WINTER 2018
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IN THEIR OWN WORDS ALUMNI REMEMBER MLK
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STUDENTS GAIN A WORLD
ALUMNAE JOIN TOGETHER
OF EXPERIENCE
FOR GLOBAL AID
ONU IN THE EU
[re]Connections
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About the cover: From left; Paige Kleindl, Rachel Green and Amy Wiles enjoy the plaza in Trier, Germany. This photo was taken by Helen Heinig, BA '17.
These photographs were taken by Ohio Northern students studying abroad during summer 2017. The Study Abroad Office at ONU helps students experience life and learning in countries around the world through exchange programs, faculty-led programs, direct enroll/ONU-affiliated programs, and unaffiliated programs. ONU continually strives to explore new opportunities for students to develop a broader understanding of the world they live in. Through academically challenging activities in culturally stimulating environments, ONU students participating in study abroad continue to express deep satisfaction with, and appreciation for, a new outlook on life. Oh, and they take some pretty amazing photographs, too.â—†
Cassie Goodman "Tea Time in Westminster" Jessica Hill "Aqueduct of Spain"
WINTER 2018
CONTENTS FEATURES
/8 IN THEIR OWN WORDS ALUMNI REMEMBER JAN. 11, 1968
/14 EXCHANGE OF HEART /3
EXPERIENCING ONU IS ONE OF MANY FIRSTS
/16 ONU IN THE EU 3
POLAR BEARS GAIN A WORLD OF EXPERIENCE THROUGH SUMMER TRAVELS IN EUROPE
/22 RE-CONNECTIONS FOR INTERNATIONAL AID WORKERS, SUCCESS CAN COME DOWN TO WHO YOU KNOW
COLLEGE NEWS
Jessica Hill "Hogueras de San Juan"
/26 ARTS & SCIENCES NEWS /28 BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION NEWS /29 ENGINEERING NEWS /30 LAW NEWS /31 PHARMACY NEWS
INBOX POLARIS REUNION It’s always nice to see shared college experiences continue to bring Polar Bears together. In September, ONU’s Polaris: Magazine of the Arts held a mini-reunion of sorts in Vail, Colo. From left: former editor Julie (Jewett) Bailey, BA ’68; faculty advisor and professor of English emeritus Dr. Charles M. Oliver; and former editor Kent Oliver, BA ’89; reminisced and discussed how the magazine reflected ONU in the ’60s and ’80s.◆
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FACTORY OF GLADNESS The Cleveland Browns may have finished the 2017 campaign 0-16, but there was one Cleveland native who was a big winner at FirstEnergy Stadium this season. Theresa Meli, BS ’17, an early graduate from the forensic biology program, culminated her ONU career as Klondike during halftime of the Browns game on Dec. 17.◆
SPICE OF LIFE? Associate professor of biochemistry Dr. Amy Stockert co-authored a study of people with Type 2 diabetes that showed the cassia species of cinnamon was more effective than diet alone in lowering blood glucose levels. In fact, her study found that it was comparable to oral diabetes medications.◆
THE WORLD JUST LOVES A GOOD MEME After the University of Alabama football team won its fifth NCAA Division I national championship in nine years, Twitter user @iamzgo used former ONU student Brock Hersch’s viral video of mathematics professor Dr. Khristo Boyadzhiev to make his views on the feat perfectly clear. The 117,000 likes this most recent post has received, added to the original likes on Vine, mean that Boyadzhiev has entertained more than three-quarters of a million people! You can read the story of the 2015 video online at onu.edu/front/hello_world.◆
Say what? When our inbox overflows, some of it spills onto the pages of ONU Magazine. Send letters, story tips and quirky news bits with an ONU connection to
magazine@onu.edu
POLAR BEAR PRIDE
O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
Dear alumni and friends,
President Daniel A. DiBiasio
I am very pleased to introduce the new ONU Magazine and to express our sense of pride in what the Alumni Journal has become.
Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs Maria Cronley Vice President for Financial Affairs William H. Ballard Vice President for Enrollment Management William Eilola Vice President for University Advancement Shannon Spencer Vice President for Student Affairs Adriane Thompson-Bradshaw Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Juliet (Harvey) Hurtig, BSEE ’91 Executive Assistant to the President Ann Donnelly Hamilton, BA ’99 Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Prigge, BSBA ’94 Alumni Journal Editors Josh Alkire Senior Writer and Editor Barbara (Long) Meek, BA ’90 Director of Alumni Relations
Laura Germann Writer Brian Paris Associate Director of Communications and Marketing Art and Design Nancy Burnett Creative and Design Services Manager Rebecca Carman, BFA ’17 Graphic and Digital Designer Photography Trevor Jones Send Class Notes via email to: alumni@onu.edu POSTMASTER Send address changes to: ONU MAGAZINE 525 S. Main St., Ada, OH 45810-1599 ONU MAGAZINE is published by Ohio Northern University, 525 S. Main St., Ada, Ohio 45810-1599. Phone: 419-772-2000 Fax: 419-772-2932 OHIO NORTHERN UNIVERSITY was founded in 1871 and is a private, co-educational, student-centered institution of higher learning that offers quality, nationally ranked sciences, arts and professional programs in its five colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business Administration, Engineering, Pharmacy and Law.
I want to thank our readers who helped steer us toward this new direction by responding to the Alumni Journal reader survey we conducted in the summer 2016 issue. You gave us great feedback, and our editorial board ran with your suggestions. This magazine is the work of many dedicated professionals, and especially the leadership team of Sheila Baumgartner, Josh Alkire, Nancy Burnett and Brian Paris who put all the pieces together. Congratulations to each of them. We are particularly excited that this issue speaks to ONU’s role in the larger world. These stories reveal how ONU is embracing an increasingly interconnected world and how our connections to one another matter most. Chris and I recall the remarkable and inspiring experiences we had traveling with the University Singers to Great Britain and representing the University as part of a delegation from Lima, Ohio, to explore a potential sister-city relationship with the city of Varanasi, India. Coincidently, thanks to theatre professor Joan Robbins, next year, ONU is hoping to host theatre artist Gaurav Saini from Varanasi as a Fulbright scholar-in-residence to direct the International Play Festival. Global learning will continue. We also are eager to celebrate memories and milestones in these pages. This year, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of this University’s most important and memorable events: the speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 11, 1968. Dr. King’s speech that day, which I invite all of you to listen to online at onu.edu/mlk, is very much a global speech. It is about compassion for all of the people of the world. It is about acceptance and tolerance at a human level, and opening hearts to those who would rather keep them closed. This University will never stop striving to live up to his words. Our highest hope is that you will enjoy the new magazine. If you like what you see or have suggestions or story ideas, please send them to magazine@onu.edu. The inbox is waiting. Sincerely,
Dan DiBiasio President
onu.edu
FROM THE PRESIDENT
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Sheila Baumgartner Associate Director of Communications and Marketing
This new magazine is intended to harness the excitement we feel on campus every day. In both words and images, it will deliver that excitement right to your home. I hope you will agree that the new look and the content of these pages vibrantly represent the fabric of our great University. The title ONU Magazine captures the idea that we are one University; the content will convey that we have many component parts – students, faculty, staff, alumni, colleges, programs, teams, performance groups and many more. If we do this right and tell our stories well, ONU Magazine will demonstrate that our one University is greater than the sum of our parts.
CAMPUS NEWS HOMECOMING BRINGS OUT THE MEMORIES
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September 2017 saw Ohio Northern University’s annual Homecoming event – “Bringing Memories Out of the Shadows.” Highlights of the weekend included the Homecoming parade, with track and field standout Emily Richards, a senior chemistry major from Delaware, Ohio, serving as grand marshal, and the dedication of Baker Residential Commons near Affinity Village, in honor of President Emeritus Dr. Kendall Baker, Hon. D. ’11, and former first lady Toby Baker, BFA ’06. The festivities also included a tailgate lunch, the Homecoming football game against Otterbein University, a reunion reception at The Inn at Ohio Northern University, a performance by Catapult and the ONU Dance Company, and a Homecoming Choral Collage Concert. The three-day weekend was also full of activities themed to specific colleges and various campus organizations as well as cultural offerings and informative talks.◆
A new class of Athletic Hall of Fame inductees was enshrined over Homecoming weekend. The inductees were Jason Trusnik, BA ’07, an early childhood education major who played football; Ann Ringler Bassitt, BS ’97, a biology major who played both soccer and softball; Lauren (Ernst) Grillot, BS ’07, a biology major who was a track and field athlete; and Joe Maiani, BS ’97, a political science and sociology major who was a wrestler.
ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
To be inducted into the ONU Athletic Hall of Fame, one must have made great contributions to the field of intercollegiate athletics through his or her athletic performance at the University, or through meritorious efforts made on behalf of athletics. Athletes must have attended Northern at least 10 years ago and must have earned two letters in one sport or one letter in three or more sports. All nominees must have demonstrated good citizenship both at ONU and beyond and served the athletics program in any capacity that contributed to the overall program.◆
WELCOMES NEW INDUCTEES O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
DINING HALL TRANSFORMATION OFFERS FRESH APPEAL THE LEHR SOCIETY HONORS LIFE MEMBERS In October, Ohio Northern held its 43rd annual Henry Solomon Lehr Society Banquet.
• Gary Ludwig, BSEd ’69, and Charolette Ludwig • Jacqueline Ludwig Sperling, BSEd ’71 • Sherri L. Bleichner • Dr. Bruce E. Burton, Hon. D. ’08, and Jane Burton • Riad and Beverly Yammine and the Yammine Family • Dr. John H. Hull, BSCE ’75, and Johanna R. Hull • Craig Pierson, BSME ’78, and Kay Pierson • David Schaller, BSEE ’88, and Regina Schaller
POLAR BEAR CLUB ROARS TO LIFE The Polar Bear Club is a network of dedicated individuals who support ONU athletics and appreciate the valuable contributions that sports have on the student experience. Contributions to the Polar Bear Club provide direct financial support to all 23 intercollegiate sports as well as the athletic training program, rewarding the more than 700 student-athletes with equipment, travel and accommodations, improved facilities, and general operating support. So far, it’s been a game-changer. With nearly 400 gifts totaling more than $100,000 made as of mid-December, we grow closer every day to meeting our goal of taking all of our athletic programs to heights not yet experienced. To learn more about the Polar Bear Club, contact Jeff Coleman, BA ’90, director of development for athletics, at 419-772-2693 or j-coleman@onu.edu.◆
CAMPUS NEWS
At the focal point of the reimagined space is the brand new 360 Grill, a new meal station where diners handpick their own ingredients and then watch a chef cook their creation right in front of them on a large Mongolian-style griddle. Other new meal stations include Stacks, a signature made-to-order deli; Simple Servings, offering safe allergen-free and gluten-free options; Tossed, where diners can have an entrée salad tossed to order; and Mindful, which offers several healthy food options. Fired Up provides pizzas and individual baked pastas, and Daily Dish delivers classic comfort foods, featuring student favorites and rotating specials.
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Established in 1974, the Lehr Society is ONU’s premier recognition society for the University’s strongest supporters, who provide the University with an extra measure of strength and flexibility to further enhance the ONU experience. Ohio Northern is most appreciative of the significant support of individuals who have contributed $100,000 or more to the University during their lifetimes.
The 2016-17 Life Members of the Henry Solomon Lehr Society are:
New to the menu this year at Ohio Northern University is a completely remodeled and refurbished dining hall in McIntosh Center. The transformed space, which opened to students this fall, caters to the tastes of today’s college students as never before. The renovations offer expanded meal options as well as a more open and inviting atmosphere.
