Later Life
Inspired by the associations that she made at the Olympic Games, Arden became involved in numerous Olympic committees, working towards increased female participation in the events. She played basketball for the Long Island Ducklings, where she met Russel "Rusty" Hodge, a semi-professional player. Hodge, a center for the Liberty Emeralds, and Arden, also a center, were married in 1937. They had a son, Russ Hodge, in 1939 and moved from Monticello, New York to Roscoe, New York that same year. There, the Hodges operated a dairy farm and, later, furniture and gravel stores. Arden had a total of three children.
The younger Hodge competed in the decathlon at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he placed ninth. On his mother's 52nd birthday, he set a world record in a decathlon event in Los Angeles. Arden's husband died in 2001. In August 2003, both Arden and her son were honoured with the Sullivan County Historical Society "History Maker" award. They are the only mother-son Olympians in the history of the United States. Still active in swimming at the age of 90, Arden died on March 1, 2012 at the age of 97.
Read more about this topic: Alice Arden (athlete)
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