Miamian Magazine Winter Spring 2017

miamian The Magazine of Miami University

Winter/Spring 2017

IN THIS ISSUE:

Virtual Reality Record-making Seasons History Repeats Itself?

GREAT

IDEA!

Passion drives alums from ideas to innovations

Erin Moore Beckloff ’06, designer of “Love of Letters” and Miami assistant professor, teaches letterpress courses, where students use antique printing presses and wood and metal type to create posters and books the way they were made for centuries, by hand, one letter at a time.

Staff Editor Donna Boen ’83 MTSC ’96 Miamian@MiamiOH.edu

Vol. 35, No. 2

miamian

Senior Designers Donna Barnet Belinda Rutherford

Winter/Spring 2017

The Magazine of Miami University

Photographers Jeff Sabo Scott Kissell Web Developer Suzanne Clark

STORIES

Copy Editor Beth Weaver

18 2 For the Record Books

Student Assistant Jessica Gonsiewski ’18

Both football and volleyball rewrote NCAA history in their 2016 seasons, creating excitement on and off campus.

Design Consultant Lilly Pereira www.aldeia.design

20 Great Idea!

University Advancement 513-529-4029 Vice President for University Advancement Tom Herbert herbertw@MiamiOH.edu

Funding scholarships through notebooks (see page 20 ).

MiamiOH.edu/alumni Send address changes to: Alumni Records Office Advancement Services Miami University 926 Chestnut Lane Oxford, Ohio 45056 alumnirecords@MiamiOH.edu 513-529-5127 Fax: 513-529-1466 ON THE COVER Jackie Conway Wachter ’05 and husband Phillip turn a hobby into a 36-employee leather goods studio in less than 4 years, page 20.

Photo by Susan Price of Suzaran Photography.

26 The Virtual Reality of Life

Austin Mace ’15 sees life differently from most of us. He enjoys sharing his view of the world through VR and 360 video created by his growing company SubVRsive.

Alumni Relations 513-529-5957 Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations Ray Mock ’82 MS ’83 mockrf@MiamiOH.edu Office of Development 513-529-1230 Senior Associate Vice President for University Advancement Brad Bundy Hon ’13 brad.bundy@MiamiOH.edu

Notebooks that pay for Kosovo women to attend college.

Handmade gifts that evolve into a thriving design business.

Flashlights that clip onto sneakers. Three alumnae tell how their simple ideas became major accomplishments.

IN EACH ISSUE

2 From the Hub

14 Media Matters

3 Back & Forth

16 My Story

6 Along Slant Walk

30 Love & Honor

10 Such a Life

32 Class Notes

12 Inquiry + Innovation

46 Farewells

Seize Your Opportunities.

Ghostwriting Arnold Palmer’s final memoir (see page 14).

To and from the editor.

Campus news highlights.

10%

A Tall Order.

Firearms and Fabric Focus of Young U.S. Opus Web paper features FSC® certifications and is Lacey Act compliant; 100% of the electricity used to manufacture Opus Web is generated with Green-e® certified renewable energy.

New works by alumni.

Musical Crossroads.

Staying Connected.

Notes, news, and weddings.

48 Days of Old

Gateway to the Past.

Miamian is published three times a year by the University Advancement Division of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056. Copyright © 2017, Miami University. All rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Miamian is produced by University Communications and Marketing, 108 Glos Center, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, 513-529-7592; Fax: 513-529-1950; Miamian@MiamiOH.edu.

from the hub

Seize Your Opportunities

By President Greg Crawford

Back in the 20th century when I earned my PhD in chemical physics, I had no thought of becoming an entrepreneur. Now that I’ve helped launch two companies based on my discoveries, I have a different idea of what “entrepreneur” means, and how far it reaches beyond the business world.

When I started my first entrepreneurial venture, I was overconfident. I figured that I’d mastered quantum mechanics, so it should be easy, right? I was quickly humbled by the complexity of intellectual property, accounting, finance, team building, vision shaping, environmental market scans, and countless other details that required others’ expertise.

I now define entrepreneurship as “seeking potential, seizing opportunity, and syntheRelationship sizing solutions for societal impact” and know that relationship building is key to its building is key to success. By this definition, being president of entrepreneurial Miami University is an entrepreneurial role.

Chances are, you’re also an entrepreneur, success. or you bring entrepreneurial thinking to whatever you do.

The entrepreneurial mindset is as vital for success in the 21st century as the manufacturing mindset was in the 20th, where a lifelong career at one company was often based in a single hometown. Today, change occurs at a lightning pace, and entrepreneurial thinking enables us to respond to such rapidly changing circumstances by evaluating options, imagining possibilities, and taking risks.

This mindset calls for courage to leave comfort zones, dedication to goals, optimism that considers failure a steppingstone to success, and grit to devote long hours of hard work in pursuit of your passion.

Entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial thinking are a cause and effect of rising diversity and equal opportunity. As a result, for example, the number of

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women-owned businesses is increasing faster than men-owned firms. This issue of Miamian includes profiles of three inspiring female entrepreneurs — Jackie Conway Wachter, Ashley VanBuskirk, and Renata Rottinger Storer — who reflect this national trend and the positive power of creative thinking.

As these women exemplify, entrepreneurship is by nature creative, resilient, forward-looking, and ideabased. A Miami education, with its foundation in the liberal arts, imbues our graduates with these qualities plus the critical thinking and interpersonal skills that complement any major or eventual career path.

Our students have rich opportunities to sharpen their entrepreneurial mindset; they can take an entrepreneurship class or make it a co-major, unite the breadth of liberal arts with the depth of knowledge in their discipline, and engage the diversity of people and perspectives on campus to You are invited to write to make lifetime connections.

President Greg Crawford at president@MiamiOH.edu.

We’re proud that more Follow him on Twitter than 95 percent of our sur@PresGreg. veyed and tracked graduates are employed or in graduate school within six months of earning their Miami degree. More importantly, their time here gave them an entrepreneurial mindset that is helping them change society, lead through service, and launch businesses that create jobs and connections that enrich the lives and careers of others.

Like Jackie, Ashley, and Renata, they are seeking potential and seizing opportunities that have a powerful impact on our world.

back & forth numbers on him in the Fall 2016 Miamian (“Kudos for Coach”).

—Jim Naveau ’73 Lima, Ohio

MUM’s early years “To Boldly Go” in the Fall 2016 Miamian [about Miami Middletown’s 50th anniversary] brought back memories of 1963–1964 when I taught there.

Back then, it was called Miami University “extension.”

I had just acquired an MA in zoology at Indiana University.

Returning to my alma mater, I taught Zoology 11-12 at the Oxford campus as well as Middletown, where we used a biology lab at the old Middletown High School.

My courses were from 6 to 10 every Monday night, lectures and labs combined. On top of my regular salary, I was paid an additional $1,200 for the year. Unfortunately, a professor in the zoology department who outranked me needed a new car so he got the Middletown extension assignment for 19641965. But it was fun while it lasted!

—Lee St. John ’61 Newark, Ohio Record Keeper Ara Parseghian’s career record at Notre Dame was 95–17–4, not the

Proud Papa I am writing to congratulate the Miamian staff on the cover story (“Resetting the Table”) in the most recent magazine. I am the proud father of Dr. Darcy Freedman ’98 who the story is about.

She does incredibly important work in Cleveland. Both her mother and I graduated from Miami and did our graduate work there. I was class of ’66 and return often for fraternity reunions and when Darcy was there to see her.

After graduation, I stayed in the area living in Middletown where Darcy and her two brothers were born. My sons are Col. Brett Freedman, MD, a spine surgeon at Mayo Clinic, and Ryan Freedman, area vice president for Olympus Medical. I am proud of all of them.

I often say my Miami years were the best of my life. It is my favorite place to visit and reminisce about how much fun I had while at Miami and beyond that in Middletown.

—Larry Freedman ’66 Woodbury, Minn.

R.I.P., Dr. Speh Saddened to read of Dr. Speh’s passing in April. I admired him greatly — second only to Dr. Maggard when it comes to my MU learning experience. Dr. Speh was wise and so in touch with his students.

In spring 1978, students in his Advanced Marketing class broke into competing groups to study hypothetical dilemmas and create marketing campaigns that would improve each situation. My group

of five guys was told to promote birth control in the Philippines.

We were befuddled when research revealed the Philippines was more than 7,500 islands with the indigenous population speaking over 100 different languages.

Our idea was to drop condoms from airplanes with pamphlets illustrating their purpose and need.

We all got “hooks” for our effort.

My second memory was from later that year — the Laws, Hall & Associates competition for our cooperating client, Wendy’s.

I was fortunate to be the leader of one of the three teams of marketing, communications, and graphic arts students. We developed a complete campaign including taping TV commercials in Wendy’s.

Luck of the draw had our team going last. During a break, Dr. Speh said, “So you’re up next! What’d you think of the first two?” I told him, boldly, that they were nothin’ compared to ours. Surprised, he said, “I guess we’ll see.”

We won four out of five awards.

We had the best art director (Shelley Linver ’78) and telecom director (Susan Whitley ’78) — as well as teammates. The only award we didn’t win was best presentation technique, which was all me. D’oh!

I went to hear Dr. Speh speak at Observatory Park in Denver about 15 years ago and asked him if he remembered me and if he remembered our conversation that day.

He said he did. “I admired your confidence and was happy to see you were right.” I then asked him if he remembered our “Condoms for the Philippines” presentation, and he replied, “Yes. Not so good.”

Dr. Speh was only 71 years old when he succumbed to cancer. He

Send letters to: Donna Boen Miamian editor 108 Glos Center Miami University Oxford, Ohio 45056-2480 Miamian@MiamiOH.edu; or fax to 513-529-1950.

Include your name, class year, home address, and phone number.

Letters are edited for space and clarity.

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died too soon. While I knew him early in his career, his record shows he continued to be appreciated and revered. R.I.P., Dr. Speh.

—Don Ludwig ’78 Little Rock, Ark.

“You have $346.31 in library fines due. Please remit to the bursar office to receive your diploma.”

Happy Birthday, King Congratulations to Miami’s King Library for 50 years!

As a student, I worked at Miami’s library a couple of hours a week, giving me the opportunity to help fellow students with their research.

It was interesting perusing the stacks. I hauled out weighty tomes of Annals and Proceedings. The wealth of knowledge contained in those leather-bound volumes was amazing, but this all had to be read in the library; students were not allowed to borrow research items.

This was the ’50s — and way, way before the Internet. Miami’s library contained voluminous volumes on every conceivable subject, but it also had a little book, Anguish Language, written by a Miami French professor, Monsieur Howard L. Chase, that intrigued me. Published in 1956 by Prentice Hall, it was made famous by radio/ TV broadcaster Arthur Godfrey, who read parts of it on his program.

My library earnings barely covered the enticing, tantalizing Tuffy’s toasted rolls, so I never did get around to buying the book.

—Ellen Klepper Neumaier ’59 East Aurora, N.Y. As graduation approached and I was packing up from four Miami years, I, surprisingly, unearthed two full pillow sacks worth of library books and hauled them down to the library for return.

At my graduation ceremony, my

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father, a self-educated scholar who worked assiduously and saved to educate his four children, asked to see my diploma. Much to his and my chagrin, inside that austere leather cover where the diploma might have been was a typed note saying, “You have $346.31 in library fines due. Please remit to the bursar office to receive your diploma.”

I worked at Beasley’s Bakery on High Street that summer 8 p.m.– 4 a.m. flipping donuts and kneading dough. Periodically I would stop at the bursar’s office where they said they would be happy to exchange the diploma for the sum above, an amount I didn’t have.

Finally one day in July, I went once again and was told, to my astonishment, that I needed $76.54 to pay back fees and obtain my diploma. I didn’t need a degree from the prestigious Miami business school to know this was a bargain. I paid the freight, retired from the bakery business, and left Oxford with this and numerous other happy life memories. Bless and keep our libraries everywhere.

—David Dratch ’70 Chevy Chase, Md. Editor’s note: For more memories about King Library during its 50th birthday, go to MiamiAlum.org/ King50Reflections.

Miami Student Nostalgia Sue MacDonald (Summer 2016 Miamian) and I are kindred spirits!

Her wonderful description of days of yore at the Miami Student brought on a paroxysm of nostalgia. It well illustrated the comradery of Student staffers which leads to lifelong friendships. I could not help but compare the changes she

found from back “when” to ones from back “when-when.”

There was no formal journalism track. Just a once weekly (one credit hour) “rehash” of the two previous issues taught by Gil Wright, our faculty adviser from the English department. Although we looked at the Student as just an extracurricular activity, some got ink in their blood and went on to become successful journalists.

Our office (one big room and a cubby hole for the editor) was in a corner of Irvin Hall’s basement, while OxPress was located on High Street. You weren’t required to assist in putting the paper to bed, but the opportunity to be a printer’s devil was too exciting to resist.

Under the watchful eye of the shop foreman, Preston “Press” Mullins, we learned to handset type on a stick from a California case, make up pages in a chase, and proofread Linotype slugs upside down and backward.

Press introduced us to old printers’ union rules, dead horse, and type lice. Watching the vintage (c.

1888) flat bed, sheet-fed press spew out the result of our labors surely qualified as one of the wonders of High Street — if not the world!

Reporters did not have any organized or uniform way of collecting or preserving notes, nor did they take any photos, or even have cameras. There was a single staff photographer, generally a skilled hobbyist,who lugged around a 4x5 Speed Graphic. No roll film here, just sheet film the photographer had to hand process in our darkroom in the Irvin basement. And we had an official staff car — well, a red bike with a box on the back for copy. Someone stole it.

back & forth

Many of the staffers of my vintage kept in touch over the years.

Some of us had a reunion in 2007 — the Student ran a picture.

It was just as Sue described: after the greetings and a bit of catch up, we conversed as though we had seen each other last week. I fear our reunion possibilities are over. Too many silent typewriters. Thus, it pleases me greatly that there will be another reunion in 2019 and staffers of all decades are invited.

I graciously accept and make a solemn promise that I will be there in person — or in spirit.

—William A. “WAG” Greene ’52 Miami Student Managing Editor, 1951–1952 Frederick, Md., and Naples, Fla. Vetville story resonates Those were the days. The war was over. My years at sea were over.

Discharged on July 29, 1946. Was it possible to get registered at Miami

by August? Yes, luck was still with me and 499 other GIs who met at Withrow Court. Two-hundred-fifty double beds were set up on the basketball court. Mine was top bunk in the NE corner. I even had my feet on the cover of Life magazine.

I was one of the 30 freshmen in architecture. We had our own barracks for our second home. It was the only building open 24 hours a day. We had wonderful professors, Mr. Dunbar, the department head, Andy Werts, Kep Small, etc. Great men, all gone now.

After nearly 60 years of practicing, I retired, but now at nearly 92 I still love the work and spend many hours in my home office. Long live Miami University!

—Edmund H. Smith ’51 New Castle, Penn.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

My Wonderful Dad “I have three wonderful kids.” My dad enjoyed saying that. Sounds

sweet, too — except I’m the youngest of four. He chuckled every time we let the unsuspecting in on his joke. A child of the Depression, Dad never attended college, but he wanted to, and he was determined his kids would. And we did. All four of us.

Dad began a tradition when the oldest of us went away to school. He wrote to us every week. Those were the days of pen and paper, envelopes and stamps. My freshman year at Symmes I’d watch for the mail truck and then run to the boxes off the lobby to see if there was anything for me. Every Tuesday, I’d receive a two-page letter from Mom telling me the family news of the week. She’d also include a note from Dad. Mom was practical. Dad? Not so much.

Days after I started at Miami, Mom wrote, “Are you lonesome? So am I, but I hope things are adjusting themselves. Especially the top bunk.”

Yes, it was my bad luck to get the top bunk. Dad didn’t see it that way.

He wrote, “It does present some problems if you are a sleep walker, a bed roller, or if you are used to leaving your book and glasses on the floor as you fall asleep. But just remember that you are higher in college than the majority of your classmates.”

He started letter No. 2 with, “Dear Upper Bertha.” Oh. Yes. He. Did. No matter how he started, he ended each with a P.S. that was a variation on the same theme. Money. As in him asking us. “I’m giving it some time before I begin to help you with your smarts. However, I do believe the smartest thing you can ever do is cross your old dad’s palm with a bag of cold cash.” “Don’t hold back sending money just because you think I don’t accept charity. Try me.” “Send money, Honey.”

After four years of silly stories and exaggerated prose, my dad sent me a letter from his heart weeks before my graduation. I imagine I was filled with angst as I faced the unknown. He wrote, “I have discovered we no longer have a little girl but a beautiful, mature, young lady who has been blessed by many God-given talents. Therefore we know as the Lord has developed you and fashioned you according to His will, He has a plan for your life. It will be sheer joy to Mom and me to watch His program unfold for you.” His P.S. was different too. “Of the many letters I have written to you, I count this one the most meaningful.”

