[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 120 (Thursday, September 12, 2013)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1312] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] IN HONOR OF MR. JESSE OWENS 100TH BIRTHDAY ______ HON. ROBERT B. ADERHOLT of alabama in the house of representatives Thursday, September 12, 2013 Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker, it is my privilege to honor Mr. Jesse Owens on the 100th anniversary of his birthday. James Cleveland Owens was born the son of a sharecropper on a farm in Oakville, Alabama on September 12, 1913. It's been said the family sold its only valuable possession, their mule, in order to travel to Cleveland, Ohio in search of a better life. A teacher at his new school, misunderstanding when James Cleveland told her his name was J.C., called him Jesse, and the name stuck. =========================== NOTE =========================== September 12, 2013, on page E1312, the following appeared: Mr. ADERHOLT of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, The online version should be corrected to read: Mr. ADERHOLT. Mr. Speaker ========================= END NOTE ========================= When Jesse entered junior high school, the track team coach noticed his ability to run and jump and recruited him for the team. By the time Jesse entered high school, he was a track star. He set many school records and continued to do so after entering college at Ohio State University. In 1935, Jesse entered the Big Ten Championship held at Ann Arbor, Michigan where he tied one world record and set three new ones. His long jump record of 26 feet 8.25 inches went unbroken for 25 years. In 1936, he competed in the Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, where he won four gold medals, the most ever won by an individual up until that time. In doing so, Jesse Owens proved that Adolph Hitler's Nazi views of Aryan superiority were inaccurate and that anyone, regardless of race, religion or national origin can achieve greatness. Owens was a motivational speaker for much of his post-Olympics life and devoted much of his time to youth sports programs for underprivileged children. He earned many awards, among them the Medal of Freedom and the Presidential Living Legends Award. Owens died of lung cancer in 1980, with his wife, Ruth, and his three daughters by his side. He hasn't been forgotten, though. Thousands of admirers visit Jesse Owens Park and Museum in Oakville, AL each year, many of them from Germany and other foreign countries. On a monument dedicated to his memory in 1983 and now on display at Jesse Owens Memorial Park are the words, ``He inspired a world enslaved in tyranny and brought hope to his fellow man . . . from the cotton fields of Oakville to the acclaim of the entire world, he made us all proud to be called Lawrence Countians.'' I am thankful for the life and legacy of Jesse Owens, because of his tremendous athletic achievements as well as the inspiration he provided to millions here and around the world. ____________________