Official Publication of the United States Sports Academy Alumni Association Vol. 37, No. 2 Fall 2015 H.E. Sam Kahamba Kutesa, President of the United Nations General Assembly, Honored by the Academy His Excellency Sam “We are pleased to Kahamba Kutesa honor Kutesa with was awarded a 2015 our Distinguished Distinguished Service Service Award due to Award (DSA) by the his outstanding work Academy in recognition of with the Sustainable his contributions to sport Developmental Goals throughout the world. using sport as a funda- Kutesa was elected mental vehicle in attaining President of the United them,” said Dr. Thomas P. Nations (UN) General Rosandich, President and Assembly’s sixty-ninth ses- CEO of the Academy. sion in June 2014. At the The DSA is part of time of his election, he had the Academy’s Awards been serving as Uganda’s of Sport program and is Minister for Foreign Affairs given annually to indi- since 2005, a post he still viduals who have made holds today. From left to right, Academy Trustee Joseph Szlavik, 2015 outstanding contributions A lawyer, parliamen- Distinguished Service Award recipient H E. Sam Kahamba to national or international tarian, and businessman, Kutesa, Academy Vice President and COO Dr . T J. Rosandich, sports through instruction, and Academy Trustee Peter Tichansky at the UN Headquarters Kutesa has a wide range in New York City, N Y. ,. on Monday, 14 September 2015 . research, or service. of experience in interna- Instruction means that tional affairs. During his tenure as Foreign Conference and focus on goals which will assist all the individual must have been engaged in the Minister, Uganda has hosted high-level meet- relevant stakeholders in developing comprehensive act or process of imparting or acquiring knowledge ings of key intergovernmental bodies such as the programs for their advancement. Sport and sport- in the area of sports on two continents. Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit in related activities are a fundamental element of the Research means that the individual must have 2007, the Council of Ministers of the Organization SDGs. been engaged in the organized and systematic of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in 2008, and the In its statement of purpose, the members inquiry of investigation into sports to discover or African Union (AU) Heads of State Summit in declared that they wanted to establish an “inclusive revise facts, theories, or publications in the disci- 2010. and transparent intergovernmental process open to pline spanning two or more continents. Kutesa’s contributions to the world of sport all stakeholders, with a view to developing global Service means that the individual must have been come from the UN’s program of “Sustainable sustainable development goals to be agreed by the engaged in the organized and systematic supply of Development Goals” (SDGs), which he spear- General Assembly,” and sport plays a vital role in sports required by the public on two or more conti- headed. The SDGs were an outcome of the Rio+20 that process. nents for more than 20 years. n IN THIS ISSUE President’s Column-Special Graduation Ceremony . 2 American Sport Art Museum and Archives . 3 Awards of Sport . 4-5 Alumni Achievements . 6-7 International Outreach . 8-9 People, Places, and Programs . 10-11 David Wallechinsky Franco Ascani National Honorary International Honorary Doctorate Recipient Doctorate Recipient PRESIDENT’S COLUMN THE ACADEMY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mr. Robert C. Campbell III, Chairman, Mobile, AL A Special Graduation Ceremony In Dr. Robert S. Block, Reno, NV Mr. Tom Cafaro, Dudley, MA Conjunction With The Awards of Sport Dr. Milly Cowles, Fairhope, AL We had the privilege of honoring three outstanding individuals during a Graduation Ceremony held in Ms. Joan Cronan, Knoxville, TN conjunction with the Academy’s Awards of Sport Ceremony on Thursday, 5 November 2015. Dr. Gary Cunningham, Goleta, CA Dr. Lee McElroy Jr., Troy, NY Professor Franco Ascani, 2015 International Honorary Doctorate Recipient Dr. Linda Moore, Unionville, CT First, we honored Professor Franco Ascani, who has been the President of the Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs (FICTS) since 1996, promoting the values and cultural functions of the sport Dr. Monica Motley, Mobile, AL movement worldwide through television and motion pictures. Dr. Marino Niccolai, Mobile, AL In addition to his experience with FICTS, Ascani is Dr. T.J. Rosandich, Fairhope, AL also an active member of the International Olympic Dr. Thomas P. Rosandich, Daphne, AL Committee’s Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission, Mr. Jack Scharr, St. Louis, MO on which I served with him for many years. He is the Mr. Joseph Szlavik, Washington, D.C. former President of the Union Eupéenne du Sports pour Tous and the former Vice President of the Fédération Mr. Peter Tichansky, New York, NY Internationale du Sport pour Tous. He has also served as Dr. Don C. Wukasch, Austin, TX the Director of the Master’s degree “Sport Management