Helen Stephens, who attended Fulton High School and William Woods University, set world records and won international races in track and field.
Courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri (photo by Aviva Okeson-Haberman)
Show Me The State: The Fulton Flash
Helen Stephens starts high school in Fulton in 1931. She’s a gangly, gravelly-voiced farm girl dressed in homemade clothes. Her classmates tease her with the unfortunate moniker “Popeye.” Helen takes it in stride with humor, attempting to own her identity - a feat for any teenager.
One opportune day, the high school boys athletic coach asks her to run a 50-yard dash. He clocks her at a world record time. So begins the rise of one of Missouri’s most accomplished athletes.
Helen’s racing career begins in St. Louis against rival Stella Walsh and eventually lands her in a lane for the largest athletic event in the world: the Olympics. Her ascension to stardom and subsequent departure from the spotlight is rife with challenges, setbacks and cruelty under the public eye.
Remember: It’s the 1930s. And for Helen, a world record or a gold medal can’t get some people to look past her private life or even the fact that she is just a teenage girl.Listen to the full episode.
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