Page 12 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 4, 2025 The MALDEN METEOR: Malden’s Louise May Stokes Fraser, first Black Woman Olympian, only Malden Olympian This is Part 2 of a 2-part series; Part 1 appeared in last week’s Malden Advocate By Steve Freker I t has been nearly 90 years since history was made just before the 1932 Olympic games when a fledgling young runner put her hometown on the international map. Malden’s own Louise May Stokes, still just a teenager quite new to the world of organized athletics, was thrust into the national spotlight with her selection to the U.S. Olympics women’s track and field contingent. Stokes, then just 18, and fellow selectee Tidye Pickett, of Illinois, were groundbreakers and history makers. J& • Reliable Mowing Service • Spring & Fall Cleanups • Mulch & Edging • Sod or Seed Lawns • Shrub Planting & Trimming • Water & Sewer Repairs Joe Pierotti, Jr. The two teens were the first-ever Black women to be selected for a U.S. Olympic Team, in this, the VIII Olympiad. It was only the second Olympics in which women were even permitted to compete in track and field events. It was also only the second time the Olympics were hosted in the UnitS LANDSCAPE & MASONRY CO. Masonry - Asphalt • Brick or Block Steps • Brick or Block Walls • Concrete or Brick Paver Patios & Walkways • Brick Re-Pointing • Asphalt Paving www.JandSlandscape-masonry.com • Senior Discount • Free Estimates • Licensed & Insured 617-389-1490 Designing and Constructing Ideas that are “Grounds for Success” Landscaping ed States, this time in Los Angeles, Calif. It would be another 52 years before the Olympics would return to the United States, in 1984, again in L.A. Selected for two Olympic Games, never chosen to compete in an event Sadly, Stokes never got the opportunity to formally compete in an event in the Olympic Games, despite her selection to the women’s team not once, but twice. After the 1932 Games, she continued a regimen of training and competition, which earned her another spot on the women’s team for the 1936 Olympics held in Berlin, Germany. For the second time, Stokes was not afforded an opportunity to compete in an event that year. A number of sports historians and researchers have claimed Stokes was denied the opportunity to compete because of her race. The chief evidence pointed to is that she was replaced at the last minute, both in 1932 and 1936, by white athletes in her event, the 4 x 100 women’s relay. Though both relay teams would go on to win Gold Medals as first-place finishers in each year, setting a new world record in 1932, some researchers insist Stokes and Pickett both deserved to have run in those races. In 1936, Pickett did achieve some notoriety when she became the first Black woman to compete in the Olympics, in the hurdles event. However, fate was not with her as she broke her foot in the semifinals of her event and was forced to withdraw. Once again, she joined her Black teammate, Stokes, in the stands to watch the American team win a second Gold Medal in the 4 x 100 relay and tie the world record of 46.9 seconds the 1932 women’s team had set four years earlier. Malden rejoiced at Stokes’ great news When the news hit in 1932, residents of Malden rejoiced at the selection of Stokes to the Olympics team. She was the first-ever Malden resident to achieve such national fame, an achievement In 1931, Louise May Stokes Fraser, at age 17, set a 100-yard dash New England record. She went on to become Malden’s first Olympian. (Courtesy Photo) that still reigns as unique. To this date she is the only Malden athlete ever to be so honored. Malden was a growing community in the early 1930s, close to 50,000 in population in total, after beginning with just over 33,000 residents at the turn of the century. Even as a teenager, Stokes was well-known around the community for her athletic exploits in both track and field and in girls basketball for Malden High School in the early 1930s. Stokes had brought fame to Malden on an international scale a year before her Olympic selection, having set a new world record for women in the standing broad jump event at a Boston-based, regional competition. In late spring, Stokes joined other Olympic hopefuls, including Pickett, in track trials being held at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. For the wide-eyed Stokes, it was farthest she had ever travelled from her Malden home. What an adventure! Dominating those trials were none other than someone regarded as one of the greatest female athletes of all time, “Babe” Didrickson, who OLYMPIAN | SEE PAGE 15
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