Congressman ike skelton junior

This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon. - When he was a teenager, polio dashed Ike Skelton's dream of serving the military.

But that didn't deter Skelton from carrying on with his life – not by a long shot.

Case in point: When Skelton returned as a teenager to his high school – Wentworth Military Academy – he was a member of the track team. After the disease debilitated his arms, his teammates cut slits in his shorts, inserted his hands and taped his arms down so he could run.

It was a risk because Skelton might fall -- but he competed.

During a match against Wentworth’s rival – Kemper Military Academy in Boonville – Skelton finished third in the two-mile run. But he won a point for his team and a got a rousing ovation from both sides at the finish line.

Skelton received a similar overwhelming, bipartisan deluge of praise when he passed away last week at the age of 81