In December, the day before Christmas, we took my 94-year-old father to the hospital with heart failure. Two days later, the morning of my birthday, he talked to me for the last time. The nurse asked him who I was. He looked at me a long time and finally said, “Beautiful Donna.”

I had one wonderful dad. —Donna Boen ’83 MTSC ’96

My proud mom and dad on the day I earned my master’s degree from Miami.

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New Athletic Center Opens The new $25 million Athletic Performance Center at Yager’s north end zone features a team locker room, weight room, offices, auditorium, meeting rooms, and sports medicine and rehabilitation center.

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National Signing Day for the new class of players was extra special for Miami football this year as 500 students, alumni, faculty, staff, and trustees gathered in the David and Anita Dauch Indoor Sports Center (DISC) Feb. 1 for the grand opening of the Athletic Performance Center next door.

At the ribbon-cutting, Athletic Director David Sayler told the group, many of them donors to athletics’ $80 million Graduating Champions Campaign, that the two new centers in Yager’s north end zone put Miami in a position to win championships once again.

“There is tremendous excitement around the program right now with the finish to last season,” he said. “I’m so proud of that senior class and that

team for all they accomplished and taught us.

This building continues that momentum.”

Vicki and Randy Gunlock ’77 made the lead gift on the performance center.

Talking about Vicki’s and his decision to support football, Randy, a three-year letterwinner and a former team captain for Miami football, ended his remarks by addressing the team.

“You’ve got great players on this team. Now you have to go out and do it. You’ve got to pay attention to the small stuff, sweat the small stuff, as they say. Be good teammates. When you think you’ve had enough work, work some more. We’re going to bring championships to Miami and you guys are on the front line.”

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‘Here’s to Thee’

I’M GLAD YOU ASKED

Ray Mock ’82 MS ’83 to retire as alumni director July 31

Ray Mock shares Miami history before the Parade of Classes starts at Alumni Weekend.

The most poignant event for Ray Mock during his 31-year career in Miami’s alumni office wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t listened to his staff.

When the alumni board proposed the Miami Merger Moment, suggesting couples return to Oxford to simultaneously renew their wedding vows, his staff thought it a wonderful way to celebrate the university’s 200th birthday.

“I, alone, hated the idea,” admits Mock ’82 MS ’83. One of his strengths as assistant vice president and executive

director of the Miami University Alumni Association is that he’s willing to reconsider. As a result, that Saturday of Alumni Weekend 1,087 couples gathered at Upham Arch to set a world record.

“It was a really, really powerful moment that was this cool event celebrating their marriage vows, but also, in a much bigger way, celebrating this idea of the Miami family.”

Mock joined the alumni office in 1986 as director of the Miami University Student Foundation and Senior Challenge.

As news spreads of his July 31 retirement, he’s been caught off guard by the reaction. For graduates the past 17 years, he’s the only alumni director they know.

“My brain can’t go there because that’s John Dolibois ’42. John Dolibois is the Miami alumni director.”

Sitting in his second floor office in Murstein, with its view of Peffer Park, he’s considering what comes next. He will stay in Oxford as his wife, Jill, continues her nursing career and their youngest, Christopher ’18, attends Miami, just like siblings Sean ’11 and Laura ’12 before him.

“I’ve had this tug at my heart, this feeling that I need to do something impactful on the social scale. It’s been a great experience for 31 years, and it’s bittersweet to leave, but it really does feel like the right time for me.”

“It’s not just that we have poor, middle class, and rich, but we have a society where it’s very hard to go from poor to rich.”

—J.D. Vance, a native of Middletown, Ohio, and author of the 2016 best-seller Hillbilly Elegy, speaking at Miami in November and again in March as the Casper Lecturer.

Knowing how hard it is sometimes to be creative at our desks, we asked several students:

Where’s your favorite study spot on campus?

My room. It’s nice to be able to blast music while I do homework.

Alisha Boykin ’18, Canfield, Ohio, strategic communication/theatre major

When the weather is nice, I like to go outside, pick a quad, and enjoy the view.

Anna Hill ’18, Cincinnati, Ohio, special education major

Armstrong is the best.

I like sitting in front of the fireplace.

Jacob Schwartz ’20, Anaheim, Calif., business economics major

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NOTEWORTHY

As of the final Feb. 1 deadline, 30,009 students had applied for admission, marking the highest number ever received in Miami’s history. Academic quality is also at an all-time high; average ACT

JPMueller99

score is 27.7 and average GPA is 3.74. The increase represents a growth in diversity as well with 4,877 applications from domestic students of color.

Miami and the city of Oxford are partnering to try to persuade Amtrak to stop in Oxford. Each has pledged $350,000 if a train stop is established at Chestnut Fields, Miami’s parking lot and facilities at the site of the former Talawanda High School on Chestnut Street. Minimum construction estimates start at $1 million to $1.3 million for a 300-foot train platform, an open-air canopy or shelter, and access sidewalks.

Amtrak’s Cardinal Line, which runs from New York to Chicago, comes through Oxford in the early morning hours several times a week.

Michael Dantley, dean of the College of Education, Health and Society, received a 2016 Master Professor Award from the University Council for Educational Administration. This award recognizes those who are outstanding teachers, innovators in the classroom, and top mentors for their students and have filled leadership roles in their academic field, provided excellent public service, and obtained a significant record of scholarship.

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RISING RANKS

Miami’s position on Kiplinger’s 2017 list of 100 best values nationwide of in-state public universities.

#8

Miami’s Institute for Entrepreneurship ranking among U.S. public institutions

by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur.

How to be Effective The best part of Mark Lacker’s role on the Farmer School of Business’ entrepreneurship faculty team may be talking with students during his office hours.

“OK, sometimes we talk about late assignments, but for the most part we talk about life, career paths, choices, and who we can connect with.”

No doubt his one-on-one time with students is a major reason why the Class of 2012 nominated Lacker ’79 as the

2016 Effective Educator Mark Lacker ’79 advises entrepreneurship major Ying Liang ’17 on how to enhance her resume.

Miami University Alumni Association 2016 Effective Educator.

The John W. Altman Clinical Professor of Entrepreneurship and Clinical Faculty stays in touch with more than 150 former students every year.

“One of the greatest joys in teaching is in establishing lasting relationships with our students,” he said. “We are blessed at Miami with a culture that encourages student-teacher interaction.”

In their nominations, alumni recalled Lacker’s joy in teaching and mentoring.

One former student wrote, “He is like no other professor, mentor, or friend I’ve ever had before because of his level of passion for what he teaches and passion for seeing others succeed.”

Prior to joining Miami’s faculty in 2004, Lacker, who earned a master’s from Xavier University, worked in marketing and events in Cincinnati.

The Effective Educator Award honors faculty and staff of “uncommon quality” who instruct, impact, and inspire. As its 34th recipient, Lacker was the commencement speaker in December. (Read his speech at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.)

He will also be honored during May’s MUAA Awards Dinner.

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It’s all in how you look at it: If you study the new artwork in Shideler Hall, you might spot photos of mining operations, aerial images of Ohio’s farmland, and even a truck or two. “Flux” hangs near the central staircase in recently renovated Shideler, which houses geology and environmental earth science, geography, and the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability. Every vantage point provides a fresh perspective of the 28' x 12' ceramic piece. To create “Flux,” artists Amy Baur and Brian Boldon projected images onto 640 porcelain equilateral triangular tiles, pieced together to form 160 rhombuses across 13 rows that fold together into a lattice.

A Better Nose for Research Miami scientist Lei Kerr is developing

an “artificial nose” in hopes of replacing animal-based research with more effective and humane alternatives.

The professor of chemical, paper, and biomedical engineering has received a $50,000 Beagle Freedom Prize from the Beagle Freedom Project (BFP) in support of her research.

Kerr intends for the measuring device to study nanomaterials deposition in the brain through inhalation. Nanomaterials — particles less than 100 nanometers

in diameter — can have toxic effects not seen with larger particles. Some can move from the nose to the blood and brain and other distant sites.

Animals, including rats and beagles, are often used in crude inhalation studies, despite the fact that data from these species cannot be reliably extrapolated to humans, according to the BFP. The artificial nose might also be used in medical fields, Kerr suggested, such as with intranasal drug delivery for brain disease treatment.

MAY COMMENCEMENT Daryl Baldwin, director of the Myaamia Center at Miami and a leader in Native American language and cultural revitalization, will be the featured speaker at Miami’s spring commencement 1:30 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Yager Stadium.

Also an adjunct assistant professor in educational leadership, he was awarded a “genius grant” last September as one of the 2016 MacArthur Fellows. He was among only 23 people selected from a variety of fields by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

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such a life

A TALL ORDER Krystle Tay’s internship at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden last summer fueled her desire to advocate for, protect, and save animals. A zoology and environmental science co-major, she graduated from Miami in December and is pursuing an internship at the San Diego Zoo. She wants to broaden her experience in animal conservation before returning to her home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Seen here giving Kimba a treat, Tay said, “I want to be that bridge connecting animals and people.”

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inquiry + innovation

Firearms and Fabric Focus of Young U.S. Miami historian tells story of early leaders grappling with problems not unlike today’s

By Heather Beattey Johnston

As a historian of early American political economy, Lindsay Schakenbach Regele was into Alexander Hamilton before Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway smash Hamilton made America’s first secretary of the treasury cool.

And like Miranda, the assistant professor of history at Miami sees parallels between the challenges America faced in its earliest days and those it faces today.

“We’ve always debated how much role the government does and should have in commerce,” Schakenbach Regele says.

How much should we promote our own manufacturing? How much should we rely upon manufacturing from other places? What is our role in the world in an economic sense? Are we producers? Are we purchasers? Are we both?

As part of the research for her book, Lindsay Schakenbach Regele completed a fellowship at the Library Company of Philadelphia.

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New nation faces old problems In establishing an American government, Hamilton, along with George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and the other early leaders, had to answer all of these questions to enact the first federal policies.

That’s the subject of a book Schakenbach Regele is working on. Specifically, the book — tentatively titled Manufacturing Advantage: War, the State, and the Origins of American Industry, 1776-1848 — examines the development of America’s arms and textile industries through the lens of the geopolitical concerns of the period.

“Once the United States made the bold step to declare itself independent of Britain, it suddenly ran smack into the Old World problems of how to create a state, and how to supply that state, and how to enable that state to wage war against others,” she says.

As part of the research for her book, Schakenbach Regele completed a fellowship at the Library Company of Philadelphia (LCP) during spring semester 2016. Established by Benjamin Franklin in 1731 and located in America’s first capital, LCP holds an extensive collection of rare books, manuscripts, and other material important to scholars.

It’s also geographically close to other holdings of important documents from the period, including those at the University of Pennsylvania’s McNeil Center for Early American Studies, the Historical

inquiry + innovation

Lindsay Schakenbach Regele’s dissertation, on which her forthcoming book is based, was a finalist for the Krooss Prize for Best Dissertation in Business History.

The concern was so great that even Thomas Jefferson, a vigorous proponent of an agrarian economy who opposed state-directed manufacturing of the type advocated by Alexander Hamilton, allowed an exception for government policies encouraging the production of firearms.

When it came to immigration, early federal policy was greatly influenced by a deep desire to catch up to the Europeans.

Schakenbach Regele describes America immediately post-Revolution as a “technological backwater” in desperate need of skilled artisans and people familiar with certain manufacturing techniques. Some of the founders saw a solution in policies that encouraged immigration, she says.

Society of Pennsylvania, and the Hagley Museum, all of which she visited during her tenure at LCP. Immigration seen as solution Far from being settled, many of the issues the founders grappled with have popped up again and again throughout U.S. history. By way of example, Schakenbach Regele points to two of today’s hot-button issues: national security and immigration.

“We don’t think about ‘national security’ in 1780, but that was a very real thing,” she says.

“Even once the war was won against Britain, the government was obsessed by conflicts with Native Americans and domestic insurrections, never mind potential threats from European nations.”

Pistols and cloth put U.S. on map Whatever other consequences there were, early commerce policies successfully raised the profile of American manufacturing, achieving a major goal held by Hamilton, among other leaders. Schakenbach Regele offers the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London as evidence.

“It was this big showcase of manufacturers from different countries,” she says, “and all of a sudden, the United States is starting to be admired for the pistols it has on display and is winning prizes for its fancy, machine-produced cloth.”

These days, Americans are more concerned with threats from religious extremists than from European nations, and the debates about immigration policy tend to be more focused on limiting immigration, rather than encouraging it. Still, Schakenbach Regele says there are lessons to be learned from history.

“I’m not saying that the past necessarily repeats itself. But there is context and nuance in the past that can help us make decisions moving forward.”

By “distilling information from all these different sources and trying to make a coherent, cohesive narrative out of little fragments and competing opinions,” Schakenbach Regele says, historians help illuminate the path forward.

“We don’t think about ‘national security’ in 1780, but that was a very real thing.”

—Lindsay Schakenbach Regele

Heather Beattey Johnston is associate director of research communications in Miami’s Office for the Advancement of Research & Scholarship.

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media matters

Well Played Dave Shedloski ’84 works with Arnold Palmer on his final memoir “He was this giant of his sport and such a popular figure in general, and yet extremely normal — to the point of being abnormal compared to other celebrities and athletes,” says Dave Shedloski ’84, a ghostwriter for widely beloved pro golfer Arnold Palmer. “He was so grounded, which was obviously his upbringing from his father.”

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Although his fans called him The King, golfing great Arnold Palmer hated that nickname, according to Dave Shedloski ’84, who assisted Palmer with his final memoir, A Life Well Played. My Stories.

Shedloski, who talked with the world-famous sportsman for 30 hours throughout the course of a year, said Palmer was embarrassed by his lofty nickname.

The Pennsylvania mountain boy who grew up during the Great Depression preferred to be thought of as an ambassador of the game that he loved so much and played so well. He amassed 92 championships in professional competition nationally and internationally, 62 of those on the U.S. PGA Tour.

“He was not a country club kid,” Shedloski said. “His father was a greenskeeper at a country club, but Arnold didn’t belong to that country club until he bought it.”

A longtime freelance writer based in Columbus who worked with Palmer a number of times, Shedloski

found him generous with his time, patient, and occasionally sarcastic, which might surprise some.

The last time they saw each other was a month before the seven-time major champion died of cardiac complications. The best-selling book was released two weeks later on Oct. 11, 2016.

Among the seven books Shedloski has written or co-written is Memories and Mementos, a collaboration with another golfing legend, Jack Nicklaus. Shedloski and a friend are currently working with Nicklaus on a book that will describe in detail how the six-time Masters champion played the Augusta National.

Palmer often teased Shedloski about being a “Jack guy.”

“Something Arnold told me that I didn’t write about in the book is that he was always a good listener, and he said it was because he thought he was stupid. In reality he was very smart and wanted to know everything he should know about a subject before speaking on it.”

media matters

Angry Waters Douglas Ewan Cameron ’63 W & B Publishers Teenagers Chris “Muddy” Waters and Amish friend Joshua Beiler are caught in the middle. One group wants them to return to Ohio.

The other wants them in trouble with the sheriff so Joshua won’t testify against killers. Complicating matters is the automated release of wild animals from a private zoo.

The Downeaster: Deadly Voyage Paul Thomas Fuhrman ’64 Fireship Press Based on a true historical log of a challenging ’round the Horn adventure in 1872, this novel features authentic depictions of maritime history while developing a love story between a thoughtful yet godless captain and a highspirited feminist Irish nurse.

Going Back to Move Forward John Sponcia ’70 CreateSpace In this fictional tale, author John Sponcia is thrust back to his childhood, arriving in his 1960 neighborhood of Brooklyn at age 64. He is an outsider desperately seeking to reconcile his compelling need to return to an era where he has been unwittingly transported.

We Did What?!

Timothy Jay ’72, editor Greenwood This guide profiles behaviors considered shocking throughout American history, revealing changing social mores and cultural perceptions of appropriate conduct since the Colonial period. What factors dictate decorum and why does it change?

The American Dream, Revisited Gary Sirak ’73 Morgan James Publishing Offering stories from people who overcame adversities to achieve their American Dream, Gary Sirak wants to turn skeptics into believers by way of everyday examples and to instill inspiration and hope that the Dream is still alive.

102 Odd Thoughts to Keep Ordinary Away James Koch ’77 CreateSpace What will archaeologists in the future think of us? Where is heaven? What can I learn from children and cats? Whether playing with words, relating “aha!” moments, or posing metaphors, James Koch shares his odd, entertaining thoughts to inspire you to see beyond the ordinary.

Food Wars: A Noodle of Hope Michelle Eshbaugh-Soha ’94 Crunchy Pillow Ventures Puke Skywalker is a young mutt with a yearning to smell the world.

When he intercepts a message from a furry princess, the Doberman-Yorkie bites off more than he can swallow and ends up at war against the evil Alpha Empire.

