Ella Chafee
 Ella Chafee 1945-2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 4, 1945 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Died | June 16, 2019 (aged 74) Oak Lawn, Illinois, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois |
| Height | 5 ft 2 in (157 cm) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Wheelchair fencing Wheelchair basketball Para Swimming Wheelchair slalom Wheelchair racing |
| Disability | Polio |
| Club | Chicago Charmers, Ryan AbilityLab (Formerly Rehab Institute of Chicago) Express/Sky |
Medal record | |
Ella Chafee née Cox (March 4, 1945–June 16, 2019) was an American wheelchair basketball player and wheelchair fencer who competed at three Paralympic Games. She also took part in track and field and swimming.[1]
Sporting career[edit]
Chafee contracted polio when she was six years old during the 1950s. She took part in wheelchair racing in the early 1960s as well as wheelchair basketball, she and her sister-in-law Hope Chafee, who also has polio, both took part in the 1964 Summer Paralympics where Ella won two medals in swimming and Hope won three medals. Ella participated in the 1968 Summer Paralympics and won the gold medal in the women's 4x40m relay. Ella returned to the Games in 1996 as a wheelchair fencer.[2][3][4]
In 1979, Chafee took part in the Boston Marathon in the wheelchair division where she raced in her everyday use wheelchair.[5]
Chafee was inducted into the National Wheelchair Athletic Association (now Move United) Hall of Fame in 1990 and the National Wheelchair Basketball Association Hall of Fame in 2014. [6]
Death[edit]
Chafee died of a liver aneurysm aged 74 at a hospital in Oak Lawn on June 16, 2019.[7] [8]
References[edit]
- ^ "Ella Chafee - NWBA". National Wheelchair Basketball Association. 4 August 2017.
- ^ "Renovating a Landmark" (PDF). LAS News. 1 December 2015.
- ^ "Ella Chafee - IPC Profile". International Paralympic Committee. 29 May 2023.
- ^ "E. Cox - IPC Profile". International Paralympic Committee. 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Ella Chafee - Oiselle". Oiselle. 29 May 2023.
- ^ "Ella Chafee, Class of 2014". National Wheelchair Basketball Association. 14 August 2017.
- ^ "Paralympic Ella Chafee dies at 74". Chicago Tribune. 15 July 2019.
- ^ "Ella Chafee at Find a Grave". Find a Grave. 18 June 2019.
- 1945 births
- 2019 deaths
- Sportspeople from Chicago
- Sportspeople from Oak Lawn, Illinois
- Paralympic swimmers for the United States
- Paralympic track and field athletes for the United States
- Paralympic wheelchair basketball players for the United States
- Paralympic wheelchair fencers for the United States
- American women's wheelchair basketball players
- American female fencers
- American female wheelchair racers
- Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Paralympics
- Swimmers at the 1964 Summer Paralympics
- Wheelchair basketball players at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
- Wheelchair fencers at the 1996 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 1964 Summer Paralympics
- Medalists at the 1968 Summer Paralympics
- Paralympic gold medalists for the United States
- Paralympic silver medalists for the United States
- Paralympic bronze medalists for the United States
- Illinois Fighting Illini Paralympic athletes