Boston Marathon winner 'Tarzan' Brown's granddaughter trying to find his lost trophies
NARRAGANSETT, R.I. - A Rhode Island family is on the hunt for their grandfather's Boston Marathon trophies. He sold them to put food on the table for his family.
Ellison "Tarzan" Brown won the Boston Marathon in 1936 and 1939. He is a descendant of the Narragansett tribe. Because of his Native American background, his family says he struggled to find work. He hoped the exposure from winning marathons would get him hired.
"He started running as a little boy, and that's how he got the nickname Tarzan," smiles Anna Brown-Jackson, the granddaughter of the late marathon runner, "My grandfather did not have a rags-to-riches story. They lived in a two-room shack. My grandfather trained by chopping wood. He one time won a watch, another time he won his-and-her matching bathrobes. He said [to his trainer Tippy Salimeno], 'What should I do with this [watch] Tippy?' He said, 'You might as well sell it because you need it.'"
Back then, the winners were given trophies but no prize money. As a result, Brown sold his marathon trophies to help support his family. Brown-Jackson is hoping to get them back. They were last seen on loan during an exhibit at the Westerly Library in the 1980s. They then went back to their owners at the time.
"Had he won the marathon in this time and age, he would have won endorsements," explains Brown-Jackson, "[Tippy] said,' Your grandfather was a man 100 years ahead of his time.'"
If you believe you know where the trophies may be, the family has set up an email account to contact them. You can reach them here Tarzanbrownmarathon@gmail.com.