Exteriors and Interiors Caleb Husmann MA ’09 (under pen name C. McGee) Roundfire Books In C. McGee’s novel, self-interest leads people to lie, cheat, mock their inferiors, steal from the terminally ill, and hit strangers with clown shoes. In the process, it explores the limits of egotism, the brutality of reflection, and the ramifications of shortsightedness.

Return on Investment: a Novel Magdalena Waz MA ’14 Fiction Attic Press Recent college grad Laurie hires out as a human breast pump, underestimating the devotion she will inspire in new moms.

When her day job sours, she draws a housekeeper, a male bachelorette party babysitter, and a data entry clerk into the business of manufactured intimacy.

NOTED Sanctuary for the Soul

Janice Payt Lacy ’79 This New Age CD offers calming solo piano, piano with cello, and ensemble compositions written and performed by Janice.

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my story

This 14" x 21" ad is in the “Musical Crossroads” exhibit, part of a collection the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture acquired from the Globe Poster Printing Co, which produced most of James Brown’s posters.

MY STORY is a place for you to share reminiscences and observations about everyday happenings.

Submit your essay for consideration to: Donna Boen, Miamian editor, “My Story,” 108 Glos Center, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or Miamian@ MiamiOH.edu. Please limit yourself to 900 words and include your name, class year, address, and home phone number.

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my story

Editor’s note: Tammy Kernodle, professor of musicology at Miami University, wrote the following essay right before the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture opened Sept. 24 in Washington, D.C.

Musical Crossroads

By Tammy Kernodle

When President Obama dedicates the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture this weekend, we will witness history in the making.

When a museum chronicling the experiences of Africans in America was first conceptualized in 1915, few could have dreamed that an African American man would be elected as president. For me, the opening of this museum is very personal as it represents my life coming full circle.

My love for all things history developed during grade school trips to the Smithsonian. Washington, D.C., was only a few hours from my hometown of Danville, Va., but those bus rides felt like I was traveling across the world.

While my friends ran all around the National Mall, I went through all the museums. The Museum of American History was my favorite. I could not get enough of all of the artifacts, the history, and Horatio Greenough’s controversial sculpture, “Washington Enthroned.”

So when I received a letter in 2012 inviting me to serve as a scholarly consultant to the inaugural music exhibit for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, I could not believe it. That summer I began working with a team headed by Dwandalyn Reece, the museum’s curator of music and performing arts. The goal was to construct the exhibit called “Musical Crossroads.”

The experience in a word was surreal and at times challenging. The challenges were primarily related to the difficulty in determining the content of the exhibit. How do you tell the story of the vast and

layered history of black music-making in America from 1619 to present in a limited amount of space?

After all, when you consider all of the facets of African American music, that historical narrative could fill the entire foot space of the museum.

For me, it meant looking at this historical narrative differently. Unlike journal articles and books, the limited space of a museum and the general audience it serves requires that one work from a different methodological approach. One has to be able to present the sometimes complex and insular language of music and its various subcultures in a fashion that the general public will understand.

You also have to determine how the visual, historical, and auditory narrative is going to develop as the visitor walks through the space.

Several questions arose in the process: Does one structure the exhibit according to musical style or genre classifications or do we create an experience that’s centered around key historical events? Do we focus on canonical figures like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Duke Ellington, or Billie Holiday or include lesser known musicians and industry figures that were active in particular regional scenes?

Reece’s vision was that we explore all of these; that the exhibit be as inclusive and diverse as possible. My role was simply to work within her vision to ensure historical accuracy and breadth.

I have no doubt visitors to the museum will be amazed by the collection of artifacts, sounds, and images that encompass the “Musical Crossroads,” as it reveals all of the diversity that has defined black music-making in America.

How do you tell the story of black musicmaking in America in a limited amount of space?

Tammy Kernodle is a professor of musicology and affiliate faculty of American studies, black world studies, and women, gender, and sexuality studies at Miami University. She also serves as media editor of Jazz Perspectives, an international peerreviewed journal devoted to jazz scholarship. She is associate editor of the three-volume Encyclopedia of African American Music.

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MIAMI TEAMS MAKE HISTORY

FOR THE >> GRIDIRON

TURNAROUND With a nail-biting 21–20 come-frombehind win against Ball State, the 2016 Miami football team rewrote NCAA history, becoming the first in college football to end its season at 6–6 after a 0–6 start.

Its Nov. 22, 2016, Tuesday night season-finale victory under the lights at Yager also earned the team a share of the Mid-American Conference East Division title and a ticket to the St. Petersburg Bowl against Mississippi State.

G O R E D H AW K S !

RECORD BOOKS

>> NET DOMINATION At the same time the football team was gaining yards and attention, the volleyball team was generating its own buzz.

Its record-setting 20-match win streak started when it took down Missouri in five hard-fought sets Sept. 3. Momentum and excitement built all that month and next.

By Oct. 27, it had tied a 36-year school record with its 18th consecutive win.

Two days later the team moved into first place in the MAC with a perfect 12–0.

Before a lively crowd, it beat Northern Illinois and established the longest active win streak in all of NCAA Division I. It hit the 20-match mark with a 3-0 victory in Athens against Ohio University Nov. 12. Although that was the end of its streak, the team went on to win the MAC regular season championship and play in the NCAA tournament.

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FLORA STATIONERY Passion. That’s a trait the following three women share. Each of their ideas was born out of a desire to offer others something that would change their lives for the better. For these entrepreneurs, it’s not about the money.

GREAT

IDEA!

BY DONNA BOEN ’83 MTSC ’96

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BLOSSOMS While still in college, twin sisters find a new way to fund scholarships for young women of Kosovo

The summer after her sophomore year, Ashley VanBuskirk ’14 traveled to Kosovo for a rigorous eight-week journalism internship. Wandering around the nation’s capital of Pristina, she pushed herself to find stories in a city where the language and culture were so different from her own.

Although the 20-year-old had eagerly signed up for Miami’s study abroad experience with KosovaLive, she underestimated its challenges.

Then she met Ema, who redefined her understanding of the word “challenge.”

A woman not much older than Ashley, Ema was an on-again, off-again college student. Not by choice.

Three days before returning home to Ohio, VanBuskirk climbed aboard a rickety bus and traveled to Ema’s village, a slow 60 minutes from Pristina. There she met Ema’s mother and three siblings and saw how they lived.

Ema lost her father in Kosovo’s civil war in the late 1990s. His death meant pain and poverty. With no male head of their family, they were unable to collect their inheritance and were forced to live on welfare.

This stirred Ema’s passion to earn a law degree and help fight the injustice her family and others faced. She would go to school for a semester while working full time and then skip a semester so she could earn enough money to return.

At that rate, she estimated it would take her 12 years to finish.

When summer ended, VanBuskirk returned to her own college studies, but she didn’t forget.

“I couldn’t stop thinking of Ema and her story and wanted to help her.

I searched high and low for scholarships and didn’t find anything.”

No one appreciates the significance of scholarships more than VanBuskirk.

Her internship was fully funded by five.

Ashley brainstormed with her twin sister, Victoria, who was studying at Grove City College in Pennsylvania.

The journalism and international studies double major at Miami and the communications major at Grove City crafted a plan. They would create and sell notebooks to fund scholarships for Kosovo women wanting to attend the University of Pristina.

Unfamiliar with business plans and marketing strategies, Ashley enrolled in Brett Smith’s social entrepreneurship class. She wasn’t at all confident in their startup concept, but she decided to present it to Smith ’91.

“In my mind, I was going to walk into his office, tell him my idea, and he was going to say, ‘Yeah, you should just forget about it.’ Instead, he was like, ‘Let’s try it out. You present it to the class and see where it will take you.’ ” Terrified, she made the presentation, and four classmates raised their hands asking to join the team.

Needing to test their idea, they collected $500 through Miami’s Women’s Center and local fundraisers to pay for notebooks designed by art students in Kosovo. The pilot program sold out in two days. Flora Stationery was born.

In the three years since, Flora Stationery has supported close to 50 women with nearly 100 scholarships, paying full tuition, books, schools fees, and even bus fare.

The high number of scholarships in such a short amount of time is possible

Flora Stationery has supported close to 50 women with nearly 100 scholarships, paying full tuition, books, schools fees, and even bus fare.

Ashley VanBuskirk ’14 and her sister decided on floral notebooks as a sustainable way to support scholarships for women in Kosovo.

because of the low cost of education in the southeastern European nation.

Ashley estimates that $150 U.S. covers one semester.

They are also offering English classes for those who are interested.

In another endeavor that the VanBuskirks hope will increase jobs opportunities in the economically

depressed country, they have partnered with three other organizations to launch the Balkan region’s first tuitionfree full-stack coding academy for women. The six-month program currently enrolls 10.

Although the twin sisters are pleased at how it’s progressed, running Flora Stationery hasn’t been all roses.

“In the beginning it was hours of receiving boxes of journals, sitting on my apartment floor, and packaging every single journal,” Ashley says. They even included a hand-written note to each customer.

With all their proceeds going into scholarships and back into the nonprofit organization, both sisters had to look elsewhere for income. Two weeks after graduating, Ashley moved to Texas to work for a Miami alum’s consulting firm, filling Flora orders during evenings and weekends.

Life has changed since those first days.

Thanks to a full-tuition scholarship, Victoria is in Budapest earning a master’s in international relations at Central Flora Stationery has European University. been featured in Woman’sDay as well Named a finalist for as Forbes. To see its Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Class products and hear of 2016, Ashley is now an more stories from its scholarship recipients independent contractor of Kosovo, go to and is partnering with May FloraStationery.com.

Designs in Austin to streamline the production process.

The partnership allows Flora to offer consumers more of what they’ve requested in customized journals.

Admittedly she’s thought of shutting down Flora Stationery during the more taxing times. Invariably, that’s when a scholarship recipient will send an email update and reenergize Ashley.

“The understanding that you are helping other individuals, specifically women, reach different heights of success they would not be able to reach otherwise inspires me.”

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Simple gifts evolve into a thriving handbag business

The first time Jackie and Phillip ordered a large shipment of leather for their budding design business, a semi pulled up outside their Cleveland studio with a box bigger than a refrigerator. Much bigger.

“We’re like, well, how do we get that upstairs?” Jackie recalls. “And the guy who’s delivering it says, ‘I don’t know. I haven’t delivered anything like this before.’ ”

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Photos by Hilary Bovay (this page, left); Susan Price of Suzaran Photography (opposite, left) and Courtney Ryan (opposite, right)

HANDMADE & HEARTFELT

Jackie Conway Wachter ’05 and her husband, Phillip, have learned so much since they sold their first handmade leather purse. Their “accidental business,” as they call it, started humbly. While still dating, they exchanged all homemade Christmas gifts. An artist, he made her mittens from an old jacket and a cutting board; she, a fashion designer, sewed coordinating wool pouches for his sketchbook, pencils, and laptop.

He loved her bags and thought they would look great in leather, so the two went to a local shoe repair shop for supplies and started experimenting in their apartment’s spare bedroom. Soon they were making necklaces, wallets, and other small leather items for fun. Friends and family liked them so much, they asked to buy them.

One friend’s mom even commissioned them to design a present for her daughterin-law. They produced a fringy, Bohemian bag they named The Nicole. Although cute, the style wasn’t for everyone. Jackie wanted to create a more classic, timeless look. The result? The Bellfield Tote.

Named after the street the couple lived on after they were married, it’s still their best-seller at 5,000 orders and counting.

By 2014, they launched a website.

Their fun hobby continued while they worked their 9-to-5 jobs. Jackie, who majored in health studies at Miami, was both a teacher and a stylist, having earned two more degrees, one in fashion design and the other a master’s in early childhood education.

Less than two months later, Country Living magazine asked to feature their bags. “Next thing we know we have oodles and oodles of orders pouring in over the course of a week, hundreds of orders,” Jackie says.

With each bag taking nine hours to put together, they were overwhelmed and facing a six-month backorder. That’s when they hired their first employees, people who have become close friends and believe in their mission — which is to produce high-quality, American-made

GREAT

“

It has not been a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination.

We’ve had pitfalls and we’ve done things that cost us thousands and thousands of dollars.

We have a bit of a theory around here that we don’t embrace failure or even believe in it.” products while providing creative jobs and supporting their community.

“It’s very organic, how it all happened,” Jackie says. “Now we look around and say, wow, how did we get here?”

“Here” is FOUNT, their company that fashions luxury leather bags and accessories.

In a little over three years, it’s grown from a 300-square-foot room to a 5,000-square-foot studio in an old warehouse that looks out on Lake Erie.

They and their staff of 36 enjoy the fabulous fifth-floor view when they find a moment to look up from designing, cutting, and sewing.

They expanded their staff from nine and created a large inventory last summer in anticipation of participating in Cleveland Hustles, a CNBC TV show in which NBA star LeBron James gives aspiring local entrepreneurs a chance to realize their dreams.

One of the show’s requirements was that FOUNT open a storefront in six weeks.

“We’re like, OK, we can do that, no problem,” says Jackie, a charming soul with seemingly endless energy. “Turns

“Now that we are business owners, I feel like I was born for this.

Every day my day just flies by.”

out we had no walls until one week before the storefront opened.”

Also turns out the grand opening was their son’s first birthday. Never daunted by a challenge, Jackie moved Scout’s party to the store where hundreds of family, friends, and guests in ball gowns and tuxes sang “Happy Birthday” to the toddler.

Worried about overhead, Jackie and Phillip never intended to open a brick and mortar store. Now that the first has performed beyond their “wildest dreams,” their goal is to open one a year. Their store in Columbus’ Short North opened March 18. Next year is potentially Atlanta; then Cincinnati; Washington, D.C., or Chicago; LA; and New York. Beyond their handcrafted leather bags and accessories, FOUNT stores feature other madein-the-USA merchandise from artists around the country.

Jackie hopes this means less traveling to trade shows every weekend and more time with their son.

“It has not been a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination. We’ve had pitfalls and we’ve done things that cost us thousands and thousands of dollars.

We have a bit of a theory around here that we don’t embrace failure or even believe in it.”

Optimism is one of her signature traits, along with wearing a hat when she goes out (“It finishes my outfit.”), and carrying a FOUNT purse. Everyone assumes she has one of every kind in every color, but she owns only three because they’re so hard to keep in stock, and she says that’s really all she needs. Two of them are versions of The Bellfield Tote. The third is

IDEA!

The Banjo Bag. Saks Fifth Avenue has contacted FOUNT means an them about that one. abundant source of desirable quality. When Selling at $1,400, The Jackie and Phillip heard Banjo is their high-end that word in an old hymn bag and among their most performed by Sufjan Stevens, they thought it popular. Actor Gwyneth beautiful. “A lot of people Paltrow carries one, as say one of the hardest does LeBron James’ wife. things about starting a business is coming up Chicago Cubs player Ben with a name that fits your Zobrist came into their brand,” Jackie says. “The store and bought one for word FOUNT describes exactly what we’re his wife the day before striving to do, create highthe Cubs won the World quality goods in a quality Series. Only two women work environment. It just felt like it fit our on FOUNT’s team know brand very, very well.” how to craft the circular, For more details, go to made-to-order bag. It’s Fountleather.com. been in several magazines, and British Vogue wants to feature it this spring.

So what ever happened to that first refrigerator-size shipment of leather?

“We borrowed a manual forklift to get it upstairs,” Jackie says. “Our latest order was 12 of those boxes, so we’ve gotten better at it. We’ve also gotten better at requesting that the deliveryman bring it upstairs for us.”

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Running couple comes up with a bright innovation

Thank goodness Renata Storer’s husband fell into a pothole while on an early-morning run. Otherwise, the Storers probably wouldn’t have invented headlights for sneakers.

Truth be told, Doug stumbled on uneven pavement, which he knew was there, since this was one of his usual routes. He just couldn’t see it in the dark.

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Photos by Anna Yanev Photography (left) and courtesy of Renata Storer (right)

LIGHTING THE WAY

“He came in the door and he was limping,” says Renata Rottinger Storer ’84. “I could see that something was wrong, but he was kind of excited.”

When he told her he needed headlights for his sneakers, she laughed a little. OK, a lot, but then she suggested he buy some.

Good idea, except they couldn’t find any for sale.

Soon Renata and Doug were duct taping tiny flashlights to their sneakers and running around their Orlando neighborhood. They wanted to see if lights that low to the ground would do the job.

Despite poor results, they still thought their idea had merit, so they started experimenting with other kinds of lights and clips, including the clip off their garage door opener. They kept at it and finally created a prototype that wouldn’t fall off their shoes.

Both already worked full time for architecture firms, Renata as an interior designer and Doug as a developer. The clip-on light concept took over their evenings, weekends, and kitchen.

