Basic Information
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Minnie Ruth Solomon (later Ruth Owens) |
| Birth | April 27, 1915, Macon, Bibb County, Georgia, USA |
| Death | June 27, 2001, Chicago, Illinois, USA (heart failure) |
| Parents | John W. Solomon, Jr.; Ellen Pugh |
| Spouse | James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens (m. July 5, 1935) |
| Children | Gloria Shirley (1932–2024); Ruth Marlene (b. 1939); Beverly Jean (b. 1940) |
| Early Work | Beauty parlor assistant in Cleveland |
| Later Roles | Homemaker; board chair of the Jesse Owens Foundation; project overseer for family initiatives |
| Known For | Lifelong partner of Jesse Owens; family leadership; philanthropy and heritage stewardship |
| Residences | Macon, GA → Cleveland, OH → Detroit, MI → Chicago (Hyde Park), IL → Scottsdale, AZ |
| Resting Place | Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois |
From Macon to Cleveland: The Early Years
Born in 1915 in Macon, Georgia, to parents rooted in the South’s hard-won routines of work and family, Minnie Ruth Solomon came of age during the tail end of the Great Migration. The Solomon-Pugh household carried the rhythms of Southern life north, seeking prospects in industrial cities where a steady wage might trump a fickle crop. By her mid-teens, Minnie Ruth was in Cleveland—resourceful, practical, and already helping to support her family. She left school early and took a job at a local beauty parlor, the kind of neighborhood hub where news traveled faster than streetcars and ambitions were built over conversation and curlers.
It was in Cleveland, as a teenager, that she met a classmate who would redefine both of their lives: James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens of Fairmount Junior High School. Their bond grew in the shadow of the Depression, a partnership formed not under spotlights but under the daily pressures of making ends meet.
Courtship, Marriage, and a Growing Household (1932–1940)
The couple’s partnership was both romantic and pragmatic—shaped by youthful affection and the responsibilities of a new family. Their first daughter, Gloria, arrived on August 8, 1932, before their wedding on July 5, 1935, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Photographs from that summer—train platforms, waiting rooms, and newlyweds’ smiles—still circulate because they capture more than an era; they show the start of a family determined to hold together while history pulled at their sleeves.
Two more daughters followed: Ruth Marlene (born April 19, 1939) and Beverly Jean (born June 1, 1940). By then, the family rhythm was steady—Jesse traveling and training, Minnie Ruth anchoring the household, keeping accounts, managing days and nights and all the small miracles of raising three girls.
1936: Berlin Gold and the Homefront
In August 1936, Jesse Owens won four gold medals in Berlin, refuting a hateful ideology on its own ceremonial stage. While the world memorized times and distances, Minnie Ruth tended to home life in Cleveland—letters, budgets, a baby to rock, a family to steer. She handled the life that enabled the triumphs: the patient, unspectacular work of stability.
Symbols from that summer—like oak saplings gifted to medalists—became family heirlooms. So did the stories: of perseverance, of the day-to-day logistics behind a world event. In a narrative dominated by stadiums and headlines, her role was the invisible scaffolding.
Moving North and West: Detroit, Hyde Park, and Arizona
The Owens family moved with opportunity and need. After years in Cleveland, they spent time in Detroit before settling in Chicago’s Hyde Park in the late 1940s, where they remained for over two decades. Hyde Park offered the Owens daughters strong schools and a cultural landscape that nurtured ambition. By the early 1970s, Minnie Ruth and Jesse moved to Arizona, making their home in the Scottsdale area, a shift that paralleled Jesse’s later-life roles in advocacy, speaking, and business.
Jesse died of lung cancer on March 31, 1980, in Tucson, Arizona, with his family close. He was 66. For Minnie Ruth, the next chapter meant translating private grief into public stewardship.
Stewardship After 1980: Foundation Work and Media Projects
After Jesse’s death, Minnie Ruth served as board chair of the Jesse Owens Foundation, guiding scholarships, youth programs, and public events that reflected the values both she and Jesse championed: education, character, and opportunity. She engaged with projects that shared their story, including oversight roles on initiatives like the 1984 television biopic The Jesse Owens Story. If Jesse’s achievements were the lighthouse, she was the keeper—tending the flame, ensuring it threw light for the next generation.
