Billy Mills releases ‘Wings of an Eagle’ book. Photo Credit: S.D. Nelson.
Olympic gold medalist Billy Mills chatted about his new children’s book “Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills.”
New children’s book ‘Wings of an Eagle’
On his new children’s book, Mills said, “It was Patricia’s idea. I always wanted to do a book without actually knowing what level. I looked at all the athletes and the books they write.”
“I wanted to write a book that would influence the youth, so I was leaning towards a children’s book,” he noted.
Working with Donna Janell Bowman
Mills collaborated on this book with Donna Janell Bowman. “The detailed work that Donna did was so incredible,” he said.
“I always wanted to tell this story to the young people. I also knew that me being half white and half Native American, I grew up with Native American culture. I knew the culture, but I wanted somebody that knew the culture coming from the white world,” he elaborated.
“I always wanted to get a perspective of how B.B. Mills thought as he went into the indigenous world,” he said. “Then, Donna Bowman came to our house, and we spoke. She was the ideal person and she really made a commitment to listen to the oral history she was being given, her research and through my talk.”
Mills continued, “Donna Bowman is the person to tell this story to empower the minds of young children. I wanted young children in the classroom to know that they can have a dream, and that their dream can be supported.”
“They should also know the diversity of the child in the chair next to them because we are stronger as one. So, things fell in place and we did the children’s book,” he added.
Lessons learned from this book
On the lessons learned from this book, he said, “The book didn’t necessarily teach me anything; it reconfirmed what I took from the sport. I hope it inspires readers to see the world as one… we are all related.”
Mills hopes this book expands and fosters global diversity and global unity. “Those were the underlying themes of the book and the responses we started receiving were incredible,” he said.
“The book has gotten incredible reviews. We hope that every child in America reads this book,” he noted.
Mills on his history-making Olympic gold medal milestone
To this day, Mills is the sole American to win the only Olympic gold medal in the 10,000 meter race.
“I love that question because I fantasize a lot,” he said with a sweet laugh.
“I’ve been studying Greek mythology and I’ve been fascinated with it… I am waiting for another gold medalist to join me (male or female). If I had a choice, I would love for there to be a female to be the next to win,” he elaborated.
A video of that race is available on the Olympics’ YouTube channel by clicking here.
“When I won it, I know that moment was a gift,” he acknowledged. “I wanted to give back in our culture. If you received a gift from people that helped empower you, you must give back to them.”
“My gift was co-founding Running Strong for American Indian Youth, and we’ve been able to do some incredible things with that organization on the reservations,” he acknowledged.
Running Strong’s National Spokesperson
Billy Mills, Oglala Lakota (Sioux) is Running Strong’s National Spokesperson. An Olympic gold medalist at the 1964 Olympic Games, Mills has dedicated his life to serving Native American communities.
“The theme of Running Strong for American Indian Youth was to empower the visions of the elders and to inspire the dreams of the youth, and we’ve been able to do that with this program… and all because of that one moment in time (winning that gold medal in 1964),” he explained.
“That made me feel very humbled knowing that moment in time (through our culture) can live on forever. Now, it is time to give back to those that have empowered you by trying to empower others,” he said.
Mills on receiving his honorary doctorates
“I’ve been blessed to receive some honorary doctorate degrees for my notable contributions to humanitarian and community building efforts,” he said.
Mills continued, “Those honors are very special, and so are the OLY postnominals after my name. It puts me in a special club as a gold medalist. This club celebrated its 2,800th birthday this year. The first known Olympic Games were in 776 B.C.”
“I felt emotional and excited to say that I am a member of possibly the oldest club on Earth,” he added.
Mills on Linda Prefontaine in Coos Bay, remembers Steve Prefontaine
“That was so special to meet Linda,” he said. “I had first met their mother [Elfriede] when I was being inducted into the United States Track and Field Hall of Fame. When she went up to me, she had told me that my winning race was the race that her son Steve (Pre) wanted to win.”
Mills continued, “That was so powerful to hear that, especially to compare Pre and myself, especially since we both wanted to win the same race. She was one of the very first people that impressed me since she acknowledged me as ‘Billy Mills’ as opposed to ‘you’re the Indian athlete’. She knew my name and treated me with respect.”
“It was just so special to meet Pre’s mom and hear her say ‘you’re Billy Mills.’ Meeting their mom led to me meeting Linda… and meeting Linda felt like meeting the daughter of an old friend. I really enjoyed doing Linda’s event a few years ago in Coos Bay, Oregon,” he elaborated.
“I had only met Pre a couple of times and we didn’t really know each other but he had respect for me being a gold medalist. I also know that Pre had the confidence to be himself and on a given day, he could beat anybody in the world,” he concluded.
His children’s book “Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
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