Dan Severn, Ultimate Fighting Champion, was presented the Frank Gotch Award. The award goes each year to a professional wrestler who has brought prestige and honor to the sport. Severn was a high school superstar, a two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State University and the winner of 90 amateur titles. He was Junior World champion in 1977 and was NWA world heavyweight champion. He exploded onto the world-wide scene in 1995 when he won the Ultimate Fighting Championships and helped establish wrestling as a respected martial art.

"I can't believe I'm here, with all these legendary champions," said Severn. "The minute I heard I was getting the award, I told my wife we were going to Newton. To be mentioned in the same breath with wrestlers like Frank Gotch is a great, great honor."

:: other special guests ::

Ed Byrnes was one of two special guests with a Hollywood connection at the two-day event. He was one of the top TV stars of the late 1950s and early 1960s, appearing in the hit show "77 Sunset Strip," playing jive-talking Kookie. At the show's peak, he received 10,000 fan letters a week. He also starred as dee jay Vince Fontaine in the popular movie "Grease."

The other special guest was Billy Mills, 10,000-meter champion at the 1964 Olympics. Mills' life story was told in the popular 1983 movie "Running Brave," starring Robbie Benson. Mills was one of 22 celebrities who played in the Celebrity Golf Tournament.

Former professional and amateur champions mixed freely at the weekend event, along with celebrities from major league baseball, the NFL and the world of basketball. There were ten former Olympic wrestlers on hand, including gold medal winners Glen Brand (1948), Bill Smith (1952), Dan Gable (1972), Ed Banach (1984) and Randy Lewis (1984).

Among the professional legends in the golf tournament were Verne Gagne, Dan Hodge, Tim Woods (Mr. Wrestling), Dick Beyer (The Destroyer), Jim Raschke (Baron Von Raschke), Tom Drake (winner of the 2001 Frank Gotch Award). Dick Hutton, Harley Race, Fritz Von Goering, and Mad Dog Vachon were in attendance at the banquet, along with CAC officers Red Bastein and Karl Lauer. Radio show hosts Scott McLinn and Scott Casper did a special two-hour live broadcast from the banquet, interviewing the celebrities.

"We like to reach out to other sports, and to Hollywood, and make it a fun event for everyone," said Mike Chapman, the museum's director. "Last year, we had tremendous cooperation from the businesses in the community, and everyone had a great time."

Chapman also announced that the mortgage on the building has been paid off. He lauded Dean Rockwell, a World War II naval hero and former Olympic coach, and Jason Sanderson, CAC member and current promoter, for their significant contributions.

A total of 67 runners participated in the first-ever Frank Gotch Memorial Run at Maytag Park, with Billy Mills firing the starter's gun. Each runner received a Gotch tee shirt, and winners received medals.

The weekend concluded on Saturday night with a special tribute to the late Lou Thesz at the museum. A half-hour documentary about Lou, entitled "The Story of a Wrestler," produced in the 1950s by legendary TV executive David Wolper, was shown on a large screen TV. Afterwards, friends of Lou spoke of the impact he had on their lives. Charlie Thesz, Lou's widow, and Helen Haack, Lou's sister, were in attendance. Among those speaking were Dick Hutton, Fritz Von Goering, Dan Hodge, Tim Woods, Dan Severn and Mike Chapman.

"This is a total community effort," said Chapman. "There is no way we could do this event without support from the Newton business community. We greatly appreciate it and look forward to next year's