Jon Hendricks, recipient of the Special Recognition award, brings passion to the stage with his vocal jazz music. Jon is joined by Earl Mihelich on piano, Neal Miner on bass and Andy Watson on drums. For his work as a lyricist, jazz critic and historian Leonard Feather called Hendricks the "Poet Laureate of Jazz" while Time dubbed him the "James Joyce of Jive." Jon has received the French Legion of Honor and in February 2005, Jon received a lifetime Grammy award for his accomplishments as a vocal jazz musician.

Davis Middle School. The Governor's Awards Ceremony was capped off with a taiko drum performance by the students of David Middle School in Dublin. These 20 students have participated in a year-long residency with Japanese master taiko drummer Eitetsu Hayashi as part of a project sponsored by the Ohio Arts Council, Arts Midwest and the Dublin Arts Council. Eitetsu, assisted by two members of his taiko performance group Fuun-no-Kai, has worked intensively with this core group during the past year. The ensemble has learned to play several taiko compositions from memory, and also worked together to create an original taiko composition. Davis Middle School as a whole has embraced the residency, and teachers have incorporated a variety of Japanese studies into their curriculum, including Japanese language, culture, geography, and government.