Ohio Today Fall 2012

ohiotoday FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF OHIO UNIVERSITY

OUtstanding: $450 million ‘Promise Lives’ campaign ensures student futures • A Peace Corps pioneer

F A L L 2 0 1 2

Features A TASTE OF PARIS

LIFE IN THE MOMENT

CORPS VALUES

BEYOND WORDS

A respect for food and a passion for fresh ingredients inspire the restaurant of Nobuhiko Kaiharazuka’s (BBA ’99) dreams.

Ohio University has a vision: to be the best studentcentered learning experience in America. Meet the students, faculty and alumni at the heart of this promise.

How did Ohio University produce more than 770 Peace Corps volunteers in the agency’s first 50 years?

A pioneer in clinical aphasiology, alumna Maria Ivanova, PHD ’09, is working to establish speech languagepathology as a specialty in her home country of Russia.

16

18

Student scientists, artists and scholars are the promise of Ohio University. Meet this talented group (posing here at the bricks on The Ridges) starting on page 18.

ON THE COVER: The students at Radar Hill, the highest point within city limits with a 360-degree view of Athens. For more on Radar Hill, visit www.ohioalumni.org/radar-hill.

28

32

Robb DeCamp photo by

Departments 2 Letters 4

Your Ohio

What fashion faux pas did you commit as a student?

5

Contributors

Across the College Green 8 In the news Ohio researchers help rowers score Olympic gold.

9 Natural patterns

Artist John Sabraw makes a case for sustainable art in a new series of paintings.

10

A senator’s legacy The Sen. George V. Voinovich (BA ’58) Collection offers a glimpse into the politician’s life.

13

The writing way Professor’s latest book focuses on the spiritual truths of a creative life.

9

14

Calendar Chapter events and campus activities

Bobcat Tracks 34 ‘Better than the best ever’

A look back at “Mr. S,” who took the 110 where no band had been: Carnegie Hall.

36 Your alumni updates

News from fellow alumni, photos and reunion announcements

45 In Memoriam

Remembering alumni, faculty and staff

32

8 Last Word 4

» WE WON!

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education, headquartered in Washington, D.C., with members around the world, recently named Ohio Today a gold award winner of its 2012 Circle of Excellence awards program. The magazine was recognized for its outstanding redesign in 2011.

34 fa l l | w i n t e r 2012

• 1

LETTERS

to the editor

;

Shookie time

—Sue Ellen Gregg Eckhart, BSHSS ’72 Galloway, Ohio Editor’s Note: Thanks for your note! The “Shookie” (as it is known) is indeed an Ohio University Shively Court original. We contacted Brian Thompson, director of auxiliaries, to request the recipe. Culinary Services bakery staff developed a small-yield version of the recipe. In one week, Shively Court may serve up to 5,280 Shookies or 440 dozen. The university’s from-scratch bakery is responsible for the majority of pastries, desserts, pizza crusts, rolls and breads featured throughout all of Ohio University Culinary Services’ 16 on-campus venues and catering. Enjoy!

End of an era I so very much enjoyed your article, “Bobkitten: The Forgotten Mascot,” that appeared in the Spring 2012 Ohio Today.

I wanted to contribute a thought to how your article ended, as far as why the Bobkitten “faded away” in 1996.

When I was a freshman (1995), I tried out for the OU Bobcat. I was the only female at the meeting and was turned away, as only men from Lincoln Hall (a long tradition) earned the honor to 2 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

Erik Myers BFA ‘14

I

really enjoyed the nostalgic pieces in the last Ohio Today magazine [Spring 2012] even though it made me feel old . . . some great memories!

I lived in Tiffin when I first got to campus in 1970. The campus looked like a war zone (with good reason). I guess Tiffin was originally built for men only. Showers were communal (and we really didn’t think much of it). The counters and mirrors were built for guys, and at 5-foot-3, I could barely see myself! Several walks up that hill every day kept off any weight gain!

Would it be possible for you to publish a recipe for the triple chocolate chip cookie served at Shively Grab-n-Go [mentioned in the article “Talk of the Town”] if it is made there on campus? Thanks!

P.S. I am just completing my first year of retirement from public school speech therapy — that choice of a major and degree from OU was NEVER regretted!

Shively Court Shookie Recipe Triple Chocolate Cookies Ingredients: 1 cup butter 1 cup Crisco 2 1/4 cups brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 5 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla 4 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup cocoa powder 2 cups chocolate chips 2 cups white chocolate chips Process: 1. Cream butter, Crisco, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.

2. Add eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth.

3. Stir in cocoa and flour; dough will be stiff.

4. Mix in chips.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Yields 3 dozen.

audition for the coveted mascot position.

I was furious and led a campuswide campaign with the help of my friends. We hung signs all over campus encouraging women to try out for the Bobcat. Signs posted in Jefferson Hall (where I resided my freshman year) read, “Support Sara and all campus women: Audition to be the first OU Bobcat female mascot!”

I went to The Post, and they covered the story (in fact, I appeared on the front page in the mascot uniform — which, by

the way, is quite heavy and smelly inside)!

Approximately 24 students auditioned for the Bobcat that fall of 1995; I think about 10 were women.

Since the campus response was so strong to changing the rules, the tradition of only a male from Lincoln Hall earning the honor of auditioning for the Bobcat mascot ended shortly after. From that point forward, one male and one female student were selected to rotate football and basketball games along with making campus appearances for student events.

Was I the first female to become the Bobcat after leading the efforts to change the regulations? No, I was not.

And that was fine with me, as I led the way for this young lady — her first name was Dana. She went on to become a good friend of another close friend of mine (also an alumna). Funny end to the story, four years later I received a call from this friend that Dana could not be in her wedding, and I filled in — taking Dana’s place as a bridesmaid in her wedding party!

I hope this lends clarity to the way your article concluded. May you have a wonderful fall semester!

—Sara Cartell Bouchard, BSHSS ’99, MASLP ’01 Springboro, Ohio

Memories of a legend Wow! Nice article [“Aethelred the Unready”] in the Summer 2012 Ohio Today Online [ohiotodayonline.com]. I was there during his transition from James to Professor Emeritus of Art Aethelred Eldridge. I visited his original log home and studio, shown in your article with additional buildings now added. Thanks for the memories.

—Bill Barr, BBA ’73 Blowing Rock, N.C.

That Bobcat spirit The basketball team’s success in the NCAA tournament was certainly an achievement to be applauded, but it’s the manner in which the Bobcats played that I would like to salute.

So what if we were outsized? The 2012–13 ’Cats proved that hustle, desire and teamwork are a powerful combination. Bobcat fever

could be felt among the NYC-area alumni.

Here’s a hearty high five to the men’s basketball team.

—Neal Baker, BSC ’81

New York City

Forever a fan Thank you for the article about the Bobkitten! Throughout the NCAA tournament, I was thrilled to share my OU memories with my kids (Buckeye fans).

And I even let them know I had been the Bobkitten once upon a time.

I still get teary when I remember supporting the Bobcats on the floor of the Convo. Go Green!

—Sarah Redfern Buehler, BSRS ’88 Cumming, Ga.

Meet me at the Monument The Monument, Soldiers & Sailors on College Green close to Chubb Hall, should have also been included in your Spring 2012 article “Talk of the Town.”

It was a place where you could meet your friends to make plans or just hang out. It was a stopping, resting point between classes to converse with students

or sometimes townies. There might be someone with a fiddle, a backgammon board or a wine flask.

The monument was a welcoming place you could go to and someone would be there to just . . . well . . . be there!

—Cathy Evan, BSC ’80 Cleveland

Swimming — for life

I read the blurb in the edition of Ohio Today Spring 2012 about the women’s swimming and diving team, and it brought back memories.

Other than a few informal races around home in northern New Jersey (the Lakeland region), I began swimming competitively while in the Army in Germany — with the First Infantry Division. We did well, but had little or no real coaching. After discharge, I walked on (or waded in) the swim team at Boston University as part of an all “walk on” team. We tried hard against Harvard, MIT, Dartmouth, Yale and the like, but didn’t win very many races — much less meets. When I transferred to Ohio University in my junior year, I concentrated on my studies and was relieved to be away from the grind.

Years later, after having earned a master of science from Washington State and a doctorate from the University of Chicago, and after having spent nine years with the CIA, I discovered Master’s swimming here in Raleigh, N.C., where I was then employed as a professor of economics. Swimming relaxed me, I got some good coaching, improved my physical condition, and won more than my share of races (state breaststroke champion and national top 10 in the 100 and 200 long course breaststroke in my age group).

I urge Ohio’s competitive swimmers to keep Master’s swimming in mind as they go about furthering their professional careers.

It’s a useful adjunct to a busy life, and there are lots of great people doing it. Cheers.

—Robert Fearn, BSCOM ’52 Raleigh, N.C.

WRITE TO US Ohio Today welcomes letters from readers. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, space, clarity and civility. Please include your Ohio University affiliation, address and phone number when you submit your letter by email to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or mail to 112 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 45701. We regret we cannot publish all letters.

fa l l 2012

• 3

YOUR OHIO

memories and more

What did you wear (or regret wearing) as a student?

We asked our readers and Facebook friends to comment on their collegiate style. Here are some of our favorite responses:

I most certainly did not wear any kind of heel that could potentially get stuck in any bricks, and tried not to wear any that would make me wobble around on the bricks.

—Mallory Righter, BFA ’11

S

pring quarter we all wore long shorts called “jams.” They had wild patterns, and we wore big men’s undershirts on top.

(Everything was big … big hair, big sweaters, big earrings, etc.

My roommate used two chairs to stretch out her sweaters.)

And I remember Brother Jed on the College Green saying we were all going to hell for walking around in men’s underwear.

—Amy Slack McGrath, BSED ’88

Bobby socks and saddle shoes.

—Karen Einhorn Bushell, BSED ’59 Topsiders, button-down shirts, Izod or rugby shirts. Flip-flops in the spring.

—Becky Zielasko Mulcahey, BSJ ’80 Khaki pants, a button-down shirt and sweater to class. Uptown we wore a striped wool sport coat, khakis, button-down shirt.

After all, it was the ’50s!

