Irish Tenor Ronan Tynan to Receive President's
Medal
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Tynan
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By Trent Stockton Johns Hopkins
Medicine
Ronan Tynan, a champion disabled athlete, physician
and celebrated tenor, will receive the Johns Hopkins
University President's Medal in recognition of his
distinguished career in music and medicine, and for his
triumph in the face of personal adversity.
President William R. Brody
will present the medal to Tynan at 5 p.m. on Wednesday,
June 8, in the School of Medicine's Thomas B. Turner
Auditorium, East Baltimore campus. Before the presentation
of the medal, Tynan will speak about his personal journey,
as well as perform, and he will greet the Hopkins community
at a reception beginning at 6 p.m.
"Dr. Tynan's life is a testament to persistence in the
face of obstacles, and his triumphs in medicine,
competition and music carry messages we all can learn
from," said Edward D. Miller, dean of the medical faculty
and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine.
A former member of the Irish Tenors group since 1988,
Tynan is widely recognized for his performance at the Sept.
11 memorial services at Yankee Stadium and Madison Square
Garden, and at Ronald Reagan's funeral. Born with a lower
limb disability, he became a double leg amputee at age 20
due to complications from an automobile accident. Within a
year, he was winning gold medals at the Paralympic Games
and, between 1981 and 1984, amassed 18 gold medals and 14
world records in track and field and equestrian events.
Tynan was the first disabled person admitted to the
National College of Physical Education and later became a
physician specializing in orthopedics and sports injuries.
In his musical career, Tynan has won the John McCormack Cup
for Tenor Voice, the BBC talent show Go For It and the
prestigious International Operatic Singing Competition in
Marmande, France. In 2005, he will release two new albums.
The JHU President's Medal is an honor extended by the
university to individuals who have achieved unusual
distinction. First bestowed in 1987, the medal is awarded
at the discretion of the president and has been given to
statesmen, literary figures, academics and others.
Previous recipients include Supreme Court Justice
William Brennan, Sen. Bob Kasten, Corazon Aquino, Tom
Clancy, Tom Wolfe, Leon Uris, Leon Fleischer, Walter
Sondheim and Colin Powell.
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