Office of Public Relations

Pomona, NJ 08240

 

Stephen Dunn to be Inducted into International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame

Stockton Colleges Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet and

Professor of Creative Writing is Recognized Again

For Immediate Release

Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Contact: Tim Kelly

Stockton Public Relations

(609) 652-4950

 

GALLOWAY TWP., NJ Stephen Dunn, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Professor of Creative Writing, has another impressive honor to add to his resume.

 

Dunn, who in 2002 won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his collection of poems Different Hours, has been named for induction into the International Scholar-Athlete Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame selected by the Board of Directors of the Institute for International Sport, is to honor individuals who exemplify the scholar-athlete ideal and to foster and spread this ideal globally and serve as an educational resource center.

 

Dunns selection was a unanimous choice and places him among the ranks of ex-New York Knick, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. senator from New Jersey Bill Bradley; the late Arthur Ashe; the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice and football star Byron Whizzer White; and tennis star and civil rights champion Althea Gibson.

 

Dunn, who was a starting guard on a Hofstra University basketball team that went through an entire season suffering just one loss, and who still plays competitive tennis, was thrilled to hear of his selection.

 

I was an athlete before I was a poet, and its quite nice to be recognized by a group that ties both interests together, said Dunn.

 

Alan Hassenfeld, Chairman, Hasbro, Inc., and the committee member who informed Dunn of his selection said the International Scholar Athlete Hall of Fame, located on the University of Rhode Island campus, serves as a museum, educational center and headquarters for the Institute for International Sport, its governing body. The Institute seeks to foster growth and development in young people, plant the seed of global awareness in future world leaders and support ethical sportsmanlike behavior both on and off the playing field.

 

Your work, your innovative journey of discovery through the daily rituals of life, includes clear athletic references and metaphors, drawing from your days on the Hofstra basketball team, Hassenfeld wrote Dunn. And yet, it has been said that your gift for poetry may only be exceeded by your talent in the classroom, where your presence is an inspiration to many of the students with whom you have come into contact.

 

Coincidentally, the Institute for International Sport recently announced the creation of a new initiative, the Center for Sports Poetry. The mission of the center is to encourage young people to engage their creative spirit and to explore the relationship between poetry and sport.

 

(Dunns) induction is a fitting catalyst for the launch of the Center for Sports Poetry, Hassenfeld said.

 

Dunn will be inducted in ceremonies to take place Saturday, May 15^th at the University of Rhode Island.