G. Leonard Beller, BSEE ’71 David Bondor, BA ’71 Martin Denes, BA ’70
John D. Dial, BSME ’70 Joy C. (Svehla) Dial, BSEd ’70 Bob Foster, BSBA ’70
John A Gill, BSME ’70 Jan Hanna-Simon, BSEd ’69 Christine (Murdock) Kucklick, BA ’70
Leonard “Bud” Lance, BSPh ’70 Larry Lepard, BA ’69 Karl E. May, BA ’71
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James L. Meredith, BS ’70 Sharron (Dickinson) Newman, BA ’70 Bob Parsons, BSPh ’71
Jim Pyle, BA ’68 Dennis Rectenwald, BSEd ’69 Bob Roberts, BSEd ’70
Sheldon W. Schuttenberg, BA ’69 Gary D. Spahr, BA ’71 Bill Van Doren, BSME ’69
Jack Watchorn, BSEd ’70 Joel M. Weaver, BSPh ’68 Rollin L. Wellington Jr., BSPh ’69
Barbara Lee (Wenger) White, BSEd ’71 James Williams, BA ’68 Dennis D. Hunt, BA ’70
In their own
words Alumni remember Jan. 11, 1968
The late 1960s were a turbulent time in America. The nation faced challenges at home and abroad, and college campuses were increasingly becoming hotbeds of conflict. Ohio Northern University, nestled in the rural expanse of northwest Ohio, remained mostly insulated from the social and societal changes that were occurring elsewhere. On Thursday, Jan. 11, 1968, the University welcomed a speaker whom some feared might change that. Incredibly, during the height of his fame and influence, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at ONU as part of the Chapel Speaker Series. His visit did change things. It changed hearts and minds, and it helped students see beyond themselves.
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Now, 50 years later,
some of the students who were there share their memories of that day. The Rev. Dr. Sheldon W. Schuttenberg, BA ’69: I vividly recall Dr. James Udy, our University chaplain who personally knew Dr. King from seminary, saying how excited he was that his friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was coming to speak at ONU. John D. Dial, BSME ’70: I recall the excitement on campus preceding the event. Jack Watchorn, BSEd ’70: The anticipation by the student body to hear a world-renowned person speak at ONU was overwhelming. Barbara Lee (Wenger) White, BSEd ’71: We were filled with wonder that someone as famous as Dr. King would visit our small campus. Bob Roberts, BSEd ’70: There were students who just did not want to go listen to Dr. King. Some were against him even being on campus.
Karl E. May, BA ’71: Sadly, I recall one person on my floor in Founders Hall saying he would not “walk across the street” to hear Dr. King on racial grounds. Bob Foster, BSBA ’70: I remember that there were large trucks from the “big three” news agencies parked outside the old gym for about three days setting up to broadcast. Rollin L. Wellington Jr., BSPh ’69: I was a second-year student dorm counselor at Founders Hall. Many of us were asked to serve as ushers for Dr. King’s speech. I remember laying out the only suit I owned the night before. Gary D. Spahr, BA ’71: Jan. 11, 1968, was a very cold, blustery winter day. Dr. Joel M. Weaver, BSPh ’68: That morning, fellow pharmacy student Al Gatewood and I were walking to the student union for coffee after our early morning class when Dr. Udy approached us and asked if we would like to join him in his car to drive to the Lima airport to pick up his longtime friend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We immediately agreed, and the three of us went to the airport. Unfortunately, when we got there, we were told that his flight was delayed and that he was driving to Ada, so Dr. Udy drove us back to Ada without our meeting Dr. King in person.
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The story behind the speech
Retired Ohio Northern University Chaplain Vern LaSala traveled to Australia in 2004 to interview the surviving family of Dr. James Udy, ONU chaplain from 1963-69, to learn how he convinced Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – one of the most famous men on the planet at the time – to come to Ada to speak as part of a new chapel lecture series. The story began at the University of Boston, where Udy and King were both Ph.D. candidates in the School of Theology. The two men developed a friendship strong enough that when Udy contacted King with his request to speak at ONU, King said yes… eventually. According to his widow, Ann, Dr. Udy pursued King for a couple of years to get him to come speak at ONU. Apparently, King accepted invitations on two prior occasions but was unable to fulfill these commitments due to incarceration. In all, King was jailed nearly 30 times for acts of civil disobedience or false charges. “Dad was known for his perseverance,” says Yelena Udy.
Upon becoming ONU chaplain in 1963, Udy sought a way to make the weekly chapel service more appealing to students. He had an idea to start a lecture series in which guest speakers would discuss issues pertaining to Christianity. When King spoke in Taft Gymnasium, it was under the auspices of this lecture series and the theme “The Christian Faith and Contemporary Problems.” In return, Dr. King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference was paid $1,000 by the ONU Panhellenic Council. On Jan. 11, 1968, classes ended at 10 a.m. to allow for students to attend the speech. It is estimated that approximately 4,500 people listened to King that day: 2,500 in Taft and another 2,000 in Lehr Auditorium where the audio from Taft was carried live. CBS-TV recorded the 60-minute speech, and the University used it to produce an album. This recording is available on the ONU website at onu.edu/mlk. In the turbulent late 1960s, the announcement of King’s visit was not without controversy. Three confirmed death threats were each sent to Ada Mayor Irvin Vandermark, ONU President Samuel Meyer and Udy. The FBI was called in to investigate the threats, and the Ohio National Guard was stationed around Ada the morning of the speech. In the end, peace prevailed, and King delivered his historic speech at ONU with no issues. It remains one of the most important events in the University’s long and proud history – and a defining moment in the lives of many who witnessed it. —V. LaSala
Bob Foster: A large contingency of visitors came to Ada the day of his speech, and suddenly our small campus was front and center in the national news. Security was noticeable, but nothing like today. We had to have a ticket to get in the gym. James L. Meredith, BS ’70: On that day I saw more police cars than had ever been seen in that village before. Jan Hanna-Simon, BSEd ’69: I lived in Clark Hall, which was next to Taft Gymnasium. I could look out my window and see people going into the gym. We were all so excited. Bob Roberts: I was pulled by some force I did not understand to leave the Theta Chi house for a few minutes, to go across the street and enter Taft Gym that day. Dennis Rectenwald, BSEd ’69: After a little coaxing from some dorm buddies, I headed over to Taft Gymnasium for a look-see. I envisioned a small crowd gathered at Taft to listen to this relatively unknown person (at least in my provincial mind). Boy, was I shocked! I could not find a space to set foot in Taft Gymnasium. Dr. Joel M. Weaver: The Taft Gym was overflowing. Karl E. May: It was packed. Barbara Lee (Wenger) White: I remember standing in a very long line waiting to get into Taft and trying to find a seat. The whole gym was filled. There were even people standing up on the running track. G. Leonard Beller, BSEE ’71: My friends and I wanted to go listen to him, but the venue was filled up with people, so we could not get in. James L. Meredith: A morning class prior to the assembly in the gym kept me from camping out in order to get a seat. I was disappointed not to find a seat in Taft Gymnasium, but fortunately, Lehr Auditorium was set up to provide overflow seating. That’s where I went to hear Dr. King’s words. Leonard “Bud” Lance, BSPh ’70: I was one of the ushers that day. I led the guests to their seats in Taft Gym. Joy C. Dial, BSEd ’70: Because I played in the brass choir, I got to be up close for Dr. King’s speech. I was thrilled. Gary D. Spahr: There had been threats of violence received by the University prior to his speech, and the band director suggested the brass choir be relocated to some place other than directly behind where Dr. King was going to speak. We elected to stay where we were.
Upon Reflection: Bob Roberts, BSEd ’70 Jim Pyle, BA ’68: Dr. King had flown into Lima, where he was met by Dr. Udy, his teenage son and myself. I was privileged to photograph Dr. King’s arrival in Lima. Bob Parsons: Due to the weather, Dr. King was running late, and Dr. Udy drove the car back to Ada, trying to “make up time.” Gary D. Spahr: By the time Dr. Udy and Dr. King arrived at Taft, he was nearly two hours late. Rollin L. Wellington Jr.: The gymnasium was packed, and the crowd had an anticipatory excitement that was somewhat new to my experience. As Dr. King came to the podium, I remember a veritable hush coming over the assembly. Bob Roberts: I remember sitting in the bleachers on the right side of the stage. I was not far from Dr. King, just perhaps about 50 feet or so. He had a commanding presence. Gary D. Spahr: He received a thoroughly warm and welcoming applause, and after greeting us and thanking the University for having him, he apologized profusely for being so late.
Bob Parsons: He was tempted to tell the driver that he would “prefer being Martin Luther King late to being the late Martin Luther King.” Rollin L. Wellington Jr.: I sat on the bottom row of the bleachers. When he began speaking, his delivery and charisma was almost palpable from my perspective. Details of the speech escape me, but his presence left a lasting impression of a man incredibly committed to improving civil liberties for all. Karl E. May: In the preceding months, Dr. King had come out in opposition to the Vietnam War, and he reiterated his opposition in his speech. This got a very mixed reaction from the crowd and seemed to create discomfort for many in the audience. Larry Lepard, BA ’69: I was sitting in the bleachers directly across from the podium, at a right angle to Dr. King. I can recall my amazement that he could preach such an inspiring message from his head and his heart without a single note in front of him.
I don’t know how I found myself in Taft Gym that day. I went alone. I was not far from Dr. King, perhaps 50 feet or so. He did not seem as scary as I had expected him to be given all the things I had heard about him. The Dr. King that I thought I “knew” was portrayed by many in politics and in the media as being a communist sympathizer and a social malcontent who wanted to overthrow the country as we knew it. I realize now that we knew so little about the world – about people who lived in other parts of our own country. In many cases we were simply unable to comprehend differences, much less tolerate them, or even begin to try to understand. What Dr. King brought to us that day was a level of compassion and an unending willingness to patiently move change in a positive direction, that I had never seen or heard in anyone else. No one can put a price on this valuable life-lesson. I hope that in some way, I am a better person for sitting in Taft Gym on that day.
Upon Reflection: Dennis D. Hunt, BA ’70 I did not attend the speech, and it is among my most embarrassing and humiliating lost opportunities from my time at ONU. I was in Founders Hall, playing euchre. Beyond fraternity and athletics, I very rarely ventured into experiences to examine the issues of the day, including civil rights, Vietnam War, women’s rights, etc. Looking back, the late ’60s were explosive with social issues extremely related to college students. I lived in a cloistered world at ONU of my own making and did not engage myself with such issues until after graduate school. Now, such issues and others are at the core of my daily life.
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David Louis Bondor, BA ’71: Dr. King opened with a friendly and humorous anecdote about that trip to campus. He told us that Dr. Udy was in a hurry and was apparently exceeding the posted speed limit.
It was a different time. It was a different place. We were a predominantly white campus in a predominantly white, small, Midwestern farming community. The societal turbulence we heard about seemed mostly to be somewhere else, like some city in the deep South we had never visited and probably never would. We were busy being students, trying to get through chem-this, and calculus-that. We were busy trying to make grades in order to receive draft deferments, because who wanted to go to Vietnam? Who wanted to kill somebody else? Who wanted to die?
Bob Roberts: His commanding voice did not command; it urged. His voice made clear his intention to never stop loving others, to never stop pressing for equality, and to never stop trying to make this world a better place for all, for his children and grandchildren, and our children and grandchildren to come. Jack Watchorn: The speech was magnificent, and it was very mesmerizing to hear a leader of Dr. King’s stature bring his views and philosophy to such a small Ohio college.
Upon reflection:
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Dennis Rectenwald, BSEd ’69 I was 20. At the time, I was more concerned about my social life, athletic career, grade point average, draft status and future wedding than I was about a civil rights leader from a state in the South I had never visited. It piqued my curiosity that basically an all-white campus and community invited a black civil rights leader to speak on campus. So, I went, expecting a small crowd in Taft. In my provincial mind, Dr. King was a relatively unknown person. Boy, was I shocked to see how wrong I was! I could not find a space to set foot in Taft Gymnasium. The closest I came to the stage was the vestibule of Taft where I listened to Dr. King over speakers installed for those standing outside the overflowing gym. I don’t recall much about the verbiage in the speech, but I can readily reflect the passion I heard in his voice and the cadence synonymous with Martin Luther King Jr. I left that day realizing I was indeed fortunate to have, even remotely, been in that man’s presence.
