The Los Angeles Lakers celebrated the 4th Annual Chick Hearn Night on Sunday, November 26th, the day before what would have been the legendary Hall of Fame sports broadcaster’s 90th birthday, by giving away a one-of-a-kind gift to fans, acknowledging two scholarship recipients at halftime, and holding a book drive in Chick’s memory.
| From left to right: Dan Birman, Casey Conlon, James Koh, Marge Hearn and Shannon Hearn. |
All fans attending the game received a banner with popular basketball expressions coined by Chick such as “Airball!” or “Slam Dunk!” The two newest recipients of the Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship Award were recognized on the court in a special presentation. Awarded annually to a deserving Broadcast Journalism major at USC Annenberg School of Communication, the Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship Award is funded by an endowment established by the Los Angeles Lakers in memory of Hearn, who passed away in 2002.
Last year, Marge Hearn announced a campaign to expand the scholarship to benefit two students annually. Thanks to a major gift from Marge, and hundreds of fans who have contributed, the scholarship fund now totals more than $200,000. At halftime, Marge, her granddaughter, Shannon Hearn, and USC Journalism Professor Dan Birman proudly presented the 2006 Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship Award to Casey Conlon and James Koh.
| Marge and Shannon present Casey and James each with a copy of “Chick: His Unpublished Memoirs and the Memories of Those Who Loved Him” by Chick Hearn and Steve Springer and a crystal award. |
Casey, a senior from San Diego, CA, serves as Sports Director for Annenberg Television News. James, a graduate student raised in Houston, TX and Los Angeles, CA, is working towards his Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism and serves as a Sports Anchor for Annenberg Television News and KSCR, the campus radio station. The award also includes an internship with FOX Sports Net, where the honorees will assist with the production of live pre-game programming and game telecasts.
Lastly, the Lakers held their annual book drive on Chick Hearn Night, and collected almost 800 children’s books in Chick’s memory. The books will be donated to Lakers Reading and Learning Centers created throughout the city of Los Angeles. To date, seven Centers have been created in Los Angeles and one in Honolulu, HI where the team holds training camp every two years. The Lakers would like to thank their fans for their continued support of Los Angeles youth and literacy!
If you would like to donate to the Chick Hearn Memorial Scholarship, please mail your contribution to:
USC Annenberg Chick Hearn Fund
USC Annenberg School for Communication
3502 Watt Way
Los Angeles, CA 90089 -0281