Ida Mae Martinez
Ida Mae Martinez | |
---|---|
Born | September 9, 1931[1] New London, Connecticut[1] |
Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist.[1] |
Residence | Baltimore, Maryland[2][3] |
Professional wrestling career | |
Ring name(s) | Ida Mae Martinez Ida May Martinez |
Billed height | 5'2"[1] |
Billed weight | 125 lb (57 kg)[2] |
Debut | 1951[1] |
Retired | 1960[1] |
Ida Mae Martinez Selenkow (September 9, 1931 – January 19, 2010) was an American professional wrestler in the 1950s, known as Ida Mae Martinez. After her retirement in 1960, she appeared in the 2004 documentary Lipstick & Dynamite about the early years of female wrestling in North America. In addition to wrestling, Martinez was a yodeler, releasing the CD The Yodeling Lady Ms. Ida also in 2004. Martinez also obtained a Master's Degree in Nursing and was one of the first nurses in Baltimore to work with AIDS patients.
Contents
Professional wrestling career
After watching a female professional wrestling match between Johnny Mae Young and Gloria Barattini, Martinez sought out promoter Billy Wolfe.[1] Wolfe invited her to train in Columbus, Ohio.[1] She debuted professionally in August 1951 in Ohio.[1] She won the Championship of Mexico in 1952.[1][3] She held the title until 1953.[2]
She retired in 1960 after remarrying.[1] In the 1980s, she became a board member for the Cauliflower Alley Club.[1] Martinez also was featured in the 2004 documentary about women's wrestling, Lipstick & Dynamite.[1] In 2006, the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame awarded her the Senator Hugh Farley Award for her contribution in and outside of the ring.[3]
Personal life
Ida Marilyn St. Laurent[citation needed] was born in New London, Connecticut and raised in North Stonington, where she lived with relatives after her mother abandoned her. She never knew her father.[4]
Her guardians were reportedly abusive [3] and she left home sometime between the ages of 13 and 15 to live with her cousin.[1][3] She attended Norwich Free Academy,[1] but eventually dropped out of high school.[3] In addition to school, she worked as a yodeler and singer at country and minstrel shows.[1] She married at age 17 and claimed that her husband was abusive.[1] Her wrestling career began in 1948, when a customer, who was a wrestler, asked her if she wanted to wrestle. She said yes.
She retired from the ring in 1960 to marry a Baltimore businessman, Herbert Selenkow. They later had two daughters, but later divorced.[1] She received her GED in 1971, an Associate's Degree in nursing in 1975, and a Bachelor's Degree in nursing in 1980.[1][3] Ten years later she received her Master's Degree from the University of Maryland School of Nursing.[1] She was inducted into the Nursing Honor Society Sigma Theta Tau.[2] She was one of the first nurses in Baltimore to care for AIDS patients.[1] She also published writings about her work with AIDS patients.[2]
She later converted to Judaism.[1] In 2004, she released a yodeling CD, The Yodeling Lady Ms. Ida.[1] She appeared on The Rosie O'Donnell Show as a yodeler in April 1999.[1][2][3] She was also a member of the Western Music Association.[2]
In wrestling
Championships and accomplishments
- Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum
- Senator Hugh Farley Award (2006)[3]
- Other titles
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 2.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Baltimore Sun obituary
- Articles with unsourced statements from March 2010
- 1931 births
- 2010 deaths
- American nurses
- American female professional wrestlers
- Converts to Judaism
- Jewish professional wrestlers
- Sportspeople from New London, Connecticut
- Professional wrestlers from Connecticut
- University of Maryland, Baltimore alumni
- Yodelers