Initially, financing for their company came from family and friends. They always had just enough money to take the next step. And there were a lot of expensive steps — the patent process, mechanical design, electrical design, and so on. Off to a fast start after conceiving their idea in January 2013, they obtained a business license only two months later.

They assumed they’d be on the market by the end of that year. It actually took almost 2 ½ years.

“We knew absolutely nothing going into this,” says Renata, who majored in housing and interior design at Miami.

“It was much more work than we had anticipated. So that learning curve, it was a big one.”

A key breakthrough happened when they discovered what fit the right foot didn’t fit the left. Once they adapted their design to a winged arc, they found room for a red tail light as well.

Another pivotal moment came in 2015 when they sought $35,000 through a kickstarter campaign. They took the gamble

“We get up in the morning and we’re energized and excited about what we’re going to do that day, and every day is a little bit different than the day before.”

Soon Renata and Doug were duct taping tiny flashlights to their sneakers and running around their Orlando neighborhood. They wanted to see if lights that low to the ground would do the job. and succeeded, collecting over $43,000, which kept them on track for having a finished Night Runner 270 in their hands and on their shoes by that fall.

Turns out 2016 was an even bigger year.

After a decent opening quarter, they left their day jobs and leapt full time into their company, Doug as CEO and Renata as president of Nighthawk Running.

Then they applied for Shark Tank, an ABC reality show in which entrepreneurs enter the Tank to persuade the Sharks, self-made tycoons, to fund their dreams.

The Sharks, in turn, fight each other for a piece of whichever company they think will succeed and give them a good return on their investment.

Competing with 50,000 other companies for a spot, the Storers figured their chances were slim. They figured wrong. Ecstatic when they found out last September that they were airing two weeks later, they ordered a large quantity of Night Runner. It arrived in 200 boxes, boxes that filled their garage, their living room, their dining room, and part of their kitchen.

“We had a tremendous bump after Shark Tank. I would say we increased about tenfold.”

As for the Sharks, Renata never expected the all-out bidding war. Four of the five fought for a piece of their company. The Storers accepted Robert Herjavec’s offer at $250,000 for 10 percent, with an additional $100,000 loan.

“It was really a great experience being in the tank. They were very good to us,” she says.

To date, they’ve sold 30,000 units, are in all 50 states, about 41 countries, and 55 stores, mostly small, independent, running retailers. They also get out in front

GREAT

IDEA!

of potential customers as much as possible, parDetails about Night ticipating in trade shows Runner 270, from and large race expos. At nightrunner270.com such places, people often • Ultra-lightweight tell them they wish they, LED units (1.5 oz. ) too, could come up with • Secure, multi-position a similarly good idea. shoelace clips that won’t fall off Renata thinks they have it all wrong.

• Water-resistant, high-impact casing “It has to come from • Long-lasting battery a passion or something life up to 6 hours that you feel needs to be • Sleek, unobtrusive done to make a change “wing” design in the world, to make a • Rear-facing red tail change in someone’s life. lights to grab motorists’ It can’t come from the attention idea of making money or • Li-ion rechargeable getting a job.” battery with micro-USB charging port The Storers married • 150 total lumens for not long after they bright night running started down this path •30+ feet of hands-free and honeymooned illumination at a running retail •270 degrees of visibility convention. guaranteed “Because we’ve worked on this together from the beginning, I think it’s been great for our marriage,” she says. “It’s really made us closer. It’s been challenging, but not to our relationship.”

And when they need a break, they race outside — their Night Runner 270s securely clipped to their shoelaces.

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MIAMIANS FOCUS ON THE BIG 3-D PICTURE

BY MARGO KISSE LL

The Virtual Reality’ of Life Winter/Spring 2017

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Three days before the end of the semester, he tested the camera in the December chill. He set up the custombuilt device in the yard of his rented house on West High Street, bundled together the 50 yards of cable from each camera, and ran the cable through a window to his computer. Then, he waited.

“I just remember having a really satisfactory aha moment once I was able to see the images coming out of the camera all stitched together producing 360 video,” recalled Mace, who grabbed his two roommates to tell them he finally got “this crazy thing that had taken over our living room working, so it’s been worth it.” And how.

AIMS PETRI DISH

Austin Mace ’15 couldn’t find an affordable 360-degree video camera. So he built one.

Taking on this project for his senior thesis, the interactive media studies major crafted the six-sided camera frame using a 3-D printer in Miami’s B.E.S.T. (Business, Engineering, Science, and Technology) Library downstairs from his Armstrong Interactive Media Studies (AIMS) program in Laws Hall.

He spent the fall semester tweaking the plastic prototype, going through at least 10 iterations. Finally, he came up with a version that would hold the cellphone cameras plus gadgetry using inexpensive, credit card-size computers.

But, would it work?

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Mace constructed a high-quality 360-degree video camera rig at a time when most 360 cameras weren’t commercially available and didn’t offer the quality of his for capturing immersive video for head mounted displays.

The summer after graduating from Miami, he produced for REDI Cincinnati (which had financed his senior thesis endeavor) a virtual tour of the gentrified Over-the-Rhine neighborhood and other selected sites throughout the city. His tour helped promote Cincinnati to business officials visiting during the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

“We’ve come a long way since then, but it was definitely a good first step,” said Mace, who moved to Austin, Texas, to co-found SubVRsive, a company that creates virtual reality (VR) and immersive experiences for clients. He is chief creative officer.

“He launched his company in a field that didn’t exist when he was a freshman,” said Eric Hodgson MA ’05 PhD ’08, director of Miami’s Smale Interactive Visualization Center and visiting assistant professor in AIMS. As virtual reality goes mainstream — with more media and other businesses using it and families buying the VR headsets — AIMS Director Glenn Platt said it is both exciting and challenging to keep up.

Austin Mace ’15 (above) has retired the camera he made at Miami (right), but he’s still building custom solutions.

Miami faculty are determined to stay on top of where digital technology is causing the greatest change (they call this “disrupting the world”) and help students figure out how to get there, said Platt, C. Michael Armstrong Chair of Interactive Media and professor of marketing at Miami.

The AIMS program strives to be a petri dish, Platt said, that encourages students to grow by experimenting creatively and taking risks. Mace credits that setting and the freedom he and other students enjoy for preparing them well.

“I think we came out of it with being fearless of failure because of that environment.”

HEADS-DOWN FOCUS

Mace turned down “a gazillion job offers from some of the best VR companies in the country” to launch the startup, Platt said. He used seed funding from Austin entrepreneur and angel investor Kenny Tomlin (father of Mace’s classmate Hannah ’15) to co-found SubVRsive with friend Ryan Thomas. Kenny Tomlin is chairman.

Once the business was up and running, Mace reached out to Ken Todd ’91, vice president of video strategy and emerging platform marketing at Showtime Networks. The two had stayed in touch after Mace heard Todd speak to students during a campus visit.

Todd was impressed, saying Mace demonstrated technical expertise and showed his broad knowledge.

“Austin started pitching me business before he graduated,” said Todd, president of the Miami University Alumni Association board of directors last year.

Todd was looking for a Showtime project to incorporate 360 video and found it: the Dec. 5, 2015, Jacobs vs. Quillin WBA Middleweight World Championship boxing match.

Filmed by Mace and Thomas using three cameras including two perched on ring posts, it allowed Showtime to become the first to offer a complete boxing match shot in 360.

The experience gave viewers at home a sense of being inside the arena.

The project was noteworthy for another reason: It earned Showtime and

STILL IN ITS INFANCY, WHAT’S POSSIBLE WITH VIRTUAL REALITY IS THE “GREAT UNKNOWN.” SubVRsive a Sports Emmy nomination in the category of Outstanding Digital Innovation.

Mace, Thomas, and Todd attended the award ceremony in New York City last May. And although FoxSports.com won the category, Mace said being recognized at that level was a surreal experience.

“I think it’s something where the impact of that will probably hit us later down the road professionally because, so far, we’ve just been so heads-down continuing to focus on building the business,” he said.

GREAT UNKNOWN

His company is growing rapidly. It ended 2016 with eight full-time employees. That number was expected to double in the first two months of 2017.

SubVRsive’s client list also is growing.

It has worked with MTV and an ad agency promoting Procter & Gamble’s Downy Unstopables in-wash scent boosters. For the Showtime documentary series The Circus: Inside the Greatest Political Show on Earth, which followed the 2016 presidential campaign, Mace and crew filmed immersive video at both Clinton and Trump rallies to give viewers the feeling of being there.

Everyone is trying to figure out what is possible with virtual reality.

“It’s still in the very early days and everybody is testing and learning right now,” said Todd, noting that good quality VR is essential to prevent viewers from feeling ill.

Added Mace: “A spectrum is starting to emerge beyond traditional media channels of what’s possible, and it’s very much at this point the great unknown.”

At Miami, AIMS is preparing students for that ever-changing three-dimensional landscape. Thanks to generous donations through the years from Mike and Anne

Gossett Armstrong, both 1961 graduates, and John Smale ’49, the program has evolved into a well-respected research and innovation center devoted to visualization and virtual reality.

Its latest recognition came at the 2016 International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare in San Diego when Hodgson and two collaborators at Wright State University were awarded first place for their exhibit “Decontamination Training Delivered Using Virtual Reality.”

The simulation immerses nursing students in a virtual examining room. Putting on an Oculus Rift Head Mounted Display, nursing students learn how to decontaminate a patient who has been exposed to radiation without endangering themselves.

Hodgson and his AIMS students also created a VR simulation for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center newborn intensive care unit (NICU) to train employees for evacuating those vulnerable patients without actually doing so.

The NICU project gave Lauren McKenzie, a senior IMS major and creative writing minor, an opportunity to demonstrate her skills as a 3-D artist. She learned about lowpoly modeling, UV unwrapping, texturing, and even some animation.

“I created the majority of the art assets that are in the simulation, everything from nurses, babies, and equipment to architecture,” McKenzie said. “I tried to make everything as realistic as possible so that when the nurses went through the simulation, everything looked and felt the same as the actual hospital.”

After she graduates in May, McKenzie hopes to become an environmental artist, focusing on creating environments in games.

“It’s really the NICU project that opened that door to me,” she said. “I’ve done and learned quite a bit since then, but it really was my launching point.”

And, like Austin Mace, she is excited about finding where digital technology is shaking up the world so she can be there.

Margo Kissell is a news and feature writer in Miami’s university news and communications office.

f To see Austin’s 360 video, go to tinyurl.com/360-vr-video

ESPORTS

The Hot New Spectator Pastime Another leading-edge project in Miami’s Armstrong Interactive Media Studies (AIMS) program involves esports. That’s short for electronic sports in the form of organized video game competitions with multiple players.

It’s a rapidly growing field that generates Super Bowl-level excitement primarily among the younger population, known to pack arenas to watch professional video gamers compete. The New York Times reported in December that esports revenue is expected to top $1 billion worldwide by 2018, according to market research firm SuperData.

Stelanie Tsirlis ’16 spent fall semester team-teaching a new esports class at Miami that she pitched as her senior capstone project.

“The class gives those students who are thinking about diving into the industry headfirst an opportunity to learn the landscape as well as the history so they don’t go in blind,” said Tsirlis, who graduated in December with a double major in marketing and interactive media services. She has accepted a job as an esports coordinator for game developer Blizzard Entertainment, where she interned last summer.

While at Miami, she served as president of the campus esports club and last year co-founded AllMid, a limited liability company, to shine a spotlight on Midwest gaming and host collegiate tournaments.

She also team-taught a special topics course in interactive media with Phill Alexander, the Heanon Wilkins Faculty Fellow in AIMS .

In addition, the two oversaw the launch of Miami’s varsity esports program last fall, drawing 22 students for four teams. Believed to be the first of its kind at a top tier U.S. university, it gives students an opportunity to focus their talents and passion competing on a team of their choice.

“It is a great way to interface with the industry in places where students might work later,” Alexander said.

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love & honor THE AMAZING RACE MUSF’s 10/10 and 20/20 bike racing event, held during Lil’ Sibs Weekend for many years, was the second largest of its kind in the country, second only to Indiana University’s Little 500, according to the 1990 Recensio. Rounding a corner on Cook Field (right), the Miami Flyers rode to first place in the women’s race. Wrinkled Meat won the men’s competition.

Staying Connected MUSF bridges past, present, and future

“She didn’t get in as a freshman.”

Kym Schroeder Kossanyi ’90 sometimes heard the whispers her senior year when peers in the Miami University Student Foundation (MUSF) quietly discussed their chair’s years of service — or lack thereof — with the organization.

Typically, 300 or so students applied every fall to join the university group, with only a select few chosen after an intensive series of interviews. Kossanyi didn’t survive the cut her first year.

She tried again the next, made it, and spent her sophomore, junior, and senior years with MUSF. “That’s one of my favorite stories,” Kossanyi said.

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Why? Because her persistence brought her back to apply for MUSF, and, because of her MUSF experience, Kossanyi keeps coming back to Miami.

She treasures the time she spent with MUSF, which raises money for scholarships through such campus programs as the Family Weekend auction and brunch.

Its members also recruit prospective students and work with alumni.

During that time, Kossanyi learned the importance of diligence when she and other MUSF staffers made sure all written communication left their office errorfree. She learned attention to detail when MUSF-led tours showed prospective students a day at Miami.

Photo by T. Elliott, 1990 Recensio

By Josh Chapin ’02

love & honor

And she learned how to work toward a common goal, like the annual 20/20 bike race fundraiser. It didn’t matter if someone was leading a committee or moving bales of hay, all played a significant role.

“It was a ton of work, but it was also a ton of fun.”

As she rose through the ranks from junior recruitment co-chair on the steering committee to MUSF’s top spot, she learned something else — a lifelong love for Miami.

“It opened up a world of opportunity to meet interesting people who have been very successful and share a passion and love for Miami,” said Kossanyi, the senior innovation manager at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati.

“It’s important to make sure it’s not just four years.

There are so many opportunities to keep the university community connected,” she said. “Some of my most rewarding friendships have actually happened years after I ‘left’ Miami, but it’s with fellow Miamians I’ve come to know.”

Learning the 3 T’s David Budig ’84 is another former MUSFer inspired to remain involved with Miami after graduation.

Both Kossanyi and Budig have served as president of the Miami University Alumni Association, and Budig, a current member of the board of trustees, chaired the board in 2015 and 2016.

During his tenure with MUSF, he worked with prospective, current, and past students. He also helped with the campus tours, the 20/20 bike race, and Alumni Weekend.

MUSF has been a staple on Miami’s campus since its start in 1972.

“MUSF taught me leadership organizational skills, business leadership skills, and structure skills. It helped tremendously in terms of moving forward in my professional career,” said Budig, president of Parsec Inc., an intermodal transportation company headquartered in Cincinnati.

“I had several job offers simply because of how well MUSF was known by people coming onto campus recruiting,” he said. “Some of those leadership skills I learned from MUSF were instrumental in allowing me to have a job right out of college.”

Helping with telethon calls and alumni relation events gave him a unique perspective. Budig saw firsthand that giving back to Miami wasn’t just about donations. Time and talent were equally important.

“That is a critical, critical part of what MUSF taught me,” he said. “There is nothing wrong with giving back, and giving back doesn’t always mean treasure.”

Lifelong memories Current MUSF member Tessa Wadsworth was encouraged to join as a freshman by her brother, Marc ’14, then a senior and the group’s executive chair at the time.

A chemistry major who graduates in May, Tessa followed her big brother’s lead and served as executive chair last semester. Wanting to focus on member involvement, she built a strong executive board.

She previously was co-vice president of membership and enjoyed recruiting new members and planning retention programs.

Current MUSF programs include #MUThankU, which raises awareness of private donors; and the Chicago bus trips, which provide transportation to the Windy City during most major university breaks.

Proceeds go to incoming-student scholarships.

“Overall, we strive to fulfill needs on campus while accomplishing our motto: helping students past, present, and future,” Wadsworth said.

Budig was reminded of his own MUSF past recently.

One of his favorite stories from his time as MUSF chair was a presentation to the trustees. College football legend Ara Parseghian ’49, a cornerstone of Miami’s famed “Cradle of Coaches,” was on the board at the time.

A few days after the presentation, Parseghian sent Budig a letter wishing him success and reminding him of the importance of staying involved with Miami.

Thirty-two years later it was Budig’s turn. He was operating in his role as chair of the board of trustees, and Parseghian was receiving the President’s Medal during Greg Crawford’s inauguration as Miami’s 22nd president. Budig shared his vivid recollection of Parseghian’s letter with the famed coach.

“Talk about lifelong memories that MUSF provided,” Budig said. “That was one of them.”

Profits generated from events sponsored by the Miami University Student Foundation are folded back into the MUSF Scholarship Endowment, its interest financing eight $2,500 scholarships each year. Since its start in 1972, MUSF has awarded over $600,000 in scholarships.

Josh Chapin ’02 is assistant director of editorial services in Miami’s university advancement division.

