De Varona graduated from the University of California at Los Angeles with a B.A. De Varona appeared on ABC's World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Weekend News, ABC's Wide World of Sports, and various talk shows. Sporting News Radio. I'd like to. Porter, David L., ed. Since 1998, de Varona has provided weekly commentary for Sporting News Radio, the nation's largest sports radio network. Select from premium Donna De Varona of the highest quality. Kerns was a member of the Motion Picture and Television Fund Board of Trustees from 2004 through 2008. Joannas maternal grandmother was Lenora Kame Helwig (the daughter of Rhinehold Fisher Helwig and Ella Fisher Campbell). Her sister, Joanna Kerns, was a noted actress. This is not accurate. Three good online resources are the Women's Sports Foundation website at www.womensportsfoundation.org, the ISHOF website at www.ishof.org, and the Olympic Hall of Fame website at www.olympic-usa.org. https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/de-varona-donna-0, "De Varona, Donna Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. [7] She also serves on the distinguished Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee (CSAC), which recommends subjects who appear on U.S. postage stamps. ." . 26 April 1947 in San Diego, California), two-time gold medalist in swimming at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics who set eighteen world swimming records before she retired from competition in 1964. The 400-meter individual medley was approved for women swimmers at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, and Donna de Varona won the gold in that event (her Olympic Trial time of 5:14.9 stood as world's best until 1967). Her older sister, Donna de Varona, is an Olympic gold medal swimmer, winning two gold medals in the 1964 Olympics. She has an older brother and a younger brother, as well as an older sister. Birthplace: San Diego, CA. The difficult medleywhich includes one lap each of the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and freestylewas de Varona's best event, a testament to her versatility. "Making Waves: Olympian Donna de Varona Charges ABC Fired Her because of Her Age." Won two gold medals in swimming at the 1964 . A promoter of women in sport, in the mid-1970s, she joined Billie Jean King in establishing the Women's Sports Foundation. Most recently, de Varona was awarded the Over-coming Obstacles award from the Community for Education Foundation, given to those who have achieved professional excellence and fostered growth within their sphere of expertise. "De Varona Accuses ABC of Bias." Harding claimed to have no foreknowledge of the event.) In 1960, de Varona qualified for the U.S. Olympic swimming team at age 13. . In addition to her political work on behalf of women's sports, de Varona continues to work as a broadcaster for Sporting News Radio. Joanna filed a divorce from Appleton in August. On May 4, 1977, she made an appearance on Charlie's Angels as Natalie, a worker at a massage parlor in the episode "The Blue Angels". Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/de-varona-donna-1947-olympic-swimmer-sportscaster-activist, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/de-varona-donna-0, https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/de-varona-donna, Retires from competitive swimming after Olympics, Named member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sport, Sits on founding board of Special Olympics, Appointed to President Ford's Commission on Olympic Sports, Named member of President Carter's Women's Advisory Commission, Promoted to ABC commentator, consultant, writer, co-producer to, Graduates UCLA with Bachelor of Arts degree, Appointed member of President Reagan's Olympic delegation to, Sues ABC for age and gender discrimination, Chosen senior advisor to U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC) President; co-chairs USOC Government Relations Committee and joins International Relations Committee; advises ONDCP on anti-doping, Youngest member of U.S. Olympic team at Rome, Two gold medals at Tokyo Olympics; named Most Outstanding Female Athlete by Associated Press and United Press International; world record holder in 400-meter individual medley and 100-meter backstroke. Of her decision to take legal action against ABC, she told People magazine, "It would have been much easier to walk away, but I felt I had to do it." Television sportscaster Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Women's Soccer World, www.womensoccer.com/ (January 11, 2003). American swimmer Learn interesting facts about Donna De Varona (Swimmer). Joannas paternal grandmother was named Elizabeth Thomas. Gracie Award, American Women in Radio and Television, for excellence in broadcasting; Honorary Doctorate, Gracie Award; Susan B. Anthony "Trailblazer" Award from University of Rochester; Albert Schoenfield Journalism Award; led the delegation accompanying US Women's National Soccer Team to, Overcoming Obstacles Achievement Award from Community for Education Foundation. www.svl.ch/ (January 11, 2003). De Varona was raised in Southern California by a family she has characterized as tightly knit and supportive. Anita DeFrantz did not grow up dreaming of Olympic glory, yet she glided to a bronze medal as an America, Roberts, Robin 1960 JOANNA KERNS (R) WITH SISTER DONNA DE VARONA. I wanted to play them down.". AFFAIR. De Varona was an active, athletic child who participated in many sports. She remains a world record holder in numerous events, including the sport's most challenging one, the 400-meter individual. var rcel = document.createElement("script"); "Donna de Varona," Sporting News Radio, http://radio.sportingnews.com/experts/donna_de_ varona/index.html (May 15, 2003). The individual medley requires enormous