Notre Dame Club of
Gettysburg
FIRST ANNUAL JOHN STEINOUR AWARD
PICTURED - President Jennifer Krumrine and Special Olympic Chairperson
Wilma Noel present the first ever Special
Olympics Adams County John Steinour
Athlete of the Year Award to Mary Beth
Stone. Also shown is her proud mother,
Darlene. The award was presented at the
Adams County Special Olympics Volunteer Appreciation Picnic on August 10.
The award will be given by the Notre
Dame Club of Gettysburg annually.
STORY OF THE SPECIAL OLYMPICS ADAMS COUNTY JOHN STEINOUR
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR AWARD - In 1987 John Steinour won 2 Gold Medals and
1 Silver Medal at the International Special Olympics competition at the University of
Notre Dame. John’s time in South Bend turned him into a strong fan of the Fighting
Irish teams, especially the football team. In the years that followed he rooted for the
Irish and even got an opportunity to travel back to Notre Dame for several games. John
remained a fan of the Irish for the rest of his life.
In December of 2006, after the evening mass at St. Francis on a Saturday night, John and his parents, Joe and Jean Steinour, bumped
into John Murphy and members of the Notre Dame Club of Gettysburg in front of the church. After realizing John’s story and his
love for Notre Dame it was decided that he should become a member of the Notre Dame club. John joined in 2007 and until his
death on December 7, 2013, he was involved in many of the club’s activities. He became an inspiration to the members who knew
him, as he was always smiling and ready to take on new challenges. After his death, club members wanted to do something to keep
his memory alive and approached the Adams County Special Olympics organization to request permission to initiate the John Steinour Athlete of the Year Award, which would be presented annually to a member of Adams County Special Olympics. This award
was presented for the first time on August 10th at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Picnic. The first recipient was Mary Beth
Stone. In presenting the award Jennifer Krumrine said, “Mary Beth Stone is more than just an athlete. She also embodies the true
spirit of service. She is a global messenger for Special Olympics, which means she has received training to be a public speaker for
the Special Olympics Program and recently accepted a donation from the New Oxford Middle School in that capacity. She volunteers at many fundraisers and is also a past winner of the state’s volunteer Tee Shirt Design Contest. Congratulations, Mary Beth!