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class notes

Photo from Miami University Libraries

Students in 1966 participate in the Book Brigade, carting items from old Alumni Library to the new King Undergraduate Library. Staff and students moved 35,000 books in one weekend.

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class notes

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Russell E. Griffith Jr. ’49 MA ’50 and Marilyn Marie

Kauff Griffith ’66 celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in Sarasota, Fla., in September 2016. Rusty, a retired Miami zoology professor, and Marilyn, a retired elementary school teacher in the Talawanda district, enjoyed their special day with a large family contingent from across the country.

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Charles Ware Sr. and his

wife, Alice, were featured in their local Chillicothe, Ohio, newspaper on Veterans Day this past November for their family’s legacy of military service. Four generations have served or are serving in the armed forces. Charles had enrolled in college classes when he was drafted in 1945 and served in the Army for two years, training in the Philippines.

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Dorothy Ruppelt Bradley, at age 86, is a published author for the first time. In her children’s book, Woofus and the Reindeer, a lonely but friendly little dog enters a stable and is surprised to see Santa and his reindeer. Woofus watches the reindeer throughout the year as they prepare the presents. On Christmas Eve, when Santa can’t use his sleigh, Woofus saves the day. Dorothy was inspired to write after winning a decorated doghouse at a benefit auction for the Daytona Beach Symphony Guild. She moved to Daytona from Ohio after teaching for 30 years.

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Carl Lindbloom ’54 MArch

’58 of Frederick, Md., recently completed his memoir, My Fading Memory, of the Lindbloom and Olson families, 1897-2016. The memoir begins with the arrival of his parents and grandparents to America (father from Sweden in 1906 and

mother from Norway in 1905), and their life in the Upper Peninsula, Mich., and Duluth, Minn. It follows his family life during the Great Depression, adventures as a Miami student (1949-1958), his career as a city planning consultant, and more recent family tales. ¶ William Stewart, MD, a neurosurgeon, was a professor of clinical neurosurgery at the State University of New York in Syracuse.

In addition to authoring clinical research papers and lecturing around the world on the prognosis of the functional outcome of head trauma, he was a captain in the Navy, spending his active duty years as a surgeon aboard the USS Repose in Vietnam.

He belonged to several national and international societies and worked to maintain high standards of medical practice during his 20 years as a member of the New York State Board of Professional Medical Conduct. He also served on a Project Hope mission in Nigeria where he started a teaching hospital in Ile-Ife and later worked in the Mujahedeen field hospitals during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

He ended his practice in Syracuse at age 79 and retired with his wife of 55 years, Nancy, to Sanibel Island, Fla.

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Ellen Plummer Buerk has

retired from her Oxford pediatric medical practice after nearly 40 years. For an article in the Hamilton Journal-News, she told writer Bob Ratterman ’71, “I took care of most of the people in town.

I’ve been very lucky.” Bob wrote that her practice has been involved in a national program of well-child testing, she’s promoted legislation to screen for deafness at birth, and she’s also pioneered the Reach Out and Read program, which provides books for young patients to encourage reading.

See photo in online Miamian class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

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During its 50th anniversary, Miami University Middletown is honoring Lynn Darbyshire ’65 MEd ’67 by naming its basketball court after him. The court in the Bennett Recreation Center is being redesigned, with new painting and finishing, bleachers to comply with ADA regulations, and portable backstops.

Lynn, who retired 22 years ago, served as dean of student affairs, athletic director, coach, community member, and founding member of the Ohio Regional Campus Conference in his 30 years with Miami. He led the men’s basketball team to a 134-70 record during his decade as Middletown’s head coach, with a state tournament championship and a conference championship. He and wife Stefanie Mosley Darbyshire ’66 MEd ’82 have two children and nine grandchildren.

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Michael Gmoser has been re-elected Butler County prosecutor for another four-year term.

Miami is in Butler County.

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Attending Bruce Downey’s annual golf outing last year were Tom Duck, Gil Short, Bonnie Short, Tom McKnight ’70, Bo Walter, Mike Leadbetter (Otterbein ’69), Russ Savage ’70, Bruce, and Jim Boswell.

SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE Please send news of your life to: Donna Boen, Miamian, 108 Glos Center, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or Miamian@MiamiOH.edu.

Include your name, class year, address, and phone number.

For more class news, go online to MiamiAlum.org/ Miamian.

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Reunion ¶ Bob Frazier came to Miami on an NROTC scholarship during the height of anti-Vietnam protests. In MS Ops Research from USNPS, he retired as a commander in the Navy after six years in active and 14 years in reserve. He moved to Houston for IT in oil & gas.

Then spent 30 years at a local electric utility ending as senior director of future electric technologies. Retired from full time, he’s now “very” part time as board chief strategist for a

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class notes

non-Jewish phenomenon permeating urban centers of the Roman Empire.”

Rueve, Bob Davidson, and PJ Nupp

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Ruth Ogle Kotek of

Hattie Garner Immel ’32 couldn’t believe it when all these Miamians, who live within two blocks of each other in Germantown, Ohio, happened to be home all at the same time. She got everyone together for a chat about her beloved Miami: (l-r, from back) Kristy Brown ’99, Julie Russell Smith ’84, Shannon Bruner Longman ’93, Dolores Anslinger Grunwald ’54, Hattie, Wes Weidle ’13, and Debbie Smith Weidle Rieger ’79 MEd ’09.

consulting firm. He’s active in many volunteer organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, Boy Scouts, Galveston Bay Preservation, and Naval history remembrance. He and wife Melissa have two grown sons. ¶ Steve Wilson, a retired Lebanon, Ohio, banker and recent Miami trustee, was chosen by the Ohio Senate Republicans to fill an open statehouse seat in the 7th Senate District and finish out the term through 2018.

Steve retired in 2015 as CEO of Lebanon Citizens National Bank.

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Linda Fuller-Cross and Dawn

Keays Forry, Zeta Tau Alpha Big Sis and Lil Sis, recently enjoyed a reunion in Lexington, Ky. They hadn’t seen each other in more than 30 years.

Dawn is married to Dan Forry ’72.

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Paul Duff ’74 MS ’76, a pro-

fessor of religion at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., has a new book coming out later this year, Jesus Followers in the Roman Empire (Eerdmans Publishing, November 2017). In a summary, the publisher states, “Duff’s narrative shows how the rural Jewish movement led by Jesus developed into a largely

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Naperville, Ill., sent in a note and photo taken last July in Denver at the wedding of Sandy Mazarakis’ daughter. In the photo, which you’ll find in the online Miamian, are Ken Kotek ’76, Sandy, Annette Lechleidner, Ruth, and Carla Hupp Kennedy. Friends since freshman year in Dodds Hall, Annette, Carla, Ruth, and Sandy enjoy traveling together annually. One of their trips took them to Finland to visit Ken and Ruth when Ken was on a three-month assignment in Helsinki.

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Bradley Gottfried PhD ’76

has written five map books so far in the Savas Beatie Military Atlas Series. His latest, The Maps of the Wilderness, which includes 120 full-page color maps, refers to the Wilderness Campaign that took place in Virginia in early May 1864. It was the first time Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant was in command of a battle in the Eastern Theater and also the first time Grant and Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee faced each other. Brad, who has been president of the College of Southern Maryland for 16 years, plans to retire in June and concentrate on writing books.

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Steve Maurer, Dave Peckenpaugh, Dan Derringer, Bruce Maclachlan,Tim

Reunion ¶ Jeff Later ’79 sent in this note: “Miami alums gather all over the world for various reunions, but the one at Lake Diane in southwest Michigan in August 2016 has a unique story behind it. In the fall of 1973 a great group of guys met in Symmes Hall in what was the start of a lifelong friendship. Hal Reed, Marc Miller, Jay Lieberman, Steve Bitto, Steve Lavin, Mike Malady, Rick Hock,

were all randomly assigned to the East Quad dorm and became great friends.

They stayed together sophomore year at Swing, Hahn, or Flower, and then the last two years all resided at Hahn Hall in the same wing. What are the odds of that?

Was there even a computer selection process then? Whatever the selection, it sure worked well for this group that is approaching their 40th reunion. As the group moved to Hahn Hall, it expanded with new friends like Jay Douglass, Jeff Faught, Mark Leaverton, and Jeff Later ’79. During the Hahn Hall years, three of the guys made friends that led to Miami Mergers: Kelly Reardon Reed, Bobby Ruyle Malady, and Marie Wilson Peckenpaugh. What is the percentage of Miamians who meet in their freshman dorms and stay together four years and as lifelong friends? While a portion of the group met in August, the email chain is alive and well for a larger turnout during the 40th reunion year.” ¶ Gary Crouch has published his 100th article. “It has been a long time since my first payment for publication. It was $5 for a funny anecdote I sold to the Cincinnati Enquirer Magazine.”

One of his first interviews was with Hamilton native Joe Nuxhall for the Miami Student.

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John Coffield was elected Shelby County treasurer Nov. 8, 2016. This is his first foray into public office. He retired as vice president from JPMorgan Chase in March 2015 after a 37-year career in banking with Bank One and Chase. He is a 38-year member of the Kiwanis Club of Sidney and lieutenant governor for Division 3. He also serves on the board of directors for the Shelby County Board of Developmental

class notes

Disabilities, Raise the Roof for the Arts, and the Shelby County Counseling Center. He is a central committee member for the Shelby County Republican Party. ¶ Deborah Hagan, bureau chief for the Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, was honored last June at the University of Dayton Law School as the 2016 Distinguished Alumnus. In November 2012, she received the U.S. Department of Justice Distinguished Service Award.

In February 2012, Debby was praised during a C-Span-covered discussion of the National Mortgage Joint StateFederal Settlement. She wrote much of the language of the law, signed by 49 of the 50 state attorneys general. ¶ Ted Torbeck, CEO of Cincinnati Bell, and wife Peggy were honored by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association with the Heart of the City Award at the 2017 Heart Ball in Cincinnati Feb. 25.

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Paul Heinauer MBA ’79

is president and CEO of Glasspro, automotive glass repair stores in South Carolina he started 21 years ago. In a Q&A with Charleston’s Post and Courier, he was asked his biggest success as a leader. “I believe it is my accessibility. All of our employees know Glasspro’s goal is to ‘delight’ every customer. Unfortunately, we sometimes miss the mark. However, in each store there’s a sign that says, ‘We will never be too big to have an unhappy customer,’ and below it is my name and cell phone number.”

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Ann Sutton Burke, director

of Aging and Caregiver Services for Jewish Family Service in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, was honored as Outstanding Leader in the Field of

Aging 2016 by the Association for Professionals in Aging. ¶ Jack Greiner, a Cincinnati attorney, assisted in the preparation of a podcast produced by the Cincinnati Enquirer called “The Accused.” It details the unsolved 1978 murder of Miami graduate Elizabeth Andes ’78. The podcast has been downloaded over 4 million times and has been recognized as a top podcast of 2016 by a number of publications.

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Greg Irwin of Hamilton, Ohio, continues to promote finger fitness and hand health. He has a new book, Finger Fitness: New Frontier, and website, handfitness.com.

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Reunion ¶ James Hooper is the new curriculum director for Greenville (Ohio) City Schools, hired to help the district meet state standards and improve its state report card grades. ¶ Nina Marsoobian Marifian MEd ’82 was among 100 St. Louis-area educators who received an Emerson Excellence in Teaching award Nov. 13, 2016. Recipients were selected by their schools’ administration to honor their accomplishments and steadfast dedication to the teaching profession.

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Joe Weigman, chaplain of

the Sacred Heart Home in Oregon, Ohio, was featured in the Toledo Blade, explaining how his MS has strengthened his faith. He was diagnosed in 1991 with multiple sclerosis while studying to become a priest. He served until MS forced him to retire in 2004. Now he is at Sacred Heart as a resident as well as chaplain. He told religion editor TK Barger, “I’ve always been an optimist, and I don’t see this as the dead end that some people, maybe some priests, would see it as. I really try, try, try,

See photo in online Miamian class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

try to see it as an invitation and an opportunity I have that other people just don’t have.”

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Cortland, Ohio, dentist Joseph Bedich is the 2017 president of the Corydon Palmer Dental Society, the local component of the Ohio Dental Association and the American Dental Association.

It represents member dentists in Trumbull, Mahoning, and Columbiana counties. Joe operates The Center For Progressive Dentistry. ¶ Julia Rea Bianchi, board chair of the Greater Miami and the Keys American Red Cross Chapter, is leading the organization through its 100th year of service in the South Florida community in 2017. As chair, she and 26 board members support its mission to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies. A professional marketing, special events, and communication consultant, she also is vice president of Blue Chip Kids, which focuses on promoting financial literacy and awareness to kids and parents. ¶ Michael McCormick, managing partner with McCormick & Friman, was selected for inclusion in the Top Attorneys of North America

Kathleen Huddy Sperduto ’82 returned to the Oxford campus last fall. “After 30 years, I was able to finally visit Miami again last weekend with my sister, Bernadette Huddy Geis ’89, and my niece, Maddy Geis ’18. I had a wonderful time. Everything was as I expected, plus new things too! The Armstrong Center was jaw dropping and the Rec Center and hockey rink were amazing!”

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class notes

“Today’s student needs to be sold on the lesson.”

—Brian Gross ’90 c0-author of Selling Education and Educating Sales: Tying It All Together

2017 edition. His focus is corporate law, tax and estate planning, asset protection planning, tax litigation, and audit defense. ¶ Kathleen Moore has joined TriVista as director of marketing, focusing on all aspects of internal and external marketing, public relations, social media, and events.

She has an MBA from Wright State University and will complete an MPS at George Washington University in May. She is based in TriVista’s Troy, Ohio, office. ¶ Cynthia Hoppin Shuler had her artwork on display at the Waccamaw Neck Branch Library in the Litchfield community of Pawleys Island, S.C., last fall.

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John Armitage has written Bringing Numbers to Life: LAVA and Design-Led Innovation in Visual Analytics. His book presents the context, process, and results of a multiyear investigation, initially at Business Intelligence software provider BusinessObjects and later at business software giant SAP, into how computing technology can better enable people to discover and make sense out of the numbers that impact them. A strategic digital product designer and design practice leader, John works in the enterprise software arena with user experience design teams at Peoplesoft, BusinessObjects, SAP, and Host Analytics.

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Mike Kondalski, writing

under his pen name, Berlinda Wall, has published The Crown Is Mine. At the start of the book, Tyler is a young, handsome gay man from a small town in Georgia.

Looking to escape his overly religious mother and a dead-end job, he moves to Atlanta and settles into his new life with best girlfriend, Marjorie, in an apartment with a view and a new job

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at an upscale hotel. Tyler finds a social life, but his dating life is a disaster, so he signs up to compete in the Miss Club Cabaret, a fundraiser/drag pageant, and becomes obsessed with winning. The strain of the competition takes a toll on his relationships as well. At The Crown Is Mine book release party, Mike and friends hosted a fundraiser and collected $406 for Lost-N-Found Youth, a gay homeless children’s charity.

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Reunion ¶ Doug Davidson has joined GBQ in its Columbus office as a director in the business technology group. He works with business leaders and executives to assess and improve information security programs. He also advises information security and compliance leadership in larger enterprises focusing on control assessment and improvement in areas such as security leadership, policy and procedure, security awareness, third-party risk management, and compliance. Prior to GBQ, Doug was president and CEO of Jacadis, a Columbus-based information security and information risk management firm. ¶ Joan Linkenhoker Lewis has been appointed to The Oneida Group’s board of directors. Joan spent nearly three decades with Procter & Gamble, most recently serving as SVP consumer and market knowledge, media transformation, and brand building reinvention. The Oneida Group (formerly EveryWare Global) is recognized for providing quality tabletop and kitchen solutions through its consumer, foodservice, and specialty channels. ¶ Tom Snape of Bright, Ind., is the new program director at the Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF), managing grant and scholarship programs. He works with area not-for-profit organizations

seeking grants and with each of the Dearborn County school corporations, area colleges and postsecondary institutions, students, and parents to raise awareness of scholarships and educational grants available through the foundation. He comes to DCF from Register Publications, Lawrenceburg, where he was an advertising sales representative. He has spent a vast portion of his professional life as the news and sports director at Indiana radio stations WRBI-FM in Batesville, WSCH/WXCH-FM in Lawrenceburg/ Versailles, and WJCP-AM in North Vernon. Tom is the father two of sons. ¶ Tracy Thomas, professor of law at the University of Akron School of Law for 18 years and director of the Center for Constitutional Law, has written a new book, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Feminist Foundations of Family Law. The book examines Stanton’s views on women’s equality in marriage, divorce, domestic violence, childcare, and other family issues. By weaving together law, feminist theory, and history, Tracy explores Stanton’s little-examined philosophies on and proposals for women’s equality in marriage, divorce, and family, and reveals that the campaigns for equal gender roles in the family that came to the fore in the 1960s and ’70s had 19th century roots.

