The following Olympians may not receive as much press or notoriety as other Olympic athletes, but these men and women are no less deserving of recognition.
Dominique Dawes and Elizabeth Okino- These two spunky athletes were the first African Americans to compete on a U.S. Olympic gymnastics team. They went to the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain, and one of them was on the 1996 Olympic gymnastics team that won a gold medal for the first time in U.S. history. Elizabeth, now known as Betty, is an actress who has appeared on television shows like The District, Moesha, and Z Games.
Anita Luceete DeFrantz- She was the first African American elected to the International Olympic Committee, and she also won a bronze medal in the Montreal Olympics in 1976, as the first African American to compete in the rowing competition for the U.S.
DeHart Hubbard- Mr. Hubbard was the first African American to win a gold medal in an individual event long jump.
Wilma Rudolph- As a polio survivor who would have guessed that this Olympic athlete would win three gold medals at the 1960 Olympic games, becoming the first American woman to achieve this feat.
Some of the people featured here are included in a Black History Month display that is in the Sullivan Lexington library. The display will be up through Thursday, February 25, and the library staff encourages you to come by the library and browse through it.
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Sources:
Biography.com Editors. (22 February 2016). Wilma Rudolph Biography. Retrieved from: http://www.biography.com/people/wilma-rudolph-9466552
Minerva Collier Associates, Ltd. (2016). Betty Okino: Biography. Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0645651/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bth_nm
Smith, J.C. (2003). Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. Visible Ink: Detroit.
Monday, February 22, 2016
Friday, February 12, 2016
Kentucky's Olympians
Muhammad Ali
Though they are from different decades, Muhammad Ali and Anthony Davis made their mark on the Summer Olympic games.
Muhammad Ali, then known as Cassius Clay, hailed from Louisville, KY, and he won the gold medal for light heavyweight boxing at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. He returned to the Olympics in 1996 as the torch bearer that lit the Olympic cauldron.
Anthony Davis
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Image credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images Europe; July 28, 2012 |
Anthony Davis, a native of Chicago, IL, played basketball for the University of Kentucky. Davis made history with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist as the first number one and number two draft picks to come from the same school. Davis went on to play for the gold-medal winning U.S. Men's Basketball team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, England.
Passion Richardson
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Image credit: Getty Images |
Passion Richardson, a track star at the University of Kentucky, was a member of the 4x100 relay team that won the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. She won other honors, including third place in the SEC and a World University Games gold medal.
These are just a few of the Olympians who have Kentucky connections. Others Kentucky Olympians include: former men's basketball coach Tubby Smith and former men's basketball player Tayshaun Prince.
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Sources:
Ali, M. (2004). What I Know Now. People, 61(14), 90.
Barker, B. (2012, June 29). Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of Kentucky make history as top two picks. Newsday, (Melville, NY).
Huffman, F., ed. (2006), Clark's Kentucky Almanac. Lexington, KY: The Clark Group
USA Track & Field. (21 February 2001). Passion Richardson. Retrieved from: http://www.usatf.org/athletes/bios/TrackAndFieldArchive/2001/Richardson_Passion.asp
Wednesday, February 3, 2016
Celebrating Olympic Greats
Celebrating Black Olympians
With the Summer Olympics occurring in Rio de Janerio, Brazil, this summer, the library staff is celebrating black Olympians during Black History Month.
In 1904, George Poage was the first black athlete from the United States to participate in the modern Olympic Games, and he won a bronze medal in the 400 meter hurdles.
In the library there are images and information cards that highlight Mr. Poage and other memorable athletes and Olympic games, from Jesse Owens and Muhammad Ali to Gabby Douglas and former University of Kentucky basketball player, Anthony Davis.
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Gabby Douglas |
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Anthony Davis |
The official Olympics website has a wealth of information about each athlete and the games themselves too if you want to know more. For instance, did you know that the 1936 Olympics in Berlin were the first to be televised?
We leave you with this clip of the 100 meter dash from the Berlin Olympics.
Image credits: Gabrielle Douglas photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images.
Anthony Davis photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images Europe, July 28, 2012.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Ready for Snow?
Be Sure You Are Signed Up for RAVE Alerts
This way, you won't miss being notified if school is closed or delayed.
Follow These Instructions to Enroll:
- To get started, go to www.getrave.com/login/sullivan.
- Click on the “Register” button.
