U.S. Olympic track and field legend Ralph Boston died Sunday, April 30, 2023 aged 83 from complications from a recent stroke.
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Ralph was born on May 8, 1939 in Laurel, Mississippi to his parents Peter Boston & Eulalia Boston. Ralph was the youngest of 10 children.
What work did Ralph Boston’s parents do?
Before losing his right eye in a hunting accident, Peter Boston worked as a railroad fireman on the Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio rail line.
As a result, he became a farmer, hauled junk, and did odd jobs, while his wife cared for their large family as well as needy neighbors and strangers passing through their community.
Ralph Boston’s fond memories with his parents
Ralph recalls riding with his father on a mule-drawn wagon from the black community to the white section of Laurel and noticing the difference in the quality of streets, housing, parks, and other facilities.
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Despite growing up in a segregated environment, Boston was raised in a warm and loving family and community. He learned the value of hard work as a child, getting up early with his father to go to the fields before school, and regarded his parents, brothers, and sisters as his first heroes and role models.
Ralph Boston dedicates Oympic gold medal to his parents
He won the National Collegiate Athletic Association long jump title in 1960 while attending Tennessee State University.
At the Mt. SAC Relays in August of the same year, he broke Jesse Owens’ 25-year-old world record in the event. Already the world record holder, he broke it by jumping 27′ 1/2″ at the Modesto Relays on May 27, 1961.
Boston dedicated his gold medal to his mother and the memory of his father, who had died on January 1, 1960.
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