Ohio Today Spring 2015 by OHIO Today magazine

ohiotoday FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF OHIO UNIVERSITY

Spring 2015 OHIO health: Advances in wellness for one and all

S P R I N G

2 0 1 5

LEFT: Sophomore dance major Stephanie Lamoreau shows off moves made possible by the professional care and artistic empathy she receives as part of her SHAPe Clinic treatment. Photo by Ben Siegel BSVC ‘02

COVER: Photographer Peter McCollough BSCV ’08 reports that James Joye performed surgery immediately before this shoot. The operation went longer than anticipated and had some complications, according to McCollough. Photo by Peter McCollough BSVC ’08

Features NEW MEDICAL CAMPUSES

Ohio University addresses regional and national shortages in primary care physicians by opening new medical campuses in Dublin and Cleveland. One goal is to help underserved rural and urban communities. Another is to have doctors trained in the state practice there, too.

OHIO HEALTH

OHIO promotes good health in countless ways. University professors, students, alumni, and staff represent advances in physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Wellness—of a person, a neighborhood, a country, and the world—is a multifaceted thing, and Bobcats contribute to it across the board.

Departments 3

Letters

Your OHIO

Contributors

6 In the news

Car sharing, seed experiment, international education, a documentary: OHIO eclecticism!

8 New faces around campus

OHIO added 132 new faculty for fall 2014.

Whether you gained the “freshman 15” pounds or not, what was your exercise routine 12 Calendar at Ohio University? Chapter events and campus activities.

Across the College Green

Responding to the shortage of primary care providers OHIO creates a new master’s level physician assistant program.

Union Street recovery

An update on the uptown block after the November fire.

Elimination of a serious problem An OHIO bacteriology professor studies Shigella.

Bobcat Tracks 37 Up for the challenge

Hilda Richards broke new ground while at OHIO.

38 Your alumni updates News from fellow alumni, photos, and announcements.

46 In Memoriam

Remembering alumni, faculty, and staff.

48 Last Word

» ONLINE EXTRAS

Ohio Today introduces a new component: online extras. Look for the link ohio.edu/ohiotoday/extras throughout these pages. Some digital material supplements the print product. Other online extras stand alone. For instance, go online to learn about the sport and life studies program at Ohio University Zanesville and Eastern Campuses, the nursing program at Ohio University Chillicothe Campus, and the Global Health Initiative, a partnership between the College of Health Sciences and Professions and the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine in collaboration with the Center for International Studies.

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

• 1

Supporting health & wellness

rom running track during my freshman year at Ohio University to my current WellWorks membership, fitness has always been a part of my OHIO experience. But it wasn’t until the University’s recent premiere of A Beautiful Remedy that the multidimensional nature of wellness really sank in. Produced and directed by OHIO’s Lynn M. Harter, professor in the School of Communication Studies, and Evan Shaw, chief editor/videographer at WOUB public media, the documentary profiles the Arts in Medicine Program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, which helps patients cope with illness through creativity. With involvement from more than 100 students in our Scripps College of Communication, the film is raising awareness about the full scope of healing and the ways in which artful encounters can supplement traditional medicinal practices. As I engaged with pediatric cancer patients at the screening, I was struck by the complexities of well-being and the intricate balance of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health that true wellness necessitates. I couldn’t help but wonder about the untapped potential for academic communities to leverage resources better on behalf of the greater good. At the same time, I couldn’t help but take pride in the broad scope of pioneering research and life-changing wellness initiatives that are already underway at OHIO—initiatives for which this issue of Ohio Today is themed. On the following pages, you will learn how the Athens Photographic Project, the SHAPe Clinic (for science and health in artistic performance), our Tropical Disease Institute, and our new Translational Biomedical Sciences doctoral program are enhancing health at OHIO and around the world. You will discover how the

2 •

ohiotodayonline.com

expansion of our Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine is addressing the nationwide shortage of primary care physicians. You will learn about the impact of a fellow alumnus’s community outreach. I suspect you also will marvel at the research potential made possible through the University’s state-of-the-art flow cytometer. But these stories are only a small sampling of the many ways in which OHIO students, faculty, staff, and alumni are effecting positive change in the world. As the 21st century unfolds, I am confident that the University will sustain its reputation as a driving force in the wellness movement. Through initiatives such as Healthy OHIO and our free immunization clinics, we will continue to empower Southeast Ohio residents to embrace healthier lifestyles. Through our newly developed Health Pipeline Initiative for The Interlink Alliance member institutions, we will demonstrate leadership in eliminating health disparities and increase minority student enrollment in health-related graduate and medical programs. Through cutting-edge faculty research and innovations, we will undoubtedly grow our breadth of knowledge and national prominence in a wide range of health fields. As you thumb through this issue of Ohio Today, I hope you will be inspired by the depth of the University’s wellness initiatives and the scope of our stewardship. OHIO is a shining example of how academic communities can leverage their resources and expertise for the benefit of students and the general public. By investing in the health of our community and the health of the next generation, we are paving the way for a world of wellness. And that is a beautiful remedy in itself!

