Ohio Today fall 2020

Fall 2020

for ALUMNI and FRIENDS of OHIO UNIVERSITY

P R E S I D EN T ’ S M E S S AG E

You always have a home here Dear OHIO Alumni, In a year when everything has changed, it’s important to remember that you always have a home at Ohio University.

No matter how many miles may separate us, we are all part of the Ohio University community. As a student recently wrote me, Bobcats always stand up for Bobcats.

Our alumni showed this through their incredible support of our Bobcats Take Care program and through the numerous other ways they have been reaching out to our students. Thank you for the strong support you have shown to the Bobcats following in your footsteps!

If you are longing for the scenery of our beautiful Athens Campus, I hope you will enjoy the virtual reality experience highlighted on page 5 and take a stroll down your OHIO memory lane by traveling the brick paths of our historic College Green.

On our Athens Campus, we are in the midst of a historic transformation at our Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. In this issue, take a look at the new state-of-the-art medical building that is under construction on West Union Street and will launch the first new green to be established at OHIO since the 1960s.

Bobcat Beacons of Excellence FROM PRESIDENT M. DUANE NELLIS The Schoonover Center is a little greener thanks to the installation of a green roof over the main lobby that is supporting student learning and engaging the OHIO community in sustainability efforts.

[OPPOSITE PAGE] More than 1,000 alumni and friends gave $245,000plus to the COVID-19 Ohio University Student Emergency Fund, part of the Bobcats Take Care campaign. [ABOVE] Associate Professors David Rosenthal and Kim Thompson oversee construction of a green roof, completed in early July, over the lobby of the Schoonover Center for Communication. Photos by Ben Wirtz Siegel , BSVC ’02

If you are looking for career development opportunities or new ways to connect with your fellow Bobcats, I encourage you to read more about the Ohio University Alumni Association’s new alumni success initiatives, including the Bobcat Network.

Speaking of alumni success, you won’t want to miss the profile on OHIO graduate Ken Ehrlich, BSJ ’64, who just produced his 40th and last Grammy Awards and whose work in the music industry is legendary.

This issue of Ohio Today also takes a special look back at a history-making year 50 years ago and the closing of the University in 1970.

Whether our buildings are open or closed and whether we are together in person or not, we are always one Ohio University community, and you always have a home here.

M. Duane Nellis President @OHIOPrezOffice

OnlineColleges.com has ranked Ohio University as the best online college in Ohio for its broad range of affordable online options and extensive partnerships with community colleges in several states.

More than 13,700 donors provided the highest level of private financial support to Ohio University in eight years, committing nearly $49.9 million in fiscal year 2020.

Ohio University is leading the nation in its commitment to the success of first-generation students and is one of only 10 institutions designated a First-gen Forward Advisory Institution by the Center for First-generation Student Success.

OHIO professor and physicist Daniel Phillips is leading a new $3.7 million, National Science Foundation-funded effort to develop software that can create more accurate models of scientific phenomena.

Ohio University received a Research Grants in the Arts award from the National Endowment for the Arts for a project to explore the impact of music-based learning strategies on caregiver stress levels and caregiver-infant socialemotional competence. The interdisciplinary research team includes faculty and staff from the College of Fine Arts, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Patton College of Education and the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine.

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Building a Bobcat Network

Zero bound

New success initiatives aim to support and connect students and graduates

A look back at 10 years of building a zero-waste movement and economy

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The man behind the music

Athens, Ohio

A legend in the industry, alumnus closes out 40 years of Grammy moments

Where strangers become family and community becomes home

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Last word

Still more

Lancaster Campus professor talks politics, perspectives and the scariest thing she’s ever done

OHIO in pictures

FALL 2020

D EPA R TM EN T S 04 From the editor 04 Letters to the editor 05 Green scenes

OHIO stories in photos + words

18 OHIO making headlines 23 Ohio University Press

24 Infographic

Countdown to the 1970 closing

42 OHIO time machine

ON THE COVER “We walk students through Alumni Gateway and on to deep and valuable career, personal and social connections with other Bobcats across the world.”—Erin Essak Kopp, Assistant

44 Bobcat tracks

Vice President of Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the Ohio University Alumni Association

51 In memoriam

Visit ohiotoday.org for multimedia stories that complement the stories inside this issue.

Class notes, Bobcat sightings, Future Bobcats, Alumni authors

Cover illustration by Andrew Lyons

Featured book

24. Students participate in a silent march to coincide with a nationwide protest against the Vietnam War. Photo courtesy of Peter Goss Photograph Collection | The M ahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

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Table of contents

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L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I TO R

COMING HOME From yearly reunions with my Bobcat family to moving back to Athens because my heart remained here in so many ways, OHIO has never stopped calling me home.

As the University’s new publications editor, I’m coming home yet again and at a rather interesting time.

As I write this, it’s been four months since coronavirus changed practically everything, and no one knows what our world will look like when this magazine lands in your hands.

Regardless of where we are physically or in life, we can all come home to OHIO. Wear your green and white—and just wait to connect with a Bobcat you’ve never met.

Reconnect with former classmates—even if it’s been decades. Engage with the students following in your footsteps. Visit ohio.edu/news for information about OHIO and your fellow graduates.

And, continue to grow—in knowledge, wisdom and love.

—Angela Woodward, BSJ ’98

Winter 2020 issue As a ’55 grad in commerce and first manager of Perkins Hall, I enjoyed the winter issue enough to write a commendation. It had a great format and terrific content.

There were the traditional back pages to update alumni, but adding notes of the staff was so respectful of their contributions.

I like a smaller footprint to carry to the coffee shop and leave after reading. Later someone asked, “Did you go to Ohio U?” Very proud to respond with “Yes,” the “Harvard on the Hocking.”—Richard A. “Bart” Bartholomew, AB ’55

To serve & to heal My grandfather, Asia H. Whitacre, went to Ohio University and was a classmate with Rush Elliott (“To serve & to heal,” Fall 2019 issue).

Asia then went back to OU and took Dr. Elliott’s class in cat anatomy before getting his M.D. from OSU. Asia and his wife, Lena, had four children who all attended OU and took cat anatomy from Dr. Elliott before getting their M.D. degrees from OSU. I took cat anatomy from Dr. Elliott and graduated in 1967. My father told me a letter of recommendation from Dr. Elliott for medical school was like a gold brick. He did write that letter for me, and I graduated from OSU with my M.D. degree in 1971. Dr. Elliott attended my graduation and the party afterwards. I felt very honored to be a third-generation student that Dr. Elliott had taught.

FALL 2020

I am retired and plan to celebrate my 50th reunion from medical school next year along with classmates and two fellow ER doctors who also have fond memories of Dr. Elliott. We represent just a very small part of the influence that Dr. Elliott had.

—Vicki Ann Whitacre, BS ’67 What’s been kept In reading “What’s been kept” in the fall 2019 issue, the 1974 OU Music Festival poster caught my attention as I had attended. I thought I would share a copy of the 1973 OU Music Festival poster.

What a lineup of artists. This was before Bruce Springsteen became a superstar and before Joe Walsh was in the Eagles. Dr. Hook was on the cover of the Rolling Stone, and Blood, Sweat & Tears, Billy Preston, Jo Jo Gunne and former OU student Jonathan Edwards all had hits on the radio. I caught up with Jonathan in 2017, and he signed the poster and was very excited to see an Athens memory over 44 years later. He wrote several songs that have Athens County references.

I remember him playing Baker Center Ballroom. A lot of great music came to OU back in the day.

—Chuck Lipps, BSED ’76

WRITE TO US. Ohio Today welcomes comments from readers. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, space, clarity and civility. Send letters by email to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or by mail to Ohio University, Ohio Today, 168 WUSOC, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701, or join the conversation at ohiotoday.org.

We regret that we cannot publish all messages received in print or online.

Where it all began COLLEGE GREEN: Hallowed ground whose brick pathways, towering trees and very soil cradle the history of Ohio University, Athens and a trailblazing nation. Whether teaching or studying on the Athens Campus, a regional or extension campus, or through the University’s growing online learning programs, all OHIO stories trace back to this small square of land where it all began.

Green scenes

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Walk the brick pathways and hear the sounds of the historic College Green at ohiotoday.org where OHIO graduate student Akbar Sultanov has created an immersive 360-degree experience. Visit and learn some of the history behind the most historic and cherished buildings and landmarks at the heart of the Athens Campus. And come home to OHIO virtually through a feature that allows you to download a photo of yourself on College Green.

Photo Ben Wirtz Siegel , BSVC ’02

FALL 2020

Green scenes

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Remembering President Alden When he was inaugurated as Ohio University’s 15th president on May 11, 1962, Vernon Roger Alden called for creating “a climate in which the best minds are stretched and in which superior students aspire to even greater accomplishment.”

Over the next seven years, the University, under his leadership, did just that, expanding and creating research, academic programs and enrichment opportunities that still exist today.

The youngest president to lead the University since 1872, Alden brought youthful energy, passion and innovation to the institution and presided over a period of remarkable growth and change.

His tenure saw the expansion of the University’s graduate degree programs and international connections and the creation of the Honors College, the Cutler Program of Individualized Study, the Black Studies Institute, the Ohio Fellows program and the Ohio University Press—just to name a few.

The University’s enrollment grew from 13,600 to 22,000-plus, 75 percent of the faculty was recruited, and the Faculty Senate was established.

During the Alden era, the footprint of the University also rapidly evolved. Construction on the West Green dormitories was completed, and

President Alden chats with students on a balcony overlooking East Green. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

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the development of South Green began. Alden delivered on a promise to build a new library, dedicated in his honor upon his retirement, and pushed forward the expansion of OHIO’s regional campuses.

His impact extended far beyond the University.

Alden was instrumental in the development of the Appalachian Highway Network and other efforts to revitalize the region’s economy. And, in the final months of his presidency, he broke ground on the re-routing of the Hocking River, preventing future flooding of town and gown.

President Emeritus Alden passed away on June 22, 2020, at the age of 97, but the legacy of his nearly 60 years of service to Ohio University lives on in the generations of alumni, students, faculty and staff who continue to benefit from and be inspired by his vision.

[ABOVE TOP] The OHIO community joined the Alden family virtually on Aug. 13 for a memorial service to celebrate the life and impact of President Emeritus Alden. To watch a recording of that service, visit ohio.edu/aldenmemorial. Photo by Patrick Traylor, MA ’12 [ABOVE BOTTOM] President Alden and R.A. Milliken conduct a radio interview with two men from Nigeria. Alden Rainbow, a primary school in Nigeria, was named in Alden’s honor following his visits to OHIO faculty members who taught in Nigeria on USAID grants.

Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

Green scenes

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FALL 2020

Medical students on the Athens Campus will soon have a new home.

Heritage Hall, named in honor of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation whose $105 million Vision 2020 award includes $21 million for this state-of-the-art facility, is slated to open in 2021. The 114,000-squarefoot, three-story building is designed with wellness in mind and will be the first academic facility on OHIO’s new Union Street Green, creating a western gateway to the University.

Photos by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01

Greenscenes scenes Green

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The ties that bind Pim (Thirati) Koondel, MBA ’17, MSA ’18, and Alec Koondel, MBA ’17, MSA ’18, met competing for a spot in the College of Business’ MBA/MSA Dual-Degree Program. They’ve been tied to one another and Ohio University ever since.

“Who would have thought?” Alec says of the classmates-turnedcouple’s journey.

They spent their MBA year collaborating with each other and fellow cohorts on projects and living in the same apartment complex. Both served on Graduate Student Senate and worked together as graduate assistants in the same line of work they continue today: Pim in marketing and digital strategy for the athletic department at Virginia Tech and Alec in fundraising for student-athlete scholarships at North Carolina State University.

They’ve stayed connected to and support the program that brought them together, mentoring current graduate students and attending annual events like the Sports Administration Symposium.

This past spring, Pim launched Koondel Design, an Etsy shop that sells personalized stationery with minimalist design and simple calligraphy. The start of her business coincided with the start of OHIO’s Bobcat Neighborhood, a free online directory of alumniowned and/or operated businesses, organizations and nonprofits as well as those that serve the University’s campus communities.

One of the first OHIO graduates to join the Bobcat Neighborhood, Pim found an opportunity to bring awareness to her new business while learning about her fellow Bobcat entrepreneurs.

“Shopping local doesn’t just mean buying from businesses within our proximity, but also supporting people within our network,” she says. “In this case, it’s our OHIO family. The Bobcat Neighborhood is the perfect place to start.”

