Bowling Green’s famous native son - Olympic figure skater Scott Hamilton – was warmly welcomed back to his hometown as he marked the 25th anniversary of winning the gold medal in Sarajevo with a celebration gala held in the Lenhart Grand Ballroom. Scott’s contagious smile, exuberance, and positive attitude were shared with a large crowd of community leaders and BGSU students, faculty, supporters, and alumni, along with family and childhood friends of Scott.

 

Also sharing in the celebration was the U.S. figure skating pair of Kitty and Peter Carruthers, who won the silver medal in the same Olympics as Scott. They paid tribute to Scott’s success on and off the ice, and they shared their excitement in coming to Bowling Green. Also honoring Scott at the podium were BGSU President Carol Cartwright and several of his friends while growing up.

 

The elegant dinner-dance celebration was not only a time of sharing fond memories about Scott and stories of his accomplishments, but it also was an event to raise funds for the College of Business Administration’s Dallas-Hamilton Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. The Center was named in honor of William and Beverly Dallas and Scott and Tracie Hamilton who teamed up and generously donated $3 million to create the Center in 2004. Bill, founder of Fox Sports Grill and Dallas Capital, is a BGSU graduate and neighbor of Scott’s in California. Scott initiated the idea of celebrating his 25th anniversary with a fundraising gala for the entrepreneurial center.

 

Also attending the event was the recently crowned U.S. Women’s National Skating Champion Alissa Czisny and her family, also natives of Bowling Green.

 

Last spring Scott was inducted into the newly established Dallas Hamilton Entrepreneurial Hall of Fame but was unable to attend the festivities, so Scott was presented his Hall of Fame statue during the 25th anniversary program by Bill Dallas, Rodney Rogers, College of Business Administration dean, and Rodney Heiligmann, Dallas-Hamilton Center director.

 

Master of Ceremonies for the evening was Dr. Gene Poor, the first Ernest and Dorothy Hamilton Endowed Professor in Entrepreneurial Leadership. A silent auction of autographed memorabilia was held to raise funds for the Center.

 

Corporate sponsorship of the event included the Pioneer Fund, Dallas Capital, Fox Sports Grill, Hanson, Inc., and LifeFormations.