Ohio Governor John Kasich has named the state's largest park and wildlife area after Olympic great Jesse Owens.
Owens was a world record-setting sprinter at Ohio State University and won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. He died in 1980 at age 66.
"He's one of my heroes,'' Kasich said at the ceremony, accompanied by two of Owens' daughters. Achievements of "heroes'' such as Owens should be preserved to inspire others to "overcome challenges and accomplish their very best,'' Kasich said.
Ohio's Department of Natural Resources bought land from American Electric Power to create the Jesse Owens State Park and Wildlife Area in eastern Ohio. The state plans to buy a total of 13,000 acres for the park.