Visit the Bobcat Neighborhood at ohio.edu/ bobcatneighborhood.

—Angela Woodward, BSJ ’98

FALL 2020

Alec Koondel was one of the first people Pim (Thirati) Koondel met when she came to Ohio University.

Their life journeys have been intertwined from that moment on. Photo by Ekkaporn Kongyuedyao

Green scenes

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Amid stories of uncertainty, fear and loss surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic are stories of hope, courage and compassion— hundreds of them here in our OHIO community. From faculty, staff and students who adapted to online learning to alumni serving on the frontlines as health care workers, first responders, public servants and essential workers, Bobcats are stepping up to combat an unprecedented public health crisis and demonstrating their resilience and commitment to service. Visit ohiotoday.org/ winter-2020 to read about just a few of the ways Bobcats are taking care.

FALL 2020

Ninety-five College of Health Sciences and Professions students and 227 Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine students graduated from OHIO nearly one month earlier than planned in order to enter the health care ranks.

Photo by Ty Wright, BFA ’02, MA ’13

Green scenes

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Courtney Perrett, BSJ ’20, transferred to Ohio University her junior year and is one of more than 4,100 undergraduates to earn their degrees in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

Finding a home 8,657 miles away from home

Born in a coastal city in eastern South Africa, Courtney Perrett, BSJ ’20, grew up in a close-knit family who taught her to care for the natural world, dream big and never give up on those dreams. They always encouraged her to fiercely pursue her goals, even if that meant moving to another continent at 19 years old.

My experience as a student-athlete (swimmer) began at Indian River State College, a quaint but wholesome junior college where, after two years, I fostered the determination to transfer to OHIO, an NCAA Division I university, in pursuit of not only the next level athletically, but also academically through the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism.

The distance from Durban, South Africa, to Athens is 8,657 miles, crossing the vast Atlantic Ocean. When I first hopped a plane destined for the United States to pursue a career as a college athlete, I was unaware that my journey would lead me to Ohio University.

My junior year was a chaotic, messy, but ultimately rewarding experience. I learned to integrate the rigors of being a Scripps kid with a 20-hour weekly athletic schedule, including swim meets, and my responsibilities as a reporter for The Post.

FALL 2019FALL R E L 2020 ATIONSHIP S

A helping hand X 2 My junior year was the most defining of my OHIO experience, but not for conventional reasons. During the first months of training, I developed neurological thoracic outlet syndrome, which caused nerve impingements, numbness and pain in my right arm when I swam. After eight months of modifications to my swimming program, in August 2019, the team doctor advised that I medically disqualify, or retire from the sport permanently.

As an athlete, the “never give up” mentality is so ingrained in your psyche that it’s very difficult to acknowledge when it’s time to choose your health over your sport. What I didn’t know at the time is that my fellow Bobcats and Ohio University community would rally around me in new and exciting ways, helping me reinvent myself my senior year.

During my final year at OHIO, I was hired as a lead tutor at the Student Writing Center and reported for The Post and Thread Magazine. I took invigorating magazine feature writing and production classes with professors who challenged me to write meaningful stories about real people’s experiences. I enrolled in a “Journalism and Trauma” class with Associate Lecturer Nerissa Young who taught me how to challenge systems of inequality and make journalism a sustainable career in a turbulent world.

It was in the midst of a busy spring semester that my and my fellow 2020 classmates’ student experiences were disrupted in unimaginable ways by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a few short days, the greater OHIO community was relegated to studying and working from home, social distancing in the name of health and safety. I spent the last few months of spring semester holed up in my apartment, tutoring students virtually and working with my editor and fellow reporters to remotely publish weekly issues of The Post to keep our OHIO community updated. While distance kept us apart, our Bobcat community banded together, strengthening an already strong alliance formed by a mutual love for Ohio University and its home communities.

I am so grateful for my OHIO journey and for the community I’ve found here, and know that I will always have a home 8,657 miles away from home. —Courtney Perrett, BSJ ’20 More than 500 alumni from 31 states and six countries registered for the Ohio University Alumni Association’s Senior Postcard Project, sending 7,530 messages of encouragement to the Class of 2020. Visit ohio.edu/senior-celebration-2020 to see how OHIO celebrated this historic class.

Green scenes

For many, their college experience uncovers passions, creates lifelong personal relationships and shapes who they are and will become. For Mark Arnold, his OHIO experience led him to an inspiring 37-year military career paralleled by decades of highly successful corporate leadership.

Today, Arnold, BSISE ’82, a retired brigadier general, and his wife, Karin, BS ’81, are unlocking the same transformative Ohio University experience for Bobcats following in their footsteps by making a $150,000 gift available through OHIO’s new CurrentUse Scholarship Program.

The program, which runs through June 30, 2021, provides $1 in funding from the University’s unrestricted financial aid budget to amplify every $1 in eligible donor gifts in support of current-use scholarships.

The match means that the Arnolds’ impact will be doubled to $300,000 in immediate financial assistance to students in the Russ College of Engineering and Technology.

“Karin and I are passionate about students enjoying the same benefits of an Ohio University education as we did—especially its faculty’s intense dedication to student success,” Mark Arnold says. “We are certain students will not find that focus at another public university. It is difficult for students and parents to know this support exists at OU until they experience it, but once they are there, they will have found a home.”

The Arnolds’ gift will establish the Mark and Karin Arnold Engineering Scholarship, providing 60 Russ College students $5,000 in tuition savings and the opportunity to discover the same life-changing experience that is the hallmark of an OHIO education.

To learn more or to make a gift to the Current-Use Scholarship Program, visit ohio.edu/advancement/invest/gift.

—Peter Shooner

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OHIO making headlines Bobcats make the news—and the OHIO community proud—every day. Read about a few of the Ohio University alumni, students, faculty and staff who have made headlines in recent months.

Cooped up? Dance on!

Amid stay-at-home orders, Honors Tutorial College alumna Leah Crosby, BFA ’15, and Danielle Doell, BFA ’14, rallied their LanDforms creative partnership to bring adventure and the arts to Seattle. Their “Cooped Up” drive-in dances [ABOVE], featured in National Geographic, took audiences to seven locations around the city to enjoy performances from the safety of their cars.

Eyewitnesses to an epidemic

In the spring issue of Humanities, the magazine of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine faculty members Daniel Skinner and Berkeley Franz talk about their new book, “Not Far from Me: Stories of Opioids and Ohio.” Three years in the making, the book examines this public health crisis entirely through first-person accounts.

FALL 2020

Headed for the Hall of Fame

Ellen Herman-Kimball, BSH ’10, made headlines in Ohio and beyond as the first OHIO volleyball player to be selected for the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Hall of Fame.

Herman-Kimball led the Bobcats to four MAC Championships and four NCAA Tournaments. She is the head volleyball coach at the University of Connecticut.

Read more about the “Cooped Up” drive-in dances at ohiotoday.org.

Photo by Devin Muñoz

A warming South Pole

Research led by alumnus Kyle Clem, BS ’12, MS ’14, and Professor Ryan Fogt finds that the South Pole has been warming at more than three times the global average over the past 30 years. They coauthored a paper on their findings, which was published in the journal Nature Climate Change, with an international team of scientists.

Introducing Ohio’s new poet laureate

This past summer, newsrooms across Ohio announced the state’s new, and only third, poet laureate. Two-time OHIO graduate Kari Gunter-Seymour, BFA ’94, MA ’16, who is also a retired instructor in the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, was selected by Gov. Mike DeWine for the honor.

OHIO headlines

When this is over

OHIO Professor Julie Elman co-created @when_this_is_over, an Instagram account dedicated to the aspects of life people will love again when the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

The project caught the eye of The Washington Post Magazine whose report featured Elman and recent OHIO graduate Micah Fluellen, BSVC ’20.

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FALL 2020

It’s personal ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CREATES TEAM TO HELP STUDENTS AND ALUMNI DEFINE THEIR OWN MEANING OF SUCCESS Believing you can. Breaking new ground. Saying yes. Or, saying no.

You know what “success” is for you, because it’s personal. It’s about honoring yourself and getting to a “you” that’s somehow “more.” More knowledgeable, more grounded, more effective, more focused, more in charge of your own goals and dreams. A better you that you have defined.

The Ohio University Alumni Association’s (OUAA) new alumni success team is offering free career development opportunities to students and alumni to do just that.

“Our value is in making the vast and incredible Bobcat alumni network accessible to students and alumni alike,” says Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations and OUAA Executive Director Erin Essak Kopp, noting that the effort is part of the University’s strategic investment in OHIO students and graduates. “This team is charged with sparking students’ journeys toward becoming alumni.

We walk students through Alumni Gateway and on to deep and valuable career, personal and social connections with other Bobcats across the world.”

Alumni success initiatives are a key component of the OUAA’s strategic plan, unveiled in March 2019 and designed to uphold OHIO traditions while fostering new ways of engaging and serving students and alumni. The strategy’s power is in its metrics, which the OUAA uses to gauge alumni wants and needs before developing programs based on that data. The work – and results – contribute to OHIO’s prominence, too, because peer institutions compare alumni engagement rates.

The Bobcat Network website (bobcatnetwork.ohio.edu), which operates in partnership with OHIO’s Career and Leadership Development Center, is the starting point but also a lifelong resource

OHIO impact

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Illustrations by Andrew Lyons

for alumni success by providing student-toalumni, alumni-to-alumni, career, and industry connections. “We support alumni throughout their career lifecycle, starting from when they’re still students,” says Dori Branch, BSC ’13, MED ’18, associate director of the Bobcat Career Network.

Via the website, students and alumni alike can create a profile to receive personalized career coaching, become mentors or mentees, and recruit Bobcats for employment. Search an exclusive job board with posts from alumni, for alumni. Offer a project-based experience, or micro internship, to a current student. Learn about webinars on topics like resiliency in the workplace. Engage once and quickly by posting a career question on the discussion board, or sign up for a longer-term connection such as mentoring a student.

Meanwhile, early engagement initiatives, including a pilot mentoring program with the Student Alumni Board (SAB), get students involved and connected with alumni and OUAA programming and resources, helping them establish lifelong support before graduation. Once they’re out of the nest, new alumni are supported with virtual

“Welcome to Your City” panels, where, this fall, well-connected alumni in six cities from Texas to New York shared tips and tricks to help new resident Bobcats develop their networks. And the Recent Alumni Microgrant Program (RAMP) provides grants up to $1,000 for continuing education and professional development.

For Dana Wright, BA ’09, MPA ’11, associate director of Early Engagement, the spark for alumni work and relationship building ignited when she was an undergraduate, studying political science at OHIO and serving on the SAB. “I love the opportunity that the OUAA has to make a positive impact on so many people across our entire Bobcat family—whether by a grant for an individual, or a wide-reaching event,” she says. “We want to serve alumni in ways that are meaningful and that last a lifetime.”

—Colleen Carow, BSJ ’93, MA ’97, MBA ’05 Colleen Carow joined the OUAA in June 2020 as its first director of alumni success. She is leading the OUAA’s comprehensive alumni success strategy.

FALL 2020

Proximity matters

Image courtesy of the Ohio University press

Welcome to the Neighborhood: An Anthology of American Coexistence—a collection of over eighty poems, nonfiction essays, short stories and even illustrated pieces picked by editor Sarah Green, PHD ’15—shows different ways we interact with, or reflect upon, our neighbors, these “other” people who make up our various communities.

In her preface, Green writes that the idea for the anthology began with a reaction, a sense that the American concept of neighborliness had taken a hit during a period when Black Lives Matter, white supremacy rallies, Muslim bans, border walls and the separation of immigrant families were making headlines.

Around the same time, Americans were also embracing social media, online gaming and binge-watching—pursuits that in many respects separate us from our physical communities, from the geographic neighborhoods in which we live.

“It seemed to me that the gesture of being not just a neighbor but neighborly … was the gesture we were missing,” Green says.

Admittedly, Green confesses, “my vague nostalgia for a golden age of the more harmonious American neighborhood was likely based in cultural myth.”

Hadn’t there always been noisy neighbors? Neighbors whose homes our parents said not to visit? And neighbors we don’t know at all? Rather than selecting writings that highlighted only the good aspects of neighborliness, Green

Ohio University Press

sought a multidimensional portrait, the “warts and all” witnessing of what neighborhoods and communities are like.