Upon reflection: James L. Meredith, BS ’70 I was a white student from a rural white school system, a white hometown and a white church. I supposed that my values and expectations were typical of the world’s values and expectations. I was a chemistry major, receiving Cs in the philosophy and religion courses that I took only because they were required. In no way could I have imagined on Jan.11, 1968, that I would go on to attend seminary and become a pastor myself, serving in Ohio churches for 35 years. Dr. King’s visit was a pivotal moment that challenged my assumptions and attitudes about race and privilege, of status and justice. Since that day, I’ve become more convinced that the all-white churches of my youth were incomplete visions of the Kingdom of God. I’ve seen that the depth of spirit and the diversity of God’s gifts are discouraged by settings where invisible barriers ensure that everyone will look “just like us.” I’ve felt an appreciation for brothers and sisters who warmly welcomed me to the urban neighborhoods that they called home, but which so many of my parishioners avoided. I began to see the racist attitudes that were, in fact, a part of me, even though I would have denied the idea. For me, seeing Dr. King was indeed a divinely appointed life-shaping moment. I am grateful for having had the opportunity to experience it.
Sheldon W. Schuttenberg: Dr. King challenged us students to stand for what is right. He talked about faith informing action to do justice. Christine (Murdock) Kucklick, BA ’70: The image that remains with me from the speech is that of the African-American church ladies who traveled from Lima to see Dr. King. They were all dressed up as if for Sunday morning worship. It made me realize how important this visit was, not just to ONU, but to the larger local community. James Williams, BA ’68: What I remember most is the speech had many of the lines from his famous “I Have a Dream” speech given in Washington, D.C., in 1963. It was an extremely inspiring speech. Bob Foster: Dr. King’s speech was inspiring and very thought-provoking. Dennis Rectenwald: The closest I came to the stage was the vestibule of Taft listening to Dr. King over speakers installed for those standing outside the gym in an overflowing crowd. I don’t recall much about the verbiage in the speech, but I can readily reflect the passion I heard in his voice and the cadence synonymous with Martin Luther King Jr.! James L. Meredith: After his speech, Dr. King took questions from the audience. By then the crowd had thinned out a bit, and I was able to find a seat in the gymnasium for the question-and-answer session. I was even more impressed by the depth and the warmth of Dr. King’s voice seeing him in person. Karl E. May: I felt very privileged to be able to hear this great man speak in person. Jan Hanna-Simon: Dr. King was well-known and respected then, but now he has become a legend. I feel fortunate that I got to see him and hear him. Joy Svehla Dial: It remains one of my favorite ONU memories. Sharron (Dickinson) Newman: It was an inspiring thing to behold. I was very much encouraged to fight for justice and the common man. Currently, I stand in front of the federal building in Bellingham, Wash.,
Upon reflection: Bill Van Doren, BSME ’69 twice a week to protest the current administration’s policies and actions. Thanks to Dr. King, 50 years later I am still fighting for justice! Gary D. Spahr: Dr. King’s line about being late, which generated much laughter then, became very haunting less than 12 weeks later. David Louis Bondor: When I heard of the murder, all of what I recalled from his presentation was lost. To this day, I only recall that tragically prophetic anecdote. Dr. Joel M. Weaver: Three months later, the Phi Delta Chi pharmacy fraternity held an evening meeting at the home of professor Lou Vottero, where we heard on the television news that Dr. King had been assassinated. I remember it vividly. At age 72, I am still very disappointed that I came so close to have shaken his hand and personally spoken with him. John A. Gill, BSME ’70: I remember all the security that was in place for his speech in Ada, but I was still absolutely stunned when he was killed a few weeks later.
Jack Watchorn: After his assassination in Memphis, Tenn., I reflected on what I had seen and heard in Ada on Jan. 11, 1968. It was truly uplifting and special. Bob Foster: We were one of his last college stops prior to his death. I feel very honored to have been a part of his visit and legacy to ONU.◆
The west campus access then was by a gravel loop west of Taft in the quadrangle where walking paths now are. On the three corners opposite Taft were wood-framed private houses. I was present when Dr. King spoke. After a preliminary address, he launched his “I Have a Dream” speech and was well-received. It was a really big event on campus. Much was made, both in advance and at the speech, of our chaplain Dr. Udy and Dr. King being classmates at Boston University while earning their doctorates. The most chilling personal memory I have of the speech did not fully sink in until after Dr. King’s death and haunts me to this day. Some days before Dr. King’s scheduled visit, on a crisp, cold, morning with very bright sunlight, I was walking down University Ave. when a white Ford Mustang came to a stop at the intersection of University and Union Street. We were alone at the intersection, not a pedestrian or other vehicle in sight. The car had Alabama license plates and a single occupant, a white man I did not recognize. The car and the plates were both unfamiliar, which made it stand out in my memory. In those days, we could all identify cars with their owners, especially a car that did not carry Ohio, New Jersey or Illinois plates. In addition we could recognize, if not name, everyone in the student body. When Dr. King was assassinated three months later, the papers reported that James Earl Ray had been shadowing Dr. King in a white Mustang with Alabama plates.◆
ONU’s recognition of this important milestone will culminate with the dedication of a statue of Dr. King on April 17, 2018. Created by artist Tad McKillop, who also sculpted the statue of ONU founder H.S. Lehr, the statue will be placed between Taft Hall and the Claude W. Pettit College of Law. It will serve as a reminder to everyone of King’s message of peace and equality.
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Martin Denes, BA ’70: On the day King was assassinated, I remember going out and walking the streets of Ada in sorrow. A year later at a tea at his home, Dr. Udy reminisced about his friendship with Dr. King.
I was an engineering student when Dr. King spoke at ONU. My engineering classes were held at the old high school on a site now occupied by the Ada fire department, which at that time consisted of one new Mack, one 25-year-old Chevrolet and an old telephone-company ladder truck painted red. The water tanker was a reincarnated gasoline truck stuck in second gear.
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Exchange of Heart S
yeda Fatmi has a knack for being first. Originally from Pakistan, Fatmi spent last semester at Ohio Northern as part of the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program – Pakistan (Global UGRAD-Pakistan), which was launched in 2010 by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Fatmi was the first to come to Ohio Northern through this highly competitive program and the first to be chosen from her home village of Bagh, Azad Kashmir. “It’s a life-changing opportunity,” Fatmi says. “From a pool of 19,000 people, only 100 are selected. It’s a huge scholarship. I did not have to pay any expenses for tuition, travel, meals, anything. The basic purpose is to remove the stereotypes between the two nations and to build a bridge.”
So at its heart, Global UGRAD-Pakistan serves as a cultural exchange. Fatmi certainly held up her end of the bargain. While in Ada, she shared everything she could about her native Pakistan – its cuisine, its traditional dress, its pastimes.
food. “They liked it, and during cooking I told them about the different spices that we used, because Americans use only a few spices, but we use a lot of spices. And we have different methods … the food in Pakistan is very different from here.”
While enrolled at ONU, she gave presentations in her classes about both Pakistan and Islam. She wore a dupatta (a Pakistani headscarf worn by Muslim women that covers the hair and neck) and other aspects of traditional Pakistani dress to initiate conversation and promote an understanding of different cultures.
Fatmi also shared her love of cricket by starting up a cricket club of sorts on campus. Which brings us back to the issue of firsts.
In November, she served as a guest chef for a regular event hosted by ONU’s Office of International Student Services – Beans and Rice. She served up biryani, a dish eaten in many South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures made up of fragrant spices, halal chicken and basmati rice. “Biryani is our traditional food, the most famous food in Pakistan,” she says. “I cooked biryani, and I was so excited because most of the people had not tried it before. Most of the students who signed up were American, so I was very excited to see the American students were willing to eat the biryani.” And it was a hit. Although perhaps a bit spicier than the typical American palate is used to, a few students discovered it was their new favorite
Back home in her village, she played cricket as a young child – much to the embarrassment of her brothers, who weren’t exactly pleased that their sister kept making her way to the pitch. “In my village, girls are not allowed to play games on the ground with boys. Since my childhood, I was fascinated with cricket, so I was the only girl on the cricket ground to play with the boys,” she remembers. “But my brothers were not happy with that, and they always complained: ‘We can’t go to ground because she goes, and we cannot go because we feel ashamed in front of the other boys because she’s our sister.’ And I said to them, 'OK. You don’t want to go; you stay at home. But I will go because I want to play cricket.'” With support from her father, Fatmi continued to play cricket in her village. She played at school with boys, and she played in college, too. While pursuing higher education in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, she was one of 15 girls chosen from 50 to represent her university at the national level.
Now that her ONU experience is over, Fatmi has her heart set on still more firsts. She wants to become the first female attorney in Bagh. “It’s thought to be very bad in my country for females to go to court, and to go to prison, and to deal with criminals,” Fatmi says. “But since my childhood, I wanted to be unique from everyone. I want to open the path for others.” In the same way there are no female lawyers in her city of Bagh, there are no female chief justices in her state of Kashmir. Fatmi would like to put an end to that, too. “There is no female chief justice in my state,” she says. “So I want to be the one. It’s my wish.” Fatmi explains that the people of Pakistan are becoming more openminded. All the big cities are very modern. But the small towns, like Bagh, are still very conservative. But with her help, Fatmi will be the first to tell you that this is going to change.◆
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So when Fatmi realized that there was no cricket team in Ada, she decided to start her own club, which fit in quite nicely with the exchange program’s leadership requirements.
ONU
IN THE
Polar Bears gain a world of experience through summer travels in Europe
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Lexie Kilgore visits the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, England.
Nestled among the cornfields of the Buckeye State, Ohio Northern University is unabashedly rural. The quaint, small-town setting is a draw for students who seek an environment conducive to ardent academic pursuit. For others, Ada simply reminds them of where they grew up. But interestingly enough, some of the same students who prefer Ada’s familiar and close-to-home setting also decide that their Polar Bear journeys need something more, something defining, something expansive. They choose to see the world through University-sanctioned co- and extra-curricular trips to destinations around the globe. This summer, several Polar Bears dispersed across Europe to experience for themselves the great sampling of cultures it provides. For many, it was their first time being immersed in a foreign culture. They left paw prints in the United Kingdom, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg. They returned with a new perspective. The experience one gains from world travel comes from the experience. First-time travelers are forced to quickly learn the ropes of international travel in real time. Suddenly, they can’t read all the signs. They don’t always know who to ask for help. They don’t know if they can ask for help. It can be distressing and disorienting, but it also prepares them for the experiences to come. This is how it’s going to be. They learn. They adapt. They stop assuming. Senior musical theatre student Lexie Kilgore grew up in the small village of Carrollton, Ohio: population just more than 3,000. In May, she spent
two-and-a-half weeks in Manchester, England, the United Kingdom’s second-most populous urban area. As an intern for the University of Salford, she lived and worked among the Britons every day. She experienced their world. And she was there when it was torn apart. On May 22, 2017, 22 people were killed during a terror attack at an Ariana Grande concert in the Manchester Arena. Kilgore was not physically involved in the attack, but emotionally, she was all in. In the immediate aftermath, and the days that followed, she saw a city stricken by grief and tragedy, but she also saw something else. “Witnessing the unity and bravery after the terror attack impacted me more than I could have ever dreamed,” she says. “It showed me that we can’t let fear and evil people get in the way of the joys to be discovered in life.” Even as her experience abroad was marred by tragedy, Kilgore feels changed for the better by it. “Travel is such a great experience not only for your education, but also for you as a person,” she says. “I’ve grown so much. My view of the world is so different and so is what I personally can accomplish and achieve.” Kilgore’s introduction to the worst of human nature was an unfortunate coincidence. For other ONU students, it was part of their itinerary. There are lessons that must be experienced to be truly learned, and Europe —with its painful past— provides ample opportunities.
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Eric Radford, BS ’17, Koty Miller, BS ’17, and Walker Karg show their Polar Bear pride on a mountainside in Germany.
