July 22, 1996 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks E1333 changed the way that the USFWS worked, by Mr. Speaker, I want to share the USA jumps and had one more. German jumper providing for the ecosystem as a whole in- Today article which is entitled, ``Owens' Leg- Luz Long reportedly suggested Owens place a stead of dividing the country into parts. acy Stands,'' with my colleagues and others towel behind the takeoff board to use as his In particular, Mollie was instrumental in starting point to avoid fouling. throughout the Nation. I applaud the athletes That story has been refuted by many, but helping me create legislation to authorize the who are gathered in Atlanta for the summer Owens easily made his third qualifying jump purchase of Shadmoor in Montauk, Long Is- games. It is my hope that they will be inspired and won the final with an Olympic-record land. When acquired, this land will be pre- by Jesse Owens and his achievements. As we jump of 26 feet, 51¤4 inches. Long hurried to served as a national wildlife refuge. Thanks to celebrate the centennial Olympics, we pay congratulate Owens and they left the field her help and dedication, this legislation is now tribute to the memory of this great American. arm in arm, Mandell writes. Long was later law and we are one step closer to the preser- [From USA Today, July 15, 1996] killed in the war. On Aug. 5, Owens won the 200 meters in an vation of Shadmoor. OWENS' LEGACY STANDS The entire Nation may not realize the extent Olympic-record 20.7 seconds. He expected HIS SUPREME STATEMENT STILL INSPIRES IN '96 to which Mrs. Beattie has touched our lives, that to be the end of his competition, but he (By Gary Mihoces) but those who knew her personally and knew and Ralph Metcalfe were added to the four- by-100-meter relay team to replace Marty what she worked for will miss her dedication Adolf Hitler planned a 400,000-seat stadium in Germany to host the Olympics for all Glickman and Sam Stoller. and her spirit. May she rest in peace. time, according to his chief architect. At the Glickman and Stoller were Jewish. There f 1936 Berlin Games, he settled for a 110,000- were reports they were bumped off the relay team because U.S. officials bowed to pres- JESSE OWENS' LEGACY STANDS: A seat stadium to showcase his belief in Aryan supremacy. sures from the Nazis. There were other SPECIAL SALUTE TO OLYMPIC But Jesse Owens made his statement at claims that it was simply a matter of ensur- COMPETITORS those '36 Games with four gold medals in the ing the victory. sprints and long jump, a track and field feat Owens was lead runner on the relay team, HON. LOUIS STOKES matched only by Carl Lewis during the boy- which set a world record. Just after his Olympic victories, Owens ran OF OHIO cotted 1984 Games. With 16 days of Olympic competition about afoul of the Amateur Athletic Union. When IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES to begin in Atlanta, USA TODAY staffers se- he declined to continue in a European tour Monday, July 22, 1996 lected 16 moments best signifying the Olym- the AAU had arranged to offset Olympic ex- Mr. STOKES. Mr. Speaker, a few days ago, pic spirit. penses, he was suspended from U.S. amateur Owens' performance was rated the ulti- competition. the games of the 1996 summer Olympics mate. His legacyÐnot Hitler's giant sta- In the years after the Olympics, his ven- began. The city of Atlanta is hosting the big- diumÐlooms over every Olympics. tures ranged from running exhibition races gest Olympics ever with more than 10,000 ``I don't think I've been anywhere (that) against horses to a failed dry cleaning busi- athletes from 197 countries gathered for the anybody who is a sports fan has not heard of ness. However, he later found a niche as a centennial games. This includes an Olympic- Jesse Owens,'' says Harrison Dillard, who public speaker and goodwill ambassador record 4,000 women athletes who are compet- was inspired by Owens to become an Olympic until his death in 1980 at age 66 of lung can- ing in Atlanta. The 16 days of Olympic com- track champion himself in 1948 and 1952. cer. petition promises to be exciting from start to ``It's not only what he did, but the cir- Rankin is executive director of the Chi- cumstances under which he did it, right cago-based Jesse Owens Foundation, which finish. there in front of Hitler.'' has several scholarship programs. I am proud that the 1996 Olympics include Owens, son of an Alabama sharecropper ``He always believed that the youth of any outstanding athletes from the great State of and grandson of a slave, represented the USA country is its greatest resource,'' she says. Ohio. Our State is represented in many of