Welcome to the Neighborhood was published by the Ohio University Press in December 2019. Within a few short months, the pandemic we now know as COVID-19 forced people to isolate themselves from not just their neighbors and co-workers, but also from their extended families, too. Pretty quickly, we realized how challenging it was to be cooped up by ourselves, even if we’d found novel ways to interact virtually. Proximity matters.

In lieu of a traditional book launch party, the Ohio University Alumni Association hosted a virtual reading on Facebook in mid-May, featuring the anthology’s many Bobcat contributors and giving the entire OHIO community an opportunity to explore these questions and ideas, together. Visit ohiotoday.org to watch the recorded event, and find discounted copies of Welcome to the Neighborhood at bobcatstore.org. —Jeff Kallet is the sales manager at Ohio University Press

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Countdown to the 1970 closing A look back at two years of student activism that culminated in a history-making end to the school year

FALL 2020

Activism is ingrained in the history of Ohio University, where questioning the status quo and advocating for change are hallmarks of the academic experience and culture.

OHIO’s founders not only lobbied for the first university in the Northwest Territory but encouraged schools and the means of education as essential to the success of self-government.

In Ohio University, 1804-2004: The Spirit of a Singular Place, Betty Hollow, MED ’77, documents the first student “riot” at OHIO occurring in 1826 when President Robert Wilson returned a literary society member’s unsatisfactory composition for correction. Decades of OHIO students from the 1970s through the 1990s likely remember lively debates on the College Green with the evangelist known as Brother Jed. In 2019, OHIO debuted its Challenging Dialogues for Contemporary Issues Lecture Series, seeking to foster understanding of complex issues and challenge our worldviews.

On OHIO’s campuses today, students can be found voicing their concerns on issues at the University, organizing and participating in annual Take Back the Night marches and Pride Month events, and championing the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements.

MAY 15, 1970

In advocating for justice and change, OHIO students of the early 21st century are continuing the fight for causes that 50 years ago this past spring culminated in the closing of hundreds of campuses across the nation.

Then-President Claude Sowle announced the closing of Ohio University on May 15, 1970—11 days after members of the National Guard opened fire on a crowd at Kent State University protesting the Vietnam War, killing four students, injuring nine others and sparking increasingly violent protests at college campuses nationwide. An apex in one of the most contentious eras in modern American history, the protests were about much more than an escalating and unpopular war and an increasing mistrust of government. From 1968 through May 1970, students were demanding to be heard on issues that mattered to them.

Infographic

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APRIL 4

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. assassinated

The civil rights leader is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. The Civil Rights Act of 1968, which had largely stalled in Congress, is quickly passed and signed into law just one week later.

APRIL 7

National Day of Mourning

Ohio University observes the National Day of Mourning for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with President Alden addressing the OHIO community at a mass meeting, after which an estimated 200 students and faculty members stage a sit-in at Court and Union Streets.

JANUARY 30 Tet Offensive

North Vietnam launches a coordinated country-wide attack on more than 100 towns and cities on the Tet holiday, the Vietnamese New Year. The surprise stunned the U.S. military and the public, which had been led to believe the North Vietnamese were being defeated, fueling further anti-war sentiment.

JUNE 5

Robert F. Kennedy assassinated On the night of the California primary as he was leaving the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles after addressing a crowd of supporters, U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy is fatally shot by Sirhan Sirhan. Kennedy had won the primary, putting him in reach of securing the Democratic presidential nomination.

APRIL 7, 1968

FALL 2020

NOVEMBER 5, 1968

AUGUST 26-29

Chicago Democratic National Convention

Thousands of students, anti-war activists and other demonstrators clash with police during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

NOVEMBER 5 Nixon elected

Running on promises to end the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon defeats Hubert Humphrey and George Wallace to become the 37th president of the United States.

JUNE 28

Stonewall Uprising

As was common practice at the time, police raid the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Bar patrons and area residents fight back, leading to six days of protests and clashes with law enforcement and giving birth to the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement in the U.S.

AUGUST 1

Sowle becomes OHIO President Claude Sowle is inaugurated as OHIO’s 16th president at the age of 40.

NOVEMBER 15, 1969

SEPTEMBER 5

Curfew restrictions eased The OHIO Board of Trustees, at President Sowle’s recommendation, eliminates nightly curfews for sophomore women and those 21 and over.

NOVEMBER 15 The Moratorium March

Roughly 500,000 people, including an estimated 1,000 OHIO students, march in Washington, D.C., in the largest anti-war protest in U.S. history. Many students who remained on campus participated in a vigil and a march in Athens.

NOVEMBER 20

My Lai Massacre photos published

JUNE 28, 1969 Photo by Diana Davis courtesy of the New York Public Library

Photos taken in March 1968 by OHIO alumnus Ronald Haeberle, BFA ’69, documenting the killing of hundreds of unarmed Vietnamese civilians by U.S. troops are published in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, fueling the anti-war movement.

Infographic

NOVEMBER 20, 1969

DECEMBER 1 Draft lottery held

The random draft lottery based on birthdate is established to increase the number of available draftees, as well as address perceived inequities in the system. However, the change builds further sentiment against the draft.

26 06 27 07

APRIL 30 Expansion into Cambodia

President Nixon announces that U.S. troops have been authorized to enter Cambodia, news that sparks protest from inside the White House, from which numerous top officials resign, to college campuses, which see a new wave of anti-war protests nationwide.

MAY 4 Kent State shootings

On campus in response to an anti-war demonstration, the Ohio National Guard opens fire on a crowd at Kent State University protesting the Vietnam War, killing four students and injuring nine.

The shootings further fuel college protests around the state and nation.

In Athens, a crowd of approximately 3,000 OHIO students meets on College Green to discuss a two-day student strike. Any student who could not afford to miss class to support the strike would wear a red armband in solidarity.

MAY 4, 1970 Courtesy of the May 4 Collection, Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections & Archives

MAY 5

OHIO President Claude Sowle keeps the University open, wearing a red armband to signal solidarity at the students’ request. Sowle and the Faculty Senate work to protect the students who chose to strike by urging instructors against the penalization of students who did not go to class.

MAY 8

President Sowle appears on a nationally televised ABC broadcast and urges President Nixon to visit college campuses and hear the opinions of young people across the country.

“He’ll get some abuse, but that’s the price you pay for understanding,” Sowle said. “These students are not bent on violence ... This may really be this University’s finest hour.”

MAY 12

In the early morning hours, two fires erupt on South Green, one set in Nelson Commons, leaving more than $100,000 in damages.

Throughout the day, dormitories, campus buildings and private businesses experience false bomb threats and fire alarms. Dormitories hold resident meetings to establish precautionary measures in the case of a fire or bomb threat and new security requirements for entering the buildings.

MAY 13

A quiet morning gives way to a march by students across campus, which sours by 11 p.m. Agitated protesters assemble on College Green, where a rock is thrown at Cutler Hall.

President Sowle interrupts a phone interview with WOUB to attempt a short-lived address to the students.

Students make their way to Alumni Gateway, where Athens Police, along with reinforcements from Belpre and Logan, have sealed off access to Uptown. After midnight, protesters begin throwing rocks and bricks at the police. Police retaliate with tear gas.

FALLR 2020 SPRING 2016 EINVENTION

JUNE 26, 1970

JUNE 26

The Post releases a special edition, its first publication since the University’s closing on May 15. Its top story, “University opens for summer,” notes that approximately 4,000 students were returning to campus for summer classes.

MAY 13, 1970

MAY 14

More than 1,300 students gather on College Green. Tensions build to a 90-minute clash with police, with protesters throwing rocks, bricks and bottles at both police and surrounding buildings. Police dispense tear gas to disperse the crowd.

State Highway Patrol blocks entrances to Athens in an attempt to keep outsiders from entering the conflict. By the time the incident was over, 1,500 Ohio National Guardsmen are reported to be entering Athens.

MAY 15

At 3:10 a.m., President Sowle announces that the University will close until the beginning of the summer quarter.

“President Claude R. Sowle announced today that Ohio University is to be closed effective immediately until the beginning of the summer quarter.

Next week all students will receive by mail information concerning options that will be available to them with respect to grades and credit for their academic work. All university personnel, faculty, staff and nonacademic workers are asked to report to work as usual on Friday.”

Infographic

Infographic by Taylor Johnston, BSJ, BSVC ’20. Infographic copy by Jamie Clarkson, BSJ ’20, and Jayne Yerrick, BSJ ’22. Photographs courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections unless otherwise indicated.

GO ONLINE:

Visit ohiotoday.org for an interactive version of this infographic and to share your stories of activism—both as OHIO students and graduates.

To read a feature on the historic Class of 1970, visit ohiotoday.org/1970_bobcats.

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ZEROING IN

on zero waste One evening in May 2019, the normally quiet Athens City Council chambers were overflowing with citizens. Some stood in the hallway while others packed a nearby bar to watch the proceedings on the government channel. What brought so many passionate community members out on a Tuesday night? The answer, in a word: trash. Or to put a finer point on it—waste, waste diversion and related jobs.

Public outcry reinforced the city’s decision to extend a trash and recycling collection contract to Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers, which had hauled away county residents’ recycling since the 1980s. The city was considering another vendor, but the citizens weren’t having it.

“Ten years before that, nobody would have cared,” says Ed Newman, Zero Waste director for local nonprofit Rural Action and former recycling and refuse manager at Ohio University.

While it’s hard to quantify how many people in Southeast Ohio cared about waste 10 years ago, the actual numbers surrounding the waste itself are readily available: In 2010, Athens and Hocking Counties recycled only 8.9 percent of residential and commercial waste—that is, diverted it from the landfill—and commercial composting was practically unheard of outside of Ohio University’s campus efforts. Today, the two counties divert 36.8 percent of all waste from the landfill through recycling. And numerous waste-related businesses and activities have been launched.

How did the region get from there to here? It’s largely a story of relationships, one that begins with the Sugar Bush Foundation, a supporting organization of The Ohio University Foundation.

In 2010, Newman served on the board of Sugar Bush, which provides grant funding to programs that

Photo by Steven Turville

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foster a sustainable environment and socioeconomic development. Leaders from Sugar Bush and Rural Action brainstormed the idea of a local zerowaste economy, and Newman knew a long-term commitment to such a project was essential. “We were exploring things we could do to be a more effective philanthropic organization,” Newman recalls. The board decided to practice “catalytic philanthropy” wherein the foundation would be the catalyst for what would become the Appalachia Ohio Zero Waste Initiative, serve as a partner in the program, and make a long-term commitment to it.

and Sorority and Fraternity Life to institutionalize change in how events are managed sustainably. And in 2019, the Voinovich School helped secure grant funding to improve the collection and processing of organic waste on campus and for athletic events.

In the end, that meant a 10-year pledge and more than $1.2 million in grants. The project kicked off when Sugar Bush approached Rural Action and OHIO’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs to request a proposal for a zero-waste program.

Waste-as-asset projects that have emerged include the construction of a materials recovery facility at Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers (AHRC), helped in part with funds from Sugar Bush and a feasibility study from the Voinovich School. The AHRC collects and processes recyclable and compostable materials and now employs nearly 40 people.

“We have a value of joint design,” says Hylie Voss, president of the Sugar Bush Foundation and daughter of its founders, Don and Mary Anne Flournoy. “While we don’t interfere with the implementation of the projects, we do participate to some level in the design. We have a voice.”

One of the early steps was to create a zero waste action plan. Rural Action solicited input from 200-plus organizations while the Voinovich School provided supporting surveys, research and data analysis. “That zero waste action planning process brought a lot of people together—and legitimacy,” says Newman.

Out of the action plan came lots of action across campus and the community. Kyle O’Keefe, founding director of the Rural Action Zero Waste Program, wrote a successful grant proposal for the AthensHocking Solid Waste District to purchase roll-off recycling containers that allowed rural recycling access to increase from a few hours a month to 24/7.

Erin Sykes, MED ’09 the program’s second director, embedded herself at OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital for a year before work began in earnest on a fiveyear sustainability plan for the hospital.

On campus, staff and students joined forces with units like Culinary Services, Facilities Management,

“We don’t use a problem-solving model. We use an asset-based model,” says Voss. “In an assetbased approach, you’re now thinking about this thing—waste—as an asset. You’d better think about how to make it an asset. That helped us direct our funding.”

