White, Marilyn Elaine (1944—)
White, Marilyn Elaine (1944—)
African-American Olympic track athlete . Born Marilyn Elaine White on October 17, 1944, in Los Angeles, California; daughter of Ela Nelson White and Mary Laurenza Susan (Johnson) White; attended University of California in Los Angeles; Pepperdine University, B.S., 1967; University of California, M.A., 1974; married Leon Leroy Milligan, on January 5, 1974; children: Leon Leroy, Jr.
Won a silver medal with the American relay team in the 4×100 event at the Olympics in Tokyo (1964).
Track star Marilyn Elaine White was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1944. She transferred from the University of California-Los Angeles to Pepperdine University on a track scholarship, and joined the elite group of sprinters who represented the United States in international track competitions during the 1960s. She medaled in the Pan Am Games in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in the 400-meter relay, the same event in which she won a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964. That year she narrowly missed medaling in the individual 100-meter race, coming in fourth. Following her track career, White earned a master's degree from the University of California in 1974 and in 1978 became a bilingual specialist for the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Linda S. Walton , freelance writer, Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan