Ohio State University is celebrating the 75th anniversary of Jesse Owens historic 1936 Olympic performance in Berlin. OSU Thursday unveiled a statue of track legend outside the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. Owens' three daughters, his grandchildren and great grandchildren helped unveil the 8 foot bronze statue of Owens wearing his 4 Olympic gold medals. OSU President E. Gordon Gee called Owens an enormous figure in an era of small minded people, an era of prejudice. Gloria Owens Hemphill said it wasn't easy for her father to break three world records and tie another as an OSU runner in 1935. She said it was not easy for him to stand up to Adolf Hitler in 1936, nor was it easy for him to accept fame with humility. But she said Jesse Owens inspires others to overcome obstacles and succeed. Thursday night comedian Bill Cosby was to honor Owens at a dinner to raise money for a scholarship in his name.
Mike Thompson spends much of his time correcting people who mispronounce the name of his hometown – Worcester, Massachusetts. Mike studied broadcast journalism at Syracuse University when he was not running in circles – as a distance runner on the SU track team.