Lake View East in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

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"Babe" Didrikson Zaharias

The Legacy Walk

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021

1. "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias Marker

Inscription.
"Babe" Didrikson Zaharias
Bisexual U.S. Gold Medal Winning Olympic Athlete
(1911 - 1956)

Babe Didrikson’s contributions to women’s competitive athletics were unprecedented. She held national, Olympic and World records in track and field; led her team to two national championships in basketball; toured with all-male exhibition baseball teams; competed admirably in swimming, diving and bowling; and was the largest money winner in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) during her lifetime. At the 1932 Olympics, she entered three events (the limit for women at the time) and won two gold-medals plus a “gold-silver” medal in the high-jump – the only one awarded in Olympic history. Because of her androgynous look and rough manners, she was hounded by vicious press that labeled her a “Third Sex,” and a “muscle moll.” She loathed these charges and manipulated the media to reconstruct her image as she saw fit. Didrikson married professional wrestler George Zaharias in 1938. When she met a young golfer named Betty Dodd in 1950 they also became emotionally and physically intimate. The three lived together from 1950-56

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in a tense, strained, and awkward liaison – a public life engineered to insulate a private one in which Didrikson and Dodd were the actual “couple.” Didrikson retreated from the more “masculine” sports of track and field to the acceptably feminine – and upper-middle class – world of golf. She joined with five other women to found the LPGA, and continued to dominate amateur and professional women’s golf for 18 years, winning most major titles – including 13 consecutive tournaments – and the first British Women’s Amateur Championship (1947). She was voted “Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year” – six times – as well as “Woman Athlete of the Half-Century”. An uncompromising competitor, she believed in winning at all costs and sacrificed her body to do so. Her greatest challenge was her fight against colon cancer, which she lost on September 27, 1956, at the age of 45, with Dodd at her side. Babe Didrikson’s extraordinary combination of fierce competitiveness and unwavering discipline in the pursuit of athletic perfection emboldened many women athletes to defy convention and redefine female athletic “norms,” preparing the way for Billie

"Babe" Didrikson Zaharias Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021

2. "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias Marker - wide view

The marker is visible here on the rainbow pylon on the left, which it shares with the marker for Dr. Margaret Chung.

Jean King and Martina Navratilova who would follow her a generation later.

Erected 2014 by The Legacy Project.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Sports • Women. In addition, it is included in the The Legacy Walk series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 27, 1956.

Location. Marker has been permanently removed. It was located near 41° 56.652′ N, 87° 38.97′ W. Marker was in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It was in Lake View East. It was on North Halsted Street, on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker was at or near this postal address: 3418 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657, United States of America.

We have been informed that this marker is no longer there and will not be replaced. This page is an archival view of what was.

Regionally, this marker was in the American Midwest.

Globally, it was in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it found itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest

courtesy of the National Museum of American History/Smithsonian Institution, 1932

3. "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias Marker

Paper postcard from the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics with a black and white photograph of Babe Didrikson standing on the podium before receiving her gold medal in the 80 m hurdles, the silver and bronze medalists are also present...

Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this location: The Legacy of Matthew Shepard (here, next to this marker); Pauli Murray (here, next to this marker); Vito Russo (a few steps from this marker); Billy Strayhorn (a few steps from this marker); Newport Avenue (within shouting distance of this marker); Stonewall (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Harvey Milk (about 300 feet away); Frank Kameny (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Dr. Margaret "Mom" Chung (was here, next to this marker but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. This marker was retired in October 2021, with a marker for Matthew Shepard installed in its place at that time.

Also see . . .
1. Babe Didrikson Zaharias (Wikipedia).

"Mildred Ella "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias (née Didrikson; June 26, 1911 – September 27, 1956) was an American athlete who excelled in golf, basketball, baseball and track and field. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 Summer Olympics, before turning to
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professional golf and winning 10 LPGA major championships. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest female athletes of all time."

(Submitted on October 31, 2021.)

2. Mildred Didrikson Wins Gold In Los Angeles 1932 | The Olympics On The Record (YouTube, 3 min.). (Submitted on October 31, 2021.)

Additional keywords. lgbt lgbtq

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 605 times since then and 40 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 31, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.