June 29, 1996

The Jesse Owens Memorial Park in Oakville, in Lawrence County, was dedicated June 29, 1996, and featured the arrival of the official Olympic Torch on its way to the Atlanta Summer Games. Owens’ grandson Stuart Owen Rankin carried the torch and Owens’ widow, Ruth, lit the “eternal flame,” which was designed to look like the 1936 Berlin Olympics torch. More than 10,000 people attended the ceremony, including Owens’ surviving family members and Alabama Gov. Fob James. Birmingham sculptor Branko Medenica created an eight-foot-tall, one-ton bronze statue of Owens running through a set of the Olympic Rings.Owens is best known for the four gold medals he won in track and field during the 1936 Olympic Games.

Learn more at the Encyclopedia of Alabama.    

Jesse Owens (1913-1980) was a dominating track and field athlete during the 1930s, breaking world records and winning four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, a feat unmatched until Carl Lewis accomplished it in 1984. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Alabama Sports Hall of Fame)

Jesse Owens competing during the 1936 Olympics. (Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division)

Jesse Owens beat George Case in a 100-yard dash held as a promotion for Bill Veeck’s Cleveland Indians at Cleveland Stadium in 1946. Case was known as the fastest base runner in the major leagues at the time. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, courtesy of Library of Congress)

Jesse Owens (right) crosses the finish line to win the 100 meters at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

This statue, on the grounds of the Jesse Owens Memorial Park in Oakville, Lawrence County, honors his Olympic performance. The park also hosts a museum and other attractions dedicated to the athlete. (From Encyclopedia of Alabama, photograph by Charles Siefried)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.