Even in her 80s, she attended dedications and community events, representing the family with the same gracious steadiness that had defined her earlier years. She died on June 27, 2001, at age 86, in Chicago, and was laid to rest beside Jesse at Oak Woods Cemetery.
The Daughters: Profiles in Brief
The Owens daughters became accomplished women in their own right, each adding dimension to their parents’ story.
| Name | Birth–Death | Education | Career Highlights | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gloria Shirley Owens Hemphill | 1932–2024 | B.S. Education, Ohio State University | Chicago civic leader; education administration | Frequent spokesperson for the family; contributed to interviews and public programs |
| Ruth Marlene Owens Rankin | b. 1939 | Ohio State University; M.S.W., University of Chicago | Social services; philanthropy leadership | First African-American Homecoming Queen at OSU (1960); involved in policy testimonies |
| Beverly Jean Owens Prather | b. 1940 | Professional training in finance | Banking career; later family representative | Attended worldwide track events; spoke at film and sports history forums |
Their children and grandchildren—names like Stuart Rankin and Donna Prather Williams—extended the family’s public engagement, giving interviews, consulting on films, and appearing at athletic ceremonies. They often credit their mother for the poise and discipline that shaped their public and private lives.
A Timeline of Key Moments
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1915 | Birth in Macon, Georgia (April 27) |
| c. 1930 | Meets Jesse Owens as teenagers in Cleveland |
| 1932 | Birth of first daughter, Gloria (August 8) |
| 1935 | Marriage to Jesse Owens (July 5) |
| 1936 | Berlin Olympics: Jesse wins four gold medals |
| 1939 | Birth of second daughter, Marlene (April 19) |
| 1940 | Birth of third daughter, Beverly (June 1) |
| Late 1940s | Family settles in Hyde Park, Chicago |
| Early 1970s | Move to Scottsdale, Arizona |
| 1980 | Jesse Owens dies (March 31) |
| 1984 | Family participates in TV biopic The Jesse Owens Story |
| 2001 | Minnie Ruth dies in Chicago (June 27) |
| 2024 | Eldest daughter Gloria passes away (July 1) |
Presence in Today’s Media
Though she passed away in 2001, Minnie Ruth remains a recurring figure in historical storytelling. Archival photographs—waiting at a Cleveland train station in 1935, embracing after the wedding, holding oak saplings from the Berlin Games—reappear in anniversary posts and sports-history retrospectives. Interviews with her daughters, especially around the 2016 feature film “Race,” offer intimate snapshots of home life: Jesse the father and husband, and Minnie Ruth the steady hand who balanced schedules, finances, and the high expectations placed on a famous family.
Contemporary tributes often mention the couple’s long marriage, the daughters’ educational and civic accomplishments, and the ongoing work of the foundation that has supported students for decades. News of Gloria’s death in 2024 added a fresh chapter to the family chronicle, prompting reflections on a lineage that has touched classrooms, boardrooms, and stadiums.
FAQ
Who was Minnie Ruth Solomon?
She was the lifelong partner and later widow of Olympian Jesse Owens, known for her family leadership and philanthropic work.
When and where was she born?
She was born on April 27, 1915, in Macon, Georgia.
How did she meet Jesse Owens?
They met as teenagers at Fairmount Junior High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and began a relationship that lasted a lifetime.
When did she marry Jesse Owens?
They married on July 5, 1935, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio.
How many children did they have?
They had three daughters: Gloria, Marlene, and Beverly.
What was her role after Jesse’s death in 1980?
She served as board chair of the Jesse Owens Foundation and oversaw family projects that shared and supported his story.
Did she have a professional career outside the home?
As a young woman she worked in a beauty parlor, and later her primary work focused on family, philanthropy, and heritage projects.
Where is she buried?
She is buried at Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.
Did she appear in films or media?
She was not an actress, but she participated in foundation events and family projects, including the 1984 television biopic about Jesse.
What recent family news is connected to her story?
Her eldest daughter, Gloria, passed away in 2024, prompting renewed public reflections on the family’s contributions.