—John Venesile, BFA ’58 I had penny loafers before brown Sebagos came to life in 86-90. … I wore the pennies with shorts … yikes!

—Phillip Campbell, AB ’90 Sweatshirts worn inside out were BIG when I was on campus.

—Kerry Janas Goodwin, BSC ’93

4 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

Workout pants and Ohio or sorority sweatshirt to class. Black pants and a “cute top” to go to the bars.

—Brigit Armbrister, BSED ’98

I never left home without my green Doc Martens and black leather motorcycle jacket. Concert T-shirts and colorful tights were my staples also.

—Julie Forsythe, BSC ’94 Cashmere sweaters and longer skirts. Pants were not allowed except for exams. Heels, hose and nice dresses for dressier affairs . . . like dances and church. It was wonderful to be in college in the late ’50s.

—Gini Johnston Gubbins, BSED ’60 8 a.m. class: painter pants, pajama top, hoodie, slippers. Later class: painter pants, Ohio T-shirt, Frye boots. Spring quarter: painter pants, tank top, flip-flops. Once I wore corduroys and a nice sweater and nobody recognized me.

—Carolyn Dutchman Titterington, BSJ ’79 I bought a black, hooded Ohio jacket at orientation in ’95. I wore it for all those cold mornings and nights, and it’s still my winter jacket 17 years and many bar nights later!

—Jeff Hoffman, BSC ’99 Bell bottoms and my band jacket, both to class and Uptown.

—Rick Slee, AB ’76

My high school friend and I arrived at Ohio University in the fall. Our hair was styled in a flat top with full side swept back into a “D.A.” [haircut]. Jeans, T-shirt and high school letter jacket completed our wardrobe. It didn’t take long to realize we were a sorry sight at the Harvard on the Hocking. I quickly retreated to a barber for an Ivy League cut and then a quick call home for khakis, crew sweaters, collared shirts and loafers. I practically hid in Washington Hall until the package arrived a few days later.

—Larry Froelich, BSJ ’64 What did coeds wear back in the late 1940s and the early 1950s? Well, NEVER did we dare wear blue jeans to class! Finally, maybe by my senior year, we could wear them on Saturdays … to lab classes! I know I wore sweaters, skirts and a string of pearls! And, looking at old photos of my Pi Beta Phi sorority sisters, we all had sweaters, skirts … and pearls! We also traded sweaters to enlarge our wardrobe! Strapless long gowns were the rage at fraternity dances. … (And) dresses to church on Sundays.

—Joan Erdmann Simpson Parks, AB ’51

NEXT ISSUE’S QUESTION: College students love to take road trips. Did you? Where did you travel? What was memorable about your trip?

Write to us at 112 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 45701, or email us at ohiotoday@ ohio.edu. You can also “friend” the Ohio University Alumni Association on Facebook to respond to this and other fun questions.

ohiotoday Editor Mariel Jungkunz, MS ’07 Designer Sarah McDowell, BFA ’02 Contributors George Brozak, BMUS ’90, MMUS ’92 Lynsie Dickerson, BSJ ’12 Elizabeth Dickson, BSJ ’13 Kim Jordan Kaitrin McCoy, BSJ ’13, BMUS ’13 Erik Myers, BFA ‘14 Erin Peterson Kelee Garrison Riesbeck, BSJ ’91 Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93 Kylie Whittaker, BSJ ’13 Printer The Watkins Printing Co.

Ohio University

President Roderick J. McDavis, BSED ’70 Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Renea Morris Executive Director of Development Jennifer Shutt Bowie, BSJ ’94, MS ’99 Interim Executive Director of the Alumni Association Associate Executive Director of the Alumni Association Connie Romine, BSJ ’70 Director of Marketing and Communication for the Ohio University Alumni Association Janis Miller-Fox, BFA ’77

Ohio University Alumni Association

CONTRIBUTORS Since earning his degree in photojournalism from Ohio University in 2002, Ben Siegel has worked at newspapers in Michigan, New York and Ohio, and taken pictures on a freelance basis across the Middle East, Europe and Central America. Siegel’s art has been exhibited at galleries and museums across the Midwest. His commercial clients include Agfa, Frontier Airlines, KTM North America, The Trust for Public Land and Case Western Reserve University.

Prior to accepting his current position as the senior university photographer at his alma mater, Siegel taught art and photojournalism on an adjunct basis at four Cleveland-area colleges.

Board of Directors Bill Hilyard, BSED ’67, Chair Julie Mann, BBA ’02, Vice Chair David L. Abram, BSC ’89 Melissa W. Arnold, BSJ ’99 Robin S. Bowlus, BFA ’98 Craig A. Brown, BSC ’82 Cynthia Calhoun, BSEE ’88 Melissa Cardenas, BA ’96, MBA ’03 Casey Christopher, BSC ’02 Brenda J. Dancil-Jones, AB ‘70 Jeanne Gokcen, BS ’82, MA ’84 Paige S. Gutheil Henderson, DO ’02 Michael Jackson, BSED ’68 Matthew Latham, AA ’06 Jeffrey Laturell, BSC ’80, MBA ’82 Lyndsay A. Markley, BA ’02 Dustin Starkey, BS ’98 Larry Starr, BSED ’68, MED ’71 A. Cita Strauss, BFA ’77, MA ’06 Stacia Taylor, BSC ’82 Ronald Teplitzky, AB ’84 Robert Wolfinger, AA ’73, BSG ’80 Madisen Medley, Student Alumni Board president Ohio Today is published twice a year in fall and spring. Ohio Today Online is published at www. ohiotodayonline.com. The magazine is produced by University Advancement with funding provided

by The Ohio University Foundation. Views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or university policies.

Erin Peterson is a freelance writer based in Minneapolis.

Her clients include the Council for Advancement and Support of Education and USA Today publications. She enjoys running around many of her state’s 10,000 lakes, watching her hometown baseball team, and chasing around her very own set of Minnesota twins, Joe and Summer.

Senior Tom Rauscher is studying graphic design at Ohio University’s School of Art. He focuses his major mainly on Web and interactive design with a minor in European studies. With graduation right around the corner, Tom hopes to find work as an in-house designer at a small advertising or marketing firm in an urban setting.

Kaitrin McCoy is a senior double majoring in journalism and music composition who enjoys music, theater, literature and video games. She completed an internship with Ohio Magazine this summer and loved every second of it. Her dream is to be a modernday Renaissance woman.

Copyright 2012 by Ohio University Ohio University is an affirmative action institution.

To contact us

Editorial offices are located at 112 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, Ohio 45701-2979. Send story ideas, items for Bobcat Tracks or comments about the magazine to that address, email them to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or call the editor, Mariel Jungkunz, 740-593-1891.

Address changes may be made by visiting www. ohioalumni.org. Address changes and information for In Memoriam also may be sent to Advancement Services, WUSOC 168, Athens, Ohio 45701-0869 or emailed to ohiotoday@ohio.edu.

To reach the Ohio University switchboard, call 740-593-1000.

fa l l 2012

• 5

ACROSS THE

6 •

college green

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

BETTING ON 2016

A

pproximately 4,000 first-year Bobcats kicked off their academic careers and helped usher in a new era of semester scheduling Monday, Aug. 27. At this year’s 2012 Go Green Move-In Weekend, the students enjoyed a variety of welcoming social activities, including a Bobcat Bash at the Baker University Center (pictured), Moonlight Movies, the Campus Involvement Fair and the President’s Convocation. “It sets a good tone for the year,” said freshman civil engineering major Matt Reinke at the convocation, which was followed by the traditional march to College Green. “I feel like I’m a Bobcat.” photo by Elizabeth Held BS ’13

fa l l 2012

• 7

ACROSS THE

college green

In the News

End of ‘Day’

FIELD OF DREAMS

SOUND COUNSEL

Associate Professor of Anthropology Elliot Abrams’ field studies class is excavating a 2,400-year-old tribal village recently discovered west of Athens. The outlines of three structures found are believed to be Native American houses dating to at least 1 A.D., if not earlier. “It’s like a labor of love,” Sarah Karpinski told the Athens News about the meticulous digging process. “I got blisters all over my hands but it’s worth it; I love it.”

A group of graduate students studying counseling traveled to South Africa this summer to volunteer at agencies working with the AIDS and HIV pandemic. Their newly established group is known as Counselors Without Couches because members will travel to provide volunteer services to those in need, according to its treasurer, Kayla Thompson. South Africa has one of the highest populations of AIDS and HIV patients (some 5.6 million).

A LOT TO JUGGLE Ohio University’s student juggling club, the Brick Street Jugglers, hosted the spring festival Jugglapalooza, which featured open juggling, workshops and demonstrations by two of the top jugglers in the world today, Wes Peden and Jay Gilligan. “This is our first festival,” club member Laura Bosken, a senior studying special education, told the Athens News. “We finally decided after going to festivals for a couple of years and having fun there, we should organize our own.”

AN APP FOR THAT A tablet application created by Christina Baird, BSVC ’06 and MA ’12, about Chuck Scott, co-founder of the visual communication program at Ohio University, is available on iTunes. Baird, the daughter of School of Visual Communication director Terry Eiler and the maternal granddaughter of Scott, created the app to commemorate Scott’s photojournalism career and his impact on the industry.

A

fter 32 years, “Athens MidDay,” the Scripps College of Communication’s student newscast that aired on channel 25, ran live for the last time May 31.

Accomplished alumni traveled back to Ohio University to commemorate the newscast, produced by Associate Professor of Journalism Mary Rogus, and reflect about their own experiences at Scripps.

“Mary Rogus has done a phenomenal job with her newscasting class and has students working in TV news all over the U.S.,” says Sheila Gray, BSC ’86, the morning anchor for “FOX 19 Morning News.”

An average of 25 to 35 students have participated in “MidDay” each quarter, producing a live noon newscast covering Athens County and Ohio University, and learning to perform every job in a TV newsroom.

Under the semester model now in effect, students will take fewer courses each year, making it difficult for them to focus exclusively on “MidDay” for an entire semester.