Roderick J. McDavis President www.ohio.edu/president/blog • @OHIOPrezOffice

LETTERS

I enjoy reading and looking at the photos in Ohio Today; however, I did notice a few errors in the fall 2014 magazine. On page 29 [in “Outside the classroom at Ohio University”], the graph for participation in intramurals incorrectly indicates on the line above it OHIO’s “23,500 undergraduates.” That figure would be the total Athens Campus population. … Also, on page 25, the subhead about Bobcat spirit refers to Dennison University in Grandville, Ohio. It is actually Denison University in Granville, Ohio. … —Kevin Witham, senior associate director, Undergraduate Admissions at OHIO, and MA ’88

PROPS

Always get a little choked up reading @ohiou, @OHIOAlumni, Ohio Today http://bit.ly/1vcRCOD, #bobcats, #athens, and #alum.

—Ashley May, AA ’14, BSC ’14, @humblebeehive, Washington, D.C.

Share your Ohio Today on location photos at facebook.com/ohioalumni! To read more letters, go online to ohio.edu/ohiotoday/extras

Photos

I really enjoyed your latest issue of Ohio Today, especially the spread, “Bobcats Reunite Everywhere” [fall 2014, pp. 36-37]. Those pictures inspired me to send a photo of myself with my two future Bobcats. [See page 38.] I’m a 2002 B.A. in communications graduate and have now settled into a successful career as the assistant traffic director with Radio One in Columbus, Ohio. Thanks for the memories! —Carrie A. Holman, BSC ’02 I graduated in 1971. I was there when the [Ohio] National Guard marched in and closed down OHIO following the Kent State shootings [on May 4, 1970]. It was the most seminal event in my university education as well as that of many of my colleagues. I find it both appalling and typical of OHIO to glaze over that event. It is rarely mentioned in Bobcat history. In the fall 2014 Ohio Today, the picture of the [former] Varsity Theater with the National Guard in front [page 20, in the subhead, “1970s: Revolution and riots,” from a survey article about student life] is ... [among] the absolute smallest in the whole magazine. That doesn’t feel right. … —Toan Klein, BGS ’71, Toronto I need first to admit that I am not an alumna of OHIO; I graduated from Wright State University in 2008, majoring in middle childhood education. But I have lived in Athens for the past seven years, working

to the editor

Thanks with the local nonprofit Good Works. [See page 34 for a related story.] And I often read Ohio Today because it still comes to an address for a friend of mine. I also like using some of the pages to recycle into envelopes. (This is a confession.) So you can imagine what a surprise it was to be thumbing through the fall 2014 edition and—on page 33 of a bird’s-eye look of the Alumni Gate and the corner of Court and Union streets— see myself walking right under the Alumni Gate. It was a beautiful picture [by Senior University Photographer Ben Siegel, BSVC ’02] on an August evening and I was so excited to see myself that I quickly showed all my friends. I thought this shot contained some irony. And I thought I should let you know that I will be framing this page. —Peace and love, Emily Axe

Oops

I enjoy Ohio Today but was dismayed to find both Denison University and [its location in] Granville, Ohio, misspelled in the fall 2014 issue [on page 25 in the student life survey article]. As an alum (M.S. in journalism) and mom of a freshman School of Visual Communication major, I knew you wouldn’t mind my little nudge. Thanks for all you do to keep us informed and connected to OHIO. —Gayle Brown, MS ’94, Alexandria, Ky. Spouse of Jim Bacho, BBA ’88, and mother of Lauren Bacho, ’18, referenced above, and Andrea Bacho, an economics major at Denison, ’16