- Complete the form. Your “registration e-mail” is your Sullivan e-mail address and the password is any password of your choosing. Then check the box next to “I have read and agree to the Rave Terms of Use” at the bottom.
- Click the green “Proceed to Next Step” button.
- Confirm that your correct mobile phone carrier is listed then click “Proceed to Next Step.”
- The next screen should say that an email confirmation has been sent.
- Check your email for the RAVE confirmation.
- Click on the link in the email to confirm your registration.
- The page will ask you to then confirm your mobile number.
- Check your cell phone for a text message with a four-digit code. Enter the code in the correct box on the RAVE webpage (this is NOT the 5-digit number your received the text from).
- Click “Finish.” This will take you to your account screen where you can send a test message to your phone and/or email.
- In order to receive messages, you need to subscribe to the correct group.
- Click on the “Groups” tab at the top of the page.
- Click on “Find Groups.”
- Under “Groups (click for details) click on Sullivan University Lexington – Students.
- Click on the “Join” link by the words “Group Status”
- You will now receive messages from Sullivan University Lexington.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Good housekeeping and some fine cooking
Now, on to the good housekeeping (great information about the library that can save you lots of heartache as you work on class projects and research papers) and the fine cooking (the library has excellent print and online resources, including cookbooks, available for you to use).
- Library Staff:
- Kandace Rogers, Library Director
- Wendell Barnett, Collection Management librarian
- Hilary Writt, Reference librarian
Kandace, Wendell, or Hilary will be glad to assist you with any research or library-related questions. We are here to help you as best we can.
- Library hours:
Friday: 8am-6pm
Saturday: 8am-12pm
During weeks 1, 5, and 8, the library will have extended weekend hours. Please see a librarian for details.
- Social Media @ Your Library:
Through the library's social media sites there are several ways to keep up with what is going on at the library.
You may follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, or our blog. Check out any or all of these sites and let us know what you think. We really do value your input and feedback.
- Research Guides
If you have a question about how to format your paper using the APA format, where to go to find flash cards and/or other study apps, or how to do great research select this link to see library guides designed to help you be a successful student.
The library even has specific guides for programs like culinary, finance, and early childhood education.
*Image credit: ITM University Gwalior Human Smiley Face.jpg. Creative Commons CC0 1.0.
Wednesday, December 30, 2015
Thursday, December 17, 2015
Finals Week as Told by Buddy the Elf, Day 4
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Finals Week as Told by Buddy the Elf, Day 3
You go to sit for your first final. The instructor says, "Before we begin the exam, please turn in your paper that was assigned at the beginning of the quarter." You suddenly realize that you have no paper, because you immediately forgot about it; because, well, it was the beginning of the quarter and, after all, you had plenty of time.
To make matters worse, once you've taken the exam, and later on as you are going over in your mind your answers, you realized you flubbed a very basic question.
That evening, you reflect on you poor performance during the day's exams. Especially when you realize that you could have gone to the library and gotten help from the friendly and resourceful library staff.
Better luck tomorrow. Though we hope that you didn't have a day like this at all!
To make matters worse, once you've taken the exam, and later on as you are going over in your mind your answers, you realized you flubbed a very basic question.
That evening, you reflect on you poor performance during the day's exams. Especially when you realize that you could have gone to the library and gotten help from the friendly and resourceful library staff.
Better luck tomorrow. Though we hope that you didn't have a day like this at all!
Finals Week as Told by Buddy the Elf, Day 2
Before final exams start you decide that maybe it's time to do some SERIOUS studying.
Caffeine becomes your best friend.
You may find yourself getting a little grouchy and your friends tread very lightly around you.
But you persevere because you know there will be joy at the end of another successfully completed quarter.
Caffeine becomes your best friend.
You get to the point that coffee becomes almost impossible to drink, but you struggle through it because you MUST STAY AWAKE.
Stress-eating also kicks in.
You may find yourself getting a little grouchy and your friends tread very lightly around you.
But you persevere because you know there will be joy at the end of another successfully completed quarter.
Monday, December 14, 2015
Finals Week as Told by Buddy the Elf, Day 1
Finals week has arrived. You sit down and take a look at the schedule.
Wow!
You realize how much you have to do, and you're in a state of disbelief.
You may say a little prayer.
Your professors all say that if you have studied and kept up with your work, the exam will be easy. But you know better.