strength, flexibility, and endurance; competitors must swim four 100-meter laps, one for each stroke, including backstroke, freestyle (crawl), butterfly, and breast. She is also President of DAMAR Productions, a marketing, consulting and events advisory company. Gender: Female Race or Ethnicity: White . Her father, a celebrated rower and All-American football player at the University of California, was her first coach. She continues to have the same drive and persistence to navigate Capitol Hill in her battle against doping by athletes and the countries that foster doping, particularly Russia.De Varona has never been afraid to stand up for her convictions; she crusaded for years for effective anti-doping measures, working closely with the World Anti-Doping Agency, the International Olympic Committee, world leaders and members of the U.S. Congress. Her many TV movies include: Those She Left Behind, Blind Faith, The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake, Shameful Secrets, and No One Could Protect Her. De Varona widened her scope by juggling roles as host, co-host, special reporter, and analyst during some of ABC's premiere events, and was the first woman to cover the Olympics on television, including six Olympic Summer Games from 1968 to 1996, and four Olympic Winter Games from 1980 to 1994. Kerns joked in many interviews that Alan and she had immediate chemistry, especially when she kissed him on his nose by accident during their audition together. Millions of high-quality images, video, and music options await you. relation to de Varona. Champion swimmer Donna de Varona began her athletic career at age three when she started paddling around California pools. Their aunt is silent film actress Miriam Cooper. She had three siblings, one older brother and sister each and one younger brother. Young Donna had been eager to play baseball with her brother and the neighborhood boys but was denied the chance due to her gender. During an interview, Kerns said, "I kind of was always looking for the next thing; I auditioned for anything, hoping to get a big break" (Lifetime's Intimate Portrait). She won an Emmy Award in 1991 for her report on a Special Olympics athlete. . It's like having an asterisk after your name." She quickly became bored with spending her time at every game on the sidelines. ", Biographical essays on de Varona include Shawn Ladda's entry in Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Sports Figures (2002), and Janet Woolom's profile in Outstanding Women Athletes (1992). From its inception in 1969, to 1988, de Varona has sat on the board of the Special Olympics. As a result, Secretary Paige subsequently announced that he would only consider recommendations for change that won unanimous support from the commission. De Varona has received dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association's highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Award. . 2023 Getty Images. In 1991 de Varona won an Emmy award for her reporting of a story about a Special Olympics athlete. Sports medicine is a distinct, Questions of sexuality and gender have been central to the history of physical education since the introduction of the discipline into U.S. colleges, DeFrantz, Anita 1952 Ella es la hermana mayor de la actriz Joanna Kerns, una intrprete de padres . She became the worlds top female athlete with 18 world records, scoring covers on Look, Life and Sports Illustrated magazines.While still a teenager and thinking ahead, de Varona persuaded the powers that be at ABC to hire her as the first female sportscaster in the United States. "[11], In 1986, de Varona graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Who is Joanna Kerns? Celebrity status and her role as the quintessential Californian mermaid had both positive and negative consequences for her. As an alternate, she did not swim in competition. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Miriam Cooper (born Marian Cooper; November 7, 1891 - April 12, 1976) was a silent film actress who is best known for her work in early film including The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance for D. W. Griffith and The Honor System and Evangeline for her husband Raoul Walsh.She retired from acting in 1924 but was rediscovered by the film community in the 1960s, and toured colleges lecturing . Donna de Varona, is a famed Olympic gold medal swimmer, who won 2 gold medals in the 1964 Olympics. Mother of Joanna Pinto and John David Pinto. "The world is political and you have to fight. After Olympic Glory. Pinnwnde sind ideal zum Speichern von Bildern und Videoclips. It's just taking longer than I ever thought it would.". Donna De Varona: her birthday, what she did before fame, her family life, fun trivia facts, popularity rankings, and more. Kerns was born on February 12, 1953 in San Francisco, California, USA. From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia. La so hermana mayor, Donna de Varona, ye un famosa nadadora medayista d'oru olmpica, que gan 2 medayes d'oru nos Xuegos Olmpicos de 1964. I'd been associated with ABC since I was 14, when I was swimming, and I grew from commentator to producer to adviser to Roone Arledge", the first president of ABC Sports.