Students interested in gaining newsroom skills will still be able to receive hands-on experience on the set of “Newswatch,” a nightly TV news program on WOUB. “Students entering the industry these days need to be very flexible and need to have experience across different platforms,” Rogus explains. “I’m excited about integrating our journalism classes more with WOUB, which is what we will be doing instead of the ‘MidDay’ experience.”

photo by

Jason White

» GO FOR GOLD Two Ohio University

8 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

physiologists helped the U.S. rowing teams navigate their way to two medals in the summer’s London Olympics. Fritz Hagerman and Jason White spent several weeks early in the summer testing the physical performance of the men’s and women’s four- and eight-person rowing teams and providing data the rowers used to pace themselves during competition. The training paid off: The women’s eight team took a gold medal in a close competition with Canada; the men’s four team took the bronze.

A CASE FOR SUSTAINABLE ART

To learn more about John Sabraw’s commitment to sustainability — including his inventive use of artist-grade acrylic and oil paint made from runoff from the region’s old coal mines — visit Ohio University online at http://www.ohio.edu/ research/communications/earthworks.cfm.

Natural patterns

A

rtist and Associate Professor of Art John Sabraw’s method of making sense of the glory and beauty of the natural patterns of our world is reflected in “Chroma,” a collection of bold circles of life saturated in kaleidoscopic colors. The titles of the works suggest the inspiration for each piece. “Tidal Pool” is a rich sphere of blues and greens, and the pieces called “Karst” echo the rugged lines of limestone and minerals found underground. Each piece features between six and 24 layers of paint slowly applied over the course of several weeks in the studio, and each layer invites the viewer to infer another shade of meaning from the images: Is the circle a slice of earthen jasper, a flaring gamma ray in the night sky, a swatch of algae, a single cell of energy pulsing in the body?

fa l l 2012

• 9

ACROSS THE

college green

From lecture hall to Rock Hall Senator’s varied career brings him back to alma mater

W

W La rit yo ten ut b de y sig El n iza by b Er eth ik D M ic ye ks rs on BF A

’1 4

ho would have guessed that a campaign for president of East Green Council would take its winner all the way to the U.S. Senate? Retired U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich, BA ’58, began his political career in the 1950s at Ohio University studying government and — as his fellow Ohioans probably know — went on to serve as mayor of Cleveland, governor of Ohio and finally, U.S. senator until 2010.

Although retired from political service, he still serves as a proud Bobcat alumnus and is continuing his legacy on campus, bringing his career full circle. Voinovich has returned to his alma mater as Ohio Visiting Professor in Leadership and Public Affairs, teaching at his namesake school, the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.

Additionally, Voinovich selected Ohio University as the permanent home of donated materials from his terms as governor and senator. The George V. Voinovich Collection at Alden Library contains correspondence, executive orders, legislative bills, speeches, audio and video tapes, photographs, memorabilia and many other items. Included are materials from his two lieutenant governors and the first lady as well.

“My time here at Ohio University, the academic education I got was terrific. But the extracurricular activity was just awesome,” Voinovich said in a recent interview with WOUB. As a student, he was a member of the Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity, Omicron Delta Kappa, Circle K and J-Body. He served as president of East Green Council his sophomore year and eventually served as Student Council President. “I have to say that my political career started right here on the campus at Ohio University,” he said. “And had it not been for that experience, I would not have the career I’ve had in government.”

In 2011, Alden Library also dedicated the George V. Voinovich Seminar Room in honor of the Senator. The Voinovich School was established in 1998 as the George V. Voinovich Center for Leadership and Public Affairs and became a school in 2007.

10 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

ROCK ON: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is just one example of retired U. S. Senator George Voinovich’s efforts to promote public-private partnerships in Cleveland.

From the concept (created when he was mayor of Cleveland) to the groundbreaking on June 7, 1993, and the grand opening in 1995, Voinovich guided the Hall of Fame to fruition on the shore of Lake Erie. With its iconic design by architect I.M. Pei, the Hall of Fame continues to serve as an attraction on Lake Erie and a symbol of Cleveland.

These items from The George V. Voinovich Collection at Alden Library offer a glimpse into the senator’s life and legacy.

ACROSS THE

college green

Color in the country

Book traces art movement ‘blanketing’ rural areas

I

Elizabeth Held BS ‘13

n each issue of Ohio Today, we feature a brief review written by a staff or faculty member of an Ohio University Press book. “Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement,” published by the Ohio University Press imprint Swallow Press, takes readers on a journey to 25 states as it traces one of the fastest-growing public arts movements in North America.

“Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement,” by Suzi Parron, Swallow Press, Ohio University Press, Ohio University

More than a decade ago, a quiet and softspoken woman named Donna Sue Groves hit upon an idea: to paint a quilt square on an old barn. At first, the thought was to do it on her own property, in honor of her mother, but the idea merged with work she was doing at the Ohio Arts Council and soon blossomed into a barn quilt trail. The vision that she nurtured promoted family, community, history, economy, tourism, education and art. The idea worked great in Adams County, Ohio, and later expanded to encompass rural America. This grassroots movement took hold and continues to spread. As Groves says, “It’s bigger than we will ever know.”

The number of lives she has touched is uncountable; whomever she talked with spread the word to others and so on. It is indeed a “small world,” and her name is well known as she is considered a friend by individuals far and wide who have never met her.

In “Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement,” Suzi Parron has done an excellent job of documenting and recording

how the original idea of a clothesline of quilts changed and improved as it moved from one county to another, one state to another, one country to another. The narrative of her travels tells how the quilt trail spread, describes the beauty of the barn quilts and relates the barn quilt owners’ tales.

It was a journey of discovery for Parron, who saw in person how the movement has spread from one region to another, sparked by individuals and groups who wanted to be involved. From school-age kids to college students, quilters, farmers, government agencies, senior citizens, teachers — the list is endless. Parron documents bits of family histories, the love of families, friends who have gone, communities coming together and the rekindling of neighborly relationships that built this country. The book is excellent, full of photographs, and will touch anyone who takes the time to read the story.

This is Groves’ legacy to the world, as the patchwork of barn quilts continues to grow and spread not only throughout the United States, but also into Canada, and ultimately the world.

» CATHY JANES worked at Ohio University for more than 21 years in the School of Telecommunications and for Ohio University Press. She is a quilter, now employed at the Nelsonville Quilt Company.

Other recent publications Ohio University’s published authors are many, and alumni across all majors have found inspiration in poetry and prose. This list includes recent publication announcements; authors should send their information to Ohio Today, 112 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 45701 or via email to ohiotoday@ohio.edu.

War Myths In the Workplace! Ride the Edge of Chaos to a Peaceful Revolution

by Hal Bolton, BSME ’54 • Bond, James: Alphabet, Anatomy, (Auto)Biography by Michelle Disler, PHD ’07 • Crashing the Commission: Confessions of a University Twit, an inside look at the life of an elected county commissioner, by Mark Harmon, PHD ’88 • Straight’s Suite for Craig Cotter & Frank O’Hara, The Football Corporations and Hiroshima Suite, three books by William Heyen, MA ’63, PHD ’67 • Ghosthunting Ohio: On the Road Again, which gained author John Kachuba, MA ’03, recognition by the Ohioana Library Association for “literary and art achievement” • Sports Fundraising: Dynamic Methods for Schools,

12 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

Universities and Youth Sport Organizations by David Kelley, PHD ’02 • Hopper’s Women, a book of poems based on the women in Edward Hopper’s paintings,

by Kendra Kopelke, AB ’78 • Fips, Bots, Doggeries, and More: Explorations of Henry Rogers’ 1838 Travel Journal from Southwestern Ohio to New York City, based on a journal written by the great-great-great grandfather of author Tracy Stone Lawson, BSC ’88 • Coaching the Single Wing Hybrid by Tom Lewis, BFA ’90 • For One Who Owns the Land, a runner-up for the Future Cycle Book Award,

by Scott Owens, BA ’84, and Shadows Follow Them Home, a collaboration by Owens and Pris Campbell • The Dark Side of Sports: Exposing the Sexual Culture of Collegiate and Professional Athletes by Nick Pappas, MED ’96, a former collegiate and professional athlete and coach who accessed insider information from athletes in various sports • Up Jumps the Devil by Michael Poore, BSED ’95 • The Stakes are High: God’s Wisdom for Our Public Schools and A.W.O.L. (Acting WithOut Love) Christians by Dennis Ray, MED ’82

The writing way Professor’s book focuses on spiritual truths of creative life

M rs ye

a writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than other people.

writing is a struggle against silence.

—Thomas Mann

—Carlos Fuentes

when i face the desolate impossibility of writing 500 pages, a sick sense of failure falls on me and i know i can never do it. this happens every time. then gradually i write one page and then another.

—John Steinbeck

4

JW: The book is organized as a series of very short chapters, each led by a quote, most of them from well-known and successful literary writers. To a non-writer audience, many of them paint the writer’s life as a kind of misery:

‘1

and breathe and experience what is all around us, including the words themselves.

That’s all. There is a world of similarity between the alert, contemplative life — whether Buddhist, Christian, Jew, Muslim or atheist — and the open, artistic life.

A BF

DWM: I suppose it is a bit presumptuous to call someone a Buddhist practitioner if they have not chosen that term for themselves.

Flannery O’Connor, for instance, would surely have spit right in my eye if I said that to her. But so much basic spiritual teaching overlaps — grace is similar to enlightenment, “do unto others” connects with karma, and so on and so forth. Maybe what I am really saying then is that a connection with one’s core spirituality — whatever the label or belief system — resembles the mindset most conducive to writing, and to other artistic practices. So if James Tate says, “When one is highly alert to language, then nearly everything begs to be a poem,” he is reminding us to be mindful, to slow down

ik

John Warner: In the introduction [to “The Mindful Writer”] you talk about how, rather than Buddhism influencing your writing, your writing led you to the path of Buddhism, that the difficulties you experienced writing prepared you for a fruitful encounter with Buddhist teachings. You’d been, in some way, dabbling in those truths. Are lots of writers, in your words, “inarticulate, subconscious” Buddhist practitioners?

Er

D

inty W. Moore is the author of numerous books, including the National Book Prize-winning memoir “Between Panic & Desire” and “The Accidental Buddhist.” He is the editor of Brevity, an online journal of concise creative nonfiction, and teaches creative writing at Ohio University. His latest book is “The Mindful Writer,” in which he relates his Buddhist practices to the act of writing. The full text of this interview by fellow author John Warner appeared in Inside Higher Ed at www.insidehighered.com.

