2023 -- H 6481
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S TATE OF RHODE IS LAND
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2023
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
POSTHUMOUSLY HONORIN G THE LEGACY AND LIFE OF ELLISON MYERS
"TARZAN" BROWN, A NATIVE AMERICAN NARRAG ANSETT INDIAN WHO TW ICE
WON THE BOSTON MARAT HON
Introduced By: Representatives Spears, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Tanzi,
Fellela, Shallcross Smith, Ajello, Cortvriend, and Kislak
Date Introduced: June 06, 2023
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, Ellison Brown was raised in deep poverty in a two-room shack on the 1
Narragansett Ashaway Reservation in Westerly, the fifth of eight children born to Otis Brown and 2
Grace Ethel Babcock; and 3
WHEREAS, As a member of the Narragansett Indians, and a descendant of the last 4
acknowledged royal family of the Narragansett Tribe of Rhode Island, Mr. Brown’s tribal name 5
was "Deerfoot" but as a young boy, he was nicknamed "Tarzan" due to his love of climbing and 6
swinging from the trees like the legendary movie actor, Johnny Weissmuller; and 7
WHEREAS, As a little boy, Mr. Brown began running and in his early teens, he dropped 8
out of school to learn traditional Narragansett stone masonry from his father, as was the 9
Narragansett tradition. Around this time, he met a man who would greatly influence his running 10
career, trainer Thomas "Tip" Salimeno, and shortly thereafter, won his first foot race, a 10-mile 11
event in West Warwick; and 12
WHEREAS, Tarzan, as he became widely known, built his significant strength and honed 13
his athletic build by chopping wood and running whenever and wherever he could. He soon 14
began to win many races around the State, oftentimes barefoot because he couldn’t afford running 15
shoes; and 16
WHEREAS, In 1936, in a test of endurance and fortitude that inspired the iconic naming 17
of "Heartbreak Hill" which is a steep, half-mile trek uphill at a 3.3 percent incline, twenty miles 18
into the race, Tarzan won his first Boston Marathon, after breaking his competition on the 19
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infamously dreaded portion of the course; and 1
WHEREAS, Over the course of 1936, Tarzan ran numerous additional races, notably 2
winning back-to-back marathons in addition to the Boston Marathon. He also earned the 3
distinction of being the first runner to break the 2:30 mark on the post-1926 Boston course, and 4
for years held the record for best time at all the Boston Marathon’s checkpoints; and 5
WHEREAS, Tarzan broke myriad records over the course of his running career and held 6
the record for the fastest time in both the Boston and Lawrence Marathons for many years. He 7
also won three National Championships for shorter races, and won more than two dozen 10 to 16-8
mile distance races; and 9
WHEREAS, Tarzan earned a place on the 1936 U.S. Olympic team headed for the 10
Olympic Games in Germany. In 1939, he triumphed once again, winning the Boston Marathon 11
stating "I did it for Rhode Island." In 1946, he retired from running; and 12
WHEREAS, Mr. Brown worked as a stonemason and a shell fisherman, but often 13
struggled to find work over the course of his lifetime, and sadly, sold his marathon trophies to 14
help support his family, who to this day, hope to bring his trophies home; and 15
WHEREAS, Ellison "Tarzan" Brown is "Hailed as the 'First 100 Percent American' to 16
Win the Boston Marathon." He left a legacy of triumph and perseverance that is inspiring, and 17
has been celebrated and honored with the annual Tarzan Brown Mystic River Run in Mystic, 18
Connecticut, every year since 1975; now, therefore be it 19
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 20
posthumously honors the legacy and life of Ellison "Tarzan" Brown; and be it further 21
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 22
transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Ellison Brown, Jr., Ethel May Brown, Marlene 23
Brown-Monroe, and Norman Brown. 24
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