Release date: May 22, 2002
Contact: Deb Hammacher, Associate Director, Media Relations,
at 404-727-0644 or dhammac@emory.edu

Brittain Award Winner a Champion in the Pool and Out

He hammered nails on Habitat for Humanity Houses in Korea, logged thousands of miles in the pool as an All-American swimmer and hit the books so hard he earned a perfect 4.0.

New Emory University graduate Tom Shane’s college career was an accomplished one by any measure. As a result, his hard work earned him the university’s highest student honor, the Marion Luther Brittain Award, given to a member of the graduating class in recognition of their service to the university.

Shane, a native of New Berlin, Wis. (53151), received the award during commencement exercises May 13. The Brittain Award is an expression of gratitude on behalf of the university for service performed without expectation of reward or recognition. The award was established at Emory in 1942 through a bequest from Emory alumnus M.L. Brittain, a former president of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

"It is such a huge honor to receive this. It took me by complete surprise that I would ever win an award like this. In a university full of people doing great things without any expectation of reward, I am really humbled to have been selected," Shane says.

The second-most decorated swimmer in the university’s history, Shane balanced four hours of swim practice a day with the academic discipline to earn perfect grades in neuroscience and behavioral biology, and the devotion to make a difference through community service.

Shane chose to attend Emory while in high school because of the strong pre-medical program preparation and the athletics it offered. He will attend medical school next fall on a full scholarship at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

"Emory was everything I hoped it would be. It was like we were meant to be together. The things I did while at Emory I did only because Emory offers such a rich environment to foster these activities," he says. Shane attended Emory on a Woodruff Scholarship, one of the university’s most prestigious merit awards that fully funds tuition for four years. As a NCAA Division III school, Emory does not offer athletic scholarships.

Shane says he jumped at the opportunity last summer to participate in a month-long Habitat for Humanity project in South Korea led by former President Jimmy Carter. He also generously shared his love of swimming as a coach for the Special Olympics. And, during all of his four years at Emory, he served as the assistant coach for the Druid Hills Golf Club’s summer league swim team in the neighborhood adjacent to the university. Instead of heading home to Wisconsin this summer, he plans to stay in Atlanta to coach the team one last time.

"I’ve really watched these kids grow up and I want one last opportunity to coach them. It’s been such a joy in my life," he says.

Within Emory, Shane was one of a handful of Emory students chosen for the school’s drug and alcohol committee that seeks to educate students on the related issues. He also coordinated an on-campus Red Cross blood drive for students.

Shane was the founder and coordinator for Emory Private Swimming lessons, a program that teaches swimming to members of the Emory community, young and old. The lessons are taught by Emory varsity swimmers and Shane worked to advertise the lessons, assign instructors and process accounts.

On the academic side, Shane assisted with an ophthalmology research project, which he presented at a national meeting for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He also participated in programs to shadow doctors at Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital and the Emory Eye Clinic, and was a teaching assistant for an Emory biology class.

Shane also provided leadership in the pool, helping to lead the Emory swim team to finish among the top three in Division III during his last three seasons. Prior to his arrival, the team had finished 20th at the previous NCAA meet. He became only the second Emory swimmer to earn All-America status in the same event for four consecutive years. This March, Shane finished third in the 200-yard butterfly and seventh in the 100-yard butterfly at the NCAA Division III Championships.

In addition to his scholarship for medical school, Shane’s success as a student-athlete earned him a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship from the NCAA, one of only 29 given out nationwide to winter sport athletes. He also was selected as a GTE Academic All-American and as a co-winner of the Emory Scholar-Athlete Award.

"My main motivation to do all that I do is because of the people who have helped me along the way," Shane says. "There is no way I could ever pay back all that has been given to me. I work hard so that I can eventually give back to other people."

He is the son of Richard and Bonnie Shane of New Berlin.

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