Title IX, just a moment too late for some

Title IX. The law states that:
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance...
—United States Code Section 20.

Although Title IX is best known for its impact on high school and collegiate athletics, the original statute made no explicit mention of sports, however. Well, I know one "student, female athlete" whose time came before this inequity was righted.

My oldest sister was one such student athlete. She was blessed with an uncanny aptitude for playing basketball and softball, in an age when women were supposed to be taking home economics and typing. When she was still in high school, she hit a softball into the second story window of the English teacher, Roland Woodwell, who immediately commented that there was only one person in the whole school who could have done that, and yes, that would have been none other than my oldest sister, JM. Her athletic prowess didn't stop with high school, as she blazed a trail to UMass, Amherst where she got her degree in, you guessed it, Physical Education while playing basketball and softball for the Redmen later changed to the Minutemen. Ironically, both my sister and Dr. J have varsity letters from the Zoo, although most people only remember "the" Dr. J.

Following her collegiate career, she went on to teach PE and later earned her Masters degree in Education, not bad for your "average" athlete. Finally, when she picked up the game of golf, she refined her skills sufficiently to become her club's champion at least 4 times, with many other tournament victories as well.

For a female athlete before Title IX, her accomplishments went largely unnoticed, except by her family and close friends. However, without the fanfare and accolades, she was clearly ahead of her time, and on top of her "games". Although her competitive days have passed, few can hold a candle to her achievements, both on and off the field. Happy Birthday to our "Doctor J" as you round the bases on another year, and I couldn't have "swished" for a better oldest sister!