And yet, in the book, they’re meant as inspiration, and I, at least, read them that way.

DWM: Yes, when you put them back to back, they can seem rather depressing. (Insert wink and smile.) What is positive, I think, is to recognize that even Steinbeck, even Mann, had those days where they sat in front of their writing paper and wanted to curl up into a ball of despondency. If you think you are the only writer who has these days where every interesting thought seems to have dried up, and every word sounds flat, then you will quit. If you realize it is part of the ongoing process, that even the great ones faced it, that you just have to write through to the other side, you will keep going. …We writers and seekers of some truth need to keep the capacity for balancing two competing ideas in our head at one time: “Writing is wonderful. Writing is so hard I want to scream.”

» JOHN WARNER is the author of the novel “The

Funny Man,” and he teaches at College of Charleston.

fa l l 2012

• 13

ACROSS THE

college green

Ohio University–Lancaster Theatre » announces its fall 2012 schedule: Nov. 8-11 • “A Romantic Comedy” Dec. 5-9 • “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play” For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact the Wagner Theatre Box Office at 740.654.6711 x650.

ALL THAT JAZZ After a long absence, the rich tradition of theater is back at the Lancaster campus. Ohio University–Lancaster Theatre presented the hit Broadway musical “Chicago” this summer during the Lancaster Festival. The production — featuring a 25-member cast and 14-piece orchestra of students and community members — broke attendance records for any previous show produced at the campus. “There is a tremendous amount of talent in this community,” says theater instructor A. Victor Jones, the show’s producer, director and conductor. “And the amount of talent in this show is proof of that.” photo by Martin Barker Design

14 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

Calendar of events for alumni and friends of ohio university | ohioalumni.org/calendar

W

herever you live, Ohio University wants to keep in touch with you.

Alumni chapters exist around the globe to help you meet and reconnect with fellow Bobcats. Of course, you’ll occasionally want to find a reason to return to campus — fall is the perfect time to visit! For a full schedule of chapter, society and oncampus events, including reunions, visit ohioalumni.org/calendar.

You’ll find all the excitement of Homecoming at www.ohioalumni.org/homecoming2012. From the Alumni Awards Gala to the parade, your favorite moments are online in slideshows, videos and more! This year’s Homecoming theme honored the late Ron Socciarelli (see page 34 for more), beloved conductor of the Marching 110.

Are you on Facebook?

Bobcats at the Ball Park Join fellow Ohio University alumni and special guests sports broadcaster Thom Brennaman, BSS ’12, and WLWT-TV sports director Ken Broo, BSC ’74, for “Bobcats at the Ball Park” Wednesday, Nov. 14, at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Guests will enjoy ample time to explore the Reds Hall of Fame and learn about Brennaman’s life, with Broo providing opening remarks in the Champions Club. Great food and beverage make for a great evening. Stay for an “extra inning” to watch the OHIO vs. Ball State football game. 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. $20 RSVP by Nov. 6 at ohioalumnireception.org.

OHIO Volleyball

OHIO at Akron, Nov. 10

Coach Ryan Theis has repeatedly shown that he can win when it counts — the Bobcats have won the MAC East Division in each of Theis’ four seasons in Athens.

Kennedy Lecture Series: Amy Tan Born to immigrant parents from China, Amy Tan rejected her mother’s expectations that she become a doctor and chose to write fiction instead.

Her novels include The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Bonesetter’s Daughter and Saving Fish from Drowning, all New York Times bestsellers and the recipients of various awards.

• Feb. 27, 7:30 p.m., Templeton-Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium • Admission to this lecture is free.

• Seating is limited; doors open at 6:30 p.m.

Cheer them on to another victory !

Go figure, so are we!

Our photos and updates bring campus life–past and present– directly to your news feed.

Facebook.com/ohioalumni

fa l l 2012

• 15

Associated Press photo by

Taste of Paris, Touch of Japan A respect for food and a passion for fresh ingredients inspire the restaurant of one couple’s dreams.

16 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

O

pening a small restaurant in a formidable eating town such as Tokyo, which has more Michelin stars than Paris, is tricky to say the least.

However, one can’t underestimate Nobuhiko Kaiharazuka, BBA ’99, a graduate of both Ohio University’s College of Business and the Tsuji Culinary School in Tokyo. His cooking is grounded in technique, time and patience. His marketing plan is simple: Attract local diners and forge long-term relationships.

Nobu and his wife, Futaba Sunaguchi Kaiharazuka, MS ’00, opened Bistrot Nobu, a casual bistro serving traditional French dishes with a touch of Japan, in December 2012 near Hatagaya Station in Tokyo. The menu features seasonal fresh ingredients with a selection of wines and spirits, all carefully selected by Nobu and Fu. As more restaurants and people shift toward preassembled components, food prepared from scratch is the exception. Nobu’s motivation to stay with these cumbersome timeconsuming techniques in the era of the 30-minute menu? “It’s what I do.”

Nobu and Fu met as students at Ohio University and quickly developed a friendship through their shared love of cooking and entertaining friends.

After returning to Japan, they worked in their separate career paths, married and nurtured the idea to someday open their own restaurant. They waited for the right timing, the right location and the right amount of experience.

Fu, who grew up in a rural community of Kofu-cho, Japan, worked with international relief programs in Africa, Indonesia, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Nobu cooked for several restaurants in Tokyo, including Cyrano de Bergerac, Côte-d’or, Bitte and Kushinobou. He developed a passion for French cooking, fresh ingredients and all things made from scratch.

The 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami and Fukushima nuclear disaster changed many lives — Nobu and Fu’s included.

The couple contributed to relief efforts in Iwate, an area devastated by the triple disaster, where many people were restarting their lives and businesses from nothing. Realizing there is never the ideal time, the perfect location or enough experience, Nobu and Fu decided to take a leap and returned to Tokyo to focus on their long-shared dream to open a restaurant together.

At Bistrot Nobu, there is no hiding behind expensive French truffles alone on a white plate. Nobu resists using expensive foods, saying, “Anyone can make something taste good with fancy ingredients.” He aims for something “fresh, seasonal and new — everyday food that’s not too expensive.” Nobu prefers using readily available ingredients from known sources, including a butcher in Iwate.

Profit is not Nobu’s bottom line. Staying in business, for him, is about using quality ingredients, forming relationships and the labor-intensive techniques that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary.

“You don’t make a lot of money when you take the long way,” says Nobu, “but you learn, you grow. It’s my daily challenge.”

Bistrot Nobu pumpkin soup

Erik Myers BFA ‘14

Nobuhiko Kaiharazuka, BBA ’99, has prepared a version of this soup since he joined the cooking staff of Cyrano de Bergerac, the first restaurant that employed him. While the recipe calls for a kabocha, commonly called Japanese pumpkin, a butternut squash is an acceptable substitute, Nobu says.

Ingredients 1 onion 1 ounce of bacon Salt and pepper to taste 8 coriander seeds 1 potato, chopped Half of a kabocha pumpkin, chopped

A respect for food

Traditional French cooking techniques demand time and exacting patience, involving slow reductions, smoking, marinating and extensive preparations. Foods like pâté de campagne and bouillabaisse, which require two to three days of preparation, Nobu does singlehandedly.

“Traditional restaurants serve food you would never make at home,” he says. “Restaurants selling food that you can prepare at home from a package, selling cheap quality at a cheap price, is not reasonable. Selling something high quality at an affordable price is reasonable.

“A pig passes his life to the butcher,” he adds. “The butcher passes his good quality meat to me. It is my responsibility to use my experience and skill to cook the pork.”

Nobu’s respect for the food entrusted to him is combined with imagination and time-honored classical cooking techniques to make the dishes served at Bistrot Nobu.

While Nobu is the magic behind the food, Fu is the face of Bistrot Nobu, guiding guests through their dining experience, the day’s selections and wine recommendations with her serene service. Fu, an accomplished cook in her own right, is also the resident baker.

Bistrot Nobu offers diners the chance to enjoy French food in a relaxed and intimate setting. Offerings include crisp green salads with balanced vinaigrettes, handmade sausages, skillfully prepared French country-style terrines, airy red pepper mousses with homemade tomato jelly, crisp roasted pork with sherry vinegar sauce, juicy beef skirt steak with a delightful mustard sauce and the house bestseller, Tokyo bouillabaisse with risotto. Desserts, including yuzu citrus soufflé, blueberry cheesecake, and parfaits with homemade ice cream and seasonal fruits, round out the meal, making this restaurant with a heart a place to celebrate dreams that come true. »KIM JORDAN

Water, as needed 1/4 cup milk 1/4 cup fresh heavy cream Croutons Fresh herbs (dill, parsley)

Directions 1. Cut onion and bacon about 3/4-inch square in size. Stir-fry them in a pan, and add a little salt.

When the onion is softened, add coriander seeds, the chopped potato and pumpkin.

Add just enough water to barely cover the ingredients.

2. When above is cooked soft, let it cool.

Then put it in a blender; mix it until blended to a smooth consistency.

3. Strain.

4. Add milk and heavy cream. Season with salt and pepper. Serve cold or reheat to serve hot.

5. Garnish with a little bit of heavy cream, croutons and herbs, such as dill and parsley.

fa l l 2012

• 17

Life in the Moment The promise of Ohio University lives within the potential of our students.

Within the achievements of alumni. Within the insight of distinguished faculty.

And within the generosity of those we are proud to call friends.

Compiled by

Lynsie Dickerson Elizabeth Dickson Kelee Riesbeck Kylie Whittaker

Photography by Mark Dawson

Ben Siegel Joel Hawksley Tristan Wyatt

Ohio University has a vision: to be the best student-centered learning experience in America. This vision comes from the university’s rich history, its creative and engaged faculty, and its unique and distinct students, who come to our campuses curious about who they will become and which profession they will endeavor to pursue. To power this vision, Ohio University has embarked on The Promise Lives Campaign, an ambitious $450 million fundraising effort.

The Promise Lives Campaign supports student access to and opportunity for an Ohio University education, the promise that is at the university’s core. The campaign supports inspired discovery by our faculty who perform innovative research and engage in creative activity.

