May 2, 2000
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - United States Olympic Committee Chief Executive Officer Norm Blake has been selected to receive one of America's most prestigious awards - the Ellis Island Medal of Honor - presented annually to distinguished Americans who have made significant contributions to our nation's heritage.
Established in 1986 by the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO), the Ellis Island Medal of Honor pays tribute to the ancestry groups that collectively comprise America's unique cultural mosaic. To date, some 1,200 ethnic American citizens and Native Americans have received medals.
In addition to Blake, who is of English/German ancestry, other recipients of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for the year 2000 include: Indianapolis Colts Owner James S. Irsay, Estee Lauder Chief Executive Officer Leonard A. Lauder, Emmy Award-winning actress Susan Lucci, U.S. Senator John McCain, U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, Tony Award-winning actress Chita Rivera, American Stock Exchange Chairman Salvatore F. Sodano, and New York Yankees manager Joe Torre.
This year's recipients will be honored during a gala ceremony in the Great Hall on Ellis Island in New York Harbor on Saturday, May 6.
NECO is the largest organization of its kind in the United States, serving as an umbrella group for 451 ethnic organizations representing five million family members and whose mandate is to preserve ethnic diversity, promote ethnic and religious equality, tolerance and harmony, and combat injustice and hatred.
Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients are selected each year through a national nomination process. Screening committees from NECO's member organizations select the final nominees, who are then considered by the Board of Directors.
Previous Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipients have included U.S. Presidents, entertainers, athletes, entrepreneurs, religious leaders and business executives.
One of the most successful executives in corporate America, Blake was named as the first-ever Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee on February 5, 2000. Prior to his appointment with the USOC, Blake served as Chairman, President and CEO of Promus Hotel Corporation, an international hotel conglomerate with more than 1,300 properties throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and Latin America.
From 1990-98, Blake led an eight-year turnaround for Baltimore-based insurer USF&G Corporation as its Chairman, President and CEO. Blake has also held senior-level management positions with Heller International Corporation, General Electric and Top, Inc.
Born in New York City, Blake spent part of his childhood in England and Lebanon before his family settled in Connecticut during his early teens. He graduated from Purdue University, Indiana in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and received a Master of Arts degree in 1966. In 1995, he received an honorary Doctorate degree in economics awarded jointly from Purdue University and the Krannert Graduate School of Management.
Blake joins a long list of individuals with ties to the United States Olympic movement who have received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, including:
Muhammad Ali Olympic Gold Medalist, Boxing, 1960 Dr. Gwendolyn Baker USOC Board of Directors, 1996-2000 William J. Hybl USOC President, 1991-92, 1996-2000 Bob Mathias Olympic Gold Medalist, Decathlon, 1948 and 1952 Former Director of U.S. Olympic Training Center Michael McManus, Jr. USOC Board of Directors, 1996-2000 Senator George Mitchell Chair, USOC Ethics Oversight Committee, 1997-2000 James T. Morris USOC Treasurer, 1996-2000 William Porter Payne President/CEO, Atlanta Olympic Organizing Cmte., 1989-96 Hon. William P. Rogers Chair, USOC Ethics Oversight Committee, 1991-96 Dr. Harvey Schiller USOC Executive Director, 1989-94 Dick Schultz USOC Executive Director, 1995-2000 William E. Simon USOC President, 1980-84 George M. Steinbrenner, III USOC Vice President, 1988-96 Chairman, U.S. Olympic Foundation Dr. LeRoy T. Walker USOC President, 1992-96