Colorado State University paid tribute to one of its former legends on Friday by renaming West Drive to Amy Van Dyken Way. And it could not have been more well done. The six-time Olympic gold medalist was paralyzed in an ATV accident this summer. While speakers like Tom Milligan, Colorado State University’s vice president for external relations, John Mattos, Van Dyken-Rouen’s swim coach at Colorado State and even Van Dyken-Rouen herself spoke, it was University president Tony Frank who embodied exactly why we should all proud to be associated with Colorado State.
Dr. Frank stated, “We’re naming this street, not because you’re Colorado State’s most celebrated athlete, although you are … we’re not naming this street Amy Van-Dyken Way because your path to recovery has simply taken our breath away, although it has. We’re naming this street because we are so proud of you, we love you and welcome home.”
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That statement not only defined Van Dyken-Rouen’s ceremony, but also why Colorado State and the community of Fort Collins are such a special place. CSU has never named a street after anyone who has attended or worked at this University, but we got it right by honoring one of the greatest people to ever grace our campus.
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