Margaret Bergmann...R.I.P.

Good afternoon! Life is better at the beach, when it's shared with the ones you love. The tide washes everyday cares of life away, even if it's for only a few moments in time. At dusk, I watched the sun returning to its circuitous route under the dome of a beautiful sunset and thoughts about what remains constant and unchanged returns to me. I am reminded of all the outstanding changes in fifty years and all those things that have resisted progress.

When I was young, I heard the song "Time in a Bottle", by Jim Croce.  If he had lived longer, I am certain his music would have been a force in the world influencing important social change, a catalyst igniting inspiration and hope for many. But, his destiny was different, on another celestial plane. How are we to know what words that we utter today, will be remembered and have lasting influence on the inhabitants of this hard clump of dirt, we call earth?

Margaret Bergmann, was a woman who was Germany's greatest high jumper at Olympic trials in June 1936. Bergmann was Jewish and considered unworthy to participate and denied the opportunity to compete in the summer Berlin Games, by the Nazi regime, on their national team. She wanted to prove she wasn't inferior simply because she was Jewish.

She moved to the UK to study and won the British high jumps championship in 1934. The Nazi's wanted to give the illusion that Jewish athletes were not mistreated in Germany and coerced her to return to Germany under threats to her family.

In 1937, Bergmann emigrated to the United States. In 1996, she was a specially invited guest of the German Olympic Committee in the Atlanta, Georgia World Olympics. Three years later, she returned to her childhood hometown where they honored Bergmann, by the renaming of a stadium for her.

When she was interviewed by the Washington Post and asked how she felt about this change of events, she replied, "I decided that I could not blame this generation, for what their fathers and Grandfathers did."

Margaret Bergmann Lambert, who had been remembered as a World-Class Jewish high jumper in her youth, died at 103 years old on July 25th., 2017. It is ironic that she was famous, mostly because of her non-participation in the German Olympics during Hitler's reign because she was Jewish and not because she couldn't physically qualify to compete.

I wonder what immigrants will be refused admittance to America, because they have no great technical skills or outstanding educational credentials to offer in the furtherance of America's national economic well-being? What makes an immigrant inferior, in the opinion of one nation's leaders, shouldn't determine their all inclusive worth to humanity.

                                            "Good Night and Sweet Dreams!"

                                                          "Boner Appertite!"