Terry Light, Frank Shorter Win Lifetime Leadership Awards
We all know we were born at the right time — our music was the greatest of the century, our football team was the most exciting since Yale joined the Ivy League, we came of age in an Age of Aquarius and our classmates were truly exceptional. Yale just acknowledged our preeminence again by identifying six people for “lifetime leadership awards” — and two of the six are from our class!
The Yale Athletic Department presents the award, named in honor of George H.W. Bush 1948. The award honors individuals who, “in their lives during and after Yale, have made significant leadership contributions in their worlds of governance, commerce, science and technology, education, public service, and the arts and media.” Each honoree was chosen by a broadly represented alumni Honors and Confirmation Committee, based upon the candidates’ individual lifetime leadership contributions in their respective fields. All have been graduated for more than 20 years and contributed to Yale’s rich athletic heritage as an important component of the undergraduate educational experience.
Those named were:
- Dr. Ed Barksdale Jr. ’80,
- Dr. Christopher Brown ’90,
- Dr. Terry Richard Light ’69,
- Carol Lynch ’81,
- Frank Shorter ’69, and
- Yale President Dr. Peter Salovey ’83 M.S. ’84 M. Phil. ’86 Ph.D.
Here are the relevant citations:
Dr. Terry Richard Light ’69 Dr. Light, a former Yale wrestler, earned his M.D. from Chicago Medical School in 1973 after graduating from Yale in 1969. Currently a professor of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at Loyola University Medical Center, Dr. Light served as the Dr. William Scholl Professor and Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation at Loyola for 25 years. A world-renowned surgeon and teacher, he has provided lectures in 26 foreign countries and surgical care in 11 countries. Most of his work overseas is with children born with congenital malformations or deformities of the hand. That includes 13 visits to Vilnius Children’s Hospital in Lithuania, where he was awarded the Cross of the Knight Medal of Merit for Services to Lithuania by President Valdas Adamkus. He also made eight visits to the Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Hospital for Trauma and Orthopaedics, where he was awarded the Ho Chi Minh City Medal for service to the people of Vietnam. Dr. Light has served as president of the American Orthopaedic Association and as president of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Dr. Light’s community service also includes serving as an interpreter/tour guide for 20 years with the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation (now the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust). He served as Foundation Board President from 1988 to 1990. |
Frank Shorter ’69 A three-time All-American, cross-country captain and part of Yale’s 1968 Ivy League champion outdoor track and field team, Shorter won the NCAA six-mile run championship and the Ivy League 5,000 meter run championship in outdoor track and field as a senior in 1969. He then went on to a prolific running career that included a pair of Olympic medals in the marathon (gold in 1972 and silver in 1976). He also medaled at the Pan American Games multiple times, earning gold in both the marathon and the 10,000 meter run in 1971 and bronze in the 10,000 meter run in 1979. He was ranked as the No. 1 marathon runner in the world by Track and Field News for three years and was in the top five in their 10,000 meter runner rankings for four years. Shorter’s impact on the sport of running goes well beyond the track. He founded the World Anti-Doping Agency and served as its chief executive officer. He also was a pioneer of legislation that allowed amateur and professional athletes to compete at the Olympics. Shorter founded the Bolder Boulder 10K, which – with more than 60,000 participants – is one of the two largest races in the United States. He also founded the Frank Shorter Race4 Kids’ Health 5K. He has been a vocal advocate for children’s rights along with their mental and physical health. He also has served as a television commentator for the Boston Marathon. |