A Giant Leap in a Time of Struggle: A Discussion with Olympic Gold Medalist Bob Beamon
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Adelphi Athletics presents its 19th Annual Black History Month Celebration in conjunction with Great Minds, Great Conversations. A Giant Leap in a Time of Struggle: A Discussion with Olympic Gold Medalist Bob Beamon.
Please join us for a walk through history as Ron Lee ’67, Chair, Adelphi University Board of Trustees, interviews Bob Beamon ’72, ’00 (Hon.), Olympic Gold Medalist and World Record Holder, about his record-shattering long jump, the Black Power Movement and his remembrances of Adelphi.
This event is sponsored by Adelphi Athletics.
About the Speakers
Bob Beamon ’72, ’00 (Hon.)
Born and raised in South Jamaica, Queens, New York, Mr. Beamon threw himself into athletics to break away from gang activity. In high school, he won multiple national awards in the triple jump and high jump. While attending the University of Texas, El Paso, at the height of the civil rights movement, he and his fellow Black athletes boycotted a track and field meet, an action that cost him his scholarship.
In 1968, Mr. Beamon competed in the Mexico City Olympics. His record-setting long jump of 29 feet, 2 ½ inches, which broke the previous record by 1.8 feet, is the longest-standing Olympic record to date. Mr. Beamon’s achievements have been recognized by the National Track & Field Hall of Fame, the United States Olympic Hall of Fame, the New York Track & Field Hall of Fame, and ESPN’s Top 100 Athletes in History.
After competing in the Olympics, Mr. Beamon completed his degree at Adelphi, earning his BA in sociology in 1972. Since then, Mr. Beamon has committed himself to help American youth. In addition to working with the United Way and the South Florida Inner-City Games, he currently serves on the Jesse Owens Foundation Board of Directors and is the newly selected Global Ambassador for Special Olympics.
Ronald B. Lee ’67
Mr. Lee received his bachelor’s degree in political science from Adelphi in 1967. As a student and a member of the men’s track and field team, he witnessed firsthand the Black Power Movement of the 1960s. Mr. Lee is an avid golfer and sports fan in his spare time.
Mr. Lee is General Agent Emeritus of Lee, Nolan and Koroghlian, LLC, one of the largest insurance, estate and financial planning firms in the New York/New Jersey area. Mr. Lee began his insurance career in 1971 with the Mutual Benefit Life insurance company. Three years later, he became a sales manager and twice won the company’s Builder Award for sales management. In 1991, the firm became an agency with the Mass Mutual Financial Group. Lee, Nolan and Koroghlian, LLC has won every possible honor and award for outstanding performance and excellence from both the Mass Mutual and the insurance industry.
Mr. Lee is currently the chair of Adelphi University’s Board of Trustees.