Ohio State celebrates anniversary of Jesse Owens Recreation Centers

COLUMBUS – As the kickoff event for the 2002 annual African-American Heritage Festival, The Ohio State University is celebrating the anniversary of the Jesse Owens Recreation Centers.

The 25th anniversary celebration will take place at 4 p.m. Monday (5/13) at Jesse Owens North, 2151 Neil Ave. A brief reception will take place in Jesse Owens North after the ceremony.

Organizers say this event is a chance to honor the legacy of Owens, and to celebrate the creation of the recreational centers that bear his name.

” I think if Jesse Owens was alive today, he would support the fact that there is a little bit of an athlete in everyone, and these centers help to develop that,” said Mike Dunn, director of recreational and intramural sports.

The keynote speaker is Rusty Wilson, a staff member who earned a doctorate in sports history from Ohio State and is writing a book on the history of Owens.

Among the dignitaries to speak at the celebration are: Ed Ray, university provost; Bill Hall, vice president of student affairs; Bruce Maurer, associate director of recreational and intramural sports; and Miechelle Willis, associate director of the department of athletics. Liz Davis, assistant director for recreational and intramural sports, will facilitate the ceremony.

Dunn said this celebration is a fitting tribute to Owens.

” Jesse Owens had a reputation of giving back to the world community, and we are celebrating these centers that allow him to continue giving back to the Ohio State,” he said.

The Jesse Owens Recreation Centers on Ohio State’s campus are divided into three areas: North, South and West. The Jesse Owens North and South centers offer aerobics classes, weightlifting and cardiovascular equipment, and basketball courts, among other things. During the academic year, the Jesse Owens North serves between 1,600 and 1,800 people daily who are primarily upper-class undergraduate and graduate students, and the Jesse Owens South is used by between 2,000 and 2,500 undergraduate students daily.

According to records, former Ohio State President Harold Enarson recommended to the Board of Trustees that the recreation centers, which opened in 1976, bear Owens name. In his recommendation to the trustees, Enarson said, ” Jesse Owens has spent much of his adult life helping young people develop their full potential – as athletes, as students, as human beings. His efforts are directly in keeping with the spirit and purpose for which these recreational facilities were built.”

According to the Russ Rogers, head coach for the Ohio State’s women’s and men’s track teams, people need to remember Owen’s legacy, especially during the Heritage Festival.

” It is important to bring his history to light during this time of cultural celebration for African Americans,” he said. ” He is one of the few athletes that everyone seems to know. His name stands above the rest and this celebration will help people understand that history.”

Partially funded by the university’s Student Affairs Diversity Council, this event is free and open to the public.

For more information about the 24th annual African American Heritage Festival, see www.osuheritagefestival.com.