Wikipedia

Roxie Joynes Campanella

Roxie Joynes Campanella (June 22, 1916 – March 14, 2004), was an American nurse, showgirl, socialite and philanthropist. As the third wife of baseball star Roy Campanella, she was active on behalf of people with spinal cord injuries.

Roxie Joynes Campanella
A young light-skinned Black woman with dark hair in a rolled style; she is smiling and wearing a drop earring and a dark jacket
Roxie Joynes Doles (later Campanella) from a 1954 newspaper photo
Born
Roxie Joynes

June 22, 1916
Cape Charles, Virginia
DiedMarch 14, 2004 (age 87)
Woodland Hills, California
Other namesRoxie Doles
Occupation(s)Nurse, showgirl, philanthropist
Spouse(s)John T. Doles, Roy Campanella

Early life and education

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Roxie Joynes was born in Cape Charles, Virginia, the daughter of Samson Shawnee Joynes and Emily Young Joynes.[1] She attended Tidewater Institute, a Black school in Cheriton, Virginia,[2] and was a nursing student at St. Philip's Hospital, a Black hospital and nursing school in Richmond, Virginia.

Career

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Joynes was a model and showgirl in the 1940s. She won a prize in a costume contest at the 1941 Artists and Models Ball in Chicago.[3] She appeared as a dancer in the soundie Caldonia (1945)[4] and the feature Reet, Petite, and Gone (1947).[5] Her stage credits included a role in Dream with Music on Broadway. During her first marriage, she was active in Harlem society, as a member of The Moles,[6] and of Sigma Wives, the women's auxiliary of the Black fraternal organization Phi Beta Sigma.[7][8] She also organized other young women to campaign for her husband in 1950,[9] and worked as a hostess on a cruise ship.[10]

Joynes married former Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player Roy Campanella in 1964,[11] about six years after he was paralyzed in a 1958 car accident.[12] The couple regularly attended games at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles,[13] and visited newly paralyzed people in rehabilitation.[14] She continued to attend games and visit hospital patients alone, after Campanella's 1993 death.[15][16][17]

The Roy and Roxie Campanella Foundation was established in 1994, to provide scholarships to students in physical therapy programs,[18] and equipment for people with spinal cord injuries. In 2003, she auctioned souvenirs of Campanella's baseball career to raise over $60,000 for the foundation's work.[19][20][21]

Personal life

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Joynes married twice. Her first husband was attorney and politician John T. Doles Jr.[22][23] They married in 1947, and had two children, Joni and John. They divorced in the early 1960s. She married her neighbor Roy Campanella in 1964,[11] and he adopted her children.[7] She died from colon cancer in 2004, at the age of 87 (not 77, as reported in the Los Angeles Times), in Woodland Hills, California.[19] "Roxie was a remarkable woman," said announcer Vin Scully on the occasion. "She was a true inspiration, just as Roy was."[24]

References

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  1. ^ "The Palm Tavern" Clio: Your Guide to History. May 19, 2023. Accessed September 9, 2023.
  2. ^ "Site of Tidewater Institute Historical Marker". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  3. ^ Heatherton, Christina (2022-10-04). Arise!: Global Radicalism in the Era of the Mexican Revolution. Univ of California Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-520-96288-0.
  4. ^ Sampson, Henry T. (1995). Blacks in Black and White: A Source Book on Black Films. Scarecrow Press. pp. 448, 580. ISBN 978-0-8108-2605-2.
  5. ^ Cantor, Mark (2023-04-19). The Soundies: A History and Catalog of Jukebox Film Shorts of the 1940s. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-4642-8.
  6. ^ "Gaiety is Theme of the Moles Who Believe 'It's Later than You Think'". The New York Age. 1954-05-08. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Lanctot, Neil (2011-03-08). Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella. Simon and Schuster. p. 402. ISBN 978-1-4516-0649-2.
  8. ^ "Sigma Wives Plan Cafe Party". The New York Age. 1954-11-20. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "The News Goes Down in Harlemtowne". The New York Age. 1950-07-08. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Campanella Reveals Marriage to Widow" Jet Magazine (June 11, 1964).
  11. ^ a b "Campy, Late Lawyer's 'Ex' Married in Secret". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1964-06-13. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Acocella, Nick. "Campy had a lot of little boy in him". ESPN Classic. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  13. ^ Tygiel, Jules (2002-01-01). Extra Bases: Reflections on Jackie Robinson, Race, and Baseball History. U of Nebraska Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 978-0-8032-9447-9.
  14. ^ Plaschke, Bill (1990-02-26). "His Is a Spirit That Still Stands Tall". The Los Angeles Times. pp. C1, C8, C9. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Catching Up with Campanella". The Idaho Statesman. 1996-08-25. p. 28. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ DelNagro, Mike (1996-09-17). "Hundley Catches Salute; Campanella's widow says he would have been that HR mark fell in New York". Mount Vernon Argus. p. 36. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Medina, M. Cristina (1995-12-23). "Widow of Dodgers' Campanella Seeks Pendant She Lost at D/FW". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 55. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Family Ties Inspire Physical Therapy Students Honored by Campanella and Dodgers Foundations". CSUN Today. 2023-02-20. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  19. ^ a b "Roxie Campanella, 77, Widow of Dodger Star". The New York Times. 2004-03-20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  20. ^ "Campanella's widow to sell his awards". ESPN.com. 2003-08-09. Retrieved 2023-09-09.
  21. ^ Plaschke, Bill (2003-08-13). "Freezing Out Tradition". Chicago Tribune. pp. 4–2. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "John T. Doles, Jr., Ind. Democratic Candidate for Congress, Has Necessary Qualifications". The New York Age. 1950-05-20. p. 20. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Attorney Doles Serves Profession, Community". The New York Age. 1955-06-11. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Shaikin, Bill (2004-03-15). "Roxie Campanella, 77; Dodger Great's Widow Continued His Work". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-09-09 – via Newspapers.com.
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