interest in Stokes Fraser and began to guide her career, entering her in races and events around the region. This coincided with her athletic participation at Malden High School, where she was a member of the Class of 1931 who competed in basketball and girls track and field. She established MHS school records in nearly every event offered and balanced her time by singing in the choir at Eastern Avenue Baptist Church. ‘The Malden Meteor’ sets a World Record in 1931 In the spring of her senior year, at Quaine’s urging, she entered the Boston-based Women’s Track Championships held in the Fens near Fenway Park and adjacent to where Northeastern University is now located. Stokes Fraser wowed the large crowd in attendance by winning four events and setting a New England record in the 100-meter sprint with a time of 12.9 seconds. Most remarkably, she also tied the World Record in the standing broad jump, with a mark of 8 feet-5 3/4 inches. She was awarded the James Michael Curley Mayor’s Cup as the event’s Most Outstanding Performer. Furthermore, as news of her world record began to spread, almost immediately national attention began to come Stokes Fraser’s way. A bright future appeared to be looming for the young teen girl who many had started to call “The Malden Meteor.” Part 2 of a 2-part series on Louise Mae Stokes Fraser, “The Malden Meteor,” will appear in next Friday’s Malden Advocate. Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma
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