MISSION STATEMENT: Marketing and Society” at Università degli Studi Milano- The United States Sports Academy is an Bicocca since 2002. LinkedIn Profile Via independent, non-profit, regionally accredited, Also a journalist, Ascani has authored several books Franco Ascani special mission sports university created to about sports management and more than 200 publications International Honorary serve the nation and the world with programs Doctorate Recipient in instruction, research and service. The role of on scientific reviews. He is an internationally recognized the Academy is to prepare men and women for authority on sports communication, who has lectured at the master’s and undergraduate levels in sports careers in the profession of sports. law, sports management, sports marketing, and the sociology of sport. No stranger to being honored for his dedication to the sport movement, Ascani has been presented with over 30 awards, including the ACCREDITATION The United States Sports Academy is regionally International Olympic Committee Award in 2004. accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges David Wallechinsky, 2015 National Honorary Doctorate Recipient to award the bachelor of sport science, master of Secondly, we honored David Wallechinsky, who is an encyclopedia of facts, figures, and general knowl- sports science, and doctor of sport management degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at edge. He is a man of intelligence, insight, and opinion, who possesses the literary skills to express all 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033- of them in a readable manner. Perhaps what defines Wallechinsky best, though, is that he cares about 4097 or call 404-679-4500 for questions about people, politics, and Olympic sport. the accreditation of the United States Sports As President of the International Society of Olympic Historians (ISOH) since 2012 and a member Academy. of the organization since its inception in 1991, Wallechinsky has spearheaded the effort to promote and The United States Sports Academy accepts stu- study the Olympic Movement and Olympic Games. Here, dents regardless of race, religion, age, gender, again, I had the privilege of serving on the ISOH. For more disability or nationtal origin. than three decades now, he has kept readers abreast of the Olympics by updating his reference volumes The Complete Book of the Summer Olympics and The Complete Book of the Winter Olympics, which are considered to be the single most important history of the Olympic Games. All in all, Wallechinsky has authored more than a dozen Photo allgov.com by Norman Seeff Photo allgov.com David Wallechinsky books. Two of those books – What Really Happened to National Honorary the Class of ’65? and The Book of Lists – were turned Doctorate Recipient into television series by NBC and CBS. He also has been a guest on “Eye to Eye” with Katie Couric, “The O’Reilly Factor,” ABC World News, and CNN’s America’s Sports University® “The Situation Room.” In addition, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the National University of One Academy Drive Physical Education and Sport of Ukraine, and has been inducted into the Trivia Hall of Fame. Daphne, AL 36526-7055 Phone: (251) 626-3303 Commander David Peterson, Ed.D., 2015 Alumnus of the Year Fax: (251) 621-2527 Last but not least, Commander David Peterson received our 2015 Alumnus of the Year Award. E-mail: [email protected] Commander Peterson exemplifies everything for which the Academy stands, as he serves as the Website: www.ussa.edu Editor: Leigha Bolton Executive Officer of the Physical Education Department at the U.S. Naval Academy and as the Director Layout and Design: Jennifer Kelly of their Human Performance Laboratory (see page 7). 2 AMERICAN SPORT ART MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES Accomplished Painter and Sculptor CELEBRATIONS Joseph Sheppard Named Academy’s 2015 Sport Artist of the Year Selected by the Academy’s Art Committee, Joseph Sheppard was recognized as the 2015 Sport Artist of the Year during the 31st Annual Awards of Sport program held on Thursday, 5 November 2015, on the Academy’s campus in Daphne, Ala. Sheppard, born in Owing Mills, Md., in 1930, is an award-winning artist, painter, and sculptor. He first became interested in depicting sports, especially boxing, Museum Open House after he completed a cover for Sports Illustrated. He has spent more than six decades documenting life through Celebrating Olympic Day realist paintings, drawings, and sculptures building an Featured Sport Art from enviable reputation in the art world. Around the World He has been awarded numerous honors, including the The faculty and staff of the Academy Gold Medal of Honor in 1994 from the National Sculpture celebrated Olympic Day on Tuesday, 23 Society in N.Y. and more recently, the XVIII Premio June 2015 . Olympic Day is a worldwide Internazionale Pietrasanta e la Versilia nel Mondo in Italy. annual celebration in recognition of the In addition, his work can be found in the collections Modern Olympic Games .