the when blacks were barred from major pro Dillard says Owens later worked at a recre- Olympic events, including gymnastics, swim- sports at home. He competed in a Berlin ation center in Cleveland. ``He had a rough ming, track and field, diving, archery, and where Hitler's brand of racial superiority time, particularly early on,'' says Dillard. team handball, just to name a few. I take pride was official policy. ``The endorsements were not there, and high- in saluting these outstanding athletes as they Hitler already had stripped Jews of citizen- profile companies were not using African- ship, but anti-Jewish signs were taken down Americans.'' strive for victory in the Olympic arena. I also during the Games. Nazi newspapers Commercial use of Owens' name or like- salute the Olympic team coaches and assist- downplayed their references to the ``black ness now is controlled by CMG Worldwide of ant coaches who were selected from the State auxiliaries'' of the U.S. team. Indianapolis, under agreement with Owens' of Ohio. Owens had been a sensation at Ohio State, heirs. Mr. Speaker, as the Olympic games get un- where in a 1935 meet he broke three world But Rankin says Owens never despaired derway, many articles are being written about records and tied another. that he wasn't born in an era of more lucra- previous Olympic champions. I read with inter- ``He was only 23. He was very focused on tive rewards. est an article which appeared in the July 15, why he was there, to do the best he could in ``Money didn't mean an awful lot to him,'' his events,'' says Owens' daughter, Marlene 1996, edition of USA Today. In that article it she says. ``He liked what it would buy . Rankin. ``I don't think he was very conscious But he was not extravagant. He loved the is reported that the sports staff was asked to of what was happening politically.'' sport, the discipline of training and the chal- vote on the greatest moments in Olympic his- One popular story was that Hitler snubbed lenge to do it better. Not better than some- tory. They were unanimous in selecting Jesse Owens by refusing to shake his hand. Accord- one else, just best for yourself. And his best Owens' 1936 performance as the one that ing to the book The Nazi Olympics by Richard just happened to be better than most.'' best signifies the Olympic spirit. Mandell, the International Olympic Commit- f We are reminded that 60 years ago, the tee sent word to Hitler after the first day's world watched as Jesse Owens became the competition that ``he should congratulate all PERSONAL EXPLANATION or none'' of the medalists and that Hitler first person in the history of the Olympics to chose the latter. capture four gold medals. In accomplishing So when Owens won the 100 on the second HON. FRANK R. WOLF this feat, Jesse Owens, the son of a share- day, he wasn't greeted by Hitler, ``nor was OF VIRGINIA cropper and grandson of a slave, shattered any other winner on that or any of the fol- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Adolf Hitler's hopes for Aryan supremacy in lowing days,'' Mandell writes. Monday, July 22, 1996 the games. Owens also captured the hearts of Owens later said, ``It was all right with me. the world with his stunning performance and I didn't go to Berlin to shake hands with him Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I was away from anyway.'' the House on an official leave of absence on remarkable grace. But Owens was among 10 black members of Jesse Owens died in 1980 at the age of 66. the U.S. track and field team who combined July 17 attending a memorial service at which Throughout his life, he continued to exhibit the for 13 medals. I was a speaker. While I was out, I missed type of spirit that made him an Olympic hero That ``highly annoyed'' Hitler, former Nazi seven rollcall votes. Because I have each year and American legend. Jesse Owens is per- architect Albert Speer wrote in his memoir since coming to Congress published and pro- haps the greatest athlete who ever lived. I am Inside the Third Reich. Speer said Hitler de- vided my constituents my entire voting record, proud that this Olympic hero was reared and cided black athletes ``must be excluded from I want the record to show that had I been in attended school in my congressional district. I future games.'' the House and voting on July 17, I would have Speer also designed the giant stadium Hit- am also proud to be the author of legislation ler had planned for Nuremberg to host the cast the following votes: which awarded Congress' highest honor, the Games for ``all time to come.'' ``No'' on rollcall 320, Hoyer amendment to Congressional Gold Medal, to Jesse Owens Owens' second gold came in the long jump.