It supports the cultivation of learning and fosters an outstanding academic and student-life experience. It supports the care and keeping of the university’s infrastructure and the enrichment of all campus environments. And it supports a strong community through collaborative outreach and partnerships.

The stories and people you’ll read about here take you into this promise, which is alive at Ohio University. You’ll meet student scientists, athletes and scholars; visionary faculty and alumni; and learn about Ohio University’s commitment to its place and to its community.

$409.2 million toward our goal of $450 million

18 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

The Promise Lives Campaign is about Ohio University’s future. About keeping promises to students, faculty, community, and to you, alumni and friends. Because the promise lives … in us all.

Student Experience:

The Sweetest Number

photo by Joel

Hawksley BS ’11

T

he OHIO men’s basketball team soared to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA’s tournament earlier this year and junior sports administration major Nick Kellogg, a guard on the team, says that experience was surreal. “As we were winning and progressing, it felt 50 percent like we belonged and 50 percent like magic,” he says.

“We had moments when we would look at each other and say, ‘This is pretty crazy!’” Nick says the team can thank the coaching staff for being the glue that kept them together and grounded. They were reminded throughout the run that as Ohio students and players, they were experiencing something bigger than themselves: They were becoming part of the university’s history. “We took one game at a time. We believed in each other. All the guys on the team were on the same page while on the court.”

What’s Nick’s takeaway from that experience as he begins another year of OHIO basketball? “The time spent together on that journey — all the practices and road trips — that means a lot to me. It’s a special group of guys. It was about more than x’s and o’s.”

Students like Nick Kellogg have benefited from gifts made to the Ohio Bobcat Club by more than 4,250 donors during the campaign. These gifts total over $18.1 million in support of scholarships, facility enhancements, travel funds, uniforms and academic support for our athletes.

fa l l 2012

• 19

Snap Happy

T

photo by Tristan Wyatt

BS ’11

raveling the world, meeting new people and experiencing different cultures are at the heart of what it means to be a photojournalist. Putting this into action, senior photojournalism student Meg Vogel spent this summer in Appleton, Wis., as an intern at The Post-Crescent creating multimedia design and covering the Green Bay Packers. Meg studies at the School of Visual Communication, named one of the top three photography programs in the country by PDNedu magazine for emerging photographers and photo educators. But for Meg, life is pretty simple: “As long as I can take pictures, I’ll be happy.”

Support for internships helps students like Meg Vogel participate in professional experiences that are far from home and often unpaid.

Internships teach students about themselves and their chosen fields.

Inspired by Above

photo by

Ben Siegel BS ’02

K

20 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

eith Hawkins is an Honors Tutorial College senior studying astrophysics and a recent finalist for the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship. Keith explored how stars evolve and move through space, an area in the field called stellar astrophysics, at the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy this past summer. As for plans after graduation, the sky is literally the limit. “I would like to become a professor of astronomy at an institution where I could conduct research, teach and create outreach programs that inspire people — especially minority students — to study science.”

The resources and recognition that come with scholarships and awards brought Keith Hawkins to Ohio University, helping him discover his promise. Ohio University endowments will provide $3.3 million in scholarships this year.

Analyzing Options

photo by

Ben Siegel BS ’02

T

he post-graduation goal for Jordan Lebovitz is simple: become a CEO in 10 years. To reach this goal, Jordan, a 2012 business administration graduate who specialized in finance and accounting, knew he had to do more than just do well in his classes. He had to put what he was learning to work. So he got involved with the Student Equity Management Group, a hands-on student-run investment group, in January of his freshman year. As undergraduates, the SEMG members have a hand in investing $1 million of actual funds on behalf of The Ohio University Foundation.

The group consistently gets impressive returns on its investments, a benefit to the Foundation’s endowment. Jordan went on to serve two terms on SEMG’s board. He also found time to study abroad in Hungary through the School of Accountancy’s Global Consulting Program. “There are lots of options if you want to thrive and succeed here,” says Jordan, now a rotational analyst at Key Bank in Cleveland. “Ohio University’s range of student activities can provide undergraduates with so many opportunities.”

Private gifts supporting the SEMG jump-started Jordan Lebovitz’s career in finance. The SEMG regularly outperforms the S&P 500 Index.

fa l l 2012

• 21

Supporting Facilities: Reimagining Creative Spaces

T

he places where music, art and theater are created by Ohio University College of Fine Art students and faculty were built in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. The process of creating art and the collaboration involved have changed dramatically since then. Student artists use myriad technologies, tools unimaginable during the time when Kantner Hall (School of Theater), Glidden Hall (School of Music) and Seigfred Hall (School of Art) were conceived.

The Promise Lives: Campaign for the College of Fine Arts has made the repurposing and remodeling of these spaces a priority.

Qui Nguyen, MFA ’02, and Robert Ross, MFA ’02, used all the available space inside Kantner Hall — and any other space they could find — to rehearse their projects. In 2000, Qui and Robert

discovered they shared a love for comic book genre storytelling and the graphic art that goes with it. They soon teamed up to launch the wildly successful Vampire Cowboys Project, now a New York City-based theater company that creates and produces new works of theater based in action/adventure and dark comedy with a comic book aesthetic. As co-artistic directors of the company, Qui and Robert came to Athens in spring to offer a workshop and to preview their newest Vampire Cowboys Project production with School of Theater students. They sat down with Ohio Today and shared what it was like to create and produce a show inside the School of Theater’s space as students and as returning professionals.

School of Theater performances take place in vastly different spaces used in concert with the aesthetic created by the show’s director and design team. photo by Mark Dawson MA ’12

22 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

Ohio Today: What did Kantner Hall as a place mean to you as a student?

Qui: It was our home base, our laboratory.

It’s where we made our mess. I’m a movement artist, and movement artists need space so you can see yourself as such.

And you have to have training in how to fill a 300-seat theater. We would use Putnam Hall, the Forum Theater [located in RTV Building, which adjoins Kantner Hall], and even our dorm rooms — whatever we could find! — to explore our art. All theater people use a lot of space: actors, playwrights, costumers, crafts people.

Robert: When we left Kantner Hall and Ohio University, the Vampire Cowboys Project was a nice, fun part of our career.

Today, it’s the main thrust and because of its success, it’s opened other doors for us. So it’s nostalgic to come back and use the third floor rehearsal space again, almost exactly 10 years later to the day. And it hasn’t changed much!

OT: Since your return to campus to produce the Vampire Cowboys Project piece, what does the space mean to you as you work in it now?

Robert: While the space at the Elizabeth

Baker Theater is really nice when compared

to the spaces in theater meccas like New York, I think more space and access to more theater-related technology is needed to truly prepare students for the professional theater world. Technology, lighting stock, projection equipment are what’s used in today’s theater spaces.

Qui: It’s just like any space you work in as an artist, either as a student or as a professional: The rehearsal spaces inside theaters are like indoor playgrounds. They take a regular beating all year long, by all students. So theaters are in need of constant repair. You live here, too. You are here morning to late at night.

OT: Dream with me a little: How could enhancements to Kantner change the educational experience for future theater students?

Robert: The saying goes that theaters are

held together with hot metal and gaffer tape. Maintenance allowances, more rehearsal space and access to today’s theater technology would give Ohio University School of Theater students — who already received some of the best training I’ve seen — the all-important edge when it comes to landing acting roles, direction jobs and technical work.

fa l l 2012

• 23

Strengthening Outreach: Kids on Campus Spreads Its Wings

T

he numbers say it all: Since 1996, Ohio University’s Kids on Campus has distributed about 36,000 meals each summer to Athens County’s underserved and at-risk elementary- through middle school-aged children. The College of Health Sciences and Professions program serves nearly 750 children year-round with not just meals but academic enrichment and programs that get kids moving. And the numbers just got bigger. This grant-funded community-university program served only Athens County children — until now. The program is now offered to at-risk children in the Southern Local School District in nearby Perry County. “Now we are truly an Appalachian partnership,” says Kevin Davis, director of community engagement for CHSP. Through The Promise Lives Campaign, KoC will be offered to even more underserved youth in other Ohio Appalachian counties, Davis says. The impact the program has on the kids is easy to see, says KoC manager Timarie Francis. “It gives these children opportunities they would not have had otherwise. Seeing their faces after such an experience leaves you with a feeling that is indescribable.” » KYLIE WHITTAKER

24 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

Expansion of the Kids on Campus program to Perry County would not be possible without support from the Judy and Charles Beck Endowment. A gift of $665,000 has been committed in perpetuity to support this important program. photo by Ben Siegel BS ’02

fa l l 2012

• 25

Ben Siegel BS ’02 photo by

Supporting Faculty: Beyond the Classroom

A

ssociate Professor of Psychology Julie Sarno Owens puts into practice what she teaches. She developed and directs the Youth Experiencing Success in School program, a universitycommunity partnership that puts proven interventions to work for students with disruptive behavior problems in Southeast Ohio schools. Over the last 10 years, Y.E.S.S. has benefited undergraduate and graduate students studying psychology by offering them a chance to conduct cutting-edge research and engage in an innovative training experience.

“It’s a great example of practice feeding science and science feeding practice,” Julie says.

In 2009, Julie and her colleague Professor Steven Evans launched the Center for Intervention Research in Schools, or CIRS, a “solution tank” for creating and evaluating school-based interventions for youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and disruptive behavior problems.

The department opened a new, state-of-the-art research facility in 2008, giving much-needed space to CIRS for its operations and staff. Ohio University supports faculty research in the department

2 46 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

by maintaining a reasonable teaching load expectation, providing annual travel funds for attending conferences and running a faculty mentoring program, Julie says.

“The annex to Porter Hall is entirely dedicated to research,” Julie says. “It’s this kind of support that allows us to broaden the impact of our work.” And in 2011 the Office of the Vice President for Research leased space in Columbus to support research by Ohio University faculty. Now CIRS is running three grant-funded projects in the space.

Julie’s vision? To leverage the recognition Y.E.S.S. received when it was added to the Ohio Mental Health Network for School Success Quality and Effective Practice Registry and expand the program for all children in need. “We want to go further and have Y.E.S.S. and other best-practice programs in CIRS recognized nationally by being added to the National Registry of Practices of Evidence-based Programs and Practices.”