At Ohio University experts are researching ways to use compost to clean up impacted soils and waterways, like those prevalent in Southeastern Ohio from historical mining practices. Waste from diverse sources such as brewery waste and sewage are also being explored for beneficial uses.

Zero Waste Event Productions was established within Rural Action’s Zero Waste Program. The enterprise honed its process at the local Nelsonville Music Festival—which has met its zero-waste goal of diverting at least 90 percent of its waste for the past six years—allowing it to gain both exposure and goodwill. It’s now an independent business serving festivals in 11 states and employing five full-time employees plus contractors who work the festivals.

“The real win-win-win is when you can reduce waste, or repurpose waste, and create jobs at the same time,” Voss says. She acknowledges that there is a long way to go, but she’s proud of what the region continues to accomplish, and of Sugar Bush’s long-term partnerships. “We’ve learned with all of our projects that we want to walk with them for an extended period. It’s been an amazing journey.”

—Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93

OHIO giving

30 31

A STAR among the stars Ken Ehrlich’s love of music inspired an enviable career FROM ATHENS TO LOS ANGELES: HOW

in the music industry. Seated in the producer’s chair for myriad live and broadcast music events around the globe, his journey began in Chicago—where he

A STEADY HAND

produced television programs like the Marty Faye

BUILT A LEGACY OF

Show and created Soundstage—and quickly found its

MUSIC AND SHOW-

way to Los Angeles where, for 40 years, he’s been the

STOPPING MOMENTS

master behind the Grammy Awards. The integrity, authenticity and unflappability he brought to working with musical artists is legend. The story of solid leadership and gracious guidance he offered musicians throughout his career follows.

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Visit ohiotoday.org to see a video of Ken Ehrlich, BSJ ’64, who talks about how his plans to become a sportswriter morphed into a legendary career in the music industry. Photo by Kyle Grillot, BSVC ’12

OHIO impact

32 33

Ken Ehrlich has an insatiable love of music.

At an early age, he learned to play piano—a talent he shared playing regular afternoon gigs at The Lantern, a hopping bar in Athens in the early 1960s. Ehrlich was an Ohio University student studying journalism, planning for a career in sports writing, but dreaming of a life in the music industry. It was his mother’s advice to consider broadening the skills he was learning at OHIO that led to Ehrlich enrolling in public relations courses—a move that would launch a professional pathway he could never have imagined.

The show must go on It’s around 10:30 a.m. on Jan. 26, 2020. Ehrlich is at the Staples Center in Los Angeles with his team, running the last dress rehearsal for his 40th and final production of the Grammy Awards show.

On the floor, a hive of bodies is moving, running and laughing—there’s lots of laughter. People Ehrlich has worked with, known and met during his lifelong career in live music event production —musicians, producers, families and friends—are coming to his command center, long tables strung together with monitors, headsets and papers everywhere. There is lots of hugging, back-patting and smiling. Ehrlich receives them with the grace and joy of someone who is eternally grateful for his long and accomplished career, a chapter of which is about to close in an unexpected way.

Way up in the highest balcony seats, the Center’s workers climb ladders to reach the rafters where retired NBA Lakers’ jerseys hang. They are cloaking in black the jerseys of basketball legends—all except No. 8 and No. 24. The news of the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others earlier that morning has emerged, and with it, Ehrlich’s plans for the live broadcast must change.

Ehrlich is known for putting artistry ahead of ratings, for his easy collaborative style and for getting artists to a place where their performance

Ken Ehrlich, pictured with his mother Lucile, is planning to return to Athens next spring for the Ohio University Music Industry Summit, scheduled for March 25. Photograph courtesy of Ken Ehrlich

reflects their authenticity. He’s recognized as one who leads Music’s Biggest Night® with vision, confidence and a gentle yet encouraging hand when the situation demands it. The 1980 Grammy Awards marked the first of his now notable “Grammy Moments,” where artists who may not have naturally come together on their own collaborate to perform a number that reveals an unexpected side of each superstar’s talents. From that 1980 collaboration—a moving rendition of “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers” from Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand—to the 2001 Grammys duet with Elton John and Eminem, Ehrlich’s “Grammy Moments” are quintessential milestones in music history.

Now, in a moment of shock, tragedy and loss, inside the very place where Kobe Bryant became a champion, there was no one more prepared to lead the way in what had to happen next than Ehrlich.

Where chaos can take hold, he is the steady hand.

Ehrlich, who thrives on—and is perhaps at his best during—pressure, has been down this road before.

When Luciano Pavarotti stepped away from performing at the Grammy Awards in 1998—after the live broadcast had begun—and instead Aretha Franklin memorably took the stage and brought the house down with her performance of “Nessun Dorma.” When news of the argument that turned violent between then-couple Rihanna and Chris Brown canceled both of their appearances in 2009, hours before airtime. When Whitney Houston’s untimely death happened less than 24 hours

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before the 2012 Grammy Awards. The show must go on, and Ehrlich was there to ensure the show would go on. These past experiences let him shine and put others at ease.

Setting the stage When you watch Ehrlich during a Grammy Awards show dress rehearsal, you’ll see him call for a pause, leave his command post and head backstage. He is consulting with artists who ask for a word or two about their performance, who want to work through an issue or who need

to have their nerves quieted. These are skills he’s perfected not only through his work with the Grammy Awards but while producing other television, special and live music events, including Primetime Emmy Awards, Global Citizen Festivals and PBS’ “In Performance at the White House.” “...If I felt the artists were particularly nervous, if there was something that I could either say or, you know, reassure [them],” that is what prompts the walks backstage, he says. “It’s more reassurance than anything else.”

[TOP LEFT] Ken Ehrlich [FAR RIGHT] is seen with [FROM LEFT] DownBeat’s John McDonough and recording industry executives John Hammond, Goddard Lieberson and Jerry Wexler during a 1975 Soundstage special honoring Hammond. [TOP RIGHT] In 1987, Ehrlich produced the Cinemax concert special “A Blues Session: B.B. King and Friends.” [BOTTOM LEFT] Ken Ehrlich and his wife, Harriet, meet President Barack Obama during a 2014 White House State Dinner. [BOTTOM RIGHT] Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani show a little love to Ken Ehrlich during the 2020 Grammy Awards—Ehrlich’s 40th and final production. Photographs courtesy of Ken Ehrlich

OHIO impact

34 35

Scripps College of Communication Dean’s Advisory Council member Paula Shugart, BSC ’81, was one of the individuals who nominated Ken Ehrlich for the Ohio Communication Hall of Fame and spoke at his induction ceremony in 2016. Photo by Margaret Sabec, MA ’17

He’ll do it during the telecasts, too. He recalls such a time with Mary J. Blige during the dress rehearsal and before the live performance of her hit, “No More Drama,” for the 2002 Grammy Awards. Ehrlich had worked with her many times before, understood the raw power she possesses and knew the kind of electric performance she can give.

Blige was nervous. Ehrlich offered his steady hand.

“The night of the show…I could see she was literally shaking, and I said, ‘Look, this is it. This is the one that counts now.’ I said, ‘Forget about all the other shit. Just do this one—like you’ve never done it before.’” Ehrlich demurs that he contributed to the now-famous performance Blige gifted to the world, but one can’t deny that steady hand at work.

Showtime It’s approaching 5 p.m. The seats in the Staples Center are filling up for the broadcast, one for the books in the wake of the day’s tragic news and in hindsight of it when it aired—53 days before California’s “stay-at-home” order was first issued because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Ehrlich takes the stage, pleading good naturedly with everyone: “Please sit down. We are five minutes to air. Please, everybody, take your seats.”

Then, as all good leaders do, Ehrlich puts into context the extraordinary events of the day and the extraordinary night ahead, focusing everyone into being in the present moment with him.

“I have an old friend,” he begins, “who says that pressure makes diamonds. And trust me, this

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Ken Ehrlich was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2015. Photo by

Kyle Grillot, BSVC ’12

past couple of weeks have really defined the word pressure, right up to a few hours ago.”

“You know what we say here at the Grammys?” he continues. “They’re Grammy moments because you make the Grammy moments. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe in you, and I believe we’re going to have a great night tonight. Thank you again. You’re a great crowd. Congratulations on everything you’ve done to get here.”

And with that, the 62nd Grammy Awards live telecast begins.

and it’s going to change things, but I don’t want you to worry about it. Let’s get through the dress [rehearsal]. Then we will sit with you and we will have some ideas and you may have some ideas and let’s try to make it work.’ So, her idea was to get Boyz II Men, which was brilliant,” he says.

And then, Ehrlich says, “we kind of just time shifted.” Acts were moved around, everyone adapted and the rest of the night, his last as producer of the Grammy Awards, while tinged with shock and sadness, went off without a hitch.

A final bow

The finishing touches Despite the show’s changes to honor Bryant, Ehrlich pressed on, determined to make his last Grammy Awards as memorable as all of his others.

He made decisions and pivots like he has for the past 40 years, rehearsing the number by Lil Nas X and K-pop band BTS twice because of its complex, rotating set.

“The turntable worked both times, number one and number two. The performance just got better and smoother, and the artists got more confident...” he recalls.

Then there was the matter of how the show’s host, Alicia Keys, would address the day’s tragedy, starting from the top of the broadcast.

“I said, ‘I have some terrible news for you, but you need to know this, [and] you can’t let it affect you,’” Ehrlich explains. After he shared the tragic news, he reins in the worry and brings in the calm and the cool. “I said, ‘It’s going to affect the show

On the heels of his final Grammy Awards telecast, Ehrlich produced a tribute to Prince that aired in April. Then, at the request of the Lakers, he produced “A Celebration of Life for Kobe and Gianna Bryant,” which was held at the Staples Center almost a month to the day from their untimely deaths. Alicia Keys performed “Moonlight Sonata,” a song, Ehrlich says, Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, loved and Bryant aimed to learn how to play on the piano.

“God knows we will never forget that day,” Ehrlich says. And generations of artists and music lovers will never forget Ken Ehrlich, the kid from Cleveland Heights, the Bobcat, the star among the stars, his steady hand and his Grammy moments.

—Kelee Garrison Riesbeck, BSJ, CERT ’91 Ken Ehrlich, BSJ ’64, sat down for an interview with Hannah Kraft, BSC ’20, last October when she was a student participating in the Fall 2019 OHIO-in-LA program. Visit ohiotoday.org to listen to the interview, which Kraft described as “such an honorable experience for someone aspiring to work in the entertainment industry.”

OHIO impact

36 37

Our town family I’m not sure when I realized I would be in Athens County for a long time.

Like many, I came here for school, graduate school in English at Ohio University. I planned to graduate from a five-year program in three years—and for a while, I was actually on track. I finished my coursework half a year early, doubling up a few quarters (they were quarters then).

Then in the middle of studying for doctoral exams, I had a baby, my husband at the time left, and everything changed. Or, nothing changed at all—I was simply able to see better the town where I, and my newborn local, had landed.

It is a town where strangers, upon learning I was alone with a baby, left homecooked food on the porch and shoveled my driveway of snow. It is a town where hand-me-down clothes for my son continue to arrive on our porch to this day.

Photo by Ellee Achten, BSJ ’14, MA ’17

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Uniquely integrated, the small town of Athens and Ohio University exist together like the honeysuckle that climbs around and over so many trees in southeastern Ohio. Students are part of the social and economic health of the town, but they are also given the unique opportunity to change Athens—and to be changed forever themselves.

It does not take much to participate in the life of Athens, even as an undergrad. Students work at local businesses. They go to the farmers’ market. They go to dance nights at Casa and The Union.

Most of these activities were lost to me as a grad student with a new baby, exhausted and overwhelmed. But then Athens came to me.

After my son was born, one of the first visitors to our door was a Casa employee, bringing with her a huge tray of enchiladas and the restaurant’s famous brownies. The first place out I took my baby to was Jackie O’s for Sunday brunch.

In line at the Village Bakery, the stranger behind me held my infant while I paid. Once, when my then-toddler had a breakdown there and I had to quickly ask for our food to go, the cashier put a free muffin and an encouraging note in the carryout box. Once, when the tantrum happened on Court Street, a stranger across the street cheerfully shouted to my son, “Listen to your mother!” As my son learned to ride his bike, an elderly woman on South May rolled down her car window and called to me, “Good job, mama!”

These are small moments that many people might forget. But in the solitary life of a young parent raising a child alone, these kindnesses helped me keep going.

