Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Ohio Governor Dedicates State Park to Jesse Owens

by VOA News

   Ohio Governor John Kasich has named the state's largest park and
   wildlife area after Olympic great Jesse Owens.

   Owens was a world record-setting sprinter at Ohio State University and
   won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He died in
   1980 at age 66.

   "He's one of my heroes,'' Kasich said at the ceremony, accompanied by
   two of Owens' daughters. Achievements of "heroes'' such as Owens should
   be preserved to inspire others to "overcome challenges and accomplish
   their very best,'' Kasich said.

   Ohio's Department of Natural Resources bought land from American
   Electric Power to create the Jesse Owens State Park and Wildlife Area
   in eastern Ohio. The state plans to buy a total of 13,000 acres for the
   park.