During the campaign, $61.2 million has been raised for faculty support.

This funding will enhance facilities and equipment, research and creative activity, and provide stipends for undergraduate and graduate student researchers to support faculty like Julie Sarno Owens.

Supporting Facilities: Reimagining Creative Spaces

Supporting Students: Better, Not Bigger

M

supplemented scholarship stipends from the Dean’s Scholarship, the Paul and Irene Black Scholarship, and the Outstanding Junior in Mechanical Engineering Award by working as the payroll and scheduling coordinator at Shively Dining Hall. “If I did not have those scholarships, I would have definitely felt the pressure to pick up more hours at Shively, and potentially even a second job,” Abby says.

Scholarship support also allowed Abby more time to become engaged with student organizations that focus on engineering.

“Having those scholarships left me with a desire to pay it forward,” she says. “I was not only able to spend more time in student organizations, but I wanted to work harder for them and for Russ College, as a thank you for the support I had received.”

Abby served as president of the Mechanical Engineering Student Advisory Board, the recruiting officer of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the activity coordinator for the Engineering Ambassadors.

Abby is now in graduate school at Clemson University in Greenville, S.C., where she studies dynamics and controls, or “the study of things that move and how to tell it to move,” she explains with a laugh.

And even though new adventures await her, Abby says she will miss Ohio University and its main campus. “Athens really turned into my home.”

The Russ College is committed to recruiting a diverse group of talented students like Abby Frankart. The campaign has already raised $45 million for scholarships.

photo by

Ben Siegel BS ’02

echanical engineering graduate Abby Frankart came to Ohio University thinking she would transfer to a bigger school in a bigger city after her freshman year.

“My sister went to school here, so I knew a little bit about Athens and Ohio University,” she says. “I was worried that Ohio University and Russ College would be too small for me — that they wouldn’t be fast-paced enough for me.” Then she was bitten by the Bobcat bug. “Both Ohio University and the Russ College ended up being exactly what I wanted.”

Abby has focus, determination and exceptional academic ability. This garnered her public and private scholarship awards that made a college education possible for the Amherst, Ohio, native. Abby

fa l l 2012

• 27

Corps Values

28 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

Written by Mary Reed Illustrated by Thomas Rausher BFA ‘12

How did Ohio University produce more than 770 Peace Corps volunteers in the agency’s first 50 years?

W

hen Frank Gillespie set off for Thailand in 1962 as one of Ohio University’s first Peace Corps volunteers, little did he know that he was kicking off a 50-year tradition of international service by idealistic Bobcats.

Gillespie, AB ’58, arrived in Thailand as part of “Group II,” that is, the second group of Americans to ever serve for the Corps.

It wasn’t John F. Kennedy — who established the Peace Corps in 1961— who primarily inspired this service, Gillespie says. Rather, it was Ohio University’s professors, many of whom had served overseas in World War II. Among them, Gillespie singles out history Professor John Cady, who had served in the Office of Strategic Services (later the CIA) during the war and then in the State Department, overseeing programs in Asia and Africa.

“It is difficult to explain the influence John Cady had on me,” Gillespie says now. “He was an example of a man who had been involved with history as it was being made, was clearly an expert in his field, and as he taught history he brought in the idea that a real student must look at how people in the country of study behave and why.”

While Gillespie credits his professor for

preparing him for a stint in Asia, he didn’t need much help once he arrived. He served as an instructor at a teacher’s college in the northeast part of the country, where he fit in quite nicely as a colleague, badminton teammate and kite-fighting spectator. He helped at least 10 students at the college earn American Field Service scholarships to the United States, a first for that institution.

And, of course, the benefits went both ways. “Personally, Peace Corps confirmed for me that I could learn — and use — foreign languages; that I could function in environments different from previous experience,” says Gillespie, who would use these skills in his future international development career.

Gillespie’s service fulfilled Peace Corps’ three goals: to train the host country’s own people, to promote a better understanding of Americans in the host country and to help Americans understand other peoples better.

This last category may be where Gillespie excelled: He married a fellow instructor from Thailand, Urai Santitrakul. When they traveled to the United States, he wanted to show her his alma mater. “When we were first married, one of the first things [we did] — we came back and went to Homecoming back in 1965.”

fa l l 2012

• 29

A lifelong commitment Since 1961, more than 200,000 Peace Corps volunteers have served in 139 countries. More than 770 of those volunteers are Ohio University alumni, including 29 current volunteers. When the Peace Corps celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011, Frank Gillespie was one of thousands of RPCVs (returned Peace Corps volunteers) who attended the festivities in Washington, D.C. After laying a wreath on Kennedy’s grave at Arlington National Cemetery, a parade of RPCVs walked to the National Mall, carrying the flags of the countries in which they served. “I was thinking what a fine demonstration this was of how the U.S. can be a positive, person-to-person influence around the world,” Gillespie remembers about the day.

Also there was Alan Boyd, retired director of Ohio University’s International Student and Faculty Services. Boyd and his wife, Sue Boyd, served as Peace Corps volunteers together in Ethiopia beginning in 1964, so they walked under the Ethiopian flag. “Returned Peace Corps volunteers, at least in the early years, are very proud of the fact that they served in the Peace Corps. It’s a lifetime commitment; it lasts forever,” Alan Boyd says. The Boyds have been longtime members of an active RPCV group in Athens. Based on the group’s numbers, Sue Boyd estimates at least 250-plus RPCVs have attended Ohio University subsequent to their Peace Corps service.

Alan Boyd believes there are several reasons that Ohio University has consistently produced Peace Corps volunteers. First, Ohio University received contracts to train Peace Corps volunteers prior to their service in the 1960s and then again in the ’70s. Later, programs such as international studies and linguistics offered tuition waivers for RPCVs to attend graduate school, bringing RPCVs to campus. Finally, Peace Corps created a part-time recruiter position on campus for a number of years, usually staffed by an RPCV who was also a graduate student. (There is currently no Peace Corps recruiting office on campus.)

Maura Fulton, MAIA ’99, was one of those RPCVs who decided on Ohio University for graduate school. She served in education and community development on a remote island in Micronesia from 1995-97. “I had very little access to communications. There’s

Strength in numbers The Peace Corps office was officially established March 1, 1961.

30 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

a magazine that the NPCA [National Peace Corps Association] puts out called WorldView. I used to comb through that magazine and look at all the advertisements for graduate schools, and OU kept popping up.” She did not have to take a standardized exam to apply for the master’s program in international affairs — something that would have been impossible for her to access, even electronically. “My application was not judged on a standardized test but on my background and experience, and my essays and my recommendations,” she says. When Fulton arrived on campus, she was surrounded by highly qualified faculty members as well as cohorts who were from a number of countries as well as fellow RPCVs. “I felt like my knowledge and background in the field of development deepened in those two years and set me up to take on some fantastic leadership roles overseas,” Fulton says from her office in Washington, D.C., where she now serves as Peace Corps chief of programming and training for the Europe, Mediterranean and Asia region.

Fulton credits former Ohio University President Vernon Alden, reportedly good friends with Kennedy, with establishing support for the Peace Corps on campus during the early years. In 1962, Ohio University was the first university to offer credit to volunteers during summer training. Forty-nine students from across the country trained in Athens prior to serving in Africa’s West Cameroon. Also that year, Lynn Rinehart, MA ’62 and MA ’93, like Gillespie, joined the Group II cohort and traveled to Venezuela to establish YMCA programming in the country’s interior.

Today, Ohio University alumni who serve in the Peace Corps continue spreading the word. Fulton is a recruiter — however informally — for both the Peace Corps and Ohio University. “I’m sort of preaching about OU to my Peace Corps volunteers,” she says. “It was such a rich and diverse learning experience, and I was very, very, very grateful for that.”

Working around the world For Fulton and Gillespie — and untold numbers of Ohio University Peace Corps alumni — their early experiences led them to careers in international development. When Gillespie was

Currently, there are 29 Ohio University alumni serving as Peace Corps volunteers.

Length of service is 27 months, which includes an average of 10 weeks of in-country training and 24 months of volunteer service.

In 1962, Ohio University was the first to offer academic credit to volunteers for summer training. Part of the training included “mile walks,” starting with five miles and progressing to 30.

Ohio University: Hub for the Peace Corps community

Alumnus Jeff Rhodes (back row, light blue shirt) joined Zambian high school students and other Peace Corps volunteers for a basketball game in Sinda, Eastern Zambia, the region where he served.

“I had been accepted by Peace Corps to go to Morocco. I moved back to Athens in June and July, into a rooming house on State Street. The guy who lived in the basement with me saw all these maps on the table and said, ‘Oh, I was in Peace Corps in Morocco, and so were about 10 other people in this town.’ I got to meet a great group of people. It wasn’t until then that I discovered that Athens was this sort of Mecca for people with Peace Corps.”

“I was involved in the Athens community and a lot of community organizations. That idea [of community service] is very strong in Athens, so when people find out about the Peace Corps, it’s easy for them to jump to, ‘I could see myself doing this, and I could succeed at that.’ … Returned Peace Corps volunteers are a valuable commodity to our communities.

Even now, I can’t stop volunteering and can’t stop serving.”

—Jeff Magoto, BA ’83, MA ’85, English teacher, Morocco (1978-80); director of the Yamada Language Center, University of Oregon

—Jeff Rhodes, BSJ ’04, community health volunteer, Zambia (2005-07); recruiter, Peace Corps Chicago Regional Office

traveling in Vietnam during his Peace Corps service in Thailand, he was approached by some Americans who worked for the U.S. government. Soon enough they offered him a job as a provincial representative in rural Vietnam: “They liked that we were Peace Corps and from upcountry Thailand, and they knew right away that we didn’t need to be taken care of, that we could take care of ourselves.” Gillespie went on to help install a water system in a hospital and create a refugee camp for people displaced by the war.

This was just the beginning of some 50 years of service for the federal government in various posts, including Foreign Service officer and as an employee of the United States Agency on International Development.

In the ensuing years, Gillespie has worked in Afghanistan, Albania and Armenia. He has seemingly worked his way through the alphabet from there. He helped re-equip Egyptian textile industries

In 1966, a placement test helped determine aptitude for 300 different jobs within the Peace Corps. Today’s application process can take seven to 12 months.