Athens is a town where the table you sit at weekly at the West End Ciderhouse becomes your table, and the strangers you encounter become your friends. Is it the remote location? Athens is a ninetyminute drive from a major airport. Rural on all sides, sometimes it feels we only have each other.

Is it the wilderness that encroaches upon campus and town, with soaring cliffs, rocky ridges, forests, lakes and streams? Students have the opportunity to see such beauty when they live here, to learn about foraging and conservation, to experience firsthand the beauty of rural Ohio—and to witness also the devastation of exploited land, pollution and the abuses of poverty.

Bobcat culture

38 39

You can ignore the poverty—and certainly, some students choose to.

Or you can work for change, to contribute to something more, to leave the town better than you found it. Or maybe, not to leave it at all.

In Athens, students are likely to volunteer, to participate in local politics. Students are more likely to leave their mark on town through the many alumni who become longtime residents, sometimes employing other residents. Fluff Bakery was started and is run by alumni Jessica (BBA ’99) and Jason Kopelwitz (BS ’99).

County Commissioner Chris Chmiel (BGS ’92) graduated from Ohio University, went on to start local farm Integration Acres and founded the Ohio Pawpaw Festival.

Athens is a town long changed by people who just intended to pass through. It’s a mark of praise for a place where people who were strangers soon become locals. That students who meant to move on, instead never left—or never forgot the community and came back as soon as they could.

Some come back to Athens to raise their families. Some come to build their businesses. Some retire here and see and support their own children at school.

Many students and alumni, like me, become something else. We become part of a large family, a family bigger than one single school or town—and at a time when so many of us are separated from the people and places we love, we need to remember what connects us, the many ties that bind us: the friends we can call family and the locations that call us home.

My son was born in winter, an usually snowy one, which further isolated the two of us, and we lived, at that time, in the country. I couldn’t walk anywhere, especially not to campus. I took a leave of absence from my degree program. In those months, I saw from a distance as many of my classmates and friends graduated or left Athens for jobs or marriage.

For a single mother and her baby who had no family close by, Athens became my family.

The person who worked the hardest to make sure I was still connected— that I would graduate and graduate on time, baby or no baby—was the administrative department secretary of the English Department, Barbara Grueser, a longtime southeastern Ohio resident and mother.

She reminded me of deadlines when my brain was exhausted. In a snowstorm, she walked a document to the registrar’s office for me. When I finally returned to campus, she held my baby while I went to meetings.

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Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel , BSVC ’02

As I write this, I have lived in Athens County for going on thirteen years. Like many people now, I am uncertain what the future holds for town, for the University, for the world. I have to believe that it matters that we were here in Athens, that we are here. I have to believe that what makes Athens unique—the spirit of giving, strangers helping strangers—will help it now. I have to believe it will continue: the community and its hope.

For generations, Ohio University has offered an opportunity to be part of a family—not just a campus family, which may be common with many colleges and universities, but a town family, which is rare. A real community with roots as strong as Ohio’s pawpaw or elm or birch trees.

As I write this, I am worried about my personal family, and I am worried about my town family. My Athens home.

But I remember when I was very young and a swath of woods was bulldozed for a building. My teacher, who was approaching retirement then, managed to smile. She told me something I never forgot—and I never forgot her smile: The trees will grow back, maybe not in my lifetime, she said. But they will grow back. —Alison Stine, PHD ’13

Bobcat culture

40 41

1990 HOMECOMING

Homecoming at Ohio University can be traced at least as far back as 1919 when the student-published Green and White newspaper noted that the football team was preparing for a “Home Coming” game.

With the exception of a couple of years during World War II, when OHIO did not celebrate or scaled back Homecoming, parades and football games have been standard Homecoming traditions—mixed in at times with pep rallies, musical performances and campus dedications.

While some OHIO Homecoming traditions have changed, one constant has remained: alumni returning to campus to reminisce and share their memories. For that reason, Ohio University Archives and Alden Library began hosting a Homecoming display of original primary sources that document the rich and unique culture and history of student life at OHIO.

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Photos courtesy of Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections

“The items in the display were intended to provide something for everyone; a context, a backdrop or a catalyst for memories to be remembered and stories to be told and retold,” says University Archivist Bill Kimok.

With plans for a virtual Homecoming 2020, Kimok and his colleagues are debuting a new take on the Homecoming display, leveraging historic materials—newspapers, yearbooks, photos and more—that have been digitized and are available online 24/7. The display will include an interactive online map of the Athens Campus where alumni and students can share their OHIO memories by “pinning” images and stories to corresponding locations on the map.

“Map visitors will have an opportunity to share their special campus memories by posting personal photos to the map or exploring the University’s digital archives to uncover images that represent their OHIO experience,” says Erin Wilson, digital imaging specialist.

Visit ohiotoday.org to access this Homecoming 2020 experience.

OHIO time machine

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Class notes, tweets and posts

* denotes tweets @OHIOAlumni or posts on OHIO Alumni LinkedIn

1938

Violet Patton, BSED ’38*, was awarded the Council for Advancement and Support of Education’s 2020 James L. Fisher Award for Distinguished Service to Education.

1963

James Young, AB ’63, was named to the Sylvania (Ohio) Schools Foundation’s Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame in March. He published “Sisyphus at Work: Two Pennsylvania Unions Strive to Maintain Internal Democracy” in the 2019 issue of the Pennsylvania Labor History Journal and gave a presentation on the topic at the Pennsylvania Historical Association’s annual conference in October. He resides in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

1965

The Wayne State University School of Social Work is establishing a scholarship named in honor of Paul Hubbard, BSED ’65, who earned his master’s degree from the school and serves on its Board of Visitors. In 2017, the school named a conference room in

his honor. He resides in Toledo, Ohio.

1969

Art Stellar, BSED ’69, MED ’70, PHD ’73, has launched Stellar Advantage, Inc., to assist school administrators, board members, educators and organizations improve the quality of education. The company is based in Hingham, Massachusetts.

1970

William J. Day, BBA ’70, has relocated his law and CPA practice from Broadview Heights to Brecksville, Ohio.

Marjorie Knill Main, BSED ’70, and Robert Main Jr., BSISE ’70, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. The couple met at OHIO in 1968 and resides in Fort Collins, Colorado.

1973

Mary Jo Blazek Jakab, AB ’73, was awarded professor emerita of human services status in September 2019 following her 32-year teaching career as a professor of human services at the University of Maine at Augusta. She served as an instructor

of social work at Ohio University from 197886 and resides in South Portland, Maine.

1974

Nobel Laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, MS ’74, PHD ’76*, has been elected to the American Philosophical Society, the oldest learned society in the U.S., founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin.

Deborah Rahn Self, BSJ ’74, has retired from Barnes & Noble after 22 years. She and her husband, William, reside in Fairport, New York.

1975

Joseph Heston, BSC ’75, is retiring as president and general manager of KSBW-TV, Central Coast ABC and Estrella Costa Central, Hearst Television’s NBC, digital ABC and Estrella TV subchannels serving the MontereySalinas, California, television market. He spent 45 years in television broadcasting, 35 of them at Hearst.

1977

Richard Berge, PHD ’77, was elected chair of the Allina (District One) Hospital, Faribault (Minnesota) Board of

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Trustees and serves on the Minnesota Hospital Association Trustee Council. He and his wife, Phyllis, reside in Faribault, Minnesota.

1978

Joseph Recknagel, BSED ’78, served his 40th season as an assistant athletic trainer for the NFL’s Detroit Lions, working his 800th game with the team in November.

1979

Harry Payne Jr., AAS ’79, BSIT ’79, retired in April from American Airlines after a 35-year career as an Airbus A330 captain.

He resides with his family in Woolwich, New Jersey.

E. Eugene Perry, BSED ’79, retired from Northeast Iowa Community College, Peosta, where he taught public speaking for 30-plus years.

John Ross, AB ’79, has been appointed executive director of the Builders Exchange of East Central Ohio, a 350-member construction industry trade association. He and his wife, Kathleen, reside in North Canton, Ohio.

BOBCAT SIGHTINGS

OHIO alumni go on adventures hither and yon!

Colorado Bobcats [FROM LEFT] Megan Schnicke, BSHSL ’15, Holly Schnicke, BSJ ’13, Bill Beagle, BSC ’73, Mikayla Zernic, BSC ’16, and Macy DiRienzo, BSVC ’16, pose for a photo on a peak at Keystone Resort.

Known for his bronze monuments, George “Mike” Major, AB ’71, and his grandchildren gather around the chainsaw carving he created at their Upper Arlington, Ohio, elementary school.

Bobcats [FRONT ROW FAR LEFT] Louis Allen, BSRS ’15, and [FRONT ROW FAR RIGHT] Jay Haller, BSC ’85, crossed paths in August 2019 when Allen guided Haller and others up California’s Mount Whitney.

Four years after meeting at OHIO, Sarah Hill Arnett, BSFNS ’18, MSFNS ’20, and Adam Arnett, BSME ’16, celebrate their nuptials and Bobcat pride at Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park during a honeymoon trip to New Zealand this past December.

Celebrating the next generation of Bobcats! [FROM LEFT] Will Wemer, BA, BSJ ’08; Amy Strang Fleenor, BA ’08; Mallory Milluzzi, BA ’08, holding Elena Milluzzi Crone; Erica Poff Leonard, AB, MA ’08, holding Harrison Leonard; Diana Wilson Goldberg holding Samuel Goldberg; Alex Levin, BA, BSJ ’10; Brandon Goldberg, BSS ’08; and Robert Leonard.

After 60 years, former Washington Hall roommates [FROM LEFT] Chanin Wanadith, BSIT ’60, and Richard Roth, BSCOM ’61, are still showing their Bobcat spirit, catching up in Bangkok, Thailand, this past December.

Bobcat tracks

—Compiled by Angela Woodward, BSJ ’98, publications editor Send your photos with names, grad degrees and grad years to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or to Ohio University, Ohio Today, 168 WUSOC, 1 Ohio University Drive, Athens, OH 45701.

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1983

Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan Jr., BSC ’83, was presented the Social Justice Award at the 2020 Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Celebration. He is the executive director of the Ohio Council of Churches, encompassing 4,000 congregations and two million members, and his nomination for the award praised his leadership of the council for providing “catalyst partnerships with Ohio efforts to stop executions and promote racial justice.” A global humanitarian and life member of the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., he also serves on the boards of three anti-death penalty organizations.

1984

Deborah White Collier, AB ’84, was promoted to vice president of policy and government affairs at Citizens Against Government Waste in Washington, D.C., where she continues to lead the organization’s technology and telecommunications division.

She and her husband, James Collier, BS ’86, MSHEC ’89, reside in Oakton, Virginia.

Barry Perlus, MFA ’84, retired from

Cornell University and is now an associate professor emeritus in the university’s Department of Art. He was presented a 2019 Trailblazer Award for authoring a digital photography certificate program with eCornell.

1986

Kathy Onuscheck Jackson, BSHSS ’86, MAHSS ’88, was named Central Ohio’s “Remarkable Woman of 2020,” a Nexstar Media Group, Inc. initiative celebrating local women who inspire, lead and pave the way for other women to succeed. A community volunteer, Jackson was recognized for collecting and distributing over 100,000 undergarments to women in Central Ohio and for helping organizations and agencies provide for people in need.

Gregory Lubeck, BSCE ’86, was promoted to deputy director of the Lexington-Fayette (Kentucky) Urban County Government Division of Water Quality in March.

1990

In August 2019, Don Bedell, BSC ’90, was named director of business support for WPSU-FM and

WPSU-TV at Penn State University where his wife, Lori Gorenc Bedell, BSC ’90, MA ’93, serves as an associate professor and assistant director of undergraduate studies in the Department of Communication Arts and Sciences. The couple resides in State College, Pennsylvania, where Don continues to play in rock bands just as he did while at OHIO. Donna Eakins, BSED ’90, was promoted to dean of instruction at Great Oaks Career Campuses’ Diamond Oaks Career Campus in Cincinnati. She was selected to participate in the Association for Career and Technical Education’s 2019 National Leadership Fellowship Program.

Connie MoncheinSievers, BSJ ’90, of Eastlake, Ohio, has launched a podcast, “This One Time at OU,” with friends and fellow OHIO alumni.

The podcast is available on iTunes and iHeart Radio.

1991

Stephen Lowe, MA ’91, PHD ’93*, began his tenure as the new vice president for academic affairs at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois on May 1.

