Ken Conklin
In October 2009 my wife and I along with some friends (another Daleville couple) visited the Temple of Hera in Olympia, Greece, where the ancient Olympic Games took place. We were enjoying an off-ship excursion to this historic site during a Mediterranean cruise.
The Temple of Hera is where eleven women representing the Vestal Virgins start the fire that ultimately becomes the flame at the Olympics. The modern Olympic Games began in Athens in 1896 and have continued, with a few exceptions, every four years. Many aspects of the Olympics have been altered over the years in response to the economic, political and technological pressures of the time.
His name was Norvel Lee, and weâre nearly seven decades late in recognizing him.
Lee won a gold medal in boxing in the 1952 games in Helsinki, Finland. So did another American boxer named Floyd Patterson, who went on to become even more famous as the world heavyweight champion.
Lee, unlike Patterson, never turned pro â even though he had offers â and so never became a celebrity outside boxing circles.
So why do we care about Lee today?
Hereâs why: He grew up in Botetourt County. How many other Olympic gold medalists have hailed from this part of the state? Letâs safely put the figure at ânot many.â He was also the first Black Virginian from anywhere in the state to win Olympic gold.