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Matt Kemper is the new head football coach at Roswell (Ga.) High School. Named the North Georgia Touchdown Club’s 2016 Coach of the Year, he had been head coach at Johns Creek. An Ohio native who played football at Miami, he went to Georgia in 2008 to become head coach at Pope in Marietta. ¶ Brian Philips, president and CEO of FedEx Office, was featured in the JanuaryFebruary 2017 D CEO. In a Q&A with

class notes

the magazine for North Texas executives, he said that in crisis situations, it’s best to take a breath and slow things down. As for his hobby, he loves to deep-sea fish in the Florida Keys.

Getting certified to scuba-dive is on his bucket list. ¶ Marie Ramagli sent in a note and photo: “Recently, our sorority planned a reunion! This group of women met in St. Joseph, Mich., for a weekend of memories and fun.

Miami Zeta Tau Alpha Sisters pledging from 1981-1992 reunited for a weekend walking down memory lane!” At the reunion were Kris Cook Lindsey, Tammy Shepardson, Viki Friedman Rivkin, Jackie Betts Hudnell, Lauri Maloney Stiles, Cindy Williams, Chris Sauerland Scruggs, Monica Dibblee Lockie, Marie Ramagli, Chrisy Howard Stives, Lisa Cramer Dierbeck, Susan McCartney Hale, Laurie Wangerin, Jodie Cregier Nettelhorst, Tienne

Cregier Grunenwald, Sue MacCarthy Diemer, and Lorraine Holley Jones.

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Jane Cronin is senior vice president – corporate controller for Sherwin-Williams in Cleveland. ¶ Married: Amy George and Ken Aldridge, Sept. 24, 2016, in Chicago. Ken is chairman of Aldridge Electric, a nationwide electrical infrastructure company based in Libertyville, Ill. Amy and Ken co-chaired JDRF Illinois’ Annual One Dream Gala Dec. 10 at McCormick Place; they helped raise a record $4.7 million to fund a cure for diabetes. “In my role as co-chair, I photographed children and adults with Type 1 Diabetes, and we asked them what a cure would mean to them,” Amy writes. “The resulting ‘ads’ were used to promote the event.” ¶ John Granger PhD ’89 will retire at the

end of this school year as superintendent of Edon (Ohio) Northwest Local Schools. He has served almost 40 years as a teacher, principal, and superintendent. He plans to enjoy his farm in Edgerton, one mile outside of the school district, hunt, fish, and spend time with family.

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Melissa Lepley Coudeyras

has been selected for the city of Castle Pines, Colo., City Council. Melissa owns her own business, Yes You Can! Professional Organizing. She also serves as the Parent Community Association president of Rocky Heights Middle School and docent at Cherokee Ranch and Castle. She lives in Castle Pines with her husband, Cmdr. James Coudeyras, USN, retired, and sons, Alex and Austin. ¶ Brian Gross, a teacher, has written Selling Education and Educating Sales:

V IS IT M IA M IA LU M .O R A LU M G/ N IW E EKEN D FOR MORE D E TA IL S !

J U N E 8 –1 1 , 2 0 1 7 • OX F O R D, O H

ALUMNI WEEKEND O N E M I A M I . O N E W E E K E N D.

See photo in online Miamian class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

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his three children, and they moved to Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Margaret is named after Marcia’s mother. Margaret’s 6-year-old brother, Sebastien, chose her middle name. ¶ Janet Steele PhD ’91 has moved from her most recent position as chair of the biology department to associate dean for the College of Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. She remains chair of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee and director of the Institutional Review Board.

Emily Rupp ’91 and David Crossgrove ’92 attended the Asia Pacific Middle East Africa (APACMEA) finance conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, for Edelman, the world’s largest public relations firm. David is the worldwide corporate controller for Edelman and Emily is the CFO of the APACMEA region.

They grew up as neighbors and friends in Archbold, Ohio.

David lives in Wilmette, Ill., with his wife, Kim, and their three children. Formerly the U.S. CFO, Emily calls Chicago home base. She is on a twoyear assignment in Hong Kong with Edelman.

Tying It All Together with Chuck Thokey, a sales professional. The guide offers readers insights to help educators teach and sell their products (lessons) to their young clients and encourages sales professionals to educate rather than manipulate their clients. “The issue is that today’s student needs to be sold on the lesson instead of the expectation of learning something because the teacher ‘said so,’ ” Brian explains. “Sales professionals also need to understand how to educate instead of using hard sales techniques.

This is true especially because of new technology which enables any customer the ability to obtain most of their information about a product from the Web before the sales pitch even begins.” ¶ Mark Thom is the new CEO of MiTek Industries of Chesterfield, Mo., a global supplier of software, engineered products, services, and equipment to the residential, commercial, and industrial construction sectors.

91

Born: to Eric Peiffer and Marcia, Margaret Joy “MJ,” Nov. 5, 2016. Eric is managing director, capital markets at KeyBank in Cleveland. After Eric and Marcia married Feb. 7, 2015, Marcia adopted

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Reunion ¶ J.P. Ducro IV was elected Ashtabula County commissioner Nov. 8, 2016. He took office Jan. 2, 2017. J.P. has served as president of council for the city of Ashtabula since 2001, having been elected to a second term in 2015. He continues to operate his 163-year-old family business, Ducro Funeral Services and Crematory, as a fifth-generation funeral director and, along with his wife, Peggy, raise daughters, MaryCate, Lizzie, and Sara. ¶ Jeffrey Schultz of Atlanta, CFP and managing director of Schultz Wealth Management of Raymond James, was selected as a member of the University’s Athletic Director’s Circle. The circle provides input, guidance, and support to Miami University’s athletic director in structuring and maintaining a broad-based, nationally competitive NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic program that supports the development of studentathletes. Jeff is an avid supporter of the athletic program and looks forward to serving his three-year term.

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Todd and Barbara Burns

Riggs adopted their 6-month-

old son, Henry, July 28, 2016. He joins big brothers Justin, Andy, and Charlie in Sylvania, Ohio, where Todd is a State Farm agent. ¶ E.J. Wunsch is general

counsel and secretary at Wendy’s Co. and a member of the senior leadership team. E.J. joins Wendy’s from Procter & Gamble, where he spent the past 17 years in legal roles, his most recent assignment as vice president and general counsel of Procter & Gamble’s North America business as well as leading the company’s global antitrust and mergers and acquisitions practices.

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Jeff Aluotto ’94 MEn ’95

is the Hamilton County administrator. He had been interim since April 2016. Jeff served as assistant county administrator for the past 10 years. He was also a program manager for the Hamilton County Solid Waste District, an environmental specialist for the city of Oxford, and a staff environmentalist for Butler County. ¶ Matthew Betley has published his second novel in the Logan West series, Oath of Honor. In this edgeof-your-seat thriller that moves from a resurgent Russian threat in the Aleutian Islands to North Korean spy ships, former Marines Logan West and John Quick, now members of an FBI special task force, are sent to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to investigate the possible presence of a Russian black ops team on a mission to steal the United States’ next-generation technology.

The resulting violent confrontation triggers a global search for the stolen technology. After graduation, Matt worked in corporate America in Cincinnati before joining the Marine Corps. He spent 10 years as a Marine officer and was trained as a scout sniper platoon commander, an infantry officer, and a ground intelligence officer. ¶ Robert Kelly is a highly respected associate professor of international relations at Pusan National University in Busan, Korea. He is also the father to two young ones, Marion, 4, and James,

class notes

8 months. Millions have now met his children and wife, Kim Jung-a, or at least seen them after a video of his live interview with the BBC went viral. First his daughter burst into his home office, curious to see the person he was talking to. Seconds later his son rolled in via his baby walker. Then mom rushed in to get them out, but the walker got stuck in the door. ¶ Damon Williams, an author, innovator, and global leader in critically thinking about diversity and change management, spoke at SUNY Oswego’s December commencement.

As part of an ongoing effort to build diversity capacity in higher education, he authored A Matter of Excellence: Strategic Diversity Leadership and Accountability in Higher Education.

Damon, who has served as educator, consultant, and speaker to more than 300 institutions worldwide, won the 2013 Inclusive Excellence Award for Leadership from the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education. The same year he became senior vice president of programs, training, and youth development for Boys & Girls Clubs of America. ¶ Craig Weiss is the new chief operating officer of True Influence, a leading account-based marketing and technology company. In this role, he plays an integral part in expanding the company’s footprint into new markets in Europe and Latin America. A market leader in B2B targeting and innovative fact-based account marketing, its clients include Google, IBM, Time Warner, and Oracle.

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Jill Wentland Hartmann

is vice president, market development and distribution communications at Ohio National Financial Services in Montgomery, Ohio. In her new role, she assumes responsibility for Next Markets development, field

awards and recognition, and incentive meeting management in addition to her current oversight of distribution communications and recruiting and industry awareness campaigns. ¶ Barry Huckeby has joined the coaching staff of Saginaw Valley State University’s men’s basketball team.

He comes to University Center, Mich., after serving as associate head coach of the Northwood University men’s basketball program for six seasons. His wife, Jennifer, is an elementary teacher and they have three sons — Jackson, Bryson, and Wilson. ¶ Married: Cynthia Serb and Michael Bauman, Oct. 21, 2016, in Atlanta, Mich. Cindy is an executive assistant at Brown Gibbons Lang & Co. Michael is an environmental compliance specialist at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. They live in Bay Village, Ohio.

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Reunion ¶ Michael Chaney, an associate professor of English at Dartmouth College, has a new book, Reading Lessons in Seeing: Mirrors, Masks, and Mazes in the Autobiographic Graphic Novel. In this study of autobiographic comics, Michael illustrates that in form and function they inform readers on how they ought to be read. He analyzes the embedded lessons in comics and graphic novels through the form’s central tropes: the iconic child storyteller and the inherent childishness of comics in American culture; the use of mirrors and masks as ciphers of the unconscious; embedded puzzles and games in otherwise story-driven comic narratives; and the form’s self-reflexive propensity for showing its work. ¶ Scott and Rebecca Kreitzer Gaier of Tampa, Fla., and their children, Jenna, 11, and Anderson, 8, visited Miami’s Oxford campus during the Thanksgiving holiday last year. “We truly enjoyed

See photo in online Miamian class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

it. We are excited as next year will be the 20th reunion,” wrote Scott, who recently joined MDxHealth as senior executive director Managed Care and Government Access. ¶ John Kovac has been promoted to executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Cox Automotive, a leading provider of digital marketing, software, financial, wholesale, and e-commerce solutions for the automotive industry. A 17-year Cox veteran, he will focus on continuing the domestic and international development of the Cox Automotive brand, which touches three out of four vehicle transactions in the U.S. and Canada.

John, one of the founding employees of Autotrader.com, leads more than 400 global marketing team members responsible for more than 25 brands. ¶ Carlos Rivero is managing director in the energy investment banking group for Guggenheim Securities, the investment banking and capital markets division of Guggenheim Partners. He focuses on advising companies in the midstream and oil and gas sectors. ¶ Molly Bresnen Zuckerberg has joined Sibcy Cline as a realtor in the Kenwood, Ohio office. She is a member of the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors as well as the Ohio and National Associations of Realtors. Molly is also active in Mariemont Preschool Parent Group, East Side Moms, AOVCincinnati Arts & Antiques Festival (Design Cincinnati), and Mariemont PTO. She lives in Mariemont with her husband, Adam, and their children.

SAVE THE DATE Homecoming is Sept. 15-16, 2017, when the RedHawks take on the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Family Weekend is Oct. 6-8, 2017, with Miami football challenging Bowling Green.

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Graham Kalbi MArch ’98 was

in the Cincinnati Enquirer discussing New Republic Architecture, which he founded in 2014 after working for 14 years in the industry locally at CR Architecture & Design. He told reporter Bowdeya Tweh MBA ’15 that his firm has been growing its portfolio and

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“People want to spend disposable income on experiences rather than features in their latest pad.”

—Graham Kalbi ’98

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reputation with residential projects in Oakley and is now working on projects downtown and in Mount Adams, Over-the-Rhine, and Clifton Heights.

When Bowdeya asked about trends driving residential design today, he said, “People want to spend disposable income on experiences rather than features in their latest pad.” ¶ Lisa Nagel is general counsel and executive director of labor relations at Owens Community in Toledo. She oversees all legal matters related to the college, including litigation, employee and labor relations, and coordination and administration of contracts. ¶ Born: to Matthew and Jessica Lineberger Studebaker ’00, Nicholas Allen, Nov. 16, 2016, joining big brother Jonathan, 2. Matt is an accountant at Zimmerman, Boltz & Co. Jessica is a director of communications for the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. They live in Columbus.

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Married: Michele Carpinteri and Tony Merlino, Jan. 17, 2016, in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Michele is a literacy coach for Boston Public Schools, and Tony is in sales. They live outside of Boston. ¶ Rita Hechmer of Hilliard, Ohio, is director of digital marketing for the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation. She is responsible for its online community-building activities including content marketing, membership engagement, and sales, and for design of Web and print materials. She has been employed by Farm Bureau since 2007 as a marketing specialist.

Ohio Farm Bureau is the state’s largest farm and food organization. Its mission is to forge a partnership between farmers and consumers. ¶ Chad McQuade, JD, CLU, a wealth management adviser, was honored by Northwestern Mutual for his commitment to helping clients plan for and achieve financial security with membership in the company’s

2016 Forum Group, which recognizes company leaders who have eclipsed specific milestones in 2016. Chad, a resident of Elmhurst, Ill., is managing director of the Northwestern Mutual – Chicago district office based in Oak Brook, Ill. ¶ Jamie Ramsy, Cincinnati Reds director of media relations, digital content, returned to his hometown of Hamilton as part of the Celebrating Self luncheon series at the Fitton Center in January. Now living in Montgomery, Ohio, he started with the Reds in 1997 and has worked his way up from the grounds crew at Riverfront Stadium/Cinergy Field. He also hosts and authors the “Better Off Red” podcast and blog on Major League Baseball’s website at MLB.com.

00

Born: to Christopher

Davenport and Megan,

William Edwards, Sept. 29, 2016, joining older siblings James and Emily.

They live in Houston. ¶ Born: to Susan Choudhry Garrison and Stephen, Nora Elizabeth, June 18, 2016. They live in Middleton, Wis. ¶ Chad Sizemore has joined the Cincinnati office of Roetzel & Andress as a member of the firm’s transportation law practice. Chad represents drivers, motor carriers, and insurers in the transportation industry. Prior to attending law school, Chad worked as an insurance adjuster for Westfield Insurance and Grange Mutual Casualty. He earned a JD from the University of Cincinnati College of Law. ¶ Nathaniel Snow became Withrow University High School’s head football coach in December. Nate comes to Withrow with a record of 115-49 (.701) in 15 years as an assistant coach, serving as defensive coordinator at Landmark Christian, North College Hill, and Mount Healthy. Most recently, he was head coach for the Withrow varsity girls’ basketball program. He

and wife Nicole have six sons. ¶ Parrish Snyder is vice president of sales at BidPal, a leading mobile fundraising platform helping nonprofits raise more money. He most recently was executive vice president of global accounts for Tongal, which connects businesses in need of creative work with a network of writers, directors, and production companies. Currently living in Chicago, he earned an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. ¶ Allison Warren-Barbour became president and CEO of United Way of Snohomich County in Washington state at the beginning of the year. She moved from North Carolina’s Raleigh-Durham area where she was a senior vice president with United Way of the Greater Triangle. During a fall visit to the United Way’s office in Everett, she told Heraldnet reporter Julie Muhlstein, “My passion is to move the needle for under-represented voices. I’m a builder, motivated to create equity in the community.” She and her husband, a stay-at-home dad, are the parents of two young daughters.

01

Ryan Dickherber is a new

shareholder at Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest mass torts firms. An attorney in the firm’s Alton, Ill., office, he represents individuals and families impacted by asbestos-related diseases. He is experienced at all phases of litigation including pretrial discovery, motion practice, and jury trials. His community service includes working with teenagers through Join Hands East St. Louis’ Alternative Education Program and serving on the Saint Louis Priory School alumni board of directors. ¶ Married: Sara Dopirak and Kade Netherton, Sept. 10, 2016, in Hartville, Ohio. Sara is a physical therapist at

ME R M U S

PR

M

class notes

class notes

OGRA

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video screens on American Airlines flights across the country.

02

Reunion ¶ Amanda

Holshouser Rassi is vice

These 2003 classmates and housemates of the former “Ho-tel 6” at 115 North Bishop, Oxford, enjoyed a reunion weekend in Siesta Key, Fla.: (l-r) Megan Severs Garbe, Courtney Lazerick Zelwin, Meg Cooney, Whitney Smith Sorenson, and Meagan Petraitis Doyle.

