Jim Thorpe, Top Athlete of the 20th Century, to be Honored at AAU Middle Atlantic District Hall of Fame Banquet
06/08/2023
Horace Ashenfelter, Michelle Marciniak, and J.E. 'Ted' Meredith also being inducted
PHILADELPHIA, Penn. (June 12, 2023) -- The Middle Atlantic District of the AAU will be honoring their Hall of Fame inductees at a banquet on June 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the Conshohocken Marriott.
Included in the 2023 slate of honorees is Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to earn a gold medal while representing the United States of America at the Olympic Games. Thorpe earned gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Thorpe was fully reinstated and recognized as the sole champion by the International Olympic Committee on July 15th, 2022.
Thorpe was selected for the Middle Atlantic District Hall of Fame because of his generous leadership, personal integrity, and natural ability to inspire future generations of Native Americans. Accepting his award will be Juaquin Hamilton Youngbird, the Ambassador of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma, and Johanna Smith, Library/Archival Tech, Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma.
Three other AAU alumni will also be inducted into the Middle Atlantic District Hall of Fame 2023 class:
Horace Ashenfelter competed during the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, earning the gold medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Across his athletic career, he won fifteen national AAU titles and three collegiate national titles. He received the 23rd annual AAU James E. Sullivan award in 1952. Accepting his award will be his son, James Ashenfelter.
Michelle Marciniak is a former collegiate basketball player, who earned the title of 1996 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player during her time at the University of Tennessee. She played professionally for the Women’s National Basketball Association as a member of the Portland Fire and Seattle Storm organizations. During her professional career, she earned the WNBA Community Service award for her philanthropic efforts. In 2007, she co-founded SHEEX, Inc. Michelle Marciniak will be in attendance to accept her award.
J.E. ‘Ted’ Meredith is the final inductee, a gold medalist at the 1912 Olympic Games in both the 800 meter and 4x400 meter relay disciplines. Meredith served in the Army during World War I. Accepting his award will be a representative from the Williamson School of Trades, Meredith’s alma mater and the location of the largest collection of Meredith memorabilia on record.
Jo Mirza, the president of the AAU, will be the featured speaker at the banquet. The banquet will also honor the Middle Atlantic District’s scholarship winners with over $27,000.
Included in the 2023 slate of honorees is Jim Thorpe, the first Native American to earn a gold medal while representing the United States of America at the Olympic Games. Thorpe earned gold medals in both the pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Sweden. Thorpe was fully reinstated and recognized as the sole champion by the International Olympic Committee on July 15th, 2022.
Thorpe was selected for the Middle Atlantic District Hall of Fame because of his generous leadership, personal integrity, and natural ability to inspire future generations of Native Americans. Accepting his award will be Juaquin Hamilton Youngbird, the Ambassador of the Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma, and Johanna Smith, Library/Archival Tech, Sac and Fox Nation of Oklahoma.
Three other AAU alumni will also be inducted into the Middle Atlantic District Hall of Fame 2023 class:
Horace Ashenfelter competed during the 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, earning the gold medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Across his athletic career, he won fifteen national AAU titles and three collegiate national titles. He received the 23rd annual AAU James E. Sullivan award in 1952. Accepting his award will be his son, James Ashenfelter.
Michelle Marciniak is a former collegiate basketball player, who earned the title of 1996 NCAA Final Four Most Valuable Player during her time at the University of Tennessee. She played professionally for the Women’s National Basketball Association as a member of the Portland Fire and Seattle Storm organizations. During her professional career, she earned the WNBA Community Service award for her philanthropic efforts. In 2007, she co-founded SHEEX, Inc. Michelle Marciniak will be in attendance to accept her award.
J.E. ‘Ted’ Meredith is the final inductee, a gold medalist at the 1912 Olympic Games in both the 800 meter and 4x400 meter relay disciplines. Meredith served in the Army during World War I. Accepting his award will be a representative from the Williamson School of Trades, Meredith’s alma mater and the location of the largest collection of Meredith memorabilia on record.
Jo Mirza, the president of the AAU, will be the featured speaker at the banquet. The banquet will also honor the Middle Atlantic District’s scholarship winners with over $27,000.
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