Early in the morning of Nov. 16, 2014, I received a phone call that no parent wants to get. “Mom, my apartment burned down and I am in the hospital,” said my son, a junior at OHIO. As I raced around gathering replacement clothes and toiletries before driving the 3.5 hours to help my son, it never once entered my mind that the University would be helping him, too. Before I even arrived, Dean of Students Jenny Hall-Jones had been to the hospital to see him, arranged a hotel to stay in, provided food, clothing, and toiletries, and began to organize additional assistance for the 40 or so students affected by the West Union Street fire. In less than 12 hours, we were gathered at Baker University Center, where the school had assembled donated supplies, academic support, connections for temporary housing, and even a doctor for those students who needed glasses or contacts. I have never been as proud to be an OHIO alum and parent. That the school stepped up and went above and beyond like that is a testament to the fantastic Bobcat community! I cannot thank the staff enough. [For a related story, see page 9.] —Lauren Szejk McAndrews, AB ’86, Gibsonia, Pa. WRITE TO US. Ohio Today welcomes letters. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, space, clarity, and civility. Send letters by e-mail to ohiotoday@ohio. edu or by mail to 213 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701. We regret that we cannot publish all letters in print or online.

s p r i n g 2 015

• 3

YOUR OHIO

memories and more

James Yang

Weighing in Some Bobcats gained the dreaded freshman 15 pounds, despite hoofing Jefferson and Morton Hills daily. Others slimmed down from all that schlepping. No matter how they tipped the scales, OHIO alumni referenced those iconic elevations when asked about their first-year exercise regimen. Graduates also recalled, in their lingo, “Walking everywhere.” Here’s a sampling from almost 175 comments posted on the Ohio University Alumni Association Facebook page. » EDITOR PETER SZATMARY

iked up Jeff Hill three times a day to class—that was a workout in itself. Fourth daily hike was to Baskin-Robbins. I figured I deserved the treat.

—Nina Mohamed-Nor, BSJ ’84 Jeff and Morton Hills were my workout!

—John Gibbons, BSC ’85 Walking to and from The Pub. To and from the CI. To and from the Pigskin. To and from the College Book Store. Etc., etc., etc.

—Meredith Jones, BA ’04 Walking everywhere in town, Frisbee golf, hiking at Strouds Run State Park.

—Rachel Zahumensky Wilson, BSVC ’02 I actually lost 15 pounds freshman year! Mostly ate salad bar at the dining hall. Went to the Ping Student Recreation Center six days a week. Never had a car.

—Suzanne Lehky-Minute, BSIT ’00 The Marching 110.

—Tarra Scott, BA ’01 Back in the 50s, we did not have TV programs to watch or phones to take up our time. We were always active, walking everywhere on campus.

—Gini Johnstone Gubbins, BSEd ’60 Lived on the fourth floor of Tiffin Hall and walked up and down Morton Hill and Jefferson Hill many times daily. Not to mention taking the stairs in all of the classroom buildings.

—Kevin Patrick King, AB ’93 I ran on the path along the Hocking River, took an aerobics class, and walked a lot and fast!

—Pam Moran, AB ’92 24 •• oo hh ii oo tt oo d a y oo nn ll ii n e . cc oo m m

I took ballet twice a week, then walked up Jeff Hill afterward. Swam a few times a week at the old Natatorium, too.

—Dayna Liberati DiRienzo, BSJ ’82, MSJ ’83 We played soccer or rugby to stay in shape! Besides, the best food in the cafeteria in 1979-80 was definitely the salad bar!

—Mary M. Penney, BSC ’83 We danced the night away at [defunct] Swanky’s and all the other uptown bars with dance floors. Add in all the walking, subtract any desserts in the cafeteria, and most people lost weight.

—Beverly Smith, BSEd ’75 Jeff Hill several times a day and never gained weight, even lost it. I need to come back and climb it at age 68.

—Mary Jo Kaszubinski, BSHE ’68 Joined the club soccer team and the tiny, smelly weight room/barbell club. Participated in Friday Night at the Fights.

—John McCreery, BSC ’92

I joined the OHIO women’s crew team, got in the best shape of my life, and made some lifelong friends! Probably the best decision I made in college.

—Megan Schmidt, MSRSS ’08 Treading water at Dow Lake while slamming light beers.

—Scott Achs, BS ’00 Wake up and go work out first thing in the morning. That way you won’t feel as guilty when drinking cocktails that night!

—Emily Byers, BSHC ’13 Ran every morning at 6:30 with Professor [of counseling and higher education] Tom Davis, rain, hail, snow, or shine.