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Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, where they live. Kade is a United Airlines pilot. ¶ Married: Nathaniel Hunter and Carolyn McKinney, Oct. 22, 2016, in Townsend, Tenn. They live in Knoxville, where Nathaniel, who earned a master’s from Louisiana State University, is an associate with CRJA Landscape Architects. Carolyn, who has a BES in interior architecture from UNC Greensboro, is the interior architect with Marble Alley Development. ¶ Heather Menne MGS ’01 is the recipient of the 2017 Cottrell Distinguished Alumni Award from Miami. Heather, who earned a PhD in sociology with a concentration in sociology of aging and medical sociology from Case Western Reserve University, worked as a research scientist at the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging for 12 years. She recently started as a social science analyst at the Administration for Community Living in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ¶ Lara Pavloff is the PGA head golf professional at the Biltmore Hotel and Resort in Coral Gables, Fla. She was featured in the February 2017 issue of Executive Golfer magazine in its article “The Woman’s Touch.” The article also appeared on

president – primary research at 84.51°, a powerhouse in pioneering customer engagement. She is responsible for leading an insights and analysis organization that brings deeper customer and cultural understanding to complement the big data capabilities at 84.51°. She lives in Mariemont in Cincinnati. ¶ Billy Stratton, associate professor of English at the University of Denver, has been named special adviser on Native American Community Partnerships and Programs. One of the first 30 people in the world to be awarded a PhD in American Indian Studies, he edited the new book The Fictions of Stephen Graham Jones: A Critical Companion. It is the first collection of scholarship on Jones’ ever-expanding oeuvre.

03

Ryan Anderson is physical therapist at the OhioHealth/ Marion General Hospital. He has a master’s in physical therapy from the University of Findlay and is certified in mechanical diagnosis and therapy. ¶ Born: to Jon and Meredyth Sajna McKenzie ’04, Jane Marie, July 30, 2016, joining big sister Julia Jean. Jon is a cyber security — unit manager (vice president) with PNC Bank and sergeant with the Westlake Auxiliary Police Force. Meredyth is an independent consultant with Tastefully Simple. ¶ Nikol Miller is the new community relations manager for Greater Dayton RTA, Dayton’s bus company. She is responsible for maintaining RTA’s comprehensive community relations program by developing partnerships with stakeholders and community groups to advocate for RTA interests while fostering open and constant

communication throughout the region.

A native Daytonian, she is a lifelong public servant with a background in community outreach, public policy, fundraising, and media relations.

04

Sara Buck Lalonde is skating

in Disney on Ice’s newest production, “Follow Your Heart.” On the varsity synchronized skating team at Miami, she joined Disney on Ice in 2010. She is married to Sacha Lalonde, a Canadian skater who portrays her on-ice love interest Prince Charming when she’s performing as Cinderella. ¶ Thomas Peppard has been promoted to counsel at Tucker Ellis. In the Cleveland office, he is a corporate and transactional business attorney. He earned a law degree at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

05

Married: Peter DeLong and Jessica Aymond, an Indiana University graduate, Oct. 22, 2016, at Chicago Cultural Center. They live in Chicago and Peter works at JP Morgan. ¶ Chet Mason, the former Miami standout, recently completed his second season as head basketball coach at Charles F. Brush High School, part of South Euclid Lyndhurst (Ohio) Schools.

Chet played professional basketball throughout the U.S. and Europe for several years. He and his wife have five daughters. ¶ Matthew Ries, Warren employment and civil litigation lawyer, has become a partner at Harrington, Hoppe & Mitchell. Practicing with the Youngstown-based regional law firm since 2013, he focuses on employment law and business litigation. He has been named to the Super Lawyers Rising Stars list in 2015, 2016, and 2017. ¶ Jeffrey Toaddy, Miami’s information technology services management coordinator, is an adviser to Miami’s flying club and Miami’s Long Guns, a

class notes

trap shooting club. He earned his pilot’s license almost seven years ago and is building a plane. Yes, for people.

06

Erin Moore Beckloff, an assistant professor at Miami, is a letterpress printer. (See her art on this Miamian’s inside front cover.)

She is also co-director and writer of Pressing On: The Letterpress Film, which premieres at the CMA Theater at Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum May 27, 2017. Erin and her father, wood type manufacturer Scott Moore ’77 MED ’81, contribute to the survival of letterpress through preservation, documentation, and educating others in the traditional process. Erin revitalized the Curmudgeon Press type shop and teaches letterpress printing courses at Miami as part of the graphic design program. ¶ Born: to Steve and Rachel Bachouros Flaherty ’07, Kendall Lauren, Sept. 15, 2016. Older siblings Caylee and Conner love helping out with their baby sister. ¶ Ethan Karp is president and CEO of Northeast Ohio’s Manufacturing Advocacy and Growth Network (Magnet). Located in downtown Cleveland, Magnet is an $8 million nonprofit designed to help existent and embryonic manufacturing firms. ¶ Jayme Pendergast is Life University’s new athletic director.

Jayme, who came to LIFE, located in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, in 2014, served as director of athletics compliance and support until July 1, 2016, when she was appointed assistant athletic director for academic support/ senior woman administrator.

07

Reunion ¶ Born: to Alex and Alice Mackintosh Pratt, Audrey Louise, Oct. 28, 2016. She joins big brothers Alden, 4, and Archie, 2, in Rocky River, Ohio. ¶ Ashley Fritz Wright, a special agent with

the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, is helping to improve emergency preparation and the capacity of Guinean law enforcement personnel. She is currently serving at the American Embassy in Conakry. She has been near the front lines of the nation’s Ebola epidemic for nearly two years, providing security for emergency health responders and dignitaries and has worked alongside host nation police. Ashley has been with Diplomatic Security for the better part of a decade. Her assignments have included Liberia and Sierra Leone.

08

Laura Bentz sent in a photo

of Jen Newman, Melissa Fitzgibbon, and her snowmobiling on Iceland’s Gullfoss Glacier in November 2016. ¶ Hayley Day is a reporter at The Journal of the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington. ¶ Married: Lauren Hartung and Chris Shepherd, Oct. 29, 2016, in Agoura, Calif. They live in Los Angeles where Lauren is regional manager for Diet-To-Go and Chris is a hospitalist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. ¶ Born: to Ryan and Aubrey Cobb Kuppler, their second son, John Robert, Sept. 6, 2016. ¶ Rachel Mackson is quality improvement and outcomes director for the Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, an organization dedicated to improving the mental and behavioral health of children and teens, from birth to age 18, through treatment, education, and community support.

She has a master’s in social work from the George Warren Brown School at Washington University. ¶ Nancy McAllister completed a 2,650 mile “thru-hike” of the Pacific Crest Trail in 2015, starting at the border of Mexico (April 15) and ending at the border of Canada (Sept. 28). She is the natural resources technician for Lassen County

See photo in online Miamian class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

in Northern California. ¶ Born: to Chris and Deidra Ramsey Watkins, Dominic Christopher David, June 22, 2016, joining big sister Jasmine, 5. They look forward to both attending Miami!

09

Married: Allison Begezda and Brett Smith, Oct. 1, 2016, in Austin, Texas. Allison is a senior marketing manager for the Association Management Center in Chicago. Brett is a business development manager for Arrive Logistics in Austin, where they live. ¶ Born: to Justin Dankovich and Kristen, Brayden Brooks, Jan. 8, 2017.

Justin is a territory sales manager at Hobart Corp. Kristen is a first-grade teacher at Alachua County Public Schools. They live in Gainesville, Fla. ¶ Married: Sarah Drumgould and Alex Norlander, June 25, 2016, in Chicago. Sarah is a commercial real estate broker. Alex is an attorney who earned a JD from John Marshall Law School. They live in Chicago. ¶ Married: Bryce Henchar and Stephanie Pavilonis, Sept. 3, 2016, in Newbury, Ohio. Bryce, who earned an MBA from Cleveland State University, is a senior field examiner for RG Barber Consultants in Beachwood, Ohio.

Stephanie is a registered nurse for

Sean McVay ’08, a receiver and return specialist as an undergraduate, is the head coach of the Los Angeles Rams. Hired in January at the age of 30, he is the youngest head coach in modern NFL history. His grandfather, John McVay ’53, played football at Miami and went on to become general manager for the San Francisco 49ers. His uncle, John ’74, played on two Miami bowl teams in the ’70s.

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E

EAGLE

Red-eyed Tree

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Agalychnis callidryas

David Procelli ’10 has published his first children’s book as an illustrator, Animal Tracks: North American Animals A to Z. Intended for early education students (pre-K to kindergarten) learning their ABCs, it also serves as an art book for anyone who enjoys animals.

“Of course I made ‘H’ a RedTailed Hawk!” Each page has a beautifully illustrated North American animal, their distinctive tracks, and a map of where they live.

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FROG

American Bald

miamian magazine

F

University Hospitals of Cleveland.

They live in Euclid, Ohio. ¶ Married: James Kozlow and Alison Catanzarite, Oct. 22, 2016, in Chicago. James is pursuing a master’s in business at Duke University. They live in Durham, N.C. ¶ Married: Jessica Tepas and Raymond Eichenlaub, July 9, 2016, in Vail, Colo. The couple, who met at Miami freshman year, finally got together at the Winter Hockey Classic in Chicago in 2013. Jessica is a freelance writer (SemiSweetTooth.com) and Raymond is in sales at Coyote Logistics. They live in Denver. ¶ Laura Bright Weymer is the new director of development for the Boys & Girls Club of Youngstown, responsible for fundraising and community/corporate partnerships. The club serves more than 700 members per year with more than 100 using the facility each day. ¶ Ryan Ytterberg has joined 84.51° as scrum master.

He is responsible for coaching and supporting development teams to help them achieve their goals. Previously, he served as associate director, business innovations at Rockfish. He lives in Anderson, Ohio. Based in Cincinnati, 84.51° is a powerhouse in pioneering customer engagement. It is a subsidiary of The Kroger Co.

10

Charles Hendrickson, an

investment analyst with Columbus-based investment management and financial advisory firm Hamilton Capital Management, has passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst Program and has received his CFA charter from the CFA Institute Board of Governors. The CFA designation is the highest set of credentials in the global investment management industry. Charles lives in Upper Arlington. ¶ Gabe Jones, who was in charge of Clark County Health District’s epidemiology program for nearly four years, has started as the new health commissioner in Champaign County, Ohio. He has a master’s in public health from Wright State University. ¶ Born: to Mario and Melissa Sass Latorre ’09, Marcella Ann, Jan. 25, 2017. Mario is a design engineer at Ariel Corp. in Mount Vernon, Ohio.

Melissa is an office coordinator at Zink Foodservice in Westerville, Ohio, where they live. ¶ Married: Sara Nauman and Greg Boxer, Oct. 22, 2016, in Columbus.

They met freshman year in Dennison Hall. They live in Chicago. ¶ Andrea Bosco Stehle has left her post as editor in chief of WHIRL Publishing to join Fairmont Hotels & Resorts as the lead media contact and spokesperson for Fairmont Pittsburgh. As digital marketing and communications manager, she is responsible for maintaining and elevating the luxury hotel’s strong presence through digital marketing and public relations efforts. Andrea and her husband, J.W., live in the Pittsburgh suburb of Mount Lebanon.

11

Born: to Michelle Kimutis

Drayer and Derek, Norah Louise

and Naomi Ann, Sept. 9, 2016. They live in Seattle, where Michelle is taking a break from teaching English and coaching swimming to enjoy time with

her little ones. ¶ Adam Eaton, a lefthanded hitting and throwing outfielder who had played for the Chicago White Sox since December 2013, is now with the Washington Nationals. ¶ Married: Dana Sharff and Andrew Somen, May 29, 2016, in Columbus. Dana is a business systems analyst at the corporate headquarters of the Brooks Brothers clothing company in Enfield, Conn. Andrew is a senior accountant at Crowe Horwath in Simsbury, Conn., and pursuing an MAcc to become a CPA. They live in West Hartford, Conn.

12

Reunion ¶ Spencer Packer is director of marketing and communications, a new position at AccessPoint of Farmington Hills, Mich.

He is working out of its Washington, D.C., office. His goal is to expand the company’s marketing resources and strategies regarding human resources management, staffing, recruitment, workplace safety, and healthcare IT. AccessPoint is an industry leader in outsourced human resources management. ¶ Jack Paleczny was on Jeopardy!

Jan. 9. The second-year student at the Chicago-Kent College of Law went into Final Jeopardy ahead of the other two with 17,400 points. Unfortunately for him, he didn’t know the final question to “Calling him a red-headed madman, in 1889 a group of his neighbors signed a petition to ban him from his home in Arles, France.” He went home with the $1,000 third-place prize and thrilled to have been on the show.

13

Zachary Cheslock has joined the Toledo office of law firm of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick as an associate attorney in the corporate practice group. Zach earned a JD from the University of Toledo College of Law. While in law school, he was a note and comment editor of the University

class notes

14

Allison Beacham, who is based in Chicago, is a national accounts manager for Rust-Oleum and writes a blog (lifesabeacham.com) that includes posts about money. ¶ James E. Cox III, co-founder of Seemingly Pointless, has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list for Games (2017). While at Miami pursuing a triple major in interactive media studies, mass communication, and creative writing, he set a goal to create 100 games in five years.

He has made 80 so far and hopes to complete the project by June 1. Forbes noted his work has been featured in the Smithsonian Pop-Up Arcade and has won awards from IndieCade and Serious Play. ¶ Karolyn Ginting, a third-year medical student at Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine, interned in rural health systems in Auglaize and Mercer counties in Ohio. ¶ Logan Kirk has joined the Marion, Ohio, agency staff at Scharer Insurance as an insurance adviser.

He became an agent in June 2016. ¶ Married: Erin Mizer and Drew Helton, Oct. 8, 2016, in Columbus. Erin is a development associate at Playwrights

Horizons in New York City. Drew, who has a BFA in acting/musical theatre from Wright State University, is an actor. They live in New York with their cats, Cecil and Poptart.

15

Natalie Bishop is a library science student working in special collections at the University of Kentucky. Working there has influenced her decision to continue to work as an archivist in a special collections library after she graduates. ¶ Benji Cohen is weekend sports anchor and reporter at KRTV, the CBS affiliate in Great Falls, Mont. He completed a one-year graduate program in sports reporting at Medill School at Northwestern University. ¶ Amanda Hancock is a reporter at the Quad City Times in Davenport, Iowa. She covers the food beat, writes front-page feature packages, and also puts together a weekend section.

16

Kate Aldrich is pursing a mas-

ter’s in human resources and industrial relations at the University of Illinois. ¶ Britton Perelman started an internship as a writer with a New York-based travel company, Passion Passport. ¶ John-Edward Porter MArch ’16 is an architectural designer in the Salisbury, Md., office of Becker Morgan Group. ¶ Married: Vanessa Sprague MEd ’16 and Gerald Tiberio Jr., July 30, 2016, in Churchtown, Ohio.

Vanessa is a preschool intervention specialist in Newark, Ohio. Jerry is an attorney in Zanesville, Ohio, where they live. ¶ Emily Tate had a 12-week internship with The Huffington Post last fall. She covered politics from the Washington, D.C., bureau. ¶ Katie Taylor accepted an internship position with Forbes working on The World’s Billionaires list. ¶ Reis Thebault, Connor Moriarty, and

See photo in online Miamian class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

Photo courtesy of U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance

of Toledo Law Review and served as a judicial extern for Judge Zouhary, U.S. District Court for the Northern District ¶ Scott Kater has joined of Ohio.

Chicago law firm Donohue Brown Mathewson & Smyth as an associate.

Scott focuses on professional negligence defense and product liability defense law. He graduated from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 2016. ¶ Jordan Whitaker has joined Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle as a family law associate, serving clients in a range of issues, including divorce, division of property, complex custody litigation, and pre- and post-nuptial agreements.

She earned a JD from Georgia State University College of Law.

Justin Maskulinski placed second in

the Broadcast Educators Association’s national audio competition for “The Final Column,” a podcast project for their spring 2016 capstone, taught by Joe Sampson ’94 and Jim Tobin. ¶ Jackie Wagner is a graduate student at Miami earning a master’s of environmental science. Fall semester she participated in a research project through Miami’s Institute for the Environment and Sustainability. She was part of the Professional Service Project team that helped the Village Green Farmers Market in Fairfield, Ohio, research, test, and cultivate educational and fun programming for children. ¶ Kathie Wollney is Miami’s first sexual and interpersonal violence education and outreach coordinator. She is responsible for assisting with education and prevention programming for students, faculty, and staff on all Miami campuses regarding sexual and interpersonal violence. She will take a lead role in coordinating the It’s On Us program, collaborate on other education and prevention programs, and assist communication regarding university efforts. ¶ Malachi Zeitner, an Evans Scholar while at Miami, is in his first year at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry.

