Falcon News In Brief: A bite-sized briefing of notable BGSU faculty, student and alumni news
Congratulations to faculty, students and alumni on recent accomplishments in sports, world language and music
Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame to enshrine Olympian alumnus Dave Wottle '73
Olympian, legendary middle-distance runner and BGSU alumnus Dave Wottle '73 is among the 2023 induction class for the Collegiate Track & Field/Cross Country Athlete Hall of Fame. Wottle was a standout athlete during his college career, winning three NCAA Division I titles and setting multiple records in the 800-meter run.
The class of 14 will be enshrined on Sept. 14, 2023, at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in Eugene, Oregon. This year’s class features some of the greatest names in collegiate track and field and cross country history. With 70 national collegiate titles, 39 world records and eight Olympic/World Championships medals achieved while in college, these athletes have left an indelible mark on the sports, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association said.
“The USTFCCCA is proud to honor these exceptional athletes for their achievements and contributions to collegiate track & field and cross country,” said Sam Seemes, CEO of the USTFCCCA. “Their accomplishments have inspired countless athletes and fans, and their induction into the Collegiate Athlete Hall of Fame serves as a testament to their enduring legacy.”
Wottle's most iconic moment came at the 1972 Munich Olympics, where he won the gold medal in the 800-meter run. Wottle's signature move was to wear a golf cap during his races, and he famously came from behind in the final stretch of the Olympic final to win in dramatic fashion.
His Olympic triumph cemented his status as one of the greatest middle-distance runners of all time, and Wottle went on to have a successful career as a coach and administrator in collegiate athletics.
Akiko Kawano-Jones honored for furthering cultural exchange between Japan, Ohio
Akiko Kawano-Jones, BGSU teaching professor emeritus of Japanese Language and Culture in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, was honored with the Bradley M. Richardson Award during the 26th annual Japan-America Society of Central Ohio (JASCO) Anniversary Gala held on April 20.
The Bradley M. Richardson Award recognizes an individual who has furthered JASCO’s mission to bring Ohio’s Japanese and American communities together, and the recognition is a testament to Kawano-Jones' contributions to promoting cultural exchange between the two nations. The event was attended by more than 150 people, including Consul General Yusuke Shindo, Consul General of Japan in Detroit.
A year after coming to teach at BGSU in 1983, Kawano-Jones founded the Japanese Club, which meets in the Nakamoto Japanese Studies Room. The club is open to everyone who is interested in all things Japanese. She expanded the Asian Studies Program at BGSU, now a part of the World Languages and Cultures department, to include Korean language and culture and founded the Korean Club. Kawano-Jones also assisted students wishing to study in South Korea and China. Kawano-Jones retired in May 2021, and still enjoys teaching at BGSU and working on Japanese outreach efforts.
Jordan Bak, assistant professor of viola, part of chamber trio performing in Beverly Hills on June 1
BGSU Assistant Professor of Viola Jordan Bak is taking part in a chamber trio set to perform at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, California, on June 1, with a program that features Debussy's Violin Sonata in G Minor, Schumann's Fantasiestücke, Mozart's Duo for Violin and Viola in G Major, and Piano Trio No. 1 in B Minor by Max Reger.
Bak, an award-winning Jamaican-American violist with a robust alto sound and radiant stage presence, has won several prestigious competitions and is building an international career as a trailblazing artist. Bak joins Geneva Lewis, violin, and Evern Ozel, piano, for the performance in The Wallis' 500-seat Bram Goldsmith Theater. Prior to the concert, there will be a pre-concert conversation with the artists moderated by Classical California KUSC's Brian Lauritzen.
Program notes from The Wallis: "From the deeply dramatic and textural landscape of Claude Debussy, the human vulnerability of Robert Schumann, to the precocious, awe-inspiring genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, much is to be heard in each of these dynamic works of art. Max Reger rounds out the program with his incredibly passionate Piano Trio No. 1 in B Minor, showcasing the young 18-year-old composer’s musical and technical maturity and brimming with bravura, sensitivity, and promise."
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Media Contact | Michael Bratton | mbratto@bgsu.edu | 419-372-6349
Updated: 05/12/2023 03:31PM