—Bruce McPadden, BSSE ’96, MSA ’97 Walking the hills of Athens and the OHIO Shotokan Karate Club.

—Lee Kelling, AB ’90 Rollerbladed along the Hocking and played soccer. Rode my bike all over.

—Larissa Szymanski Conley, BSC ’98

I was on the seven-meal plan. Only ate one real meal a day.

—Maida Chaney, BSEd ’88 Up the bridge from James Hall, weaving around the outskirts of town, past [the old] Baker [Center], a couple turns, and then hung on for dear life down Jeff Hill on a bicycle. Sobriety preferred but not required.

—Brian Beach, BFA ’97

NEXT ISSUE’S QUESTION: When you think about OHIO women, who come to mind: professor, classmate, friend, spouse? Or what typifies female Bobcats? Send letters to 213 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701; e-mails to ohiotoday@ohio.edu; or posts to the Ohio University Alumni Association’s Facebook page (by “liking” us on the site).

CONTRIBUTORS

ohiotoday

Editor Peter Szatmary Consulting editor Kelee Garrison Riesbeck, BSJ ’91 Art director Sarah McDowell, BFA ’02 Contributors Courtney Abram, BSCHE ’10 Jasmine Beaubien, BSVC ’16 Maygan Beeler, BSJ ’17 Jennifer Shutt Bowie, BSJ ’94, MS ’99 Makenzie Bowker, BSJ ’11 Ian Cion Corinne Colbert, BSJ ’87, MA ’93 Taylor Fenney, BSVC ’16 Dustin Franz, BSVC ’10 Andrea Gibson, BSJ ’94 Na’Tyra Green, BSJ ’15 Christopher Guder, PHD ’13 Sara Jerde, BSJ ’15 Brian Kellogg, BSS ’07 Peter McCollough, BSVC ’08 Roderick J. McDavis, BSED, ’70 William T. Perkins, BSJ ’17 Lauren Pond, MA ’14 McKenzie Powell, BSJ ’16, BA ’16 Joel Prince, BSVC ’12 Erin Roberts, BSJ ’00, BA ’00 John Sattler, BFA ’87 Pete Shooner Ben Siegel, BSVC ’02 Hailee Tavoian Kathleen Trace, BSN ’93, MHA ’01 Brian Vadakin, BA ’15 Katelyn Vancouver BS ’17 Alfred Weiner Megan Westervelt, MA ’14 Koren Wetmore James Yang Proofreader Emily Caldwell, BSJ ’88, MS ’99 Printer The Watkins Printing Co.

Erin Roberts, BSJ ’00, BA ’00, serves as the communication and special projects manager for her alma mater, Ohio University’s Scripps College of Communication. Throughout 12 years in the role, she’s met amazing alumni, including Megan Westervelt, the subject of her piece on page 26. Erin is the mother of four children, age 4 through 11. Her cause is childhood cancer awareness and funding, and she belongs to BrAva Fight, a nonprofit based in Marietta. Erin enjoys reading, writing, and camping at her family haven, Lake Tweet. Photo by Megan Westervelt MA ’14

Ohio University

President Roderick J. McDavis, BSED ’70 Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Renea Morris, MED ’12 Executive Director of Development Jennifer Shutt Bowie, BSJ ’94, MS ’99 Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations Executive Director of the Alumni Association Jennifer Neubauer Director, Creative Services, Advancement Communication and Marketing Kari Gunter-Seymour Peterson, BFA ’94 Interim Director, Online and Digital Communication Advancement Communication and Marketing Sarah Filipiak, BSJ ’01

Ohio University Alumni Association

Makenzie Bowker, BSJ ’11, works as a social media producer for HLN. Bowker majored in magazine journalism at OHIO. She resides in Atlanta, Ga., with Robert Kosek, BA, ’12, who majored in political science and works as an associate project manager at the Metro Atlanta Chamber. They have a Scottish terrier mix rescue dog, Gracie. Photo by The Reason Photography

Ian Cion is the founder and director of the Arts in Medicine Program at the Children’s Cancer Hospital at MD Anderson Cancer Center. His work focuses on using art to help patients cope with cancer treatment and as a tool for reducing their pain and fear. An artist who has taught and exhibited internationally for 20 years, Cion also is a design consultant who specializes in large-scale public art collaborations that engage communities in participatory design.

