SCIAC Service Award
Given to Professor Roth

John K. Roth, the Edward J. Sexton Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and founding director of The Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights at CMC (now The Center for Human Rights Leadership) has received the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) 2009 Distinguished Service Award.
Created in 1985, the annual award recognizes individualscoaches, administrators, faculty who serve on the SCIAC governing committee, and otherswho have supported intercollegiate athletics on SCIAC campuses and promoted the ideal of the student-athlete.
In accepting the award last month, Roth joins other previous recipients from CMC including the first recipient Bill Arce in 1985, Stephen Davis, Bill Sly, John Zinda, Hank Krieger and David Wells.
Roth was recognized for more than 35 years of service on the SCIAC conference committee (including several stints as chair), the body of faculty and administrators that oversees the activities and policies of the conference. In addition, as an undergraduate at Pomona College, Roth played baseball in the SCIAC.
"The SCIAC is a jewel in the crown of intercollegiate athletics," Roth says. "Its student athletes perform at the highest levels athletically and academically and its coaches and administrators are of the highest quality. It has been a privilege to play in this conference as an undergraduate and then to serve on the conference's governing committee, activities that have spanned almost 50 years of my life."
Roth adds that he counts it a special honor indeed to receive the Distinguished Service Award and to join the ranks of esteemed and cherished friends in the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) athletic program who have also been recognized by the SCIAC.
"Ever since I can remembergoing back to when I was a studentJohn has been passionately involved as an advocate for CMC and CMS student athletic activities and their efforts to compete with other schools at both the conference level and in national competitions," says Michael Sutton, director of athletics & physical education at CMC. "He was around when CMC went co-ed and brought women's programs into the mix."
According to Sutton, Professor Roth has been a tremendously balanced and wise mentora real assetfor scores of students and teachers. "What's more, he's not afraid to tell you when you're off-base!," Sutton says. "He's the voice of reason when we've had different conversations about changing the focus, or what have you. And although he's not a shoe-banger or arm-waver, he's a formidable presence across the table during a policy debate."