ONU IN THE EU
Maria Gonzalez "Plaza de EspaĂąa"
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Technological studies students and faculty visit the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site.
OHIO N business O R T H students E R N Uand NIV E R Sduring I T Y M AG A Z I N E 2 0 1 8 German students accompanied ONU faculty their trip to Germany, serving as guides and travel companions.
Cassie Goodman "Tower Bridge in the Thames"
Traveling together in a foreign country can foster an intense bonding experience. Not everything students learn is about the places they visit. They learn about themselves and their fellow travelers. They develop deeper friendships and share an understanding long after the trip is over.
“The bonding experiences I had on the trip were different than the ones I’ve had at home,” says Kindle. “At home, you hang out with your friends, but at night you separate and get to go do your own thing. Abroad, you’re with the same people all day, every day. We were like a small family.”
Fifth-year pharmacy student Amy Wiles traveled to Europe with the ONU Wind Orchestra to perform in Germany and Luxembourg. For established groups like the Wind Orchestra (which travels routinely every three years) and the ONU women’s soccer team (which competed in a tournament in the Netherlands this summer), international travel is purposeful as much as exploratory. Yet, even the closest groups can grow stronger through the experience.
Ashlie Kindle, BSBA '17, and Mary Winegardner, BSBA '17, enjoy a sunny day in Munich together during their trip to Germany with other business students and faculty.
“One of the coolest parts about going on a trip with a large group is you aren’t with all of the people you would typically spend time with,” Wiles says. “You get to spend a lot more time with other people and really get to know them as well.”
“The experience from the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial “I was traveling with my team, so we already had relationships. However, Site was breathtaking in all different forms of emotion,” says former this trip strengthened those relationships and brought us closer together,” technology studies student Koty Miller, BS ’17. “No amount of words says Hannah Reich, a senior athletic training student. “We were able to can give proper justice to the devastation. To actually stand there experience new sites together and have bonding experiences, especially and think about what those people experienced was very sobering.” when we had the opportunity to play games against foreign teams.” Ashlie Kindle, BSBA ’17, a self-described homebody who rarely ventures outside of her comfort zone, also visited a concentration camp and was taken aback by how open and upfront the German people are about confronting their painful history. Their approach is raw, recounting all the horrors of the Holocaust to ensure nothing like it ever happens again. “In Germany, their history of the Holocaust is heart-wrenching, but one thing I learned is that in some ways, it brings them all together,” she says. “Their history is rooted and grounded into them, and they know so much about it.” Germany and Europe at large are not unique in having dark periods in their history. But what students experienced in Germany can’t be experienced everywhere. Most of the evil committed in this world lacks a marker. So to be able to stand on the site and bear witness is something those students will never forget. It was a painful lesson, but one made a little less so by having friends to lean on.
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Participants from two trips this summer – a tour of Germany by students in the Dicke College of Business Administration and visits to German manufacturers by technological studies students – visited the sites of former Holocaust concentration camps.
om classes.
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klong break fr during a wee ly Ita e, om R Derek Hein in
Members of the ONU women’s soccer team enjoy a bike ride during their trip to Germany and Luxembourg.
Interestingly enough, the bonding that happened this summer wasn’t merely between students and faculty. Now more than ever, international commerce binds companies together across oceans and continents. There are global connections everywhere, even close to home. Collaboration with GROB-WERKE GmbH & Co., an international manufacturer headquartered in Mindelheim, Germany, gave Ohio Northern the opportunity to learn more about its neighbors. In addition to plants in Brazil and China, GROB-WERKE has a facility in nearby Bluffton, Ohio. During the trip, technological studies students from ONU became the first American university group to tour the German facility.
“GROB’s engineering manager, Alfred, gave us an excellent tour through the manufacturing process of different machines and quality centers,” says Miller. “It was great to see the similarity between facilities across the world and to see the implementation of methods used on the manufacturing floor.”
“The Germans like to have Americans tour their facilities,” says technological studies professor David Rouch, who organized and led the trip. “GROB doesn’t have a lot of visitors because it’s in a small town in Germany, so they treated us very well.” Of course, learning to intermingle with other cultures in a professional setting is not only an enjoyable experience, but also one that helps travelers grow as professionals. Being able to witness this growth is a reward in itself for those faculty and staff who accompany students abroad. John Navin, dean of the Dicke College of Business Administration, has traveled abroad with college students for several years. “It changes them when they come back,” he says. “Every student, no matter what they say, is a different person, and that’s why I do it. When you get back and you realize they have a different appreciation for things, even simple things, it’s worth it.” It most certainly is worth it. No matter what the expectations are going in, or the reason for their travels, ONU students gain from the experience. Every Polar Bear journey has defining moments during which assumptions are stripped away and the truth is revealed. Those who traveled abroad this summer had some to be sure. And who knows, perhaps with their broadened worldview, Ada doesn’t seem quite so small anymore.◆
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The ONU Wind Orchestra watches a performance of the Berlin Philharmonic from their seats directly behind the orchestra.
Mary Winegardner, BSBA ’17, visited the Berlin Wall and related sites during her trip to Germany with others in the Dicke College of Business Administration.
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ONU IN THE EU
[re]Connections The compound sits at the top of a hill in one of the worst slums of Port-auPrince, the largest city in the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. The closest word to classify the collection of structures comprising Santa Chiara Children’s Center is orphanage, but other words work as well. For the children who come to live there due to violence or natural disasters, or abandonment by their parents, it is home. For children with parents who need help caring for them while they eke out a living, it is school. For adults seeking a chance at a better life, it is sanctuary. For others, it is their purpose. FOR INTERNATIONAL AID WORKERS, SUCCESS IN HAITI CAN COME DOWN TO WHO YOU
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KNOW‌ AND WHO KNOWS YOU.
Photos by Gerry Straub
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Pastor Shelley's first impression of Haiti was not a good one. It was in the mid-1990s, when then 33-year-old Shelley Stephenson, BA ’85, stepped off an airplane onto foreign soil for the first time in her life. In a single step, the excitement of spreading the Gospel on her first mission trip was banished by an all-out assault on her senses. Her first breath of non-recirculated air was heavy with the smell of rot and far worse – a thick, pungent smell that gets in one’s nostrils and remains for days.
Instead of deterring her from ever coming back, Stephenson pledged to return as often as she could to attempt to right the wrongs she witnessed on that initial trip. And she has. For nearly 20 years, she’s returned to Haiti two to three times per year. Her commitment proved enough for the AACML to name her their ambassador to Haiti. Now, she travels to Haiti every three to four months and spends a total of two to three months of the year serving internationally. “According to my mom, I’m gone way too much. She does not like me traveling abroad,” says Stephenson.
“I’ll never, ever forget the smell of death,” says Stephenson. Instead of seeing a lush green landscape of rolling hills and colorful buildings held over from the nation’s colonial history, Stephenson saw children – filthy, poorly clothed, starving, alone – begging for anything the wealthy foreign visitors might give them. Instead of hearing the island rhythms from her dreams, she heard their desperate pleas. “It was just all these horrific sights, smells and sounds that I had never experienced. It impacted me greatly,” she remembers. “I was never a traveler until then. I was just a small-town girl. I grew up in a small town. I went to college in a small town. And I was like, ‘This is not right. This should not be.’”
Today, Stephenson is an international aid veteran. She founded Shelley Stephenson Ministries for boots-on-the-ground assistance in Haiti, Jamaica and Thailand. She’s built the domestic ministry Women Arise to support her work abroad and to empower women in Bellefontaine, Ohio. She has worked in Peru and is preparing for an upcoming mission expedition to Pakistan, where her supporting organization, the Apostolic Association of Churches, Ministers and Leaders (AACML), has never been. For nearly 20 years, she has been a force for just causes in unjust lands. But from that first moment, Haiti has gripped her heart.
“When we went into Jamaica many years ago, our focus was on finding a common bond among the gang members to bring peace. We found the only way to find that common bond was through soccer. We had this thing called a covenant of peace, where these young men couldn’t come into the realm of soccer unless they laid their weapons down – literally checked them at the door,” she says. “Through soccer, we were able to introduce some goodness, diminish violence and bring a level of peace so that we could then extend the Gospel into that area.” Two years ago, Stephenson organized a similar soccer mission in Haiti to bring Haitian children together to learn about faith, conflict resolution and empowerment. It was during this trip that she met her first influential friend in Haiti, legendary Haitian soccer player and coach Ernst “ZeNono” Jean-Baptiste.
“The more time I spend in Haiti with the people of Haiti, the more I love them. You learn to see, smell, taste, hear and feel beyond the pervasive atmosphere of heartache, struggle, injustice, disease and death. I am reminded of scripture, ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him’ (Psalm 34:8, NIV),” she says. Still, that first trip was hard. She became infuriated by the brutal reality of how most Haitians must strive to survive day-to-day entrenched in generational poverty. She saw corruption within the very institutions that were supposed to help people, something she would come to see again and again throughout her career working in impoverished countries around the world.
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And so Pastor Shelley began her life’s work.
Such fears are not completely unfounded. The places she goes are full of desperate and fearful people and can be dangerous. But Stephenson has never let the societal byproducts of injustice and poverty deter her from trying to help. In fact, she’s more likely to face those challenges head on, as she did in Rose Heights, Jamaica, the Caribbean nation’s so-called “murder capital.”
Jean-Baptiste came to Stephenson’s aid when a professional soccer player who had agreed to run the soccer clinic dropped out due to a family emergency. Someone suggested she contact Jean-Baptiste. His response: “Absolutely. No problem.” “ZeNono is such a beautiful man,” says Stephenson. “Here he is, Mr. VIP, and he treated us unbelievably well. We spent a couple of days together, and he got to know me and see my vision. That is when he said, ‘I have somebody you have to meet.’”
former television producer Gerry Straub, with his latest book. The client had reached out to Cira to see what inroads into the religious education market might exist for Straub. In addition to authoring books on global poverty and the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi, Straub is a documentary filmmaker specializing in Haiti. Through Pax et Bonum Communications, Straub puts “the power of film at the service of the poor.” It is quite a departure from his days producing the popular soap opera General Hospital. Cira was particularly moved by the film Mudpies and Kites: Death and Resurrection in Haiti and decided she wanted to help. The relationship bore fruit in the form of speaking engagements at Catholic schools throughout the United States where Straub was able to share his mission and his work. “My job is to get other people’s stories
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out,” says Cira. “I’m successful when they are seen and heard.”
That someone turned out to be Sabine Renaude Martelly, the former secretary of state for youth, sports and civic action for the Republic of Haiti. Martelly is the founder of Asosyasyon Fanm Kore Fanm, which translates to Association of Women Supporting Women. It is precisely the focus of Stephenson’s domestic ministry Women Arise. After knowing Stephenson for only a short time, Jean-Baptiste saw the similarities in his close friend Martelly and the American missionary. Upon meeting, the two women became fast friends. “There was an instant connection, and at that point we shared our vision for women, for sports, for things like that,” says Stephenson. “It’s very important to find people you can trust in Haiti with your mission, with your vision and the things that you want to do. God has connected me to some very powerful and influential people who have been able to help me on the ground there to move the mission forward.”
In return for her assistance, Straub added Cira to the mailing list of Pax et Bonum’s email newsletter The Haiti Journal. She became an ardent follower of Straub’s work in Haiti, particularly Santa Chiara Children’s Center, the home for abandoned kids he and his wife operate in Port-au-Prince. Cira was compelled to not only offer her professional services pro bono, but also became a financial supporter of Pax et Bonum. She only wished that she could do more. Fate and Facebook would give her that chance. As a communications and marketing professional, Cira knows all about social media and its power to connect people. Like so many of us, upon setting up her own Facebook account, Cira searched out old friends. Her Facebook friends grew to more than 100, and among them was former ONU classmate and Alpha Omicron Pi sorority sister Shelley Stephenson. In addition to regular musings about her dog Bernie Mac, Stephenson’s Facebook posts contained dispatches from Haiti. In these posts, Cira read similar stories to what she saw in Straub’s The Haiti Journal. Between her friend and her client, she saw an opportunity.
