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The Year of Sheltering Dangerously By Ben Fong-Torres

Posted by Ben Fong-Torres - on Wednesday, 31 March 2021

The Year of Sheltering Dangerously By Ben Fong-Torres
The Year of Sheltering Dangerously By Ben Fong-Torres   Well, hasn’t THIS been a fun 365? As we approached the anniversary of the shelter-in-place orders for the San Francisco Bay Area, on March 16, I thought of some of the changes we’ve been through.  In February, our calendar was packed with restaurant dinners and a large, loud gathering at Harbor Villa, saluting our friend, the civil rights attorney Dale Minami. And there was my 24th time as co-anchor of the...

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Olympic Hall of Fame honors Kristi Yamaguchi and other American legends

Posted by Lia Chang on Thursday, 08 December 2005.

Olympic Hall of Fame welcomes Kristi Yamaguchi and other American legends into the Class of 2006

Figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi, sprinter Evelyn Ashford, swimmer Rowdy Gaines and gymnast Shannon Miller along with fellow Olympian Bob Hayes (deceased) and Paralympian Diana Golden-Brosnihan (deceased) were inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2006 during a black tie ceremony at the Harris Theatre in Chicago this evening. The members of the 1984 Mens Gymnastics Team - Bart Conner, Tim Daggett, Mitch Gaylord, Jim Hartung, Scott Johnson, Peter Vidmar and alternate Jim Mikus were honored, in addition to "Miracle on Ice" Coach Herb Brooks (deceased) and Olympic speedskating gold medalist Jack Shea (deceased).

Inspired by 1976 Olympic skating champion Dorothy Hamill, Yamaguchi started competing at the age of seven, carrying a Hamill doll with her for good luck. At the 1988 World Junior Championships, Yamaguchi won the ladies' title as well as earning the pairs gold medal with partner Rudy Galindo. Winner of back-to-back world titles (1991, 1992), the four-time U.S. World Team member was one of the first American women to compete in both pairs and ladies singles. She won the Olympic gold in ladies singles at the 1992 Albertville Winter Games.

The nationally-televised broadcast of the ceremonies airs on NBC from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. ET Sunday, January 1, 2006.

The U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was established in 1979 to celebrate the achievements of America's premier athletes in the modern Olympic Games. The first U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame class was inducted in 1983 during ceremonies in Chicago. That Charter Class, which included Olympic greats Jesse Owens, Jim Thorpe and Muhammad Ali, remains the largest group (20 individuals and one team) ever inducted. In 2004, after a 12-year hiatus, the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame was revived through the support of the Allstate Insurance Company as the presenting sponsor.

To date, 182 athletes (including six U.S. teams) and special contributors to the U.S. Olympic Movement have been enshrined. From the Charter Class of 1983 to the 2004 inductees, Hall members represent an American honor roll of athletic ambassadors to the ideals of brotherhood and fair play. The Class of 2006 inductees continue that tradition.