We are delighted to honor Wilma Rudolph’s accomplishments, both on and beyond the track, as part of our Distinguished Americans stamp series,” said Henry A. Pankey, Vice President, Emergency Preparedness, U.S. Postal Service, who will dedicate the stamp. “Wilma Rudolph was simply amazing. She overcame a number of debilitating illnesses to become one of this nation's greatest athletes. She taught us, among other things, not to allow our circumstances to hinder our potential to succeed.

The twenty-three cent stamp, good for post cards and the second-ounce First-Class Letter rate, will be dedicated during a 9 a.m. (PST) press conference in the Grand Ballroom, Sacramento Convention Center, 105 15th St., Sacramento, CA. A second dedication, for the general public, will take place on the west steps of the State Capitol building, 10th between L and N Sts., Sacramento, CA. at noon (PST).

The dedication will be part of festivities around the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Track and Field, July 9-18, at the Alex G. Spanos Sports Complex at California State University, Sacramento.

Expected to attend the ceremonies are U.S. Olympic medalists Bob Beamon, Michael Johnson, Jackie Joyner Kersey, Bob Mathias, Bill Mills and the celebrated Tennessee State Tigerbelle Olympians.

The Rudolph stamp is fifth in the Distinguished Americans series. It was designed by Richard Sheaff of Scottsdale, AZ. Artist Mark Summers of Waterdown, Ontario, Canada, created the portrait for the stamp, referencing a photograph of Rudolph taken after she won three gold medals at the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Summers also was the artist for the first four stamps in the Distinguished Americans series — Joseph W. Stilwell (2000), Claude Pepper (2000), Hattie W. Caraway (2001) and Edna Ferber (2002).

As host city for this first-day-of-issue dedication ceremony, Sacramento holds the unique distinction of being the nation’s only city where the stamp will be available July 14. The stamp will be available at Post Offices and Philatelic Centers nationwide July 15.

Born June 23, 1940, in St. Bethlehem, TN, Rudolph grew up in nearby Clarksville. As a young child, Rudolph’s left leg was crippled by polio. Determined to walk without a brace, Rudolph wrote in her 1977 autobiography, “I think I started acquiring a competitive spirit right then and there … a spirit that would make me successful in sports later on.” By the time she was 12, the brace had been sent back to the hospital, and Rudolph was the star of her high school track and basketball teams. Within four years she had developed into a world-class sprinter. After graduating high school, Rudolph received a full scholarship to Tennessee State College, today Tennessee State University.

At the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, 16-year-old Rudolph helped her team win a bronze medal in the 400-meter team relay. Four years later in Rome, after setting a world record at trials in Texas, she became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track-and-field during a single Olympic Games. Running on a sprained ankle, Rudolph placed first in the 100-and 200-meter dashes and anchored her team to victory in the 400-meter relay.

Rudolph retired from running in 1962 at the height of her success. She worked as a teacher and a coach, and in the early 1980s established the Wilma Rudolph Foundation, a nonprofit group focused on development of young athletes.

Respected for her perseverance and grace, she was twice named Associated Press Woman Athlete of the Year (1960, 1961), inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1983, and honored with the National Sports Award in 1993.