Volunteers must be U.S. citizens.

after the Soviets were expelled in the 1970s. He helped find U.S. MIAs in Laos. He supported nongovernmental organizations in Sarajevo during the war in the former Yugoslavia. He now works in Afghanistan, supporting the U.S.-backed Afghan government through development programs in order to legitimize the government to the Afghan people.

Over the years, he has traveled to and from Thailand to visit with friends and family. After his Peace Corps service, Gillespie was in Thailand and learned that his old professor John Cady was visiting a mutual friend. He went to the friend’s house to find Cady. Years had passed since they’d seen each other. Gillespie recalls the moment he saw his old prof: “I walked down the street and opened the door and I could hear him say in English, ‘Oh, just a moment, one of my students just came in.’”

The minimum age for Peace Corps service is 18; there is no upper age limit.

Host countries served to date: 139 Host countries today: 75

fa l l 2012

• 31

Beyond Words

The pioneering research of Maria Ivanova, PHD ’09, will offer new tools in the fight against aphasia in her homeland.

O

f all the potential debilitating effects of a stroke, perhaps none is so traumatic as aphasia. The neurological disorder, which affects a patient’s ability to speak, comprehend, read, write and think verbally, can literally leave patients speechless. In many ways aphasia attacks a patient’s very identity, says clinical psychologist Maria Ivanova, PHD ’09. “Language [is part of what] gives us our personality,” she says. “There are ways to compensate for physical impairments, but there are no good ways to do that when it comes to language.” While there is no cure for the devastating disorder, new tests developed

by Ivanova, who works at the Moscow Federal Center of Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation, may help shed light on the condition — and lead to more promising future treatments.

Ivanova first worked with aphasia patients as a third-year student at Lomonosov Moscow State University, and she was drawn to the way the disorder demonstrated how our mind works — and sometimes doesn’t. Comprehending a sentence, for example, is often as much about memory as it is about understanding individual words, an insight that isn’t obvious before working with aphasics. “We don’t realize it consciously, but to comprehend a complex sentence, we need to remember what was said in the beginning to understand what we hear at the end,” she explains.

Our language processing skills draw on a host of different mental powers, and untangling how they work together is one of the challenges of aphasia research.

As she delved deeper into her studies, she realized that perhaps the best way to further the research in her own country, Russia, was to head to the United States.

There is a more robust community of aphasia research and researchers in America and with the right training, she could help transform the direction of aphasia diagnosis and research in her home country. The communication and speech disorders program at Ohio University turned out to be the perfect fit.

While at Ohio, she and Brooke Hollowell, director of Ohio’s neurolinguistics laboratory, began 32 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

developing standardized testing that could be given to all Russian aphasics to assess their comprehension abilities. Such tests are common in America and many other countries, but Russian doctors have relied primarily on qualitative assessments of individual patients to provide treatment.

However, relying solely on an individual analysis makes it nearly impossible to do large-scale comparisons. “Standardized tests can help researchers because they can find and describe groups with similar language profiles,” Ivanova says. “Testing helps [clinicians] diagnose aphasia, compare individuals to others to select appropriate treatment and track [a patient’s] progress.”

The test could have an impact on thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of aphasia sufferers.

According to Ivanova, nearly 500,000 Russians suffer from strokes each year, and about 20 percent experience at least some temporary symptoms of aphasia. She says that aphasia is typically underdiagnosed, and the standardized tests could help make accurate assessment easier. And although the test is still a work in progress, she hopes that combining it with the current assessments will lead to a richer trove of data for Russian researchers and clinicians to mine for patterns and potential treatments.

Ivanova’s work is groundbreaking on its own, but also fits within a larger tradition of innovation among CSD graduates, says Sally Marinellie, associate director of the CSD program. The nationally ranked program, which celebrated its 75th anniversary with a two-day event in September, recognized the work of many graduates during the festivities.

Ivanova, meanwhile, is working half a world away to carve out her own legacy. Without Ohio’s guidance, she says, it wouldn’t have been possible. “Before I came to Ohio University, I had a lot of questions, but I didn’t know how to look for the answers,” she says.

“I have much more knowledge now. And even though I still have many questions, I now feel like I have the tools to search for these answers.” » ERIN PETERSON

Maria Ivanova, PHD ’09, uses the latest research to evaluate speech and language disorders in her clients at the Moscow Federal Center of Speech Pathology and Neurorehabilitation. A pioneer in clinical aphasiology in Russia, Ivanova is working to establish speech language-pathology as a specialty. “[Russia’s] new generation of researchers and clinicians appreciate the need for standardized testing, and in five or 10 years, the situation will be much better,” she says. “I hope to contribute to that change.” photo by

Rebecca F. Miller MA ’12

fa l l 2012

• 33

BOBCAT TRACKS for alumni and friends

2

1

5

3

Code of conduct Ronald P. Socciarelli (1932–2012) led the Marching 110 to greater prominence; among other milestones, the 110 was the first marching band to perform at Carnegie Hall. Looking back, students say their hard work was inspired by one unforgettable phrase: to be “better than the best ever.”

34 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

4

6

THE SOCCIARELLI ERA (1973–1992) 1. Under Ronald P. Socciarelli’s direction, the Marching 110 performed at Carnegie Hall on Oct. 28, 1976. 2. Jerry Wood (sousaphone) and Mike Carpenter (trombone) “funk” for the 1980 Homecoming crowd on Court Street. 3. Socciarelli conducts the Marching 110 in Peden Stadium.

4. The 110 traveled to Philadelphia to participate in festivities honoring the 200th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. 5. The Carnegie Hall concert was recorded and released as the band’s 1976 album, “Live from New York.” 6. The 1981 season album featured a photo of Columbus’ famed Ohio Theater, the home of the 110’s traditional last concert of the season. Inset: Two tickets from the Carnegie Hall performance, 1976. Source: “Diamond Ohio: A History of Ohio University Bands,” available at http://diamondohio.net. Proceeds benefit the Marching 110.

Remembering Ronald P. Socciarelli ‘Just five more minutes …’

O

n Feb. 2, Ronald Peter Socciarelli died near his home in Aiken, S.C. Mr. Socciarelli, or “Mr. S.,” as he was affectionately known by his students, served as director of bands at Ohio University until his retirement in 1992. During that time, he entertained cheering crowds at Ohio University athletic events and concerts; most importantly, he touched the lives of thousands of students — students, to this day, who love and treasure his memory and lessons of hard work, dedication and commitment to being “better than the best ever.”

The eleventh director Following the resignation of Thomas Lee, President Claude R. Sowle announced the appointment of Socciarelli as director of bands and assistant professor of music at Ohio University Aug. 1, 1973.

The growth of the OU Wind Symphony was of great importance to Socciarelli.

As evidenced by his unparalleled body of commissioned works for the ensemble, Socciarelli viewed the development of both ensembles under his care as equally important to the growth of his students.

But without question, Socciarelli’s time with the Marching 110 was the most visible of his career at Ohio University, and two events during his association with the band were the most profound of his career.

Almost immediately after accepting the position at Ohio University, Socciarelli was embroiled in the debate to re-integrate women into the (then) “Marching Men of Ohio.” Title IX of the Higher Education Act had been enacted into law, and campuses across America were coming into compliance — albeit slowly, at first. Just five years earlier, Director Gene Thrailkill had made the decision to remove women from the band, thus creating the Marching Men. It is interesting to note that in 1967, this move was met with sharp criticism by the student body and faculty. They especially loved the band’s majorettes, and felt the band’s “Ivy League” uniforms (green blazers

and neckties) made them unique throughout the Mid American Conference and among other college bands. These criticisms were quickly dismissed when the Marching Men premiered their first performance (and the now-traditional uniforms). The band’s high-energy marching style and favoring of contemporary music quickly made them a beloved group on campus.

Socciarelli knew change was never easy; but he also knew integration was the right thing to do, and for the betterment of the band. And so, in 1975, six women auditioned for and were accepted into the 110. The band never looked back.

Making history Just one year after the re-integration of women into the band, the second profound event in Socciarelli’s tenure took place when the Marching 110 became the first marching band in history to perform in New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall. This was truly a milestone in both the history of marching bands, and of the famed concert hall. Socciarelli cared deeply for the quality of music education in the public schools and decided to offer free tickets to members of high school bands throughout New York.

The concert was recorded and released as the band’s 1976 album, “Live from New York.”

The following year, Socciarelli received tenure on Jan. 9, 1977, and was promoted to the rank of associate professor.

Socciarelli’s legacy, like the other directors before him, is evident in the Marching 110 of today. He was proud of the growth — both in membership and in musical and marching quality — the band has enjoyed under current Director Richard Suk. Today’s 110 is twice the size of the band under Socciarelli’s tenure. But though the faces have changed, the spirit of the band never has. » GEORGE BROZAK, BMUS ’90 and MMUS ’92, is director of athletic bands and assistant director of bands in the School of Music at Southern Illinois University. He has served as a staff arranger for the Ohio University Marching Band since 1988.

ALSO IN 1976 . . .

Under Socciarelli’s leadership, the Marching 110 became the first marching band to perform at Carnegie Hall in 1976. That wasn’t the only milestone that year, however; a new college and a new mall were among many memorable developments for the Ohio University community: • Faculty Senate debated the elimination of the “A-B-C” grading system that allowed freshmen to take a “no credit” option and remove a D or F from their transcripts.

• The College of Osteopathic Medicine welcomed its inaugural class of 24 students.

• During the legendary Mem Aud Bruce Springsteen concert, the auditorium suffered extensive damage: doors ripped off, broken seats and smashed windows.

• Athens’ first mall opened with a Kinney Shoes and Murphy’s Department Store.

• University dining halls offered a no-smoking area for diners thanks to an effort by the Athens Ecology Club.

• Amtrak began daily runs to points as far as Washington, D.C.

(roundtrip: $42).

• A historic mural painted by an 1840s student (who later went on to become a congressman) was discovered in a McGuffey Hall office.

• Freshman applications ran 29 percent higher than the previous year due to population booms.

• Ralph Nader, consumer advocate, spoke at Mem Aud. • Marting’s on Court Street sold jeans (by H.I.S.) for $12 a pair and “bib overalls for any occasion.”