Taylor Feeney is on track to graduate from OHIO in May 2016 with a BSVC degree in publication design. She is originally from Dayton, Ohio, but hopes to work in web or magazine design out West after graduation. She dreams of one day owning her own freelance design firm as well as a cafe/bakery somewhere warm and sunny. Her favorite color is blue, and she is a dog person.

Board of Directors Bill Hilyard, BSED ’67, Chair Julie Mann, BBA ’02, Vice Chair Melissa W. Arnold, BSJ ’99 Robin S. Bowlus, BFA ’98 Craig A. Brown, BSC ’82 Cynthia Calhoun, BSEE ’88 Casey Christopher, BSC ’02 Brenda J. Dancil-Jones, AB ’70 Steven Ellis, BS ’92 Alissa Galford, BSC ’05 Todd Grandominico, BBA ’00, CERT ’00 Paige S. Gutheil Henderson, DO ’02 Michael Jackson, BSED ’68 Matthew Latham, AA ’06 Jeffrey Laturell, BSC ’80, MBA ’82 Timothy Law, DO ‘94 Connie Lawson-Davis, BSED ‘67 Lyndsay A. Markley, BA ’02 Dustin Starkey, BS ’98 Larry Starr, BSED ’68, MED ’71 A. Cita Strauss, BFA ’77, MA ’06 Stacia Taylor, BSC ’82 Ronald Teplitzky, AB ’84 Robert Wolfinger, AA ’73, BSG ’80 Jackson Lavelle, Student Alumni Board president

s p r i n g 2 015

• 5

ACROSS THE

college green

In the News SHARING THE MILES Ohio University faculty and students can cruise Court Street in a new, low-cost, energy-efficient fashion through Zipcar’s car-sharing services. The trial service offers Bobcats two vehicles: a Ford Focus and a Ford Escape. Students and staff, plus members of the community, can rent the cars by the hour or by the day, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. OHIO joins more than 400 colleges and universities worldwide to sign up. In addition to providing another alternative form of transportation, the program helps reduce the number of vehicles on campus and thereby further OHIO’s goinggreen initiatives.

LAUNCHING RESEARCH INTO ORBIT OHIO helped an experiment skyrocket—literally. Sarah E. Wyatt, professor of environmental and plant biology, and her students are investigating plant growth in microgravity. Plants grow upward not because of the sun but because of a genetic response to gravity. On Jan. 10, SpaceX launched Falcon 9, a resupply mission to the International Space Station, for NASA. The vessel contained seeds from Team Gravitron, comprised of OHIO and Southern Illinois University Edwardsville faculty and students. Wyatt’s students shot off a mini replica on Dec. 16 in Bicentennial Park. The objective: to compare germinated seeds with ground control seeds.

Ohio University Zanesville Campus students celebrated International Education Week in mid-November through numerous free events. One, an exhibit called “Know Your World,” featured cultural displays of everything from clothing to artifacts to perfumes, reflecting 10 different lands. Also on the menu: an international food fair, international film screenings, an international music concert, and lectures by international faculty. In total, 15 countries were represented from the Philippines to Poland to Sudan. Zanesville tallies 17 international faculty spanning 12 countries. » WILLIAM T. PERKINS BSJ ’17

6 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Art by Ian Cion

OPENING DOORS TO BROADER HORIZONS

HIO’S Scripps College of Communication scholar Lynn M. Harter and WOUB public media videographer Evan Shaw premiered their documentary film, A Beautiful Remedy, in January, first in Athens and then in Houston, Texas, through a partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The film showcases the work of Ian Cion, director of the Arts in Medicine Program at the MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital; his efforts help pediatric and adolescent patients create personal and public art as part of their overall treatment. Viewers witness Cion as he not only makes art through multiple encounters with patients and their families but also provides them ways to envision “a new normal,” to see the world anew. The film is the first in a series called “The Courage of Creativity,” which explores how, when rendered vulnerable by sickness or disease, people can turn to art to lift the spirit and make sense of illness and its treatment. » KELEE GARRISON RIESBECK BSJ ’91

s p r i n g 2 015

• 7

ACROSS THE

college green

S E C A F W E N TONY VINCI

HIO hired 132 new faculty members at the Athens and regional campuses for fall 2014. About 60 of them are tenure-track. “This significant increase of tenure-track faculty—46 percent of all new faculty— reverses a multiyear decline largely due to the recent recession,” said Associate Provost for Faculty and Academic Planning Howard D. Dewald in an e-mail. There were 864 tenured and tenure-track faculty at all OHIO sites in fall 2014, 743 on the Athens Campus and 121 on the regional campuses. There were 250 other full-time faculty members across the OHIO campuses in 2013-14, in the most recent data available. Spanning every OHIO location and the online programs, the total faculty—whether tenured, tenure-track, non-tenure full-time, part-time, or temporary posts—topped 2,000 last academic year, Dewald summarized.