Cheryl (Mumma) Cira, BA ’87, is the founder and president of Marketing Dimensions Inc. in Westerville, Ohio. Her firm provides sales and marketing support for publishing companies, curriculum providers and nonprofit organizations primarily in the education sector. In certain cases, she provides nonprofit organizations with support at a reduced rate or pro bono.
“It wasn’t one particular thing that caught my interest, but once I knew
Cira was introduced to one such organization, Pax et Bonum Communications, four years ago after one of her publishing clients sought her help. The client was helping Pax et Bonum’s founder, filmmaker, author and
up face to face for coffee. Unable to settle on a date that would fit their
that she was in Haiti and had a mission and focus in that area, I thought ‘Dang, I’ve got to connect Shelley with Gerry.’” Cira and Stephenson began to correspond through social media. They started texting one another and soon found themselves eager to meet busy schedules, the connection that first bound them together presented a solution. They would meet at ONU’s Homecoming weekend celebration.
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In late November 2017, Stephenson returned to Haiti for her most ambitious trip yet. For much of the year, her domestic ministry Women Arise had been converting a retired American school bus in Bellefontaine, Ohio, into a mobile medical clinic with the hopes of being able to deliver desperately needed medical care in Haiti. According to Stephenson, basic health care is all that’s needed to prevent catastrophic illness. After Hurricane Matthew hit Haiti in 2016, Stephenson was there to witness the aftermath. She saw “WE REALLY CONNECTED AT HOMECOMING THIS PAST FALL,” SAYS CIRA. “I’D ONLY BEEN BACK TWO OR THREE TIMES SINCE I GRADUATED FROM ONU AND CERTAINLY NOT IN THE PAST 10 YEARS. BUT I’M SO GLAD I CAME BACK THIS TIME.”
untreated infections, which could have easily been cured with a simple antibiotic, making people – especially women – so sick that they were unable to care for their children. “That’s where the mobile medical clinic came in. We bought a bus. We took the seats out and put a clinic together with all of the basic health equipment and everything they might need to care for the basic health needs,” she says. “Now that the bus is in Haiti, it will go to four villages every week and deliver basic medical care.” The mobile clinic is the embodiment of Stephenson’s faith. It sprang to life from her enthusiasm and spirit, blending her Ohio congregation with her Haitian mission. It contains a bit of her past and, with luck, a good amount of her future. It even looks like it should, beautifully painted with wild graffiti by a local artist. It is a proclamation of the joy one can find helping others and an unforgettable reminder of just how much that is needed. As the mobile clinic awaited clearance from Haitian customs, Stephenson made good on Cira’s efforts to connect her with Gerry Straub. Orphaned and abandoned children are of primary concern for Martelly, so Stephenson invited her good friend to accompany her on the visit to Santa Chiara Children’s Center. The Santa Chiara Children’s Center began as a child care facility. It was intended to give children a safe place to be while their parents worked.
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ALPHA OMICRON PI
However, Straub and his wife, Ecarlatte, quickly learned how pervasive child abandonment was in Port-au-Prince and how caring for those children was a more dire need. Now, Santa Chiara is more refuge than day care, meeting the medical and educational needs of as many children as they can. Funding comes exclusively from donors in the United States.
While he and the staff at Santa Chiara have successfully adapted to the needs of their community, the growth required to do so has strained the organization. Straub began to realize they were at a point where external support from the U.S. wasn’t going to be enough to keep it going. Santa Chiara needed help from inside Haiti.
Santa Chiara has grown from a charity that helps children and families to one that saves them. They now employ 29 people, all Haitians but Straub, and have 52 children under their roof. They built a small one-room schoolhouse and hired three teachers to give children who have never attended school (some as old as 13) enough education for them to enroll in “real” school. They offer vocational training in the form of sewing and jewelry-making classes, and they provide microloans to those who wish to start small businesses. “We had a woman who was a prostitute who didn’t want that life anymore. We bought her an ice chest and enough drinks to fill it. She took that to a local soccer field and was able to sell the drinks. She took the money, bought more drinks and sold them. Soon she had enough money to offer to pay us back for the ice chest, but we declined. We made an investment in her, not cold drinks,” says Straub.
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Sabine Martelly is a guide of sorts to Stephenson in Haiti, particularly when it comes to orphanages. Orphaned children are part of what Stephenson calls her “big mission.” Martelly knows which orphanages are trying to care for children the right way, but are struggling to do so. These are the places where Stephenson’s ministry can help most. On their visit to Santa Chiara, however, the tables were turned. Stephenson was the guide. When they arrived, Straub was surprised that Stephenson, whom Cira had told him was coming, had brought Martelly and her husband, a current government official and businessman. It became clear to Straub that this was more than just a visit from a friend of a friend. This was an introduction. At first, Straub “wasn’t too impressed” that members of the Haitian government were at his orphanage. His experiences in Haiti had given him reservations about the government’s ability to help its people.
Santa Chiara is the kind of charitable operation that seems to work in Haiti because it empowers people and gives them a way out of poverty through education and entrepreneurship. It isn’t a safety net – those don’t exist in Haiti. “In the United States, even the really poor people have safety nets. The homeless have access to shelters and food. You can go to a hospital even if you have no insurance, and no one is going to kick you out. But in Haiti, when you lack such basic things as running water and electricity, your whole day is about survival. When you get sick and go to a hospital in Haiti, it’s either cash or die. It’s unimaginable,” says Straub.
“I wasn’t interested in people with power. I was interested in people with heart,” he says. “People who want to help the poor and do something to alleviate the suffering.” That’s what he saw in Martelly. “I could tell immediately that she really did care and is trying to make a difference,” he says. “You can tell when people are just blowing smoke.” For more than an hour, Straub gave them a tour of Santa Chiara. He showed them the school and where the young mothers learn to sew and make jewelry. Stephenson held the children, giving them all the love in her heart. Martelly presented a gift as well. In a city where even supermarkets have armed guards and gunfire can be heard nearly every night, she was astonished to
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learn that Santa Chiara had no security to speak of. Straub explained that one of the children, a 15-year-old boy nicknamed “Commander Leobel,” was in charge of the gate. On the spot, she and her husband promised to change that. They would personally see to it that Santa Chiara was assigned a uniformed and armed guard for 24-hours-a-day protection. Straub was amazed. The help he needed from inside Haiti had come. To him, it was nothing short of a miracle. “I told Sabine, ‘You know, I’ve been here for 2 1/2 years, and I feel very alone, very isolated.’ She just looked at me in the most direct manner and said, ‘Well, you’re not alone anymore.’ Shelley brought me the one person in Haiti with the resources and the heart to help me – just when I felt this was all going to fall apart.”
A PLACE WHERE KIDS CAN BE KIDS
The Martellys’ gesture was as unexpected to Stephenson as it was to Straub. That isn’t to say she wasn’t hoping for something good to come from the meeting. In fact, she felt strongly that the connection forged from a couple of old college friends, which had suddenly rekindled and led to this exciting opportunity, was destined to change lives. Ohio Northern was at the forefront of Stephenson’s mind on the trip – so much so that she wore her ONU T-shirt and gifted Straub an ONU hat upon meeting him. “I wanted to make that connection, that Ohio Northern University connection from Ada, Ohio, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I handed him the hat as soon as I entered the orphanage, and he put it right on his head,” she says. “He said he may never take it off.”
“When I received Gerry’s newsletter, I was like, ‘Holy cow.’ I teared up,” Cira says. “I think Gerry expected to get a bag of rice or some diapers out of it, and he ended up meeting some of the most important people in Haiti who can keep him safe and help him continue his work. I had no idea Shelley knew these kinds of people!” In life, achieving happiness and success sometimes comes down to who you know. But it is really more complicated than that. It is not just who you know. It is how you know someone, where you know them from and what you know about them that matter. It’s these details, forged through friendship and spanning the years, that manifest into the rewards that bring us joy and fill us with satisfaction. To learn more about Shelley Stephenson Ministries, visit www.shelleystephensonministries.online. To learn more about Gerry Straub’s Santa Chiara’s Children’s Center, visit www.santachiaracc.org.◆
[re]Connections
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In Westerville, Ohio, a few days later, Cira opened her email to find the latest issue of The Haiti Journal in her inbox. She was intrigued by the title, “An Historic Day.” As she read, she grew more astonished. Not only was it a moving account of her two friends’ meeting in Haiti and the wonderful good fortune it brought about, but Straub gave Cira the credit for setting it all into motion.
ARTS & SCIENCES
Student Success in
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A&S Kelly Lewis, a senior creative writing and literature double major from Bellefontaine, Ohio, had her poem “Stargazing” published in the current issue of ReCap, Capital University’s literary arts magazine. She also had three poems, “Kisses,” “Burns” and “Unraveled,” published in Penumbra: Art & Literature Journal of California State University, Stanislaus.◆
A group of exercise physiology students, with direction from professor Dr. Ed Potkanowicz, has had a paper accepted for publication in the International Journal of Exercise Science. The students – Elizabeth Martin, BS ’17; Adam Subasic, BS ’17; Lauren Brackman, a senior exercise physiology major from Tipp City, Ohio; and Alexa Bouts – researched the rise in the use of technology in personal fitness and fitness tracking, which led to the creation of “The Accuracy and Validity of iOS-Based Heart Rate Apps During Moderate to High Intensity Exercise.”◆
The ONU chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America was honored at the PRSSA 2017 National Conference in Boston from Oct. 6-10. The chapter earned two awards: the Dr. Frederick H. Teahan Award for Chapter Development and the Star Chapter Award. This is the ninth straight year ONU has received a Star Award.◆
O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
ONU students ranked ninth in the nation for total awards in the Society for Collegiate Journalists’ annual contest. Grant Pepper, a junior multimedia journalism student from Centerville, Ohio, won five awards in the field of individual writing, the most earned for a solo journalist this year. Sam Pontarolo, a junior multimedia journalism student from Pacific Grove, Calif., earned second place for the column or commentary category for his article on Islamaphobia. The Society for Collegiate Journalists is a national society of collegiate mass communications. It is the nation’s oldest organization designed solely to serve college media leaders.◆
Ky’la Sims, a senior political science major from Dearborn, Mich., participated in the prestigious Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) at Purdue University for undergraduates last summer. An extremely competitive program with numerous applicants from across the country, Sims earned a coveted spot and was paired up with Dr. Rosalee Clawson, a Purdue political science professor, as her faculty advisor. The pair gave a poster presentation on the American news media’s portrayal of minorities within articles centered on poverty, Social Security and Medicare. Their research has gained high-profile attention and was recently referenced in The New York Times.◆
Six manufacturing technology students – TJ Hoerston, Charles Ranck, Patrick Bryant, Greg Phillips, Robbie Allen and Tyler Simmons – participated in the robotics competition at the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering conference Nov. 1-2 in Cincinnati. The group took home first place in the “Technical Report”
competition and performed well in the robotics competition. The group was advised by Dr. David Rouch.◆ Five technology education students – Zane Cottingim, Taylor Hesse, Lance Brown, Chris Mueller and Layne Bowman – had a presentation accepted for April 2018 ITEEA conference in Atlanta, Ga. The students will present their research
on “Characteristics and Influences of becoming a Technology Educator.” The group also will compete in the robotics competition, lesson plan competition, tech challenge and problem-solving competition.◆
Students from the construction management and civil engineering programs competed in the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC) Region Three Heavy Civil competition at Downers Grove, Ill., in October. Construction management students Wyatt Sherman and Austin Tebbe joined civil engineering students Nick Anderson, Gabe Dauch, Sarah Florian and Sara Hosey to compete against 11 other teams from schools in the region. The ONU team finished in third place and received plaques and a $500 team award.◆
Three construction management sophomores – Lane Hurley, Ryan Tatman and Cameron Conaway – received scholarships to attend the “Sophomore Workshop,” which was sponsored by KIEWIT and NECA. These students received an all-expenses paid trip to the ASC Region #3 conference and spent two days learning the industry as well
as competing in mini-competitions set up by the hosts. Students were teamed with students from other universities in the region, and Hurley was on the winning team for the KIEWIT competition. To earn the scholarships, the students submitted an application and essay detailing the project manager’s role in today’s construction industry.◆
COLLEGE NEWS
/29
ONU’s Model UN students won a position paper award at the American Model United Nations Conference. This year, ONU represented two delegations: Lithuania and Palestine. Students were tasked with researching the country and the country’s position on a particular topic, such as environmental issues, terrorism, chemical weapons, and other human rights issues. The ONU students who represented Lithuania – sophomore management major David Miller, junior political science major Seth Ferguson, sophomore criminal justice major Ashlee Buxton, sophomore public health major Moko Tanaka, freshman public health major Chloe White and sophomore political science major Cassandra Krencisz – received the award.◆
BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
BUSINESS STUDENTS GAIN VALUABLE INSIGHT FROM EXPERIENCED ALUMNI AND FRIENDS The best way to learn is by doing, but if you can’t do that, the next best thing is to learn from those who have already done it. Students, faculty and alumni of the Dicke College of Business Administration are
/30
well acquainted with the benefits of both. The college’s faculty and staff know that its graduates will face certain issues and situations as they head into the workforce that can’t be effectively communicated within a traditional classroom. To help them prepare, the college held its inaugural “Executive Week” last September, linking the experiences of its faculty, alumni, staff and friends with the high-impact learning of its students.
