(UPDATED 3/7/18) Description of the four honorees who were presented “stars” at the 2nd Annual Sacramento Walk of Stars.
On the morning of September 28th, four new honorees had their stars on the Sacramento Walk of Stars unveiled. Later that same day the honorees were feted at a gala dinner held at Memorial Auditorium.
The four stars are located on L Street between 18th and 19th Streets in the Handle District in Midtown. You will find them embedded in the sidewalk between Brodrick Midtown and Aioli Bodega Espanola.
See related posts: Sacramento’s Walk of Stars – First Inductees and Memorial Auditorium – Sacramento Landmarks
This year the honorees are:
- Nicholas Sparks, a best-selling author and philanthropist;
- Russ Solomon, founder of Tower Records;
- Billy Mills, Olympian;
- Ruthie Bolton, Olympian and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star.
SacramentoRevealed.com – All things Sacramento (from a personal perspective)
All honorees have current or past ties to Sacramento. In addition to living and/or having lived or been raised in the greater Sacramento region, honorees must also have made a positive impact on the Sacramento region and made contributions of national or international significance.
Nicholas Sparks
Sparks has written 20 novels, each of them best-sellers. His books have sold millions of copies worldwide, and have been published in more than 50 languages. Many of his books have also been made into movies.
Sparks founded the Nicholas Sparks Foundation, which provides scholarships to at-risk youth.
Russ Solomon
Solomon still lives in Sacramento, where he started out selling records at his father’s drug store (located next door to the Tower Theatre on Broadway) when he was 16. From that modest beginning Solomon founded Tower Records – which at one point in time was an international powerhouse in the music industry.
(UPDATED 3/7/18) Russ Solomon died on March 4, 2018 at the age of 92. The Sacramento Bee reported that Solomon was drinking whiskey and watching the Oscars when he suffered an apparent heart attack.
The Tower Records story was the subject of a 2015 documentary, “All Things Must Pass”. See related blog post: Tower Records – A Sacramento Story
Solomon was also inducted into the California Hall of Fame in 2016. See related blog post: California Hall of Fame Inductees
Billy Mills
In the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo Mills, a Lakota Sioux Native American, came out of nowhere to become the first American to take first place and win gold in the 10,000-meter race.
His story was made into the movie “Running Brave” in 1983.
Ruthie Bolton
Bolton helped the U.S. Olympics team win gold at the 1996 Olympics (Atlanta) and the 2000 Olympics (Sydney). In 2005 Bolton helped the Sacramento Monarchs to a championship win.
To Sum Up
A lot could be said about each of the deserving 2017 honorees. Is there anything in particular you admire them for that you would add?
Comments?
Who would you nominate to join the ranks of those who have been honored to date with a star on the Sacramento Walk of Stars?
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