SAN DIEGO, Calif. —The American Council on Exercise (ACE) shared the acknowledgement of Board of Directors member Dr. Asahel “Ash” E. Hayes for his lifetime of service to the fitness industry with the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award. The PCPFS Lifetime Achievement Award, which is granted to select individuals whose careers have made a significant contribution to the advancement of physical activity, fitness or sports nationwide, was presented to Hayes at the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPERD) State Convention in March.
Dr. Hayes was selected to receive the President’s Council Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the promotion and improvement of physical fitness and activity nationwide for more than six decades. Dr. Hayes’ extensive career included terms as the executive director, director or sports administration and director of federal/state relations of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports under Presidents Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan. During which, he worked at a national level to further the PCPFS’s goals of encouraging health, physical activity, fitness and enjoyment through participation in physical activity and sports, and served as a member of the executive board for the U.S. Olympic Committee. In addition to his appointment to the President’s Council, Dr. Hayes has also encouraged public participation in physical activity as the district administrator of health, physical education and athletics for the San Diego Unified School District, as well as in positions with the University of California, Los Angeles, and the city of San Diego. He has served eight terms, currently as the emeritus historian, on ACE’s Board of Directors, a role in which he provides valuable expertise and leadership to support ACE’s mission of enriching quality of life through safe and effective exercise.
“We are thrilled to see Dr. Hayes recognized with such a prestigious award, and feel as though no better individual could have been chosen to be recognized for their commitment to advancing physical fitness and exercise,” said Scott Goudeseune, ACE’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Dr. Hayes’ guidance as a member of ACE’s Board of Directors has been invaluable to us as an organization, and we are proud to call him one of our own. His dedication to our country’s health and well being is tremendous and serves as an inspiration to us all, so we are pleased to see it honored with this Lifetime Achievement Award.”
During this year’s CAHPERD State Convention, Dr. Hayes was also awarded with a Presidential Citation from Kathleen Cordes, CAHPERD president, acknowledging Dr. Hayes’ years of dedication and services to both the CAHPERD and national programs, including his tenure as CAHPERD president in 1975.
To learn more about ACE and Dr. Hayes’ accomplishments and involvement with the organization, please visit www.acefitness.org/aboutace/.
