FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dann Hayes, Director of Media Relations 641-269-4834.

April 8, 2002

Grinnell College student, Michael Abel, wins prestigious Watson Fellowship

GRINNELL, Iowa - Michael J. Abel, a graduating senior at Grinnell College, has been awarded a prestigious Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, and it's just in time for baseball season.

A native of Seattle, Wash., Abel will use his Watson Fellowship to experience the international flavor of baseball. He will visit Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Venezuela, and Curaçao to study the different approaches to Little League in each nation. His goal is to see how baseball is treated differently in different countries and he expects to watch Little League baseball from all angles-as a coach, an umpire, and as a spectator.

"Basically, I just want to watch a lot of Little League baseball," he said with an infectious laugh. Actually, his research is much more in-depth than "just watching baseball."

"I want to examine the cultural values of other nations through the lens of Little League baseball," Abel said. "I hope to see how culture impacts baseball instruction and see if there is a universal set of values in baseball."

Inaugurated in 1968, the Watson Foundation provides a grant of $22,000 to each recipient. Its purpose is to give college graduates of unusual promise the freedom to engage in a year of independent study and travel abroad following their graduation.

"Michael's accomplishment reflects the excellence and intellectual curiosity that is a common attribute of Grinnell College students," said Grinnell College President Russell K. Osgood.

A former member of the Grinnell College baseball team-"my enthusiasm far exceeded my ability"- Abel's research interest actually started more than 10 years ago.

"In 1989 I was watching the Little League World Series on television and a team from the United States won the championship. Immediately, all the players and coaches rushed the pitching mound and there was a huge pileup - a standard celebration for U.S. athletes of all ages," Abel said. "The next year a team from Taiwan won the championship. The players and coaches tipped their hats to the fans and to the other team-showing off their identical haircuts-then took a lap around the baseball field."

A political science major with a Chinese studies concentration, Abel wants to work with the U.S. Foreign Service at some time, having already passed his entrance exam.

"The goal of the Watson Fellowships is to help us invest in ourselves so we can grow with the process," he said. "Living in Asia and Latin America will help me improve my language and cultural skills."

With knowledge of both the Chinese and Spanish languages, Abel expects to not only improve his skill in the two languages, but learn some Japanese, as well.

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