You're not alone. Remember, the library staff are pulling for you. We're all in this together.
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Finals Schedule 12/14-12/19 2015 |
Wow!
![]() |
You realize how much you have to do, and you're in a state of disbelief.
You may say a little prayer.
Your professors all say that if you have studied and kept up with your work, the exam will be easy. But you know better.
![]() | |
You sit on a throne of lies |
You're not alone. Remember, the library staff are pulling for you. We're all in this together.
Thursday, December 3, 2015
No more stress. We Need Desserts.
The end of the quarter is nigh, and your Sullivan University
librarians know that the end of the quarter is stressful.
To help relieve stress and anxiety, why not take a study
break and laugh a little? The librarians have selected the following books and
DVDs, all of which are available at the Lexington library, so stop by the
library and check out one of these or something else to take your mind off of
the pending papers, projects, and presentations.
Alice in Tumblr-land and Other Fairy Tales for a New Generation by Tim Manley; 818.602 M279a

Don't Bump the Glump!: and Other Fantasies by Shel Silverstein; JF S
Make Your Own Stupid Sock Creatures by John Murphy; 745.5924 M978m
Weird Kentucky: Your Guide to Kentucky's Local Legends and Best Kept Secrets by Jeffrey Holland; R 917.69 H735w
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Gobble, Gobble
"Gobble,
Gobble"
Let’s Talk Turkey
How to Cook a Turkey
Roasting
Low & Slow
Yummy!
Let’s Talk Turkey: The Stories Behind America’s Favorite Expressions by Rosemarie Ostler; R 427.973 O85l
What do the phrases, “talk turkey,” and “go cold turkey,” mean, and how
long have these phrases been in our vernacular? Common sayings like these and
others, like, “wheel and deal,” and “jump the shark,” and their meanings can be
found in this book.
How to Cook a Turkey: and All the Other Trimmings by the
editors of Fine Cooking magazine; 641.6659 H847
The Butterball hotline may have some stiff competition with this how-to
guide that has tips for purchasing and cooking a turkey and for fixing all of
the sides and desserts. This book is available in the library.
Roasting: A Simple Art by Barbara Kafka; 641.71 K11r
While turkey certainly serves as the centerpiece at most Thanksgiving
dinners, other meats and vegetables fill out the table, and Ms. Kafka tells
readers how to roast everything from artichokes to zucchini.
Low & Slow: The Art and Technique of Braising, BBQ, and Slow
Roasting by Robert Briggs; 641.76 B854l
The Culinary Institute of America shares the secret for cooking meat
low and slow. Recipes for side dishes, sauces, and rubs are included.
Yummy: Eight Favorite Fairy Tales by Lucy Cousins; JF C
Artist Lucy Cousins creates dynamic, brightly-colored illustrations for
these eight classic fairy tales: Little Red Riding Hood, The Three Billy Goats
Gruff, The Enormous Turnip, Henny Penny, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The
Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, The Musicians of Bremen.
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Tuesday, October 13, 2015
Think Pink!
Our Collection Management Librarian, Wendell Barnett, and the rest of the library staff encourage you to think pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.
In addition to the door decorating contest that is going on this week (please stop by and see the library's door!), read below to find out about other campus activities that are planned throughout the month of October.
October 19-23: Jeans Week for Breast Cancer Fundraiser-Spencerian students and Spencerian faculty and staff can pay $10 for the whole week to wear jeans, or they can pay $3 a day. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.
October 21: Sullivan Student Professional Dress Down Wednesday-Stop by the Sullivan University Student Life Office (room 147) from 8am-12pm to pay $1 to bypass the professional dress Wednesday requirements. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.
October 24: Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk hosted by the American Cancer Society-Sullivan Lexington and Spencerian Lexington will be teaming up for this walk held at the Whitaker Bank Ballpark (Lexington Legends field) at 9am, on October 24, 2015. If you want to walk or donate, please click on the link in your Spencerian or Sullivan email.
Monday, October 12, 2015
Did an autobiography really get challenged?
CHALLENGED
Yes, since it was published posthumously in 1965, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, has been challenged for ‘anti-white’ statements and references to criminal activity. The book contains information about the life of slain activist, Malcolm X.
Source: Banned Books that Shaped America. (2013). Banned Books Week. Retrieved from: http://www.bannedbooksweek.org/censorship/bannedbooksthatshapedamerica
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