Led by Tallene Eichelberger, a certified etiquette trainer and general manager of The Inn, the event aimed to educate students about proper etiquette at networking events and during business dining experiences. Sponsored by alumni Jay Molter, BSBA ’81, and Terri (Henby) Molter, BSPh ’81, the event provided a rare opportunity for students to practice essential networking skills in a unique but realistic setting.
The week’s activities kicked off with a keynote and panel discussion on gender and diversity issues in the workplace led by Mike Kaufmann, BSBA ’85, CEO of Cardinal Health and a leading figure in the area of issues affecting women in the workforce. Featuring panelists Deann Newman, BSBA ’83, ONU Provost Maria Cronley, and Sheryl (Haushalter) Sopher, BSBA ’92, the discussion centered on the roles and experiences of both men and women in the workplace. It also shed some light on gender-equity issues in the workplace, a topic that really resonates with students.
Networking and professionalism were the focus of the week’s final event: a seminar led by Scott Malaney, CEO of Blanchard Valley Health System. Malaney spent the afternoon talking to students about sharpening their skills related to professional interactions in the workplace, interviewing and résumé-building.
The week also included an etiquette dinner at The Inn at Ohio Northern University, which was attended by all juniors in the college and several faculty, staff and guests.
Within its professional network, the College of Business Administration has access to a large pool of professionals from virtually every type of industry, including many alumni. Both friends and alumni of ONU have proven to be indispensable resources to both the University and its students time and time again. These professionals have so much experience and knowledge to pass on, and the students, in turn, gain valuable insight and networking.◆
O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
ENGINEERING
This new engineering building will accommodate the needs of today’s engineering and computer science
students. It will feature open spaces and natural light, flexible and functional space for learning and collaboration, expanded room for design projects, and the latest technology for laboratories and classrooms. Construction will begin in spring 2018; the building is expected to be ready to receive students in fall 2019.◆
THE ONCE-IN-A-GENERATION CAMPAIGN FOR ENGINEERING:
BUILDING IMPACT AT ONU IS AN ONGOING PROJECT, AND YOU CAN STILL HELP BUILD IMPACT AT ONU. SEVERAL NAMING OPPORTUNITIES EXIST. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT TRICIA PROFIT-KUHN, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT FOR THE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, AT T-PROFIT-KUHN@ONU. EDU OR 419-772-2390.
onu.edu/engineering [ COLLABORATION SPACE ]
COLLEGE NEWS
/31
In October 2017, Ohio Northern University’s College of Engineering celebrated the next stage of the Campaign for Engineering: Building Impact at ONU with a groundbreaking ceremony featuring speeches, fanfare and 20 shovels.
[ ATRIUM ]
LAW
A BETTER SPACE FOR GREAT RESULTS Davis’ gift funded a renovation of Room 125, one of three identical lecture halls in Tilton. Prior to this summer’s eight-week renovation, the three rooms had ably provided a setting to educate students, unchanged, for 44 years. The new Davis Lecture Hall reflects the changing state of legal education with an updated, modern space.
Thanks to a recent gift to the Pettit College of Law from Judge Allan H. Davis, JD ’68, ONU students have the chance to learn in a stunning new technologically advanced classroom bearing his name: The Judge Allan H. Davis Lecture Hall in the Tilton Hall of Law.
It’s very much a “smart” classroom, with twin 80-inch high-definition displays with full internet connectivity, video conferencing and lecture-capture ability. It is equipped with document cameras so students can collaborate and draft and edit legal documents. But perhaps more important than the technology in the room are the changes to the room itself. The ceiling was raised and a
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Today’s legal education is technology-dependent, meaning law schools need to have appropriate tools to educate students.
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second window added to increase natural light. The terraced, stadium-style lecture hall was leveled during the renovation to make the new room accessible to all. The room can now accommodate more than 70 students, which makes it suitable for any class offered by the law college. In addition to being a classroom space, the Davis Lecture Hall will be the likely location for faculty and student organization meetings and the venue for many future guest speakers and presentations. A recently retired Hancock County probate and juvenile court judge, Davis spent a record 40 years on the bench of the Hancock County Court of Common Pleas. His generosity to ONU’s law program is his way of saying "thank you" for his nearly 50-year law career made possible by ONU. ◆
AFTER Innovations like the Davis Lecture Hall help keep ONU’s College of Law competitive, and our students are the ones who benefit most. This is evidenced by the latest Ohio bar-passage results, in which ONU alumni tied for second in the state. With an 87 percent passage rate, the College of Law tied with the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law for second among Ohio’s nine law schools for first-time bar-passage rate on the July bar exam. The statewide passage rate for all first-time takers was 77 percent.
O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
ONU MOBILE HEALTH CLINIC
PHARMACY
HAS A NEW RIDE
SAME SPACES NEW FACES The Pharmacy building gets a new facelift.
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The Ohio Northern University Mobile Health Clinic offers free health screenings to area residents. The 38-foot bus is in its first season of operation by the College of Pharmacy’s ONU HealthWise outreach efforts. ONU HealthWise has provided health outreach services in Hardin County since 2015, when the College of Pharmacy received a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) grant. Thanks to recent support from CVS and Mercy Health in Lima, Ohio, the mobile clinic has an official set of wheels.
The new bus offers patients more privacy and increases the visibility of the clinic. Services offered include immunizations, tobacco cessation, medication reconciliation, health education and a variety of screenings, including cholesterol, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, hepatitis C testing, blood pressure, bone density and skin scope. All services are offered at no cost to the patient. The Mobile Health Clinic is staffed by an inter-professional team of pharmacists, nurses and laboratory specialists. The endeavor provides valuable health services to a region where access to health care is not convenient and underscores the College of Pharmacy’s mission of serving residents of the region. It also provides ONU students with practical experience.
Interested parties should visit the following link for future dates that the mobile clinic will be in their area: onu.edu/healthwise. Members of the community can also contact ONU HealthWise directly at 419-772-1050 or healthwise@onu. edu. Walk-ins are also welcome. The mobile clinic made its first community appearance Aug. 22 in Dunkirk, Ohio.◆
COLLEGE NEWS
REMEMBERING
JONNY U OHIO NORTHERN'S BIGGEST FAN By Bill Robinson, BSEd ’61, Hon. D. ’05, H of F ’05 Special contributor /34
On Dec. 30, 2017, Ada and Ohio Northern University lost an icon. Jon “Jonny U” Urich passed away in Bridge Hospice Care Center in Findlay, Ohio, at the age of 77. Many of you will surely remember Jonny U. Born and raised in Ada, he was a sport aficionado and fixture in the community. He would ride his bike through campus nearly every day, greeting everyone and announcing the latest sports scores. Jon followed every Ohio Northern athletic team event, and, as a result he befriended many students over his lifetime. He cared for people, and his enthusiasm for life was evident to all, particularly when he entertained the campus with his one-man football game in front of Founders Hall or performed his famous “Pete Rose slide” in the lobbies of McIntosh and King Horn centers. He was a campus legend and one of the Polar Bears’ greatest fans. Jon Urich is now entertaining his God and continuing to
Jonny U, ONU Athletics’ biggest fan, talks sports scores with a student in 1985.
show his love of life in heaven. We will miss this true member of the Polar Bear Nation. Rest in peace, Jon!
O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT VOLLEYBALL’S SWEET ’17
The ONU women’s soccer team dominated its
The ONU volleyball team served its reputation
competition and the record books during the 2017
well during the 2017 season, upholding its previous
season. The team became the second in school history
success with several noteworthy achievements. After
to win an Ohio Athletic Conference championship,
a superb regular season, the team advanced to both
nabbing a No. 13 ranking and automatic bid to the
the Ohio Athletic Conference championship match
NCAA Division III tournament. The jewel in the crown
and the NCAA Division III tournament for the second
was their historic run in the NCAA tournament, where
straight season. Making it all the way to the Sweet
they marched into the Elite 8 round for the first time
16 regional final round of the NCAA tournament,
in school history. The team’s ironclad defense set a
the Polar Bears returned home with a 29-6 overall
school record with 14 shutouts, breaking a 20-year-old
record and a No. 20 national ranking by the American
mark from 1997, and they also tied the school record
Volleyball Coaches Association.
for consecutive shutouts with seven straight shutouts during the regular season.
MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY The ONU men’s cross country team blazed a trail at the team and individual levels during the 2017 season. The team set a new school mark, becoming Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) champion for a third consecutive year. At the 2017 NCAA Division III Cross Country Championships, the Polar Bears placed 19th, marking ONU’s second consecutive top-20 finish at the national level. Leading the way was junior mechanical engineering major Ian McVey, who earned All-American honors with a 10th place finish in the NCAA championship. McVey also was named the All-Ohio Division III Men’s Runner of the Year and became the fifth Polar Bear to win the OAC championship individual title.
AT H L E T I C S N E W S
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WOMEN'S SOCCER MAKES HISTORY
13
7 8
6
14 1
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15 2
16 3
11 4
9
17
5 10
12
O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
1960s
1 Robert James, BA ’68, was named professor and holder of the Mary Moody Northen chair in international studies at the Virginia Military Institute for the 2017-18 school year. He and his wife, Cathy, reside in Lexington, Va.
1970s Thomas Fox, BSEE ’72, retired from General Dynamics/Motorola after 42 years. He resides in Gilbert, Ariz. Marcia Schettler, BSPh ’75, retired from University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center pharmacy services on May 1, 2017. She resides in South Euclid, Ohio, with her husband, John. James Mannion, BSPh ’76, retired as president and CEO from Galleon Pharmaceuticals Inc., a firm he founded in 2003. He and his wife, Kathleen, reside in San Marcos, Calif.
1980s 3 Alice Robinson-Bond, BA ’81, JD ’84, retired in August 2017 from the state of Ohio, where she served as deputy director of the attorney general’s Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission. After a two-week retirement, she started a new position with the Logan County Prosecutor’s Office. Stanley M. Rubin, JD ’81, retired in 2016 as a staff attorney with the criminal defense division of the Legal Aid Society of New York and is currently in private practice in Uniondale, N.Y.
4 Daniel Deckler, BSME ’85, joined the University of Akron in July as a professor of engineering. He resides in Canton, Ohio. Kevin Alten, BS ’89, was inducted into Pi Alpha, the physician’s assistant education honor society, in July 2017. He and his wife, Kathy, reside in Cambridge, Ohio.