[5]. ." In 1965, became the first woman on network TV as a sports broadcaster. Donna De Varona Net Worth. Ignacio was born in Santa Maria de Puerto Prncipe, the son of Ignacio Mara Varona de la Torre and Angela Mariana Mariana Agero y Varona. As part of the team of journalists telecasting the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics for Turner Network Television, de Varona, who presented feature stories on female athletes, was instrumental in the cable network's exceptional ratings. . Discover Donna De Varona age, birthday, birthplace, horoscope, wiki, biography, before fame, family and social media. We're making progress. "Sporting News Radio's Donna de Varona wins second-consecutive Gracie Allen Award," Sporting News Radio, http://radio.sportingnews.com/about /pres/20010426_donna.html (June 4, 2003). American swimmer who won two Olympic gold medals. Her father, David, was an insurance salesman and a former All-American football player and rower At the University of California who encouraged his four children in athletics. Charging age and gender discrimination under federal law, de Varona shot back with a $50 million lawsuit. Joanna Kerns is a director and producer on The Good Doctor. In 1991, when she received a Gold Medallion from the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF), a press release from the ISHOF listed her job as vice president of ABC Sports. De Varona covered her 12th Olympic Games in 2000 when she signed on with NBC for the Games in Sydney, Australia. In her complaint, de Varona asserted that male veteran colleagues, such as Frank Gifford , then 69, received preferential assignments. JOANNA KERNS WITH SISTER DONNA DE VARONA. var rcds = document.getElementById("rcjsload_b42b6d"); In 1969, she was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame, followed by induction into the International Women's Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1987. As a lobbyist, she played an important role in the passage of the Amateur Sports Act and in getting Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 implemented. Richard Kerns (1976-1985) . She also expanded her career by working for Turner Network Television and Sporting News Radio. This article will clarify Donna De Varona's In4fp, Husband, Pavement, Married, Sister, Age, Images, Net Worth, And Joanna Kerns, Family, Emmy lesser-known facts, and other informations. "People thought it was unusual for a female athlete to be attractive," she commented. "We were still fighting that battle then. [citation needed], In 1974, Kerns met a commercial producer, Richard Kerns, on the set of a commercial, and they married two years later. Donna de Varona. She won two gold medals in swimming in the 1964 summer Olympics, and was the youngest American on the 1960 Olympic team. de Varona in 1961. Save. Actress Joanna Kerns and sister Donna DeVarona attend the Sixth Annual Television Academy Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on January 7, 1990 at 20th. Her father, David Thomas DeVarona, was an insurance agent, and her mother, Martha Louise (ne Smith), was a clothing store manager. She won two gold medals in swimming in the 1964 summer Olympics, and was the youngest American on the 1960 Olympic team. She shares daughter Ashley with ex-husband Richard Kerns. Born on April 26, 1947, in San Diego, California; daughter of Martha and Dave de Varona (an insurance salesman); sister of actress Joanna Kerns (who barely missed making the 1968 Olympic team in gymnastics); graduated University of California, Los Angeles, 1970; married John Pinto (a businessman). Kerns is the third child of four. Since 1998, de Varona has been a weekly commentator for Sporting News Radio, a 24-hour sports radio network. De Varona serves on the executive board of Special Olympics International and is a member of the International Olympic Committee's Women and Sports Commission. This freed her to accept a job with ABC, which had previously consulted the young student about where they should focus their cameras. She served on two presidential commissions, Gerald Ford's Commission on Olympic Sports in 1975, and Jimmy Carter's Women's Advisory Commission. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). 20 April 1947 in San Diego, California), two-time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, founding member of the Women's Sports Foundation, and television sportscasting pioneer. Donna de Varona. She competed in the Olympic trials in 1968 and ranked 14th out of 28. Millionen hochwertiger Bilder, Videos und Musiktracks warten auf Sie. Ella was born in Columbia, Pennsylvania, and had German and Irish ancestry, the daughter of Daniel Campbell and Louisa M. Boyd. De Varona has never backed down from supporting justice for women in amateur and professional athletics. www.hickoksports.com/ (December 30, 2002). She loved directing and decided to change the focus of her career from acting to directing, while continuing to make rare appearances in front of the camera when the right parts come along. 22 Feb. 2023 . Donna De Varona has a net worth of $1 . I wanted to be in a place where I felt valued, and I could give something back. She was also consultant on Title IX legislation, which became law in 1972 and prohibits sex discrimination in sports. Later in 2003 de Varona took a controversial position regarding the Title IX legislation she had been instrumental in creating during the 1970s. in political science in 1986. [2][3] She and her husband, John Pinto, have two children, John David and Joanna.[12]. Donna de Varona (Olympic swimmer Family Member: Daughter: Ashley (b. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. To this day the medley is seen, arguably, as the most demanding of all swim events. Ive worked on the Hill, in television, in the movies, but this is my constant. That year, as an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) hired de Varona as the first female sports-caster on a television network (she would return to earn a B.S. 1964 summer Olympics, and was the youngest American on the Board of the event. I wanted be... Wanted to be attractive, '' she commented mermaid had both positive and negative consequences for her of..., a marketing, consulting and events advisory company became the first woman on network TV as a result Secretary... Athlete to be attractive, '' she commented swimmer family member: daughter: Ashley (.! 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