Lauren Schwab ’11 MS ’13 is one of eight people nationwide who have been chosen to serve as the “Faces of Farming and Ranching” with the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance this year. In this role, she is speaking to consumers and media about modern farming practices. Lauren is from Somerville, Ohio, in Butler County where she is the manager of the farrowing house on her family’s hog farm. She also writes a blog “Farm Girl with Curls” to promote agriculture.

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farewells 1930s Roberta Endebrock Schlachter ’38, Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 2, 2016.

Nathaniel H. Acker Sr. ’51, Middlebury, Vt., Oct. 19, 2016.

John C. Huffer ’54, Catawba Island, Ohio, Oct. 19, 2016.

Johnson D. Matthews MEd ’59, Lebanon, Ohio, Jan. 20, 2017.

Eleanor Heuser Anstaett ’51, Northbrook, Ill., Dec. 22, 2016.

Donald H. Jordan Sr. ’54, Middletown, Ohio, Jan. 2, 2017.

1940s Dorothy Jache Barberie ’41, Davidson, N.C., Nov. 10, 2016.

John E. Barnes ’51, Winston Salem, N.C., June 30, 2016.

Dale W. Robb MA ’54, Urbana, Ill., Oct. 24, 2016.

Sandra “Sue” Clow McDonough ’59 MA ’61, Logan, Utah, Sept. 16, 2016.

John R. Belch ’51, Canton, Ohio, Dec. 1, 2016.

William A. Stewart ’54, Fort Myers, Fla., Feb. 29, 2016.

Jean Wones Faulkner ’51, Lebanon, Ohio, Oct. 29, 2016.

Jack P. Hayes ’55, West Dundee, Ill., Nov. 25, 2016.

William H. Gibson Jr. ’51, Dublin, Ohio, Dec. 6, 2016.

Charles R. Hazelrigg ’55, Denver, Colo., Nov. 17, 2016.

Wilbur K. Lewis ’51, Peoria, Ariz., Nov. 10, 2016.

William J. Kiffmeyer ’55, North Bend, Ohio, Aug. 25, 2016.

Thomas R. “Dick” Palmer ’43, Austin, Texas, Sept. 27, 2016.

Virginia Domasky Nied ’51, North Olmsted, Ohio, June 16, 2016.

Eileen Swaim Schauer ’55, Birmingham, Ala., Aug. 8, 2015.

George J. Watkins ’43, Fort Mitchell, Ky., Jan. 3, 2017.

John H. “Jack” Bonnar ’52, Canton, Conn., Dec. 23, 2016.

Mary Lou Shade Fletcher ’45, Sarasota, Fla., Oct. 21, 2016.

Donald E. Harrington ’52, Oxford, Ohio, Dec. 14, 2016.

Marjorie Porter Keith ’46, Grafton, Ohio, Nov. 4, 2016.

Barbara Curry Kagy ’52, Cresskill, N.J., Aug. 15, 2016.

Louane Williams Kowal ’46, Medina, Ohio, Dec. 2, 2016.

Harriet Cotton Kamm ’52, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich., Oct. 20, 2016.

Emogene Grill Wente ’41, Racine, Wis., Oct. 10, 2016.

Paul W. Davis ’42, Dallas, Texas, Nov. 5, 2016.

Robert B. Fichter ’43, Hampton, Conn., Nov. 25, 2016.

Robert D. Harris ’43, Ashland, Ohio, Oct. 2, 2016.

Carolyn Sever Baumhardt ’47, Centerville, Ohio, Nov. 13, 2016.

Richard L. Foster ’47, Springfield, Ohio, Nov. 30, 2016.

Rosemary Lorden Griffiths ’47, Newbury, Ohio, Nov. 30, 2016.

Marthalyn “Marty” Sears Kistler ’48, North Canton, Ohio, Oct. 30, 2016.

Charles E. De Long ’53, Las Vegas, Nev., Nov. 2, 2016.

Martha Solnok Griffith ’53, Clearwater, Fla., Jan. 29, 2017.

Orris D. Harper ’53 MA ’54, Waleska, Ga., Oct. 15, 2016.

Ellen Dennison Beck ’49 MA ’68, Miamisburg, Ohio, Oct. 24, 2016.

Marilyn Calsacy Moran ’53 MEd ’59, Middletown, Ohio, Nov. 4, 2016.

Richard R. Church ’49 MS ’50, Birch Bay, Wash., April 8, 2016.

George A. Nash Jr. ’53, Howland Township, Ohio, Oct. 22, 2016.

Henry Klein ’49, Evanston, Ill., Nov. 18, 2016.

Raymond F. Shumard ’49, Bradenton, Fla., Oct. 1, 2016.

1950s Warren Wirtz Jr. ’50, Cincinnati, Ohio, Nov. 9, 2016.

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Gloria Ewolski McDonald ’52, Gainesville, Fla., Nov. 11, 2016.

miamian magazine

James R. Richardson ’53, The Villages, Fla., Aug. 23, 2016.

Elizabeth Pathe Ryan ’53, Dayton, Ohio, Oct. 24, 2016.

Melvin E. Weckman ’53, Georgetown, Ky., Oct. 12, 2016.

James A. Gravette ’54, Arlington, Va., Oct. 21, 2016.

Joseph E. Seamon ’55 MEd ’62, Monroe, Ohio, Nov. 9, 2016.

Albert C. Bersticker ’56 MS ’58, Jackson, Wyo., Oct. 10, 2016.

Tirrel Burton ’56 MEd ’58, Ann Arbor, Mich., Jan. 17, 2017.

William L. “Lee” Hidy ’56, Liverpool, N.Y., Oct. 1, 2016.

James L. Hoel ’56 MEd ’58, Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 18, 2016.

Steve A. Motil Jr. ’56, Pleasant City, Ohio, Aug. 14, 2016.

Betty Jo Somers Schuler ’56, The Villages, Fla., Oct. 7, 2016.

Roger H. Siesel ’56, Tallmadge, Ohio, Sept. 17, 2016.

Daniel J. Obendorfer ’57, Rocky River, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2016.

Helen Bahr Olson ’57, Tampa, Fla., Nov. 13, 2016.

Neal E. Weber ’57, Springfield, Ohio, Nov. 12, 2016.

Ardath Orians McEathron ’58, Naples, Fla., April 15, 2016.

Joan Viall Bonander ’59, Cleveland, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2016.

Robert J. Clough ’59, Oxford, N.Y., Oct. 24, 2016.

James E. Long ’59, Massillon, Ohio, Sept. 28, 2016.

Nancy Butler Murphy ’59, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., July 16, 2016.

Thomas E. Sloan ’59, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 4, 2016.

1960s Kenneth E. Marshall ’60, Livonia, Mich., Nov. 5, 2016.

Henry C. Montgomery III ’60, Philippines, Dec. 22, 2016.

Richard D. Myers ’60 MEd ’66, Middleburg Heights, Ohio, Dec. 12, 2016.

Murray C. Crawford ’61, Norwalk, Conn., Nov. 12, 2016.

Jane Richardson Dusek ’61, Solebury, Pa., Nov. 7, 2016.

Bruce K. Ryan ’61, Newark, Ohio, Dec. 10, 2016.

Bruce D. Thomson ’61, Marietta, Ga., Sept. 23, 2016.

Joseph T. “Tom” Wanosik ’62, Avon, Ohio, Sept. 18, 2016.

Mary Ann Foster Wade ’63, Albuquerque, N.M., Nov. 13, 2016.

Norbert J. “Buck” Blessing ’64, New York, N.Y., Sept. 28, 2016.

Craig Cobb ’64, Brookville, Ohio, Oct. 30, 2016.

Paul Edmonds ’64, Lexington, Ky., Aug. 31, 2016.

Howard G. Napier ’64, Hamilton, Ohio, Sept. 26, 2016.

Daniel L. Oughterson ’64, Scottsdale, Ariz., Jan. 16, 2017.

Ken G. Quan ’65, Oxford, Ohio, Oct. 11, 2016.

Sharon Marker Ross ’65, Belle Chasse, La., July 25, 2016.

Mary Ann Donohoe Becklenberg ’66, Dyer, Ind., Sept. 20, 2016.

farewells

FACULTY, STAFF, AND FRIENDS Michael Bachem, Portland, Maine, Nov. 20, 2016. Miami professor emeritus of German, 1984–2005.

Ginny Freeman Allen ’67, Jacksonville, Ala., Sept. 3, 2016.

Joan Riethman Steinlage ’74, New Carlisle, Ohio, Sept. 12, 2016.

Steven A. Solomon ’81, Wilmette, Ill., Nov. 11, 2016.

Carol Gampher Ehman ’67, Saco, Maine, Nov. 23, 2016.

Brian S. Beck ’75, Chester Township, Ohio, Sept. 16, 2016.

Eleanor J. Read ’82 MS ’83, Knoxville, Tenn., Oct. 24, 2016.

Michael C. Ewing ’67, Wilmington, Ohio, Oct. 18, 2016.

Donna Ferlise Caldwell MEd ’75, West Union, Ohio, Oct. 26, 2016.

Craig D. Hedric ’83, Liberty Township, Ohio, Nov. 13, 2016.

Stephen P. Steffke ’67, Wausau, Wis., Nov. 26, 2016.

Myron J. “Joe” Spicer ’75 MEd ’98, Richmond, Ind., May 8, 2016.

Robert T. Lierman MS ’84, Richmond, Ky., Nov. 30, 2016.

Lowell D. Storer ’67, Ludlow Falls, Ohio, Nov. 25, 2016.

John G. Thorn ’75, Xenia, Ohio, Nov. 10, 2016.

Vivian Steel-Alberts MS ’85, Downingtown, Pa., Aug. 17, 2016.

Evelyn Eby Rhoades ’68, Englewood, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2016.

William C. Autrey Jr. ’76, Kenosha, Wis., Nov. 26, 2016.

Maureen Redmond Staudt ’86, North Andover, Mass., Dec. 1, 2016.

Dale E. Ritter ’68, Springfield, Ohio, Jan. 4, 2017.

Edwin R. Clay MS ’76, Dayton, Ohio, Dec. 7, 2016.

Amy Helterbran Eha ’87, Vancouver, Wash., Nov. 22, 2016.

Betty K. Woodrey ’68 MEd ’71, Middletown, Ohio, Nov. 6, 2016.

Burt H. Lowe PhD ’76, Midlothian, Va., Nov. 25, 2016.

Colleen June Schwanz ’87, Leander, Texas, Oct. 9, 2016.

Morris R. Zimmerman ’68, Marysville, Ohio, Dec. 5, 2016.

Laurie A. Rhodebeck ’76, Galion, Ohio, Sept. 13, 2016.

Sharon Wilson Goodall ’89, Dayton, Ohio, Oct. 31, 2016.

Richard L. Boron ’69, Louisville, Ky., Dec. 9, 2016.

R. Lavaine Rose Haney ’77, Eaton, Ohio, Nov. 23, 2016.

Susan K. Kessler ’75 MS ’77, New Paris, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2016.

Former administrator for student disabilities at Miami, 1978–1988.

Kathryn Donson Rinehart ’69 MEd ’82, Eaton, Ohio, Nov. 14, 2016.

Carl C. Wintzer ’77, Wapakoneta, Ohio, Dec. 29, 2016.

1990s Sara H. Moore ’92, Middletown, Ohio, Nov. 30, 2016.

Donald A. Love ’72, Oxford, Ohio, June 12, 2016. In housekeeping in 1990s and early 2000s.

Joan Stump Watson ’69, Thornton, Colo., Aug. 27, 2016.

Wanda Falconbury Jenkins ’78, West Palm Beach, Fla., Oct. 1, 2016.

Kevin Gabbard ’93, Fairfield, Ohio, Sept. 20, 2016.

Rebecca J. “Becky” Lukens, Oxford, Ohio, Dec. 21, 2016.

Miami professor emerita of English; co-founder, women’s studies program, 1964–1988.

1970s Raymond L. Arden Jr. ’70, Vandalia, Ohio, Nov. 14, 2016.

William J. York ’70, San Antonio, Texas, Nov. 9, 2016.

Ann Curtis Huth ’71, Riverview, Fla., Aug. 4, 2016.

Arnold G. Panella ’71 MBA ’72, Austin, Texas, Nov. 15, 2016.

Gerald L. Franck ’72, Tipp City, Ohio, Nov. 3, 2016.

John S. Fogle ’73, Philippines, Oct. 28, 2016.

Deborah Mire Rupp ’73, Montgomery, Texas, Nov. 2, 2016.

Jacquelyn Brune Baumann ’74, Fairfield, Ohio, Nov. 15, 2016.

David C. Donald ’74, Reston, Va., Dec. 10, 2016.

Thomas E. Mappes ’74, Durham, N.C., Sept. 27, 2016.

Margaret M. Shepherd ’78, Stonelick Township, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2016.

Ronald R. Tuffel ’79, Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, Nov. 6, 2016.

1980s Julie Knippling Barnhart ’80, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, Nov. 30, 2016.

Rosemary Wolf Garry ’80 MA ’84, Fairfield, Ohio, Sept. 14, 2016.

Carl K. “Kip” Steeg ’80, Fort Wayne, Ind., Dec. 12, 2016.

Jeffrey S. Stonehill ’80, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 23, 2016.

Raymond D. Morton MEd ’81, Peacham, Vt., Nov. 28, 2016.

John S. Sneed Jr. ’81, Chicago, Ill., Oct. 13, 2016.

Deborah Rhodes Sciambra ’93, Liberty Township, Ohio, May 21, 2016.

Daniel D. Duricy, Hamilton, Ohio, Nov. 19, 2016. Miami professor emeritus of decision sciences and MIS, 1959–2004.

Stephen E. Handley, Liberty, Ind., Nov. 22, 2016. A custodian at Miami for 25 years.

Elizabeth B. Johnston, Oxford, Ohio, Aug. 19, 2016.

Miami professor emerita of communication, 1969–1992.

Michael R. Hudson PhD ’94, Ashland, Ohio, Nov. 22, 2016.

Donald E. Oehlerts, Fort Collins, Colo., Sept. 21, 2016.

Director emeritus of Miami Libraries, 1972–1987.

2000s Connie Grisham Hargrave MEd ’00, Fairfield, Ohio, Nov. 8, 2016.

James A. Reiss, Wilmette, Ill., Dec. 2, 2016. Miami professor emeritus of English, 1965– 2007; founding editor, Miami University Press.

Mathew J. Evans ’01, Edmond, Okla., Dec. 3, 2016.

Patrick J. Peacock ’02 MA ’05, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Oct. 15, 2016.

Matthew E. Fiora ’09 ’14, Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 6, 2016.

Willie M. Ramirez ’12, Chicago, Ill., Nov. 11, 2016.

Erin K. Rodriguez ’18, Highland Beach, Fla., Jan. 10, 2017.

Erica Buschick ’20, Gurnee, Ill., Jan. 20, 2017.

Darcy D. Shriver ’75, Oxford, Ohio, Jan. 5, 2017. At Miami 1983–2007, first female employee in athletic training at university; ICA academic coordinator; director, Red and White Club.

Robert L. Wendel, Hamilton, Ohio, Nov. 2, 2016. Miami professor emeritus of teacher education, 1976–2006.

Katherine Williams, Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 26, 2016. In guest services at Miami over 60 years.

In Memory of… If you would like to make a contribution in memory of a classmate, friend, or relative, send your gift to Miami University in care of Wendy Mason, Advancement Services Building, Miami University, 926 Chestnut Lane, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or call Wendy at 513-529-3552.

More classmates are remembered online at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

Winter/Spring 2017

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days of old

In this 1910 home game, Miami wins 19–0 with Wittenberg “being unable to stop the onslaught of the crimson.”

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miamian magazine

If you ever attended a football game at Miami Field, you might have passed through this turnstile or one of its three associates. Millions did from the time the field’s west entrance was built in 1919–1920 until the stadium’s final game in November 1982.

The west ticket gate was actually part of a major renovation of the field, which opened in 1896, but only after the university cleared and drained four leased acres of the Botanical Gardens.

First called Athletic Field, then the Athletic Grounds, Alumni Field, and finally Miami Field, it was at the northwest corner of High and Patterson — where Pearson Hall and the psychology building stand today.

As for that major spruce-up, the Feb. 10, 1915, Miami University Bulletin reported: “Some radical improvements are being made on the athletic park. When these are completed, Miami will have one of the best athletic fields in the state. Already the new baseball diamond has cost about $250, while the work so far on the football field and the track amounts to over $800.”

By 1929, attendees had a choice of two entrances to pass through to watch football and other athletic contests, commencements, and such major events as the Sesquicentennial Pageant and presidential candidate John Kennedy’s convocation speech, both in 1959.

Although this turnstile is in Special Collections and University Archives, the classes of 1959 and 1960 raised money to move the gates to Yager Stadium in 1983.

Inset photo from Miami University Libraries, Frank Snyder Collection

Gateway to the Past

days of old

Pink buds and red bricks, a beautiful spring setting for studying.

Fall 2013

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