1990s Bernadette (Sowers) Weitz, BSPh ’93, recently received Board Certification in Pharmacotherapy. She is a clinical pharmacist at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, Conn. Chris Duerr, JD ’94, opened Duerr Law PC in September 2017 after spending 20 years in private and government practice. His firm specializes in eminent domain, real estate law, business law, estate planning and associated litigation. The Duerr family resides in Fort Washington, Pa. Lori (Burgett) Gillett, BSCE ’96, and her husband, Morgan, welcomed a daughter, Samantha Elaine, on July 14, 2017. She joins sister Taylor. The family resides in Westerville, Ohio. 5 Benjamin Miller, BSME ’96, joined Toledo Molding & Dye Inc. as production manager. He and his family reside in Mount Blanchard, Ohio. Chad Callahan, JD ’98, was appointed magistrate judge in Deadwood, S.D., in July 2017. He resides in Black Hawk, S.D., with his family. Mary Riley, BA ’98, opened Synergy Sports Therapy in Berea, Ohio, on June 21, 2017.
Jason Briscoe, PharmD ’01, and his wife, Allison, welcomed a daughter, Hazel June, May 7, 2017. They reside in Rocky River, Ohio. Charles “Chaz” Brosemer, BA ’03, was promoted to accounting financial reporting specialist II in the investment accounting department at Progressive Insurance. He and his wife, Jennifer (Szajnowsky), BA ’04, reside in Parma, Ohio. David Edelstein, BS ’03, returned to Ohio this summer after serving as the chief of criminal enforcement for the EPA Region 6 in Dallas, Texas, to become an environmental attorney with Vorys, Sater, Seymour, Pease LLP. He resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his family. 6 Jessica (Holden) Fleming, BA ’03 and her husband, Michael, were married in Glen Ellyn, Ill., June 10, 2017. They reside in Gilbert, Ariz. 7 Alison (Dutro), BFA ’03, and Chris Yeager, BA ’03, welcomed their first child, daughter Evelyn “Evie,” on Feb. 3, 2017. In August, Chris started his own law firm, Herdman Yeager LLC, which practices in the areas of workers’ compensation and Social Security disability. The Yeager family resides in Powell, Ohio. 8 Jennifer (Szajnowsky) Brosemer, BA ’04, was named WEWS Channel 5 Teacher of the Week in February 2017. 9 Jessica (Linnert) Robertson, BA ’04, and her husband, Anthony, welcomed a son, Reed Walter, March 2, 2017. The Robertsons reside in Cleveland, Ohio. 10 Bryan Spangler, BA ’05, earned a doctor of health science from A.T. Still University in Mesa, Ariz., in May 2017. In August, Spangler accepted a professor position at Valencia College in Orlando, Fla.
Dawn (Hritz) Marshall, BM ’06, and her husband, Chris, welcomed a son, Caleb Jude, Jan. 31, 2017. Caleb joins brothers Jeremiah and Isaac. The Marshall family resides Brian Hattery, BSECE ’00, earned in Fishers, Ind. an MBA from Ohio Christian University in April 2017. Hattery is a senior engineer at American Electric Power and resides in Kenton, Ohio.
2000s
C L AS S N OT E S
11 Dustin, BSEE ’07, and Melody (Hall) Hartzler, PharmD ’09, welcomed a son, Kellen, on March 22, 2017. He joins sister Kenley. They reside in Dayton, Ohio. 12 Jamie (Roebuck), BA ’07, and Bill Nickley, BSBA ’08, welcomed a son, Garrison Everett, April 1, 2017. Garrison joins his big sister Alana. The family resides in Tampa, Fla. 13 Sarah (Geise) Rethman, PharmD ’07, and her husband, Matt, welcomed a daughter, Kenzie Marie, Aug. 29, 2016. She joins brother William and sister Aubree. The Rethman family resides in Fort Loramie, Ohio. Diana (Smith) Schnipke, BS ’07, and her husband, Rick, welcomed a daughter, Taylor Mae, Aug. 4, 2017. The family resides in Menomonee Falls, Wis. Jason Trusnik, BA ’07, founded Trusnik Brothers Investments, a real estate investment firm that specializes in residential and commercial rehab and rentals. He resides in Strongsville, Ohio. Seth, BA ’08, and Lauren (Anderson) Castle, PharmD ’13, were married April 29, 2017, in Washington Court House, Ohio. They reside in Miamisburg, Ohio. 14 Meagan (Brennan) Pond, BSBA ’08, married her husband, Bill, April 22, 2017. They reside in Cincinnati, Ohio. 15 Adam, BSME ’08, and Michelle (Mangan) Schroeder, PharmD ’11, welcomed a son, Simon Alois, March 27, 2017. He joins brother Linus. The family resides in Toledo, Ohio. 16 Zachary Schroeder, BSME ’08, and his wife Katie (Crawford), BSN ’09, welcomed a son, Andersyn, in February 2017. They reside in Findlay, Ohio. 17 Andrew, BSEE ’08, and Jennifer (Waitzman) Wilson, PharmD ’10, welcomed a son, Caden James, on June 27, 2017. The family resides in Waxhaw, N.C.
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2 Mark Humberman, JD ’76, retired as chief magistrate of the Mahoning County Domestic Relations Court after serving for 20 years. In total, he served Mahoning County for 30 years, spending 10 years as a magistrate in the juvenile court. In his retirement, he will serve as administrator for the Ohio Association of Magistrates and as the executive director of the National Health Association, a nonprofit organization that promotes the benefits of a plant-based diet.
Suzanne (Amato) Nesbit, BSPh ’84, began a three-year term as president-elect of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. She resides in Bel Air, Md., with her husband, Todd, BSPh ’84.
CLASS NOTES 29
28
23
18
30
24
19
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31
25
20
32
21
26
33 22
34 27
O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
18 Shelley Bednar, BSBA ’09, was promoted to underwriter 1 at Loan Depot. She resides in San Tan Valley, Ariz. Alison Folk, PharmD ’09, clinical outpatient pharmacist at the Columbus VA Ambulatory Care Center, was nominated for “Health Care Professional of Choice” at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center. She resides in Pickerington, Ohio. Mark Howard, BSBA ’09, joined State Auto Insurance Company as a claims vendor specialist. He resides in Gahanna, Ohio. 19 Sharon (Snyder) Ward, BSME ’09, and her husband, Christopher, were married March 18, 2017. Sharon is a senior systems engineer at Raytheon Missile Systems. The couple resides in Tucson, Ariz. 20 Douglas Vorhees, BS ’09, and Alyssa (Ahlers), BSBA ’10, welcomed a daughter, Lucy Julianne, on Aug. 12, 2016. The family resides in Dayton, Ohio.
21 Kendra (Schroeder), BS ’10, and her husband, Stephen Baumgartner, BSCPE ’10, welcomed a daughter, Sona, April 16, 2017, joining big brothers Henry and Ivan. The family resides in Medina, Ohio. 22 Zachary Ferres, BS ’10, CEO of Coplex, received a 2016 Spirit of Enterprise Award from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. He resides in Scottsdale, Ariz. Kevin Gilbert, BSCE ’10, achieved professional engineer (PE) certification on Sept. 10, 2017. Gilbert and his wife, Molly (Klingerler), BA ’07, reside in Union, Ky. 23 Rachel (Smith), BA ’10, and her husband, Brent Hiser, BSME ’10, welcomed a son, Wesley Alan, Aug. 31, 2016. The family resides in Tiffin, Ohio.
20 Alyssa (Ahlers), BSBA ’10, and Douglas Vorhees, BS ’09, welcomed a daughter, Lucy Julianne, Aug. 12, 2016. The family resides in Dayton, Ohio. David Walters, BSME ’10, and his wife, Laura, welcomed a son, Elijah, July 2, 2016. They reside in Hilliard, Ohio. Jennifer (Waitzman), PharmD ’10, and Andrew Wilson, BSEE ’08, welcomed a son, Caden James, June 27, 2017. The family resides in Waxhaw, N.C. 25 Ellen (Keough), BA ’11, and Andrew Baumer, BSCE ’12, welcomed a son, Grayson, June 18, 2017. They reside in Minster, Ohio. 26 Ryan Brune, BSME ’11, earned a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Ohio State University in December 2016. He and his wife, Genevieve, reside in Bexley, Ohio. 27 Cory, BS ’11, and Katrina (Winner) Bryan, PharmD ’13, welcomed a son, Thomas, June 16, 2017. They reside in Chesterfield, Mich. 28 Sarah Edington, PharmD ’11, and her husband, Travis, welcomed a daughter, Eleanor May, on June 30, 2017. Sarah was promoted to pharmacy supervisor with CVS Health in August 2016 and now manages 24 CVS pharmacies, more than 60 pharmacists and more than 300 pharmacy technicians in the greater Nashville area.
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2010s
24 Larry Perry, BSBA ’10, was promoted to system neuroscience program manager at OhioHealth Corporation in January 2017. He resides in Columbus, Ohio.
Gabriel Cabanillas, BM ’11, recorded with members of the Grammy-winning band Jars of Clay in Nashville, Tenn., in spring 2016. He and his wife, Summer (Hall), BSN ’11, reside in Marengo, Ohio.
Ashleigh (Kaleugher) Musick, BA ’11, assistant prosecuting attorney for the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office, sat second chair at the Ohio Supreme Court in the death penalty case State vs. Donna Roberts. She and her family reside in Cortland, Ohio.
31 Chad Coward, BSCE ’12, and Jill (Leiendecker), BSBA ’12, were married July 22, 2017, in Mansfield, Ohio, where the couple resides.
29 Kristin (Partee), BSBA ’11, and her husband, Peter Kircher, BS ’11, welcomed a daughter, Emily, July 8, 2017. The family resides in Perrysburg, Ohio.
32 Kyle Cottos, BSEE ’12, and Ashley (Fassinger), BSBA ’14, were married in October 2016. They reside in NorthMichelle (Mangan), PharmD ’11, and field, Ohio. Adam Shroeder, BSME ’08, welcomed 33 Matt McKean, BSBA ’12, and a son, Simon Alois, March 27, 2017. his wife, Courtney, were married He joins brother Linus. The family March 25, 2017. The family resides resides in Toledo, Ohio. in Morrow, Ohio.
Emily (Waugh) Kissling, BSBA ’11, and her husband, Drew, welcomed a son, Brendan Michael, Dec. 20, 2016. They reside in Kenton, Ohio.
30 Kathleen (Cox) Wolkan, BM ’11, 34 Jimmie Ruffner, BSME ’12, and and her husband Zachary, welcomed his wife Megan (Meyer), PharmD ’14, a son, Ethan, in March 2017. They welcomed daughter, Addie, Jan. 29, reside in Hilliard, Ohio. 2017. They reside in Marysville, Ohio.
C L AS S N OT E S
CLASS NOTES
38
39
35
/4 0
36
Brooks Bukowy, BSN ’13, began Duke University’s Nurse Anesthesia DNP program in August 2017. He and wife Erica (Mausser), BSBA ’13, reside in Durham, N.C. Lauren (Anderson) Castle, PharmD ’13, was promoted in February 2017 to pharmacy clinical services manager for 10 Walmart Pharmacy locations in southeast Michigan. She and Seth Castle, BA ’08, were married April 29, 2017, in Washington Court House, Ohio. They reside in Miamisburg, Ohio. 35 Courtney (Hetrick) Schkurko and her husband Steven J. Schkurkoon, were married June 17, 2017. The couple resides in Bay Village, Ohio. Maegan (Teets) Schnarre, BSBA ’13, and her husband, Zach, welcomed a daughter, Remi Grace, Sept. 26, 2016. They reside in Marysville, Ohio. 36 Garrit Corlett, BSCPE ’14, and his wife, Kathryn (Koliha), PharmD ’16, were married Aug. 11, 2017, at
40 37
the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The couple resides in Brecksville, Ohio. 37 Hillary (Abbott), BFA ’14, and Joshua Cox, BS ’14, were married Sept. 10, 2016. The couple resides in Joplin, Mo. 38 DeMarrius Payne, BSBA ’14, and Taylor (Fortune), BSBA ’14, were married April 9, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C. The couple resides in Greensboro, N.C. 39 Jessica (Hoffert), BSN ’15, and her husband, Jordan DeWitt, PharmD ’15, were married July 15, 2017. The couple resides in New Albany, Ohio. 40 Andrew Burns, BA ’15, and Lauren (Frame), BS ’15, were married May 27, 2017. The couple resides in Westerville, Ohio. Rebecca Wilden, BA ’15, graduated from the University of Michigan in April 2017 with a Master of Science in Information. She resides in Bucyrus, Ohio.
