Jim Thorpe: The Legend Remembered - Paperback

by Rosemary Updyke (Author)

The son of a Sac and Fox Indian father and a Potawatami Indian mother, Jim Wa-Tho-Huk Thorpe was born in Oklahoma in 1888. A natural athlete, he overcame family tragedies and hardships to become a star in three sports and win two Olympic gold medals.

Back Jacket

Jim Thorpe Grew up loving the outdoors. He could run, jump, and throw extremely well and spent many childhood days enjoying these natural abilities. He went to the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania, where he was a star on both the football and track and field teams. While at Carlisle, Jim competed in the 1912 Olympic Games in Sweden and won two gold medals. He was proclaimed "the greatest athlete in the world"; then he followed that incredible success with professional careers in both baseball and football. His accomplishments in football led to a place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Rosemary K. Updyke has researched Jim Thorpe's life thoroughly, drawing on information from historical societies, university archives, and personal interviews. She tells the story of this outstanding man and athlete from interesting beginning to inspiring end.

Author Biography

Rosemary Kissinger Updyke was born and raised in east Texas, and she began her writing career in high school on her school newspaper. During World War II she married, moving to New York at the end of the war. After her move to New York she began writing again, stashing pieces away in filing cabinetsónever submitting any manuscripts to publishers. Updyke attended numerous workshops over the years in an effort to improve her craft. Her interest in Jim Thorpe and his life began more than fifty years ago, when her first husband told her about him. Ever since then, Mrs. Updyke has been fascinated by the athlete and the man who was Jim Thorpe. His personal and professional successes and setbacks so intrigued her that she ultimately decided to write Jim Thorpe, the Legend Remembered. During the course of her research, she developed a friendship with Thorpeís daughter, Charlotte. The result of years of research and personal interest is this remarkable book. However, this is not the first time that the life of a Native American has so captivated Mrs. Updyke. In 1984, following the death of her husband and her early retirement, Kissinger began researching the background of the last great Comanche Indian chief Quanah Parker, the legend of whom she had first heard as a child growing up in Texas. She recalled the menfolk of her hometown swapping tales of Quanahís life as they sat on their front porches after Sunday suppers. In Quanah Parker: Comanche Chief she attempts to present the life of this famous manóthe son of a Comanche chief and a blond, blue-eyed young woman who had been abducted as a child by the Indiansóas accurately as possible, and she hopes young adults will be intrigued enough to read and learn more about the American Indians. Rosemary K. Updyke is a member of the International Womenís Writing Guild, the Native American Pavillion of Pennsylvania, and the Pocono Writers. She is also very active in the local libraries.