She’d not ever been beloved beyond Cleveland, and had no friendships with other runners or sportswriters
Because TAC was a student in deliberations, Walsh is defended of the, of all of the people, Helen Stephens. Rescinding Walsh’s medals “might possibly be a great dastardly action to take,” told you Stephens, following 73. “I do not consider she was a guy; that’s simply my opinion. I do not thought she had any advantage.” She including told you, “Perhaps Stella Walsh got a birth problem. I didn’t view it, and it wasn’t their fault in any case.”
You can view Stephens’ help given that higher sportsmanship, determined by the a feeling of equity in place of revenge on good competitor who was simply more than likely complicit inside the accusing Stephens to be a good man-back in the 1936. And it will was more comfortable for the woman are magnanimous since, as opposed to Struck otherwise Andersen’s runners, Stephens never forgotten so you can Walsh.
Once Walsh come to the fresh new service during the West Virginia, followed by one or two women, the former opposition had been assigned resort rooms close to each other, and you will Stephens (bunking together spouse) said she you can expect to tune in to Walsh sex from the lodge structure
But there were other variables, and therefore just weren’t clear up to 2004, immediately after Stephens died along with her memoir was typed. Perhaps Stephens sympathized having Walsh once the she know how exhausting they would be to live in concealing. Because this lady biography revealed, Stephens is a closeted lesbian just who, within the Berlin Olympics, had an affair which have a good German waiter. There was a lot more: in the many years nine, she was actually raped inside a beneficial barn because of the an excellent 16-year-old relative, and some years afterwards, she try molested of the a woman teacher which “allow me to be the girl pussy,” just like the she thought to their biographer.
And Stephens’ memoir was not entirely sympathetic to Walsh. She recounted a story from 1975, when both women were inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame. (Based on the chronology, Walsh’s bedmate may have been Nancy Jo Dale.) In a letter she sent to a track and field official, Stephens recounted a story told to her by Walsh’s driver: “Stella was having sex with the other girl day & night, and Stella had men gender areas.” When the driver threatened to go to the police, Stella “knocked her down” and threatened to “‘get her’ when they returned to Cleveland.” Late in life, Walsh was coming unhinged.
“It absolutely was a nasty disease,” claims a track official who had been at the Hallway from Fame ceremony, speaking to your reputation regarding privacy. “Their [Walsh] obviously are lesbian, and you will a pal off hers found check out together with her, in addition they proceeded locate drunk and you can obnoxious. They authored somewhat a scene. She was harmful to visit this new push having something-I am not sure what, Really don’t-therefore we gave her currency commit household, and you can grabbed their on Greyhound shuttle station.”
Although Stephens abstained off opportunities to inform you this short article so you can reporters immediately after Walsh’s autopsy, she ensured sports authorities realized. “We never ever did envision ‘all try kosher’ with Stella,” she typed in a single page. An additional, she said, “ Stella must have started packing ‘a little something extra’ you 
to provided the girl just a bit of an enthusiastic border during the athletic competition.” Stephens got properly stayed closeted; whenever she passed away, the brand new Missouri flag flew within half of-mast on capitol, together with governor acclaimed the girl successes. However, Walsh was hidden amidst scandal, along with her last hour, given that she bled from a beneficial gunshot wound, is more than likely loaded with distress whenever 69 age, the woman basic facts will be located.