FALL 2020

Cynthia Pahoundis Rodgers, AA ’91, AB ’93, BA ’98, BA ’12, received her juris doctorate degree from Capital University Law School. She and her husband, Frederick Rodgers, AA ’91, BBA ’93, reside in Dresden, Ohio.

1992

Ann Hebert, BBA ’92*, was promoted to vice president, general manager of North America at Beaverton, Oregon-based Nike Inc., effective June 1. She previously served as vice president of global sales at the company.

William E. James II, BBA ’92, was named to Forbes Magazine’s Best-in-State Wealth Advisors. He is the senior vice president for wealth management, senior portfolio manager and founding partner of UBS’ James, Hull & Ford Wealth Management. He and his wife, Alicia James, AB ’93, reside in Westerville, Ohio.

Kevin Reid, BGS ’92, was named a producer/ engineer for the Baltimore Orioles Radio Network in January.

Glenn Somodi, BSJ ’92, and Merri-Jo Rhodes Somodi, BSPT ’94, celebrated

their 25th wedding anniversary on Oct. 15, 2019.

The couple met on the brick roads of Athens in 1989 and were engaged on OHIO’s College Green. They reside in Brunswick, Ohio.

1993

Lily Qi, MA ’93, was named to the Manchester University Board of Trustees earlier this year. She was elected to the Maryland House of Delegates in November 2018, becoming the first Chinese immigrant to join the Maryland General Assembly.

1994

Marwan Kraidy, MA ’94, PHD ’96*, was named dean and CEO of Northwestern University-Qatar, effective July 1.

1995

In November, Susan MacKenty Brady, MED ’95, was appointed the new Deloitte-Ellen Gabriel Chair for Women and Leadership at Simmons University in Boston.

A renowned women’s leadership coach, strategist and author, she has served as managing director and CEO of the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership since March 2019.

Priya Natarajan, AB ’95, and Corey Boby, MS ’96, were presented Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching in October 2019. The National Science Foundation administers these national awards on behalf of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Natarajan is a math teacher at Casco Bay High School in Portland, Maine. Boby is a math specialist at Dawson Education Cooperative in Malvern, Arkansas.

George Zamary, BSC ’95, the founder of and an attorney at Cincinnati-based Zamary Law Firm, has been named a Cincy Leading Lawyer by Cincy Magazine for the second consecutive year.

1997

Marc Lester, BSJ ’97, was part of a team at the Anchorage Daily News who contributed to a year-long investigation that was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for public service. The project, “Lawless,” explored inequities between urban and rural law enforcement in Alaska.

Bobcat tracks

Alumni Authors

Ohio University alumni publish books across subjects and genres. Here are releases within the last year.

Wyandotte Bound, fiction (Speaking Volumes),

by George Arnold, PHD ’80 • Restorative Yoga: Relax. Restore. Re-energize, health and fitness (Alpha/DK Publishing), by Caren Baginski, BSJ ’06 • Inspirational Snowflakes: The World According to Snowflakes, personal transformation (Independent), by Ralph Crew, DO ’81 • Make Me an Oyster, poetry (self-published), by Shirley Crothers-Marley, MFA ’66 • 4-31 Infantry in Iraq’s Triangle of Death, Iraq War history (McFarland USA), by Darrell Fawley, MSS ’15, MPA ’15 • I Have the Answer, short story collection (Wayne State University Press), by Kelly Stanton Fordon, MS ’97 • Essentially Athens Ohio, collection of essays, poetry, story, song and fine art (Independent), by Kari Gunter-Seymour, BFA ’94, MA ’16 • Master Your Financial Success: Retirement and Legacy Secrets from Planning Professionals, finance (Authors Place LLC), by Paul A. Gydosh Jr., BSEE ’74 • On a Sunday in May, motorsports novel (selfpublished), by Stephen Hupp, AB ’83 • Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row, essays (Black Rose Writing), by Lyle May, AA ’13 • Breaking Protocol: America’s First Female Ambassadors, 1933-1964, history (The University Press of Kentucky), by Philip Nash, PHD ’94 • The Secrets of Lost Stones, fiction (Lake Union Publishing), by Melissa Webb Payne, AB ’97, MPA ’99 • Celestial Mirror: The Astronomical Observatories of Jai Singh II, science and architecture (Yale University Press), by Barry Perlus, MFA ’84 • A Guy’s Guide to Throat Cancer: Do’s and Don’ts for Recovery, inspirational (Christian Faith Publishing), by Edmund Rossman, MA ’80 • Confessions of an Investigative Reporter, memoir (Koehler Books), by Matthew Schwartz, BSJ ’76 • Snowy Farm, children’s literature (Simon & Schuster), by Calvin Shaw, BA ’11 • Confronting Alzheimer’s and Other Dementias NOW: An Evidence-Based Holistic Guide, medicine (selfpublished), by Barry Spiker, BGS ’72, MA ’73, PHD ’79 Send your published work updates to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or Ohio University, Ohio Today, 168 WUSOC, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701.

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1998

Jennifer Jones Donatelli, BSJ ’98, was selected to present a pitch at the February Accelerate: Citizens Make Change, a competition celebrating people who support civic causes and encouraging citizens to get involved and transform Cleveland. She pitched “Next Level CLE,” a free networking group for dynamic, community-minded, mid-career women who are ready to lend their time and talents to important causes and efforts.

Andre Williams, BS ’98, was appointed to the DePaul Cristo Rey High School Board of Directors in August 2019. He is the co-founder/partner of Cincinnati-based BOLD Change.

1999

Kirk Burkley, BSC ’99, was named president of the American Board of Certification, which certifies attorneys as specialists in business bankruptcy, consumer bankruptcy and creditor’s rights laws. He is the managing partner at Bernstein-Burkley, P.C., headquartered in Pittsburgh.

2001

Wiona Altic Porath,

BSS ’01, MED ’02, is receiving the 2020 Advising Communities Division Service Award from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) and was elected to the NACADA Council as the administrative division representative. She is a senior academic advisor at Johns Hopkins University.

2002

Sarah Mingus Goodwin, BBA ’02, is a member of the inaugural group of the Greater Cincinnati Insurance Board’s Top 20 Under 40. She works in business insurance sales for Marsh & McLennan Agency.

Nicole Spiker, BBA ’02, MBA ’03, and Kristin Conkle Steinhauser, BBA ’03, have been promoted to partner in audit services and partner in tax services, respectively, at Crowe LLP, an accounting, consulting and technology firm. Both are based out the firm’s Columbus office.

2003

Kristi Conrad, BSC ’03, MSS ’17, is the new senior associate director of the Secondary Career-Technical Alignment Initiative for the Ohio Articulation and Transfer Network at the Ohio Department

of Higher Education.

She resides in Lancaster, Ohio.

Martin Jarmond, MBA/MSA ’03*, is the new Alice and Nahum Lainer Family Director of Athletics at the University of California, Los Angeles. He spent the previous three years as the William V. Campbell Director of Athletics at Boston College.

bestowed the inaugural Kleismit Award for Extraordinary Leadership in honor of, and named for, outgoing Leadership Ohio Board President Todd Kleismit, MPA ’05. Kleismit served as board president of the statewide nonprofit leadership program for three years.

Kara McDonald, BSJ ’03, was named the director of major and planned gifts at the Seattle Public Library Foundation in January.

Previously, she was the associate director for advancement at the University of Washington Libraries in Seattle.

Scott Powell, MA ’05, PHD ’08, reached the rank of full professor at Ivy Tech Community College in the fall of 2019 and was awarded the 2019 Carroll Shaver Student Advocacy Award. He also serves as the global studies coordinator at the Terre Haute campus and led a trip to Costa Rica in 2019.

2004

2007

Blair Cornell, BSS ’04, was one of 31 financial advisors in the state of Ohio to be named to Forbes Magazine’s Best-inState Wealth Advisors.

The senior vice president for wealth management at the Miamisburg, Ohio-based Cornell/ Nicholson Team of UBS Financial Services, he has earned the Best-inState Wealth Advisor designation for the past three years.

2005

In November, Leadership Ohio

FALL 2020

Loren Holmes, MA ’07, was part of a team at the Anchorage Daily News who contributed to a year-long investigation that was awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for public service. The project, “Lawless,” explored inequities between urban and rural law enforcement in Alaska.

Katherine Tildes, BSS ’07, graduated from the MGH Institute for Health Professions with a BSN/MSN in September 2019 and is an adult geron-

FUTURE BOBCATS

Two-year-old Bobcat cousins (and future college roommates) Leo Poling [LEFT] and Vance Rosenow don their green and white. Leo is the son of Dr. Jessica Zolton, BS ’07, and Devon Poling, BSME ’05, MS ’07. Vance is the son of Suzanne Zolton Rosenow, BSC ’05, and Vance Rosenow.

Rider and Rose visit College Green during Homecoming 2019 with grandparents Mary Lou and Ken Koenig, BSME ’72, after watching parents Amanda Schlie Koenig, BA ’03, and Russell Koenig, BSCE ’02, and aunt Stephanie Schlie, BA ’98, perform in the Alumni Band.

Myles is on his way to becoming a Bobcat, visiting the Athens Campus this spring to see the cherry blossoms with parents Kirsten and Charlie Jones, BSSPS ’09, MSPEX ’10.

OHIO graduates Hannah Morgan, BSED ’13, and Joshua Maierhofer, BSPE ’11, welcomed daughter Amelia Morgan Maierhofer into their Bobcat family on Sept. 3, 2019.

Now that’s a happy future Bobcat – Class of 2041! Henry is the son of proud Ohio University graduates Diana Wakim, BSED ’12, and Anthony Wakim, BSC ’12.

The Bobcat bond already runs deep with Abigail and Mason, the children of OHIO alumni Ashley Reed Schottelkotte, BSH ’12, and Thom Schottelkotte, BSEMT ’12.

Loving the smile on Bobcat baby Everett, the son of LeAnne Dosch Dunn, BSHSLS ’12, MASLP ’14, and Kyle Dunn, BS ’12, MPA ’17.

Send your photos with names, grad degrees and grad years to ohiotoday@ ohio.edu or Ohio University, Ohio Today, 168 WUSOC, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701.

Sienna, Elet and Davin are ready to stand up and cheer for old OHIO! These three future Bobcats are the children of OHIO graduates Cristen Gibbons Darlington, BSH ’16, and David Darlington, BBA ’14.

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tology primary care nurse practitioner.

She and her husband, TJ Lynch, welcomed their first child, Althea, in February 2019.

The family resides in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts.

Michelle Patella, BBA ’07, led the March 9 Wellness Monday class, a series featuring experts and guest speakers, at Jade Yoga and Wellness in Worthington, Ohio.

2008

Matt Barnes, BSJ ’08, was named the 2020 Big Brother of the Year

by Big Brothers Big

Sisters of America in June. He is the morning co-anchor of NBC4 Today in Columbus.

2009

Meredith Post, BFA ’09, was promoted to creative director at LPK, a global brand and innovation consultancy. She resides in Cincinnati.

2013

In May, Dan Butterly, MSA ’13*, was named the fifth commissioner of the Big West Conference. He was previously the senior associate commissioner of the Mountain West Conference, where he had worked for 21 years.

2014

Kelly Cottos, BSPE ’14, opened Corrective Chiropractic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in November with her fiancé, Dr. Josh Swanson. She graduated from Life University with a doctorate in chiropractic in June 2019.

2015

Samuel Cramblit, BA ’15, was elected mayor of the City of Ironton, Ohio, in November.

Darrell Fawley, MSS ’15, MPA ’15, is returning to Ohio University to serve as chair of the military science department.

GRATITUDE

Alexis Lurie, BSS ’15, joined Cleveland-based Wyse Advertising as a digital marketing specialist in July 2019.

Thanks to your gifts, Bobcats are feeling the love.

2016

IS TRENDING AT OHIO UNIVERSITY

OHIO.EDU/GIVE

In November, Alex Morrow, MBA ’16, joined counter-drone technology company Dedrone as vice president of defense solutions. He previously worked at Battelle Memorial Institute where he was the lead developer of counterdrone defeat technology DroneDefender®. He is based in Columbus.

2017

Aleksandra Markovic

FALL 2020

Graff, MS ’17, an assistant professor of practice in the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech, has been named the Pulte Homes Professor of Practice by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors.

Natasha Ringnalda, BSVC ’17, and Thomas Broomhall, BS ’18, were married on Aug. 31, 2019.

