Bonnie Beachy Addresses Kent State Student-Athletes at Starner Speaker Series

KENT, Ohio - Kent State alumna Bonnie Beachy '82 spoke to a packed house of Kent State student-athletes last night during the 12^th annual Starner Distinguished Speaker Series at Cartwright Hall.

"I am just overwhelmed with all the love and support of coming back here," said Beachy. "I have that in Houston with my family and friends, but to have people that don't really know me showing so much support is amazing. It's really exciting to be here."

Beachy's keynote address, "The Fight," conveyed a message that the lessons learned in all successes and defeats early in life can help overcome the many obstacles one might face in the future.

"I really wanted the student-athletes to see that they are being trained right now and they are being prepared for life because there is another life after your college career," added Beachy. "Everything that they go through, whether it is a success or a defeat, will help them later."

Beachy, who currently serves as an assistant principal at Smith Middle School in Cypress, Texas, has seven varsity letters from her tenure at Kent State. She earned four letters in basketball and three in tennis, and is the all-time leading scorer in Kent State basketball history, regardless of gender, with 2,071 points. A three-time team MVP and two-time first team All-Mid-American Conference selection, Beachy stands fourth in women's basketball history in both career rebounds (829) and steals (303).

"Bonnie's athletic records speak for themselves, but her living example is truly remarkable," said Head Women's Basketball Coach Danielle O'Banion. "We are extremely grateful to have her back at Kent State as she continues to overcome cancer. She was the perfect Starner Speaker Series guest as her message was inspirational and heartfelt. Bonnie is a credit to her family and Kent State, and she is a true victor."

"The most inspiring part of her speech was when she talked about tearing her ACL," said sophomore Connor Whelan of the Kent State cross country team. "It cost her a chance to play in Europe professionally. Most people, to have their professional dreams fall like that would be tragic, but she recognized the most important thing to take from college was a degree and the doors you could unlock with that."

A 1988 Kent State Varsity "K" Hall of Fame inductee, Beachy is the only woman in Kent State history to have her uniform number retired (No. 13). Beachy was a rare two-sport Division I student-athlete who also starred on the tennis court where she was team MVP for the Golden Flashes.

"It was the most inspirational one I've seen while at Kent State," said track & field junior Katie Reiser. "I feel like we could all relate to her and how she used her athletics to help her battle cancer."

In 1982 Beachy earned a bachelor's degree in physical education from Kent State University and moved to Houston, Texas for job prospects. After serving as co-owner of a security company for five years, Beachy entered the education field to follow her passion of teaching and coaching. For the next 15 years, Beachy would teach and coach in the Clear Lake and Cy-Fair school districts before earning a master of education from Prairie View A&M University.

A 1978 graduate of Struthers High School, just outside of Youngstown, Ohio, Beachy was a three-sport standout and is the school's all-time leading scorer in girls basketball. She currently resides in Cypress, Texas.

The Starner Distinguished Speaker series is made possible by Kent State University alumni Buzz and Marilyn Starner. The Starners' endowed the speaker series to expose current student-athletes to alumni who have successfully transferred their lessons from athletic competition and student involvement to meaningful careers outside of athletics. Buzz, '67, and Marilyn, '71, have been actively involved in supporting athletic programs at Kent State for many years. The Jackson Township couple is pleased with the strong emphasis that Kent State places on the academic skills of athletes and believes that the skills students develop in athletic competition also lead to success in life after college.

Bonnie Beachy Addresses Kent State Student-Athletes at Starner Speaker Series

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