Her sister is competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Donna de Varona. Throughout her athletic and broadcasting careers de Varona always championed fairness and increasing opportunities for women. Joanna Kerns is an American actress and director. 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. Recognized as the most successful women's sporting event in history, de Varona, a U.S. Olympic Hall of Famer, is a recipient of the Olympic Order, the highest honor presented by the International Olympic Committee. American sportscaster She served on two presidential commissions, Gerald Ford's Commission on Olympic Sports in 1975, and Jimmy Carter's Women's Advisory Commission. 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). "That is a lifetime commitment.". Donna de Varona. Donna de Varona. Her younger sister, Joanna Kerns, was an Actress known for playing Maggie Seaver on the sitcom "Growing Pains." Associated With. Joannas mother was of mostly German descent, with some Irish ancestry as well. Kerns has also made notable appearances in feature films, including A*P*E, Girl, Interrupted, and the 2007 comedy Knocked Up. The female athlete was treated as less than important, and repeatedly the sporting woman was trivialized. In 1998, she joined the TNT coverage at the Nagano Winter Olympics, hosting with Jim Lampley as they did at the 1984 Games. De Varona has received dozens of honorary degrees and awards, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association's highest honor, the Theodore Roosevelt Award. The case was later settled out of court, and de Varona resumed working at ABC. GROWING PAINS - "Graduation Day" (Flashback Scenes) - Airdate: May 4, 1988. . Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). AKA Donna Elizabeth de Varona. ." Bortstein, Larry. Donna de Varona is currently married to John Pinto. She has an older brother and a younger brother, as well as an older sister. Selected awards: Winner of 37 U.S. swimming championships, 1960-64; gold medals in swimming, Pan-American Games 1963; gold medals, 400-meter medley and 400-meter freestyle relay, Olympic Games, 1964; Associated Press and United Press International Most Outstanding Female Athlete, 1965; Emmy Award, 1991; Gracie Award from American Women in Radio and Television, 2000, 2001; Susan B. Anthony "Trailblazer" Award, 2001; inductee: International Swimming Hall of Fame; U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame; Women's Sports Hall of Fame. If someone calls and says theyre in town, I invite them immediately for dinner.All she has to do is cook or call the caterer.Rosemarie T. Anner is a frequent contributor to Sunday Arts & Style. Sportscasting had never before known the likes of Howard Cosell, nor is it likely to see another like, CHAPTER 7 https://www.encyclopedia.com/sports/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/de-varona-donna, Summer, Jane "de Varona, Donna President George Bush had asked Education Secretary Rod Paige to establish a commission to determine whether the legislation should be altered. Won gold medals in the 400-meter individual medley and the 400-meter freestyle relay at the Tokyo Olympics (1964); won 37 national swimming titles; broke 18 national and world records; was the first female sports commentator on network television; was co-founder and president of the Women's Sports Foundation. ." She also testified on behalf of Title IX legislation in front of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. (February 22, 2023). They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. (February 22, 2023). The CSTV documentary, which won a Cine Golden Eagle Award, focused on the impact of Title IX and how one recipient of a sports scholarship in America has been influential in changing attitudes and customs in the Middle East as well as within the International Olympic Committee. Encyclopedia.com. Gender: Female Race or Ethnicity: White . Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, July 19, 2002, p. K7770; February 25, 2003, p. K2941. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Kerns started making a name for herself in guest spots on many televisions shows that included: Emergency!, CHiPs, The A-Team, Starsky & Hutch, Street Hawk, Laverne and Shirley, Three's Company, Hill Street Blues, The Love Boat, Hunter, Quincy, M.E., Magnum, P.I., and V, as well as many commercials. . Kerns stated in an interview, "Donna was the golden girl. She won an Emmy Award in 1991 for her report on a Special Olympics athlete. 22 Feb. 2023 . She was soon committed athletically and academically, maintaining a B average while training up to six hours a day. Her older sister, Donna de Varona, is an Olympic gold medal swimmer, winning two gold medals in the 1964 . In 2000, de Varona sued ABC Sports for $50 million, saying she was fired because of her sex and age. She coanchored the late-night wrap-up at the Los Angeles Olympics (1984), and she joined the ABC Eyewitness News team in New York, following up with stints at NBC Sports and the Today Show. Nevertheless, the thirteen-year-old de Varona was a reserve for the U.S. swim team and the youngest American team member of the Olympics. I wanted to play them down.". Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. It got to the point where I was ashamed of my looks. THE OLYMPICS Colonial American colleges adhered to a strict policy of in loco parentis, which encouraged administrators and professors, acting, De Sylva, B. G. (actually, George Card; aka Bud or Buddy), de Souza, Steve 1947- (Steve De Souza, Steven E. de Souza), De Villars, l'Abbe de Montfaucon(1635-1673), https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/de-varona-donna-1947, 1600-1754: Sports and Recreation: Headline Maker. Joanna herself competed in gymnastics and . For all time, at the moment, 2023 year, Joanna Kerns earned $6 Million. 