Pictured at the funeral luncheon for Bob Kerscher, BSBA ’70, Hon.D. ’14, are, from left to right: Dennis Hunt, BA ’70; Leonard “Bud” Lance, BSPh ’70; Marty Paul, BSBA ’65; Marcus Long, BSBA '95; Barbara Kerscher, Doug Mock, BSBA ’78; Oscar Mifsud, BSBA ’70, Hon. D. ’13; Terry Keiser, BSEd ’64; Bill Robinson, BSEd ’61, Hon. D. ’05; Jason Buchwald, BSBA ’98; and Robert “Rusty” Laybourne, BA ’70, JD ’73.
O N U M AG A Z I N E W I N T E R 2 0 1 8
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE 1930s
1950s
Muriel (Hilborn) Guiler, AA ’37,
John Carlos Dixon, BSCE ’50,
Canal Winchester, Ohio, July
Reynoldsburg, Ohio, July 02,
11, 2017.
2017.
Marie (Hover) Cribley*, BA ’38,
Richard J. Hadaway, BA ’50,
BSEd ’39, Seattle, Wash., July
Ashland, Ohio, June 16, 2017.
17, 2017.
James R. Jeffries, BSPh ’51,
1940s
St. Clairsville, Ohio, Aug. 18,
Richard H. Cottrell, BSEd ’40,
Kenneth E. Brown, BSEd ’52,
2017.
Greenwood, S.C., June 15, 2017.
Mario J. Cardone, BA ’41, Alba-
Richard S. Werley, BSPh ’52,
ny, Ga., Sept. 08, 2017. Earline (Frase) Metcalf, BA ’43, Newport News, Va., Feb. 06,
Punta Gorda, Fla., June 22, 2017. Wade C. Euliss, LLB ’53, Burl-
2017.
ington, N.C., March 30, 2017.
Paul Richard Cowan, BA ’48,
Laverne Dale Haugen, BSPh
Euclid, Ohio, March 29, 2017. Paul Gene Snider, BSEd ’48, West Lafayette, Ind., March 28, 2017.
’53, Washington Court House, Ohio, June 22, 2017. Nancy P. (Pitcock) DaPore, JD ’54, Charleston, S.C., April 01,
Theodore J. Winter, BSEd ’59, Lima, Ohio, June 15, 2017.
17, 2017. Eula Ann Doering, BSEd ’55, Wapakoneta, Ohio, Aug. 29, 2017.
Richard E. Parrott, BA ’59, JD
Donald K. Herman, BSPh ’55,
’60, Marysville, Ohio, July 30, 2017.
Marilyn S. (McFerron) Mellors,
1960s
BA ’56, North Royalton, Ohio, June 08, 2017. Robert G. Miller, BSCE ’57, Overland Park, Kan., April 01, 2016. Duane H. Princehorn, BSEd ’57, Wooster, Ohio, May 05, 2017. Josephine (Vlad) Romosan*, BSPh ’57, Strongsville, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2017. David L. Kastens, BSPh ’58, Liverpool, N.Y., July 12, 2017. John R. Eier, BSEE ’59, Waynesboro, Pa., Aug. 09, 2017.
’49, Geneva, Ohio, July 05, 2017.
James Luke Dixon, BSPh ’54,
Robert L. Morrison, BSCE ’59, Findlay, Ohio, Aug. 02, 2017.
Lawrence L. Gaietto, BSEE ’49,
Hon. D. ’69, Canfield, Ohio, June 24, 2017.
David E. Staley, BSEd ’59, Lima,
Columbus, Ohio, June 02, 2017.
Zanesville, Ohio, April 22, 2017.
Pepper Pike, Ohio, July 15, 2017.
2016.
Theodore H. Drought, BSEE
Lucien C. Young, JD ’59,
Ohio, Aug. 25, 2017.
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE
Loren K. Myers, BSEd ’60, Lima, Ohio, June 17, 2017. Bruce A. Tschantz, BSCE ’60, Knoxville, Tenn., June 28, 2017. Samuel V. Hubbell, BSPh ’61, Fountain City, Ind., June 27, 2017. Robert Carl Schray, BSPh ’61, Stow, Ohio, June 04, 2017. Jerry R. Milbourn*, BSBA ’62, University Park, Md., June 21, 2017. Nancy Jane (Laufer) Wiles, BSEd ’62, Dublin, Ohio, Aug. 30, 2017. R. Douglas Hagan, BA ’63, St. James City, Fla., April 29, 2017.
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South Burlington, Vt., June 27,
2017.
David Lawrence Peper, BSPh ’54, Russells Point, Ohio, April
C. Nevada Johnson, JD ’63,
John Henry McKee, BSPh ’64,
Donald G. Hare, BSPh ’67, Ca-
Jeanette M. Raudabaugh,
Medina, Ohio, May 21, 2017.
Dallas, Texas, July 21, 2017.
nal Fulton, Ohio, May 05, 2017.
BSEd ’69, St. Marys, Ohio, May
B. Edward Roberts, LLB ’63,
Betty Ann (Paul) Adams, BSEd
Gregory A. Miller, BSEd ’67,
Marion, Ohio, May 23, 2017.
’65, Port St. Lucie, Fla., Aug. 08,
Moses Lake, Wash., July 30,
Gary R. Washburn, BSEd ’69,
2017.
2017.
Columbus, Ohio, May 23, 2017.
BSEd ’63, Williamsburg, Va.,
Jeffrey C. Moor, BA ’65, Lima,
Josephine Lou (Coon) Staley
June 11, 2017.
Ohio, May 01, 2017.
’67, BSEd, Belle Center, Ohio,
1970s
George C. Ellis*, BSBA ’64, JD
Robert Ray Edgington, BSEd
’68, Mount Vernon, Ohio, Aug.
’66, St. Henry, Ohio, March 30,
William S. Koch, BSEd ’68,
01, 2017.
2017.
Dayton, Ohio, July 11, 2017.
July 19, 2017.
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Betty L. (Ballinger) Sager,
Bob Kerscher*, BSBA ’70, Hon. D. ’14, passed away Nov. 23, 2017, at his home in Hudson, Ohio. Kerscher graduated from Ohio Northern with a Bachelor of Science in business administration in 1970. He became a University trustee in 2003 and served on the Board for 14 years, bringing with him a deep love of Northern and a strong belief in the transforming power of education. Kerscher’s greatest success in business was founding Lexi-Comp in 1978. He grew the small business into an internationally recognized leader in point-of-care drug-reference content for health care practitioners. Today, the company’s medication knowledge is used by 95 percent of the nation’s top hospitals and 97 percent of the top children’s hospitals, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report. Kerscher was named the “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst and Young in 2004, and Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer named Lexi-Comp one of the “best places to work” in northeastern Ohio in 2010 and again in 2011. He and his wife, Barbara, were generous to Northern, providing The Robert and Barbara Kerscher Scholarship and Kerscher Loan Fund to support students who would not otherwise be able to afford an ONU education. They funded a renovation of McIntosh Center that included the creation of Klondike’s, and in October 2015, Ohio Northern dedicated Kerscher Stadium, the home of ONU soccer and outdoor track and field. The Kerschers have three children, Kelley Kerscher Engle, BSPh ’97, Lauren K. Zapp and Steven M. Kerscher.
31, 2017.
Michael E. Benedum, BSEd ’70, Powell, Ohio, June 28, 2017.
Barbara (Brickner) Eakin*, BSEd ’70, Webster, N.Y., June 30, 2017. David A. Laing, BSME ’70, Elyria, Ohio, July 29, 2017. Robert D. Richey, BSCE ’70, Ocala, Fla., July 21, 2017. Marilyn May (Theis) Schneider, BA ’70, Binghamton, N.Y., Sept. 20, 2017. Martha W. (Woodward) Fenlason, BSBA ’72, Geneva, Ohio, Sept. 06, 2017. Andrew Koehler, BSPh ’73, Upper Sandusky, Ohio, July 20, 2017. Janet A. (Riether) Perrotti, JD ’77, Hamden, Conn., Sept. 04, 2016.
1990s Peter A. Ryan, JD ’93, Barnegat, N.J., June 04, 2017.
Kraig E. Shrewsberry, BSCE ’95, Johnstown, Ohio, Feb. 22, 2017.
2000s James Robert Zeller, BS ’03, Ada, Ohio, Sept. 17, 2017. Daniel Allen Shaffer, BSEE ’06, Warrenville, Ill., June 22, 2017.
Jean E. Eibling, Ada, Ohio, April 23, 2017. Marjorie Feth*, Ashland, Ohio, April 22, 2017. John E. Gerstner, Severance, Colo., June 6, 2017. Carl L. Gray, Walnut Creek, Ohio, June 11, 2017. Steven Harvey, Westerville, Ohio, Feb. 19, 2017. Jeffrey A. Hawk, Elida, Ohio, July 6, 2017. A. Wallace Hood, Sebring, Ohio, April 28, 2017. Robert D. Hubbell, Ada, Ohio, April 23, 2017. Norman J. Kantosky, Elida, Ohio, April 5, 2017.
Dr. Stephen G. Hoag passed away on Oct. 16, 2017, in Duluth, Minn. Hoag served Ohio Northern University as dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy from 1987 to 1993. During his tenure, ONU became the first school in Ohio to confer the PharmD. His professional life was spent in academia, first as a professor and then as dean (at several universities) and provost. He possessed all the qualities that made him successful in his profession. He was humble, dedicated, generous, trustworthy, kind, loyal, honest and filled with integrity. He was a gentleman, respected by all who knew him. He relished and embraced the many successes of his family, faculty and colleagues. His accomplishments were varied and many. He lived his life well and will be profoundly missed.
Ralph F. Mikus, Concord, Calif., Feb. 04, 2016. Ellen M. (McCaslin) Ricketts, Sun City Center, Fla., June 2, 2017. John Romosan*, Strongsville, Ohio, Feb. 15, 2017. Nathan John Siefker, Columbus Grove, Ohio, May 14, 2017. Lysbeth A. Smailes, Wooster, Ohio, April 9, 2017.
FRIENDS
Margaret G. Smith, Merritt Island, Fla., April 17, 2017.
Heather Nicole Brickley, Tiffin, Ohio, April 10, 2017.
Donald Anthony Sprang, Kenton, Ohio, April 20, 2017.
Joseph L. Buerger, Cincinnati, Ohio, Jan. 28, 2016.
Wayne L. Warren, Convoy, Ohio, May 14, 2017.
*Denotes membership in the Heritage Club The Heritage Club recognizes alumni and friends who include Ohio Northern University in their will for $10,000 or more, or have arranged deferred gifts of $10,000 or more with the University as the ultimate beneficiary.
Dr. Jo Ann M. Scott passed away Sept. 25, 2017, after a brief illness. Scott began teaching at Ohio Northern University in 1987 and retired as a full professor in the Department of History, Politics and Justice in 2015. She loved ONU and left her mark on her department and Ohio Northern in a number of ways. Her most noteworthy accomplishments include the creation of the criminal justice major at ONU and the establishment of the Mock Trial team on campus, which she coached for many years. During her time as Mock Trial coach, the ONU team was nationally ranked. She also was a founding member and served on the board of directors for the American Mock Trial Association. She was recognized for her service with that organization by being named the Advisor of the Year multiple times.
REMEMBERING THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE
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Andrew B. King, JD ’95, Lima, Ohio, May 09, 2017.
Joyce E. Cupples, Bluffton, Ohio, Sept. 27, 2017.
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