This past Monday evening we had two special guests - Chief Sachem Byron Brown (nephew of Tarzan Brown) and Serena Bates (renowned sculptor based in Westerly RI). They were here to talk about the non-profit (501(c)(3) organization formed to honor Tarzan Brown with a bronze statue depicting Tarzan's victory at the 1939 Boston Marathon. Serena's work "is characterized by its narrative quality and emotional depth. She describes herself as a storyteller, using sculptures to bring life's stories to live." She is in the process of creating this statue which may find its home in the new Tomaquag Museum being built at the University of Rhode Island. Chief Brown said that he would prefer it to be in Wilcox Park.
Ellison Brown got the nickname Tarzan because of his love for climbing trees and swinging from branches. He "gained attention in the Boston Marathon in 1935, where he finished 13th despite wearing old sneakers and running barefoot the last seven miles." He won the 1936 and 1939 Boston Marathons and "gave the long hill in Newton at mile 20 the name Heartbreak Hill." Mark Patinkin wrote in the 15Oct2021 Providence Journal that in 1936 he "charges so fast out of the starting line that he beats the press vehicles to the first checkpoint. He's the first to the long hill in Newton at mile 20....that long-ago race day. Tarzan struggles a bit at the hill, allowing the marathon's hero, Johnny Kelley, who won the year before and would finish in the top five in 15 runnings of the fabled contest, to catch him. Kelley gives Tarzan a friendly tap, as if to say, 'you did good, but step aside, it's time for the champion to come through.' That's when Tarzan does something remarkable. He reaches deep, channeling his pride in both tribe and his home state, knowing he can make both shine as bright as his own dreams if he can do this. And he does. He leaves Johnny Kelley behind and wins the legendary marathon. A journalist that day would write that the moment broke the champion's heart."
Tarzan Brown also participated in the 1936 Olympics. He is the only indigenous North American to win the Boston Marathon twice and he was inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973. Tarzan was a member of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island. In 1975, at age 61, he was killed in a hit-and-run accident.
His grandson, Ted Brown, who is a master stone mason, built a stone memorial in Wilcox Park made of bluestone and granite. It is located near Wilcox and Grove Avenues. It was dedicated 21 June 2023.
Chief Brown, Serena Bates and Pres Suzanne
You can learn more about Tarzan Brown at tarzanbrownmemorialfund.org or make a donation to the Tarzan Brown Memorial Fund, c/o Summer Gonsalves, 9 Aurora Avenue, Cranston RI 02905.
See more of Serena's work at her website serenabates.com. Her studio is located at 32 Ann Street in Westerly.
