Tom McNeely (Canadian, B. 1935) "Jesse Owens" Signed lower right. Original Mixed Media painting on Paper. Provenance: Collection of James A. Helzer (1946-2008), Founder of Unicover Corporation. This painting is the original which was published on the Fleetwood First Day Cover for the U.S. 25c Jesse Owens stamp issued July 6, 1990. When the Olympics came to Berlin in 1936, the Germans spared no expense, building a massive complex dubbed the Reich Sports Grounds. The Nazis deemed the international event a chance to tout their "Aryan race" ideology, and taunted the United States for using "inferior" black athletes. One such black athlete was track and field star Jesse Owens (1913-1980) who almost single-handedly exposed the hollow core of Nazi propaganda. In an astonishing performance, Owens earned gold medals in four events: the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter sprint, the long jump and the 400-meter relay, setting or tying three Olympic and world records in the process. The youngest of ten children born to Alabama sharecroppers, the Owens family moved to Ohio in the 1920's, and Jesse set numerous junior high and high school track and field records. And though he achieved international fame with his performance in the Olympics, Owens' feats as an Ohio State University athlete were no less impressive. A year before the Olympics, Owens earned a place in history by breaking three world records and tying another in less than an hour at a Big Ten championship in Michigan. Initially after his return from Berlin to the United States his career faltered. But in the 1950's he achieved financial security as a public speaker, becoming what some referred to as a "professional good example" for the American way of life. Image Size: 26.25 x 21.75 in. Overall Size: 27.75 x 21.75 in. Unframed. (B12391)