Now wielding a scalpel instead of a bat, Olympic gold medal winner Dot Richardson will take time out from her hospital rounds to speak at Ithaca College's 102nd Commencement. Richardson, a resident in orthopedic surgery and member of the U.S. women's softball team at the summer Olympics, will deliver remarks to Ithaca graduates at the ceremony on Sunday, May 18.
"This is a tremendous send-off for our seniors, to hear from someone who can serve as such a positive role model for our graduates," said Ithaca College president James J. Whalen. "Dot Richardson has demonstrated that perseverance can lead to success both on the playing fields and in the classroom."
"This is a tremendous send-off for our seniors, to hear from someone who can serve as such a positive role model for our graduates."
--Ithaca College president
James J. Whalen
Last summer Richardson took a leave of absence from her five-year residency in orthopedic surgery at the University of Southern California, joining the softball team in Atlanta for the sport's first appearance in an Olympic Games. As the starting shortstop and acknowledged team leader, she made spectacular plays in the field and hit three home runs, including the game winner in the gold-medal contest against China. Less than 48 hours later she was back at Los Angeles County Hospital, using those same sure hands to heal patients.
Speaking on behalf of his classmates, senior class president Joe Gutierrez said, "We are extremely pleased with the confirmation of Dot Richardson as our Commencement speaker. She truly embodies all of the qualities that we were looking for."
For her softball success as an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, Richardson was named the NCAA player of the decade for the 1980s. She subsequently earned her medical degree from the University of Louisville while finding time to play on U.S. teams in a number of international competitions, winning gold medals at the Pan American Games, South Pacific Classic, and SuperBall Classic, among others. Richardson, now 35, thought about quitting softball several years ago, but she canceled retirement plans when it was announced that the sport would be included in the 1996 Olympic Games. She often followed 20-hour shifts at the hospital with workouts at the UCLA softball field and even built a batting cage in her apartment to get in every last minute of training.
"My first love has been softball, but it's been softball that has opened the door for me to falling in love with medicine," Richardson said following the Olympics. "Medicine is by far the most precious of all because I am able to help people in more ways than you can possibly imagine, and nothing satisfies me more."
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