Hanna Schneider, BA ’17, BSED ’17, was hired to teach Spanish at her alma mater, Midview High School, in Eaton Township, Ohio, in August 2019, the same month she married Michael Riney.

2018

Kelly Bilz, BA ’18*, is one of nine librarians selected for the Library of Congress’ prestigious Librarians-in-Residence Program, where she will work in the Geography and Map Division. As a graduate student at the University of Kentucky, she was presented the 2020 UK Libraries Outstanding Graduate Assistant Award.

2019

Matt Ostrow, MSA ’19, has joined Minneapolis-based Bleachr as a client solutions and marketing specialist.

Remembering fellow alumni

1930s

Betty (Wagner) Lambdin, AB ’51 Ralph M. Swartz, BSCE ’51 John H. Wolfe, BSCOM ’32 Helen Anne (Hazlebeck) Watkins, Gladys M. (Balzer) Chandler, BSCOM ’51 ELED ’38, BSED ’66 David L. Barnes, BA ’52 Helen S. (Sanders) Porter, Genevieve L. (Blaskevica) ELED ’39, BSED ’42 Bugeda, BS ’52 John Andrew Buriff, BSED ’52 Bernard E. Cooley, BSME ’52 Barbara A. Clarke, AB ’41 Dolores J. (Martonchik) Komlosi, Gladys M. (Anderson) Fisher, BSED ’52 ELED ’42, BSED ’48 Milan Mihal, BSED ’52, MED ’54 Louise (Hodgson) Baker, BSED ’43 Alex Steve, MS ’52 Robert F. Hattersley, BSCOM ’43 Ann H. (Hammerle) Ruth L. (Walters) Johnson, Stoutenborough, AB ’52 BSED ’43 Hugh Taylor, BSED ’52 Barbara A. (Knaus) Chollet, Robert W. Bugeda, BSED ’53 BSHEC ’44 Robert J. Haug, BSED ’53 Barbara E. (Hankison) Sally P. (Whitmore) Hopstetter, Downhour, BSED ’44, MED ’51 BS ’53 Lewis E. Koehler, BSED ’44 George R. Horton, BSED ’53 Eileen (Reynolds) Bingham, Loratius L. McKenzie, MS ’53 BSS ’46 Marcia M. (Holt) Mercer, Zenovia (Pukay) Courtney, BFA ’46 BSHEC ’53 Carol W. (Feldherr) Skydell, Susan (Kunkel) Phillips, BSJ ’53 BSJ ’46 Carole E. (Collins) Barnes, AA ’54 Marvel J. (Webb) Karr, BFA ’47 William A. Bowman, BS ’54 Elizabeth R. (Robinson) Lincoln, Virginia (Sweet) Brohard, AB ’54, AB ’47 MA ’56 Eve S. (Lion) Perlstein, BS ’47 Bruce L. Peter, BSCOM ’54 John M. Stewart, BSCE ’47 William C. Rogers, BSED ’54 Joanne (Weeks) Fenn, BS ’48 Ralph C. Brem, BSJ ’55 Eldon W. Musgrave, BSCOM ’48 Donna J. (Ball) Bremigan, Thomas H. Hevlin, BSED ’49 BSED ’55 David Jack Rowland, BSED ’49 Barbara (Watson) Cole, BFA ’55 Walter F. Saving, BSCOM ’49 Richard H. Fowler, BSED ’55 Katherine (Bernhardi) Trow, Virginia F. (Haskins) Fusco, BA ’55 BSED ’49 Carolyn A. (Bussian) Markuson, Maurice A. Warner, BS ’49 BS ’55 Alan L. Wurstner, BSED ’49 John C. Brohard, BSCOM ’56 Jeannette (Vorhis) Bryant, AB ’56 G. Stewart King, MFA ’56 William E. Bosken, BS ’50 Robert W. Klenk, BSED ’56 Billye L. (Ross) Buckley, BSED ’50 Terrill J. Long, BSAGR ’56 Richard W. DiBartolo, BS ’50 Donald J. Lundstrom, BSME ’56 Richard M. Dollison, BSAGR ’50 Barbara L. (Cox) Powers, AA ’56 William R. Grammer, BSAGR ’50 Chloe C. (Woodard) Wagner, Elma B. (Bates) Nelson, BSHEC ’50 BSED ’56 Phyllis A. (Patterson) Talley, Sarah W. Wing, MA ’56 AB ’50 Marilyn K. (Denzer) Wozniak, Gordon H. Young, BSCOM ’50 BSED ’56

1940s

1950s

In memoriam

Janet (O’Banion) Craig, BSED ’57 Calvin F. Hurd, BS ’57 Marjorie (Quay) Larkins, BSED ’57 Albert F. Litzler, BFA ’57 William F. McIver, AB ’57 Richard F. Meloy, BSED ’57 David D. Quisenberry, BSED ’57, MED ’60 Ruth J. (Heigle) Sharp, BSED ’57, MED ’63 William F. Barndollar, BSCOM ’58 Richard A. Byron, BSEE ’58 Marilyn A. (Vickers) Graham, BS ’58 Robert T. Hay, AA ’58 R. David Lasure, AB ’58 Dante P. Maimone, BSCOM ’58, MS ’70 Dolores W. (Wickline) Moore, MBA ’58 Robert M. Post, MA ’58, PHD ’61 Ruth J. (Schweikert) Smythe, BSHEC ’58 Harold R. Sturm, BSED ’58 Cecil E. White, AB ’58 James D. Anderson, MS ’59 Thomas J. Brown, MED ’59, PHD ’74 Mary E. Grooms, BSED ’59 Stephen B. Hamm, AB ’59 Illene (Sieglitz) Hodgdon, BSHEC ’59 Thomas S. Johnston, BSCOM ’59 James D. Kurth, BS ’59 John D. Lebold, BSCOM ’59 MaryLou Cloud Partee, BFA ’59 Lorna J. (Eagle) Shipley, BSED ‘59 Thomas R. Thibert, BSCOM ’59 Phyllis J. (Denlinger) Waag, BSED ’59 Marilyn S. (Nixon) Wanicki, BSED ’59

1960s

Jack H. Clifton, BSME ’60 John Ronald Dewitt, BSCOM ’60 Helen E. Kline, BSED ’60 Diane R. (Sager) Knapp, BSED ’60 Sherman D. Leach, BSEE ’60 Harold E. McEndree, BSED ’60 Preston E. Phelps, BSME ’60 50 51

Elisabeth (Walter) Pyle, AB ’60 Joyce A. (Williams) Richardson, BSED ’60, MA ’74 Lawrence V. Williams, BSED ’60 Nancy M. (Pease) Amato, BSED ’61 James W. Coupland, BSCOM ’61 Vincent A. Feudo, BSJ ’61 Donna J. (Hollinger) Maynard, BSED ’61 John H. Patterson, BSED ’61 Barbara A. Sayre, MED ’61 Elliott Schnackenberg, BFA ’61 Barbara L. (Woodcock) Allman, BSED ’62 Blaine S. Bierley, MED ’62 John W. Galloway, BSED ’62 Margaret A. Guentert, BSED ’62 Luella E. (Pynchon) Ladyga, AB ’62 Peter A. Lashuk, BSCOM ’62 Terry T. Timson, AB ’62 Joe E. Winstead, MS ’62 Charlotte J. Baun, BSED ’63 Loretta (Morrow) Duffy, BSED ’63, MED ’67 Merrill D. Greenstein, BSED ’63 Norma D. (Thompson) Hohertz, BSSS ’63 Brenda C. (Conley) Humphreys, AB ’63 Elizabeth Hurlow-Hannah, BFA ’63 Edwin C. Leatherwood, MED ’63 James W. Longshore, BBA ’63 Perry W. Mace, BBA ’63 Robert D. Richmond, MA ’63 Irene (Wilson) Brown, BSED ’64 Gerald B. Dargusch, BA ’64 Robert G. Delap, BSED ’64 Dorothy A. (Fellows) Elam, AB ’64 Richard E. Hay, BFA ’64 A. Gayle (Lenhart) Jones, BBA ’64 Olive (McCall) Kelley, BSED ’64 Joan (Pickens) Lea, BFA ’64 Gordon D. Scullion, BS ’64 Glenda Karin (Powell) Shumway, BSED ’64

Coy S. Steuart, BBA ’64 Joann K. Turo, MA ’64 Richard B. Wadd, BSED ’64 Ellen E. (Terry) Walker, BSJ ’64 Johnny W. Benn, BSED ’65 Richard H. Bullock, BSED ’65 Ellen M. (Schindler) Childs, BBA ’65 David W. Gierhart, BBA ’65 Charles E. Hannemann, MED ’65, PHD ’69 Beverly A. (Krebs) Kim, AB ’65 Dale T. Lehman, BSCHE ’65 David H. Liggitt, BSED ’65 Marjorie A. Swarer, BSED ’65 Susan (Frey) Swartz, BSJ ’65 Richard J. Vargo, MBA ’65 Robert D. Vincel, BSED ’65 Kenneth E. Weaver, BSME ’65 James W. Wilhite, BSCHE ’65 Robert G. Bevins, MED ’66 Doris M. (Base) Buroker, BSED ’66 Michael R. Daniels, BFA ’66 Robert D. Davis, BBA ’66, MBA ’70 Joseph D. George, BFA ’66 Gary R. Weaver, BSED ’66 Dennis D. Benz, BSCE ’67 Jack A. Cornell, BSED ’67 Beverly A. (Friedman) Ferman, BS ’67 Lowell E. Fredin, MA ’67, PHD ’71 Earl E. Parkins, MED ’67 Michael E. Perrigo, BARCH ’67 James V. Puperi, BSED ’67 Maxine S. (Gibbons) Rosenbaum, BSED ’67 Steven L. Schoonover, BFA ’67 Thomas W. Stoiber, BSED ’67 James E. Zander, BSIT ’67 Robert L. Becker, AB ’68 Theodore A. Berr, MA ’68 James R. Blank, BBA ’68 Charles R. Braun, BSED ’68 Alejandro D. Cantu, BSJ ’68 Paul Hrynkiewich, AB ’68 Ruby E. Jackson, BSED ’68 Thomas L. Kerrigan, MA ’68

FALL 2020

Stuart R. Leichter, MA ’68 Daniel P. McLeister, BSJ ’68 Joanne (Glick) Bash, BSHEC ’69 Judy Rae (Nehls) Bear, BSC ’69 Charlotte B. Hedgebeth, AB ’69 Mary J. (Fisler) Huff, BSED ’69 Judith A. (Gentile) McClimans, BSED ’69 Donald G. Miller, MED ’69 Ralph W. Reeves, BSCHE ’69 John D. Sommer, BBA ’69 Pamela Denise (Paytash) Stevens, BSED ’69 Erma A. Van Scyoc, BSED ’69 Richard J. Webster, BSIT ’69

1970s

Ruth A. Lewis, BSED ’70 Jerry L. McGlone, AB ’70 Allyn T. Riznikove, BFA ’70 David W. Strausser, BSED ’70 Stacy E. Thompson, BSED ’70 Daryl W. Ault, BSED ’71 Russell L. Bennett, AB ’71, MS ’75, PHD ’77 Donald L. Cooley, BS ’71 Peter C. Germano, PHD ’71 Linda E. (Barnhart) Moore, BSED ’71 Nicki (Corsen) Raufer, BSHEC ’71 Rebecca Ruth Riales, MS ’71, BMUS ’87, MM ’89, MED ’94 Karen R. (Correll) Teusink, BSED ’71 Betsy (Craumer) Nevin, BS ’72 Stanley J. Piatt, AB ’72 Gale C. Adkins, BSED ’73 Joseph Baehr, BSED ’73 Herbert E. Christian, BSED ’73 Sandy K. (Genet) Dennison, BSED ’73 Donald D. Dewitt, BBA ’73 Christine Kohlhepp, BS ’73 Daniel W. Krivicich, BFA ’73 Duane C. Putnam, BBA ’73 James S. Roberts, BMUS ’73 Yvonne K. Seffer, AB ’73 Howard E. Wilson, AB ’73, MA ’74

