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Quote of the Day: Fighting Against the Odds
“Thula exploded in the face of what she saw as lax discipline. Feeling trapped, growing desperate, she finally declared that she would not live under the same roof with Joe, that it was him or her, that Joe had to move out if she were to stay in such a god-forsaken place. Harry could not calm her down, and he could not abide the thought of losing a second wife, certainly not one as lovely as Thula. He went back upstairs and told his son he would have to move out of the house. Joe was ten.” — from The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, by Daniel James Brown
Joe Rantz was born into a desperately poor family during the Great Depression. As a young child he lost his mother to throat cancer; shortly thereafter his father deserted the family. Joe was shipped off to stay with an aunt. When his father finally returned, he decided he needed a new wife. He married Thula.
After Joe was kicked out (Thula was the epitome of the evil stepmother), his life was filled with hardship. But he was strong, worked hard and never gave up. Eventually he attended University of Washington and passed the physically demanding requirements of the crew team. He found it to be a painful, demanding and merciless enterprise and embraced the challenge.
Eventually he competed with his crew team, and they won the gold medal at the 1936 German Olympics.
He is, was, a champion in every way.
For a video of the race and photos of the crew team, go here
Published in Culture
Well… https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/44172083/lila-thula-rantz
What an inspirational story. I did a bit more reading, and herewith, a couple more facts about the wicked stepmother:
She was the sister of Joe’s elder brother Fred’s wife (Thelma). That struck me as a little odd. So, both Joe’s stepmother and his sister-in-law.
She was also an accomplished violinist with a promising future. So, she marries Harry Rantz, Joe’s father, and then moves from one poverty-stricken mining town to another across the Northwestern United States, bearing him three more children along the way, and demonstrating once again, through her behavior to her stepchild, that stereotypes do exist for a reason.
From four years ago – my review of The Boys In The Boat.
Humans are amazing.
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Fascinating, Richard. Joe might as well not have existed, except that someone mentioned him in a comment. Thank you.
The book is well worth reading, and even more inspirational. I’m always moved by the actions of resilient people, how they strive to survive and succeed. Thanks, @she.
I was making a wise crack about “he could not abide the thought of losing a second wife, certainly not one as lovely as Thula” :)
Yeah, that too! ;-)
PBS did a documentary of Boys in the Boat but called it Boys of ’36. That’s how I first heard of Joe Rantz. (I think I watched in on Netflix or possibly Amazon Prime. Here is a small part of it.) It didn’t explain why he was abandoned when he was 10, however.
Here is Joe Rantz:
Thanks, @hangon. Fortunately he lived a long and happy life with a devoted family including a daughter who was instrumental in helping the author in developing the story.
I “read” the book on Audible a few years ago – narrated by Edward Hermann superbly. It’s amazing that a book in which you know the ending can be such a page-turner, but I was hanging on by my fingernails until the last oar stroke.
What a wonderful story. I have always loved competitive rowing – and the “coxed eight” is the most elegant; perfect synchronicity in motion. It’s like ballet.
This is probably the best sports book I have ever read, but it’s so much more than that. A great tale, a recounting of an America not really all that long ago. We have changed.
One ofthe most enjoyable books of any kind I have read.
I’d have to agree, @thescarecrow— suspense, tragedy, thriller–it doesn’t get much better than that. And a happy ending, too!
At a regatta in Knoxville with ‘my boy in the boat’ this weekend. It’s his first year rowing and it’s been great for him. Great excercise. Weather is great, nice kids, parents – concert/carnival atmosphere. Wish I had done this when I was young.