Bonnie St. John
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Bonnie St. John (born November 7, 1964) is the first African-American to win medals in Winter Paralympic competition as a ski racer. In the 1984 Winter Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria, St. John won a bronze medal in the slalom, a bronze medal in the giant slalom, and was awarded a silver medal for overall performance thereby earning her the distinction of being the second fastest woman in the world on one leg in that year.
At the 2002 Paralympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, St. John was asked to speak during the opening ceremonies.[1]
Due to a condition called pre-femoral focal disorder, St. John had her right leg amputated above the knee when she was 5 years old. Despite this challenge, she went on to excel as an athlete, a scholar, a mother and a businesswoman. After graduating magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1986, St. John won a Rhodes Scholarship to Oxford University where she earned her M.Litt. degree in economics in 1990. She worked in the White House during the Clinton administration as a Director for the National Economic Council, and is currently CEO of Courageous Spirit, Inc.
St. John has written and published four books: Succeeding Sane,[2] Getting Ahead at Work and Money: Fall Down? Get Up! and How Strong Women Pray.[3]
In February 2007, as part of the celebration of Black History Month, St. John was honored at the White House by President George W. Bush who said: "[Bonnie St. John] is the kind of person that you really want to be around, and the kind of person that shows that individual courage matters in life."[4]
St. John was featured on a nationwide Starbucks beverage cup with the quote "I was ahead in the slalom. But in the second run, everyone fell on a dangerous spot. I was beaten by a woman that got up faster than I did. I learned that people fall down, winners get up, and gold medal winners just get up faster."[5]
NBC Nightly News selected St. John as "One of the five most inspiring women in America". She has appeared on The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, Montel and the Discovery Health Channel. Leading publications, such as The New York Times and People have profiled St. John and noted her extraordinary achievements.
[edit] References
- ^ Bonnie St. John: A participant in the opening ceremonies
- ^ Barnes & Noble.com - Books: Succeeding Sane, by Bonnie St. John Deane, Paperback
- ^ Amazon.com: How Strong Women Pray: Bonnie St. John: Books
- ^ President Bush Celebrates African American History Month
- ^ http://www.bonniestjohn.com/PDF/starbucks.pdf
[edit] External links
- Interview with Bonnie St. John on "How Strong Women Pray" by ReadTheSpirit.com
- 1964 births
- Living people
- American alpine skiers
- American Rhodes scholars
- Harvard University alumni
- Paralympic alpine skiers of the United States
- Alpine skiers at the 1984 Winter Paralympics
- Paralympic silver medalists for the United States
- Paralympic bronze medalists for the United States
- Winter Paralympics medalists
