Mabel Marie "Dolly"Staton (néeLandry; November 20, 1932 – February 20, 2025) was an Americantrack and field athlete, specializing inlong jump andsprints. She represented the United States at the1952 Olympics.[1]
During the preliminary round in 1952, she set theOlympic record in the long jump at 5.88 m (19 ft3+1⁄4 in), which only lasted temporarily asYvette Williams demolished her record with 6.16 m (20 ft2+1⁄2 in) later in the same round. Landry finished seventh in the final, only managing one legal jump.
She also was part of the American team at the1955 Pan American Games, winning a bronze medal in the60 meters and a gold medal in the4×100 meters relay anchoring a team withIsabelle Daniels,Mae Faggs, andBarbara Jones. She was a four timeUnited States champion in thelong jump.[2] She also won two outdoor titles in the now defunct 50 meter dash.[3]Indoors, she won the national title in the 60 yard dash twice,[4] but did not have the opportunity to duplicate her wins in the outdoor long jump because in the 1950s, women only competed in thestanding long jump.[5]
Through her career she competed for the ChicagoCYO as their only member initially. Her notoriety encouraged the all-white Hurricanes to want to join her, creating one of the first integrated track teams. She attendedDePaul University on an academic scholarship before spending a career as a teacher.[1] At age 16, on her way to the 1949National Championships inOdessa, Texas, her coach purchased a sleeping compartment for the star athlete to rest. At 6 a.m. she was awakened by the engineer ""Get out. We just crossed theMason–Dixon line. You have to get up front with the other coloreds." The incident led to a successfulcivil rights lawsuit by the CYO against theIllinois Central Railroad.[6]
She was selected into theChicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.[7]
In 2008, she was presented with the DePaul University letterman's jacket. She never competed for her alma mater because at the time they did not have a track team for women, a common situation in that era.[6]
Landry died after a long battle with cancer on February 20, 2025, at the age of 92.[8]
