Rachel the Lioness

Blog by Rachel Dancy
Feb. 15, 2019

Rachel, as a child, was very sweet. She always wore a smile with pig tails in her hair. However, she did not have many friends. Rachel spoke with bumpy speech and talked like this, “H-Hi, my name is R-R-Rachel.”

Kids teased and made fun of her. She sat alone during lunch and no one played with her at recess. She was a timid cub. Even though Rachel was not pretty or popular, she still smiled and knew her value.

Rachel grew up, still stuttering. Teenagers didn’t think she was cool and told her to go away. Rachel sat in a different part of the school because she needed extra help with her classes; she didn’t think as fast as the other classmates. A few classmates saw through the outside and found a friend. They thought Rachel to be a kind young person with a huge heart.

After high school, Rachel transformed into a beautiful lioness. She found acceptance with her friends and was not teased anymore. Why? Eventually those kids learned to appreciate rather than dislike the differences in other people.

In the end, Rachel, the lioness, became strong and no one would have thought she had been the timid cub.

CELEBRITY FOCUS

Bob Love

Bob Love has dreamt about being a great public speaker since his early days in Bastrop Louisiana, even though, as a young man, he could barely put two words together, let alone speak a full sentence.

In spite of his severe stuttering disability, Bob Love, the son of a sharecropper, rose to become a Chicago Bulls NBA superstar, whose records were eventually surpassed by Michael Jordan. Throughout his entire athletic career, Bob Love kept his stuttering a secret from the fans who adored him, thinking he could do his “talking” on the basketball court.

Marilyn Monroe

From Edward S. Herrington's letter to Southcoasttoday.com

I am writing in response to "The importance of voice" (May 29), which mentioned that famous actor James Earl Jones struggled with stuttering. Another famous voice that you cited was the trademark breathy voice of Marilyn Monroe; however, you did not make mention of the fact that Marilyn Monroe also struggled with stuttering at various points in her life, sometimes very painfully.

King George

In November 2010, worldwide movie audiences were presented with a most interesting and unusual movie release with The King’s Speech, starring Colin Firth as King George VI and Helena Bonham Carter as his wife Elizabeth.

Unfortunately, history may have forgotten the courageous and inspiring story of Prince Albert who stuttered badly and never dreamed that he would ever be king when his older brother, King Edward VIII, abruptly abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry Wallis Simpson, an American divorcee.

Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis, born Lonnie Melvin Tillis, was an influential figure in country music, both as a songwriter and a performer. His journey to fame was marked by overcoming personal challenges, including a stutter that he turned into a defining part of his public persona.

Ken Venturi

As much of the nation watches the U.S. Open Golf Championship, it is impossible not to think about our late friend Ken Venturi. Ken overcame many challenges to win the Open at Congressional in 1964 and go on to become the voice of golf for more than three decades.

However, Ken faced no bigger obstacle than stuttering. Ken Venturi was a champion to those who stutter, going out of his way to share his personal experience when consulted by a colleague, friend, or child who stutters.