Olympic Medalist Jackie Joyner-Kersee Wraps “The Lincoln Laureates” 2022 Season
(Springfield, IL) As a world champion athlete in the heptathlon and long jump , Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee traveled the globe with a goal larger than sports: to return to her roots in Illinois and build a youth center to serve the community that raised her.
During this final episode of the 2022 season of The Lincoln Laureates, listeners hear the insights of a leader who preaches the power of resiliency.
“We were always there for each other, but we pushed each other,” said Laureate Joyner-Kersee when discussing growing up in what was a very competitive athletic family.“I once beat my brother Bob in a foot race in front of his friends, but he got the last laugh. He was the first in the family to win a gold medalA. nd I only got silver at the 1984 Olympics.”
Laureate Joyner-Kersee also suggests the heptathlon as a metaphor for your journey through life, “You learn that everything is not going to go as planned. How do you adapt? How do you adjust? You have to start each day and each event with a fresh mind set to achieve your ultimate goal.”
Promoted across the Lincoln Academy of Illinois’ social channels (Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn,) The Lincoln Laureates” is also available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher, with streaming available through the TuneIn App and via voice command. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lincoln-laureates/
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Recorded in July of this year, the episode would be the last guest host appearance by award-winning broadcast journalist, syndicated radio personality, and Radio Hall of Famer Jim Bohannon. Bohannon, courageously battling cancer at the time of the interview, passed away in October of this year. The Lincoln Academy of Illinois is greatly appreciative of Bohannon’s frequent guest hosting appearances for the podcast series, which debuted in 2021.
Created as a way for the Lincoln Academy of Illinois to showcase Lincoln Laureates to a global audience, the podcast serves as an audio textbook that deepens the honor the Laureates have brought to Illinois. The Lincoln Laureates podcast is a production of EarSight Studios, Todd Manley supervising producer. Lincoln Academy of Illinois’ Executive Director Leanne Barnhart and Academy Regent Dennis Lyle are the podcast’s Executive Producers, with Lincoln Laureate and award-winning broadcast journalist Bill Kurtis serving as consultant and announcer for the podcast series.
Established in 1964 by (then) Governor Otto Kerner, the Lincoln Academy of Illinois is a statewide organization created to recognize and honor those leaders of today who have contributed to the “Betterment of Humanity.”