John J. Zekas, BSED ’73 William D. Bechhold, BGS ’74 Delsie E. Horne, BS ’74 Barbara A. Lockard, BGS ’74 Michael G. Boring, BSED ’75 Patrick C. Campbell, AB ’75 Patricia E. Goode, BSED ’75 Susan M. (Corp) Dye, BSED ’76 Douglas H. Jauch, BS ’76 Steven C. McGinnis, BSED ’76, MED ’81 Neil E. Miller, AAS ’76, BGS ’78 Theodore P. Versteeg, BBA ’76 Billie J. Shelby, MA ’77 John R. Buccella, BGS ’78 Dennis S. Huston, AAS ’78, BSS ’01 Agnes F. (Siewiorek) White, BSN ’78 Robin J. Zimmerman, BFA ’78 Ann M. (Johnson) Dombroski, AAS ’79 Douglas A. Fannin, AB ’79 Larry A. Huff, BSEE ’79 Lori A. Mahone, BBA ’79 Kathleen J. Smith, BSN ’79 Lynne H. Solt, BSN ’79

1980s

Joseph M. Allen, BSCE ’80 Michael S. Coker, AB ’80, BS ’81 Barbara J. (Greenberg) Hirsch, BCJ ’80 Vincent G. Koza, BSC ’80 Kathy A. Rinehart, BMUS ’80 James A. Shane, BS ’80 Bruce D. Von Deylen, BSC ’80 Leland K. Wells, AB ’80 Eileen C. Becker, BSPE ’81 Jeffrey S. Davidson, BSJ ’81 Michael Clayton McCarthy, BSC ’81 Dimpsey F. Schlereth, AA ’81 David M. Tatka, BSC ’81 Robert B. Cochran, BBA ’82 Elizabeth S. Crump, BSED ’82 David I. Moon, MED ’82 Lance Brownlow Morin, BSED ’82, MED ’05 Ralph J. Turner, PHD ’82

Cindy L. (Sabatino) Walker, BSJ ’82 William C. Bregar, BSJ ’83 Wayne K. George, AA ’83 E. E. Geyer, BSN ’83 Pamela K. (Mees) Sharp, BSHEC ’83 Sarah J. Stewart, BGS ’83 Robert H. Walder, BSIT ’83 Phillip L. Crane, MED ’84 Susan G. (Graham) Goodie, BSCE ’84 Mark Richey Potter, BBA ’84 Marla G. (Anderson) Graves, BSED ’85 Barbara (Voso) Preston, BSED ’85 Sheila R. (Houdasheldt) Hashman, BSHSS ’86, MED ’87 David P. Cimarolli, AAS ’87, BGS ’88 Raymond M. Riepenhoff, BBA ’87 Betty Ann Topolosky, MA ’87, PHD ’89 Teressa L. Anderson, BSN ’88 Paula C. Layne, BSED ’88 Angela Marie Mick-Currier, AB ’88 Linda Hunt Comeaux, BGS ’89 Karen Lynn Shipka, BSED ’89 Patrick Wayne Stires, BBA ’89

1990s

Michael Tyler Allen, BBA ’90 David Mark Bruce, MA ’90 Wetzel Paul Bias, BSED ’91 Michael Allen Freeman, BSPT ’91 Fred Hall, BS ’91 Gary Lee Leadingham, AA ’91 Ruth Lantz Nau, AAS ’92 Randy Paul Reiss, BGS ’92 Angela Lynn (Weaver) Hannon, BBA ’93 William David Harrison, BSED ’93 Christopher L. Jones, AA ’93, AAB ’95 Valerie A. (Lohrey) Stapleton, BFA ’93 Robert Lawrence Burian, BBA ’95, MBA ’96

In memoriam

Polly Irene (Donoue) Gri, BSS ’95 Gloria J. Lintner, BBA ’95 Marvin Alfred Pyle, AA ’95, BSS ’98 Stephanie Anne Close, MED ’97 Christy L. Jordan, BSHCS ’97 William Ronald Lawson, AS ’97, BSS ’00 Michelle Dianne Saunier Scroggs, BBA ’97 James Austin Shiffer, BBA ’98

2000s

Jeanna Don (Paxton) Bellville, BA ’00 Roy Edward Higgins, BCJ ’00 Brandon David Chapman, BA ’01 John Patrick O’Flanagan, BA ’01 Joe Andrew Blaha, BSCHE ’02, BS ’03 Chad Dwight Hodson, BSSPS ’02 Rachael Lindsey, AIS ’03 Jacolyn Lynn Bailey, BSISE ’04 Brian E. Brown, BA ’04 Lowell Anthony Mayle, AAS ’05 Melissa Andrea Tharpe, BSJ ’05 Jane Elizabeth Hall, BSN ’06 Erin L. McMullan, BSVC ’09

2010s

Nicholas Adam Battaglia, BBA ’11 David Joseph Dick, BSETM ’11 Jennifer Eileen Torres, BSN ’13 Crista A. Thompson, BSN ’14 Michael George Blair, MS ’15 John Patrick Flowers, BA ’15 Emily P. Havranek, BBA ’19 Mitchell W. Holland, BBA ’19

Faculty/Staff Vernon R. Alden, Lincoln, Massachusetts, president emeritus, June 22

Ernst Breitenberger, Columbus, Ohio, professor emeritus of physics, April 30

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Chuck E. Dailey, Athens, Ohio, retired, Printing Resources Center, March 5

David R. Locke, Guysville, Ohio, former culinary worker, Feb. 16

Joe Allen Roberts, Coolville, Ohio, retired custodial worker, Dec. 29

F. Donald Eckelmann, Brevard, North Carolina, retired dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Dec. 7

Glenn Martin, Athens, Ohio, retired, Upholstery Shop, Dec. 6

Sandra Kay Roof, Athens, Ohio, retired custodial supervisor, Jan. 6

Anne (Holden) McClanahan, AB ’57, MA ’71, PHD ’72, The Plains, Ohio, professor emerita of management information systems, April 9

Harry L. Snavely, BFA ’51, The Plains, Ohio, retired university photographer, Jan. 8

Roy C. Flannagan, Florence, South Carolina, professor emeritus of English, Jan. 11 Michael Hanek, Granville, Ohio, director emeritus of Counseling and Psychological Services and associate professor of psychology, March 18 Janet Izard, Athens, Ohio, former instructor, apparel design and construction, Jan. 25 Nancy Lee Jackson, Guysville, Ohio, retired custodial worker, Nov. 1 Leonard Garry King, Hilliard, Ohio, former data systems coordinator, OIT, Dec. 18

Janet R. McCumber, Nelsonville, Ohio, retired senior secretary, School of Art, Feb. 11 Robert Osborne, Pickerington, Ohio, professor of accounting, Lancaster Campus, Dec. 23

Beverly W. Stoncel, Buchtel, Ohio, retired, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Nov. 7 William J. Twarogowski, Manchester, Ohio, former instructor of teacher education, Dec. 6 ~Compiled by Jennifer Shutt Bowie,

Guy A. Remonko, Granville, Ohio, professor emeritus of percussion, Jan. 4

BSJ ’94, MSC ’99. Includes alumni who passed away between Nov. 1, 2019, and April 30, 2020. Information provided by the University’s Office of

Charles Phil Richardson, AB ’61, MA ’63, Athens, Ohio, professor emeritus of German, Dec. 17

FALL 2020

Advancement Services.

MISSION STATEMENT

Ohio Today informs, celebrates, and engages alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of Ohio University.

Publications Editor Angela Woodward, BSJ ’98 Art Director Sarah McDowell, BFA ’02 Contributors Ellee Achten, BSJ ’14, MA ’17 Laura Alloway, MBA ’17 Clinton Amand, BSC ’12, MA ’18 Jalyn Bolyard Jennifer Shutt Bowie, BSJ ’94, MS ’99 Colleen Carow, BSJ ’93, MA ’97, MBA ’05 Jamie Clarkson, BSJ ’20 Nick Claussen, BSJ ’92 Diana Davis Taylor Johnston, BSJ, BSVC ’20 Jen Jones Donatelli, BSJ ’98 Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01 Andrea Gibson, BSJ ’94, MPA ’16 John Grimwade Kyle Grillot, BSVC ’12 Cat Hofacker, BSJ ’18 Jeff Kallet Kent State University Libraries, Special Collections & Archives Hannah Kraft, BSC ’20 Carly Keeler Leatherwood, BSJ ’96 Kyle Lindner, BFA ’16 Andrew Lyons Ohio University Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections Ohio University Press Courtney Perrett, BSJ ’20 Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93 Kelee Garrison Riesbeck, BSJ, CERT ’91 Margaret Sabec, MA ’17 Jim Sabin, BSJ ’95 Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02 Peter Shooner Alison Stine, PHD ’13 Akbar Sultanov

Justin Thompson, BSJ ’21 Ty Wright, BFA ’02, MA ’13 Jayne Yerrick, BSJ ’22 Printer The Watkins Printing Co. Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis

Relive

the bricks this winter

c

Assistant Vice President of Alumni Relations & Executive Director of the Alumni Association Erin Essak Kopp Senior Director, Advancement Marketing Services Sarah Filipiak, BSJ ’01 ERRATA | Errata for the winter 2020 issue follows. Ohio Today regrets the errors. Page 32: Students played music on “Garrard” turntables. Page 54: Lynden S. Williams was a professor emeritus of geography. He passed away on May 28, 2019, in Buhl, Idaho.

Editorial office address: Ohio Today, Ohio University, Advancement Services, 1 Ohio University Drive, 168 WUSOC, Athens, OH 45701.

Send questions, comments, ideas and submissions (such as Class Notes, photos of future Bobcats and information about books by Bobcats) to the above address, via email to ohiotoday@ohio.edu, or call Ohio Today at 740.593.2684.

Copyright © 2020 by Ohio University. Ohio University is an equal access, equal opportunity, and affirmative action institution. @OHIOAlumni

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Last word Dr. Linda Trautman, associate professor of political science at the Ohio University Lancaster Campus, has served on the faculty at OHIO since 2005 and teaches courses offered across the OHIO system, including graduate classes in Athens. Her areas of expertise include state and national legislative politics, electoral participation and voting behavior, and urban governance and American public policy. Her most recent research explores campaign strategies and governance styles of the first African American female mayoral regimes, as well as the effects of felony disenfranchisement upon election turnout and partisan vote share in presidential elections.

Ohio Today caught up with Trautman to learn about her decision to teach political science, her thoughts on America’s political system and some things that might come as a surprise to those who don’t already know her. —By Justin Thompson, BSJ ’21

If you could change three things about the U.S. political system, what would you change? 1) Corruption through serious ethics reform. Eliminate the influence of special interests and wealth for the purpose of empowerment of all to promote a true democracy. 2) Deep party polarization and conflict that takes away from positive policymaking. 3) Create a fairer and equitable system of representation for true democracy, including fair processes of redistricting and the promotion of inclusive democracy, especially for marginalized and excluded groups and communities.

What is the scariest thing you’ve ever done? I flew on a Britten-Norman Trislander, a small plane where individuals are arranged by weight, from Puerto Rico to St. Thomas— approximately 33 minutes, yet the longest 33 minutes in my life. I was scaled to sit by the exit door, and it did not appear as the most secure one. Fortunately, the passenger seated next to me was very pleasant and appeared less risk aversive.

When she isn’t in the classroom, Dr. Linda Trautman can be found behind the piano or singing in choirs. Read about the types of music she enjoys and what’s on her bucket list at ohiotoday.org.

Photo by Ty Wright, BFA ’02, MA ’13

FALL 2020

“Here, we need only go ‘a short piece’ down the road in any direction, to find ourselves surrounded by natural beauty. Those times when all human nature fails us, it is earth that abides. Consider our words, we will guide you there.”

This quote is part of the Ohio University Spring Poetry Stroll developed by former Athens poet laureate, Ohio’s new poet laureate and 2020 Ohio Poet of the Year Kari Gunter-Seymour, BFA ’94, MA ’16, in collaboration with OHIO’s 2020 Distinguished Professor Dr. Nancy Stevens and the mAppAthens team. More themed virtual tours of Athens are available at ohio. edu/mappathens. —Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02

Still more

NONPROFIT ORG U . S . P O S TA G E

P A I D Advancement Services Ohio University 164 WUSOC 1 Ohio University Drive Athens, Ohio 45701-0869

ATHENS, OHIO PERMIT NO. 100

Patton College doctoral student Nina Adjanin, MSRSS ’18, MED ’20, and a research team from the University of Scotland and Norway University spent two weeks in the Arctic in 2018 studying surging glaciers. Last fall, she traveled to Colombia to study Santa Isabel, an ice-covered volcano and one of the last remaining tropical glaciers in the world. Photo by Antoine Kremer