• The Energy Conservation Committee offered $25 to those with ideas about how to save energy.

Photos Courtesy of Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

fa l l 2012

• 35

BOBCAT TRACKS for alumni and friends

1

2

GREEN AND WHITE, HERE AND THERE

1. Lori Biggs, BSED ’10, and Miranda Saling, BSJ ’11, posted this photo from Machu Picchu on the Ohio University Alumni Association Facebook page. “Couldn’t find more proud Bobcats,” Lori says. 2. Duke Energy Center illuminated its building for the Charlotte, N.C., alumni reception July 19 and visit from President Roderick J. McDavis, BSED ’70. 3. First Lt. Samuel Atkins, BSC ’09 (right), and current student Sgt. Rob Bourne are deployed in Afghanistan as part of the Ohio National Guard. Samuel was commissioned into the U.S. Army through the university’s ROTC program 4. From left: Videographer Scott Jacobson, BSC ’87; reporter Jericka Duncan, BSC ’05; and assistant news director John Wilson, BSJ ’87, show their Bobcat pride in the newsroom at KYW-TV in Philadelphia. 5. Alumni at Fahlgren Mortine’s various offices gathered on March 16 to cheer for the Bobcats’ March Madness. Front row: Chrystie Reep, BSJ ’00; Katherine Barile Zuehlke, BSC ’01, Kelly Brooks Winzenread, BBA ’08; Mary Krouse Garrick, BSJ ‘07; middle row: Emilie Hanson DeLong, BSJ ’03; Alyssa Mehling Smith, BSJ ’10; Stephanie Seiffert Interliggi, BSJ ‘08; third row: Michelle DeVault

3

4

5

Spalding, BSJ ‘94; Bobbie Termeer, BSJ ’87; Tim Miller, BSJ ’75; Janelle Huelsman, BSJ ’10; Hartley Mikus Suter, BSJ ‘07; back: Scott Gracan, BSVC ‘00. 6.

Rolland Lattaner, BSCOM ’49, and Joy Gears Lattaner, BSED ’49, attended the graduation of their granddaughter Kira Aiken-Bauer Brown, BSHCS ’12, in June.

7. Kaylea Livingston, BSS ’08, and Matt Annen, BBA ’07, wed May 19 in Columbus, in the company of Matt’s OHIO basketball teammates and coaches Kevin Kuwik and John Rhodes, BSJ ’88. 8. Jennifer Walker, BFA ’07, wed Jeffery Wolfe Aug. 25. The couple met at Ohio University in the spring of 2007 at the Blue Gator. Send your photos to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or Ohio Today, 112 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, 45701.

36 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

8

6

7

7

Class acts

Homecoming awards gala recognizes oustanding alumni across the eras

O

ctober is synonymous with Homecoming, alumni gathering for the football game and parade, and the Alumni Awards Gala — a blacktie affair honoring alumni for professional accomplishments or service to the university.

This year’s award recipients, recognized at a gala Oct. 12, include the following: Barbara Strom Thompson, AB ’76, Alumna of the Year, is a child development specialist, consultant and writer who has volunteered countless hours to Ohio. The Medal of Merit is given to those with outstanding accomplishments in their fields, and the 2012 recipients comprise Joseph P. Becherer, BFA ’87 and MFA ’90, for achievement in the visual arts; Sidney Davis, BSJ ’52, for achievement in broadcast journalism; George Mooradian, BFA ’70, for achievement in cinematography; and Lucy Sexton, BFA ’82, for achievement as a dancer, choreographer and producer.

One recipient of the Distinguished Service Award is Dr. Charles Mehlman, DO ’89, a

pediatric orthopedic surgeon who acts as a medical educator, researcher and mentor to Ohio students. Carl Walker, BSED ’56, the other such awardee, is recognized for 40 years of leadership to African-American alumni through reunions and scholarship service.

Natalie Kruse, BSCE ’04, is the recipient of the Recent Graduate Award for her work in environmental restoration and conservation in Appalachia. The Honorary Alumni Award for 2012 has been presented to Evelyn Houk, acknowledging thousands of hours of volunteer service with athletics and the Athens community, and scholarship establishment.

Ohio Athletics has inducted three into the Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in honor of their significant athletic accomplishments.

Hollie Bonewit-Cron, BA ’00, is a five-time Mid-American Conference record-holder, a 17-time MAC Event Champion and a two-time NCAA qualifier for the swimming and diving team. Richard Grecni earned All-American honors and is a two-time First Team All MAC as a member of the

‘One of my favorite Homecoming traditions is to watch the Marching 110 band — complete with alumni band players — boogie their way through Athens in the Homecoming parade. It’s such a joyous reflection of the incredible and timeless spirit of Ohio University.’

—2012 Alumna of the Year Barbara Strom Thompson, AB ’76 Bobcat football team. Gary Trent earned All-American honors and is the only threetime men’s basketball MAC Player of the Year in the history of the league. Athletics also recognized the 1960 football team for its undefeated season and its “Small School” National Championship title.

For more information on the Alumni Awards Gala and 2012 Homecoming, visit ohioalumni.org/homecoming.

fa l l 2012

• 37

photo by

Olivia Talbot

The work of Derrick Jones, MFA ’10, has gained national and international recognition.

The School of Film’s personal documentary filmmaking class was Derrick’s inspiration.

in...a passion for telling the truth and for promoting change through documentary film.

www.ohio.edu/campaign MAKE YOUR GIFT TODAY! The Ohio University Foundation P.O. Box 869, Athens OH 45701 toll free: 800-592-FUND • email: giving@ohio.edu secure online giving at www.ohio.edu/give

To read Class Notes online, visit http://www.ohio.edu/ohiotoday/print/notes.cfm To read In Memoriam online, visit http://www.ohio.edu/ohiotoday/print/obit.cfm

LAST WORD

timed racing through woods and fields for about 80 to 100 miles, is kind of dangerous.

I also play ice hockey at Bird Arena with the OU hockey group. Some may consider that dangerous, especially the way I skate.

What junk food will you never be able to give up?

Chocolate. I can give chocolate up for a short period, but then I gotta have it!

What’s the one food that will never be found in your home?

Veal. A roommate in college raised cattle and explained the process calves go through in making veal. I haven’t eaten it since.

If forced to sing a karaoke song, which song would you pick to perform?

The way I sing, I would really, really, really have to be forced. I would choose “Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross.

What is the last movie you saw?

Off-road & on ice:

“Act of Valor.” I like nonfiction and comedy films.

Interview with a favorite Ohio prof

If you could turn into an animal at the snap of a finger, what would it be?

I guess if I had to choose one, I would go with a wolverine. They are pound for pound one of the most ferocious creatures. They also have a very high metabolism so they get to eat all the time.

If you could be successful at a different career, what would you choose to do for an income?

If I had to pick something else (since I think my current career as a structural engineering professor is fantastic!), I think I would enjoy athletic coaching. I enjoy teaching and getting

48 •

o h i o t o d ay o n l i n e . c o m

Darcy Holdorf MA ‘12 photo by

R

acing off-road motorcycles and playing ice hockey are not what most students imagine their professors do after work and on the weekends.

They must not know Associate Professor in Civil Engineering Eric Steinberg. Steinberg, who teaches structural engineering, took a break from racing his motorcycle through the woods and doing battle on the ice to answer a few questions about his worldview — without the aid of caffeine! »KELEE RIESBECK

Tell us something that people would be surprised to know about you.

the most out of people and relish the strategy involved in the games. And I can motivate someone to perform their best.

What is your favorite article of clothing in your closet?

I would have to say a signed jersey of Detroit Red Wings player Pavel Datsyuk (even though it is actually in my son’s closet).

What’s the most dangerous thing that you’ve ever done?

Gosh, I am pretty conservative. I guess my off-road enduro racing, which involves

I do not drink coffee. I tried it once and never cared for the taste.

Write your own epitaph.

“You can learn something from anyone.” I have always asked questions and listened to what others have to say.

Tell about the last time a student really surprised you.

I was at my mother’s funeral and saw that the student chapter of our engineering society sent me flowers. To know that some of my students thought enough of me to send flowers gave me a warm feeling. I will never forget it.

Is there something or someone that can always make you laugh out loud — or at least smile?

When I think of a couple of friends I went to high school with, I chuckle. One of them is so quick-witted he catches everyone off guard. The other one plays along so smoothly you’d think it was rehearsed.

At our last reunion, I laughed so hard I brought tears to my eyes!

CHECK IT OUT

A

t today’s tech-friendly Alden Library, students can chat online with a librarian, renew books on their cell phones and view answers to popular questions (“Can I borrow the textbooks I need for my classes?”) via YouTube. The library expanded its online presence this year with both a new website, featuring an all-in-one search tool known as ArticlesPlus, and a mobile app, which allows students to access their library record from mobile devices, reserve study rooms, and search for books and other materials. The campus is buzzing about the changes — and the policy to abolish late fees for books has everyone smiling. Alumni gifts support the library’s digital initiatives, collections, facilities and more. Learn more at www.ohio.edu/ campaign. photo by Bryan Thomas MA ’12

NONPROFIT ORG U. S . P O S TAG E

P A I D Advancement Services HDL Center 164 1 Ohio University Athens, Ohio 45701-0869

All In

Alumna Kristen Altenburger knows a thing or two about making the most of resources at Ohio University. A mathematics major in the Honors Tutorial College, Kristen garnered a Goldwater Scholarship in 2010 — one of 278 awarded nationally — thanks to help from Ohio University’s Office of Nationally Competitive Awards. “If you want to put the work into your studies, there are resources at Ohio University to help you do that,” she says. But college wasn’t all classes and homework for Kristen. She also competed at the Goldsberry Track as a member of the university’s women’s track team, volunteered at Passion Works, a local nonprofit for developmentally disabled artists, and studied abroad in Hong Kong.

This 2012 grad’s next stop is Palo Alto, Calif., where she is engaged in a yearlong fellowship at Stanford University’s law school conducting research and performing data analysis. But Ohio University remains more than just a memory for Kristen. “It’s a great place,” she says. “I’m going to miss it.”

CO LU M B U S , O H I O P E R M I T N O. 4 4 1 6