Carrying the torch for the Summer Olympics

From a very early age, Ken Jasnau, M.S.W. '55, knew he wanted to help people.

And for a lifetime of community service achievements, Jasnau was chosen as an official torchbearer for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The recently retired Jasnau has been, among other things, a child welfare worker, human services coordinator, social work instructor, executive director of Meals on Wheels, president of the Clothes Bank, president of the local Unity Organization, and chair of the local Human Relations Commission. A lifetime of community service? Make that ten lifetimes.

This past year, the United Way of Central Georgia nominated him to run the Olympic torch through Milledgeville, his hometown of more than 30 years. "It was almost a mile," says Jasnau. "Uphill all the way. And that torch was rather heavy." But it was certainly worth it-all of Jasnau's family was there, cheering him on. "I was just so hyped up," he adds. "There's something about all that cheering that goes to your head."

After exploring a career in the ministry, Jasnau enrolled in UB's School of Social Work, earning his graduate certificate in social work in 1954 and a master's the next year. His first field placement was at Buffalo's VA Hospital. He completed his postgraduate studies in marriage and the family at Florida State University.

Jasnau then became a child welfare worker in the Florida State Department of Public Welfare, and after several years, found a position as chief social worker at the Milledgeville State Hospital in Georgia. He is a past president of the National Association of Social Workers.

Jasnau is especially proud of Colors United, a group he helped create. It aims to unite individuals of all ethnicities and thus stem racial hatred.

In its work, Jasnau sees a parallel to the Olympic ideal. "The great thing about the Olympics is its unity and diversity," he says. "We don't have to be alike to get along or work together."