Names of Note: Awards go to MJC track coach and to nurse devoted to safe teen driving
Professor and coach Dave Shrock of Modesto Junior College received the highest honor from USA Track & Field.
The group presented the Robert Giegengack Award at its annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. It is named for a late coach at Yale University.
Shrock began his coaching career in 1976 at College of San Mateo, then moved on to Stanford and San Jose State universities. He was named track and cross country coach at MJC in 1996 and in 2003 became a professor of health and physical education.
Shrock has led the Pirates to two Nor-Cal championships and produced 64 All-Americans. He spent 12 years as assistant director of the Modesto Relays, which brought world-class athletes to town from 1942 to 2008. He has worked with USATF for more than 50 years on coach education and other activities.
Shrock also led adventure tours around the world before coming to MJC. He spent 14 years taking people on African wildlife safaris, Himalayan mountain treks and other trips.
DMC nurse gets safety award
A statewide group recognized Rena Bryant, a registered nurse at Doctors Medical Center, for her work in keeping young drivers safe.
It happened at a San Diego luncheon for Impact Teen Drivers, which educates against reckless and distracted driving.
Bryant is the trauma services injury prevention coordinator at Doctors and coordinator of Safe Kids Stanislaus. She has done presentations on various safety topics at local high schools, as well as national conferences for other educators.
Among them was a 2017 demonstration at Johansen High School on how to stop major bleeding in an emergency.
The luncheon program shared more about the recipient: “As a bedside nurse, Rena saw the heartache her community endured when someone was injured or killed in a car crash. Due the these experiences and her passion for educating, Rena happily left floor nursing for the role of injury prevention professional and Safe Kids Stanislaus coalition coordinator at Doctors Medical Center.”
Takapa Media names director
Jonathan Tillotson has been promoted to director of operations at Takapa Media, a digital marketing agency in Modesto.
Founder and principal Ryan Dziadosz is shifting from day-to-day operations and moving to the Dallas area to run sister company Farlow Media.
Tillotson served in the U.S. Coast Guard and earned a bachelor’s degree in leadership management from Regent University in Virginia. He joined Takapa in 2018 as creative manager and has worked on national commercials and other projects.
“Jon has been both a creative dynamo and a promising leader since his first day at Takapa Media,” Dziadosz said in a news release.
Takapa, founded in 2012, works out of an office at 305 Downey Ave.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 7:00 AM.