2023 Getty Images. ." Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Swimming gave the spirited youth the outlet she needed. When she qualified for the U.S. swim team for the 1960 Summer Olympic Games in Rome, Donna de Varona was only 13 years old, the youngest member of the Games that year. After Clown Around, Joanna also got parts in the New York Shakespeare Festival's production of Two Gentlemen of Verona and Ulysses in Nighttown, where she was directed by Burgess Meredith.[3]. 22 Feb. 2023 . 2023 Getty Images. American actress and director (born 1953), The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, "Growing Pains Stars: Where Are They Now? Encyclopedia.com. When David injured a knee and switched to swimming, she followed him to a new sport. In 1961, she posted a world record of 5:34.5 in the AAU medley, defending her previous title. SPOUSE. She competed in the Olympic trials in 1968 and ranked 14th out of 28. Her height is 5 ft 6 in (168 cm). To take the part, however, she would have to drop out of college and move to New York, so she did. Shortly after the adoption of Title IX, de Varona and tennis champion Billie Jean King founded the Women's Sports Foundation in 1974, de Varona serving as its first president. Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures. Joannas maternal grandmother was Lenora Kame Helwig (the daughter of Rhinehold Fisher Helwig and Ella Fisher Campbell). At the age of 17, she appeared on ABC's Wide World of Sports, becoming the youngest and one of the first women sportscasters for a national network. At the 1964 games she won the first-ever 400-meter medley, in which competitors swam four laps (one each of the breaststroke, backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle), setting a world record. de Varona was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1969. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Her older sister, Donna . It wasn't until the following Olympics, in 1964, when the 400-meter individual . At only 13-years-old, Donna de Varona was the youngest member of the 1960 Olympic swim team, but she competed only in the relay heats. Joanna Kerns, her younger sister, was an actress best remembered for her role as Maggie Seaver on the sitcom Growing Pains. Her older sister Donna de Varona was a distinguished . Donna Elizabeth de Varona (nacida el 26 de abril de 1947) es una ex nadadora estadounidense. Joanna Kerns (born February 12, 1953) is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992. Her younger sister is actress-director Joanna Kerns, who played Maggie Seaver on the ABC sitcom Growing Pains. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. ." Indeed, the race was so much a cutting-edge event that it was not included in the program at the 1960 Rome Olympics. "The effort I had put forth in my swimming career gave me the stamina to become an activist for Olympic athletes and women, raising money and awareness," de Varona told USA Swimming online. Later in life, Kerns recalled that Meredith was a great influence on her, saying, "Burgess was the one person who really influenced my acting career". document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. According to Mer-Jo Borzilleri in an article provided by the Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, de Varona said that "time and resources" did not allow her to give the job the attention it would require. "De Varona Plans to Return to ABC as Lawsuit Is Settled." She was the youngest member of the American team that year, and loved the excitement of traveling to Rome with the other athletes. We're making progress. Encyclopedia.com. Schwimmverein Limmat. 12-Feb-1953) Brother: David Brother: Kirk Husband: John Pinto (lawyer/banker, one son, one daughter . Swingin Chicks. Since 1998, de Varona has been a weekly commentator for Sporting News Radio, a 24-hour sports radio network. She participated in the 1960 Olympics in Rome, Italy, as the team's youngest member, a significant achievement even though her event was canceled. Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. Always up for a challenge, it is no surprise that the individual medley was always de Varona's favorite event. How tall is Joanna Kerns : 5 ft 7 in (1.72 m) Spouse: Richard Kerns ( m. 1976; div. [2], Growing up, Kerns was constantly in competition with Donna. But de Varona dominated women's swimming for the next four years, setting world records in backstroke, butterfly, and freestyle. Member of National Women's Law Center advisory board; receives Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Drury College, Springfield, Outstanding Mother of the Year from Mother's Day Committee; receives Woman of the Year Award from Mew York Athletic League, Gold Medallion Award from International Swimming Hall of Fame, Emmy Award as producer of Special Olympics feature, American Woman Award for Leadership from Women's Research and Education Institute; receives Olympia Award from U.S. Olympic Committee, Flo Hyman Award from Women's Sports Foundation, HOBY International Award for youth leadership from the Hugh O'Brien Youth Leadership Organization, Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, St. Joseph College, West Hartford, Connecticut, Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Springfield College, Springfield, Massachusetts; Thurman Munson Award. Fax: 1-800-227-3988. Father: David de Varona Mother: Martha Sister: Joanna Kerns (actress, b. She served as that organizations first elected president (197684). Kerns is the third child of four. Updates? Joannas great-grandmother Maria was the daughter of Gaspar Alonso Betancourt y Cisneros and Mara Monserrate Canalejo e Hidalgo-Gato. Inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, 1987. Sports medicine is a distinct, Cosell, Howard rcds.appendChild(rcel); In the fall of 2007, de Varona completed a documentary as a host, writer, and producer. USA Swimming. . Janet Woolom nicely summarizes de Varona's lifelong contribution: "She had a profound impact on increasing opportunities for women in all levels of sports. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Joanna Kerns (born February 12, 1953) is an American actress and director best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992. De Varona's frustration with gender inequality in sports led to her efforts later in life to change the system. In fact, she is very easy going, quick to see the humor in life.She greets me at the door wearing comfortable gray slacks, T-shirt and gray wool duster that she doffs in a few minutes.My husband likes the house hot, she says and leaves you to finish the thought as if were old friends.In her family room that overlooks a beautiful expanse of lawn at her Greenwich home, you get a true sense of who de Varona is.Two Olympic gold medals hang behind twin glass frames in a far corner of the room, tucked next to a bookcase overflowing with books and photographs. 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). Since her retirement from competitions in 1965, she has served five terms on the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and has been appointed to Presidential Commissions under presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and Bush. ." To this day the medley is seen, arguably, as the most demanding of all swim events. de Varona, Donna (1947) American swimmer who won two Olympic gold medals. JOANNA KERNS WITH SISTER DONNA DE VARONA. Still, de Varona believes the media gives women short shrift. She and her husband, John Pinto, have two children, John David and Joanna. Joanna Kerns Wikipedia . That is a lifetime commitment. ." 2023 Getty Images. In April 1998, ABC did not renew de Varona's contract. ", Though de Varona received critical acclaim for her coverage of the 1984 Summer Olympics, choice assignments were few and far between. De Varona casually picks up a small sculpture and runs a finger over it as if she were brushing away a few motes of dust. Donna de Varona. The Seavers vs. 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. It's been 102 years since women fought and won our right to vote. "I spent all my money on bubble gum so I could bribe my way into the Little League," she said in an interview with Women's Sports & Fitness magazine. rcel.src = "//trends.revcontent.com/serve.js.php?w=76341&t="+rcel.id+"&c="+(new Date()).getTime()+"&width="+(window.outerWidth || document.documentElement.clientWidth)+"&referer="+encodeURIComponent(referer); Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. According to Great Women in Sports, she told a Women's Sports and Fitness reporter that the 1984 Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia were the most difficult for her: "I was there by myself, no producer, no assignments. One of the most successful female sportscasters on television today, Robin Roberts holds dual positions, The treatment and management of sports injuries has become a multi-faceted and highly visible aspect of sports science. Her father, David de Varona, who sold insurance, was a Hall of Fame rower and an All-America football player at the University of California who served as de Varona's first swimming coach. She directed one episode of Growing Pains while starring on the show and got hooked. But now, when they were about to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. Retrieved February 22, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/de-varona-donna-1947-olympic-swimmer-sportscaster-activist. de Varona, Donna 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. Omissions? She joked in an interview that she sent the casting crew a high school senior picture of herself and all of her grades, hoping to get the part. She became host, special reporter, and analyst for many of the network's high-profile programs, including ABC Sports and ABC News. Hollywood Reporter (October 1, 2002): 4. De Varona appeared on the covers of Sports Illustrated, Look and Life magazines. [citation needed]. (b. Then, at the age of thirteen, she first broke a world record in the 400-meter individual medley event at the Outdoor National Amateur Athletic Union Championship. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. the third child of four. [8], Kerns, a registered Democrat, supported John Kerry in the 2004 United States Presidential Election and Hillary Clinton in the 2016 United States Presidential Election. Porter, David L., ed. In People, de Varona told a reporter that the network was trying to attract more of the [age] "18-to-39 male market" and that network executives believed that she was too old to hold this audience's interest. Alan Thicke. . Who is Joanna Kerns? I'd like to. ", De Varona began covering the Olympics in 1972, and would report on the 1976 and 1984 Olympic Games for ABC. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Geocities.com. Her sister is competition swimmer and Olympic gold medalist Donna de Varona. 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