By numerous measures, participation in Healthy OHIO, a wellness initiative for University employees and spouses/partners, rose significantly in 2014-15 compared with the previous academic year. Go online to ohio.edu/ohiotoday/extras.

8 •

ohiotodayonline.com

AMY LYNCH

Layout by Taylor Feeney BSVC ’16

S U P M A C D N AROU

Amy Lynch, a new assistant professor of urban planning in the Department of Geography at the Athens Campus, said she’s excited about research opportunities at OHIO. Lynch received her Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2013, taught at the University of New Orleans last year, and studies “how communities measure their progress,” she said in a phone interview. Lynch added, “I really like the quality of the students and the quality of the faculty” at OHIO. Tony Vinci, a new assistant professor of English at the Chillicothe Campus, called his new colleagues “fantastic.” A specialist in “how literature and film force people to think about trauma,” Vinci earned his doctorate from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He previously taught in seven countries, including Italy, England, Scotland, and Wales, and already feels right at home at OHIO, Vinci said in a phone call.

» WILLIAM T. PERKINS BSJ ’17

Union Street recovery: media coverage “If history is any lesson, uptown Athens will survive its most-recent fire and go on to rebuild and transform itself once again,” Mary Beth Lane reported in The Columbus Dispatch on Nov. 24, about the eruption eight days earlier in several buildings on West Union Street between Congress and Court streets. “That’s what uptown has been doing over the decades as it rebounds from one fire after another.” Her article went on to summarize how the town bounced back from numerous earlier blazes and how local residents expect “a similar rebirth” this time. Jeremy Hill of Ohio University’s student newspaper, The Post, filed a similar optimistic account in late January. “Three months after a fire ravaged several buildings containing businesses and apartments on Union Street, signs of recovery are beginning to show.” His story surveyed repairs underway and checked in with proprietors of bars, restaurants, shops, and apartments. It took more than 60 firefighters from six departments in Athens County to put out the inferno. Several buildings were deemed total losses. Historic architectural facades suffered severe damage. Scores of people lost their jobs. And approximately 40 OHIO students were displaced from their homes. On the day of the scorching, WBNS10TV from Columbus called the stretch of block “in ruins.” But there were no serious injuries to people. And as of April, some stores have reopened, like Jackie O’s BrewPub, while others, like Jack

Neal Floral, have relocated. Also, in March, the Athens City Council voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that designated buildings damaged by the fire as part of a historic district; this decision furthers potential redevelopment by allowing businesses to apply for tax credits and grants for restoration. In the aftermath of the devastation, locals and Bobcats held or contributed to fundraising campaigns, as Sam Flynn documented in The Athens NEWS a few days after the conflagration, among other updates by media outlets. The outpouring was quick, significant, and diverse. OHIO also worked to ensure that the manifold needs of affected students were met. Assistance ranged from housing to textbooks, meal plans to ID cards, loaner computers to linen packets, and more. And OHIO’s Parents and Family Fund, housed in the Ohio University Foundation and managed by the Division of Student Affairs, provided critical aid to students during the crisis. “It is apparent that the community of Athens grieves for the losses of those businesses and student homes by the widespread support,” observed Sammi Nelson on Nov. 25 in Speakeasy Magazine, an online campus publication run by and for OHIO. “The appearance of Union Street has been altered in the end, but the Athens community will remain as solid as a boulder.” —Staff report

STARTING ANEW

usiness seems to be reviving after the November fire on West Union Street, at least according to the manager of Uptown Dog T-Shirts and apparel. After losing the majority of its merchandise to water and smoke damage, the 27-year-old retailer reopened across the street on Feb. 6. “It went really well,” said Colleen Phillips, AA ’98, Uptown Dog manager and graphic artist, in midApril, partly because the relaunch occurred during OHIO’s annual Sibs Weekend. “We rose up and we’re back—I think better than ever, honestly.” The new space is larger and products have expanded to, for instance, a full youth line and shot glasses.

» MCKENZIE POWELL BSJ ’16, BA ’16

OHIO students Dongnan Su, a freshman accounting major (left), and Lu Chen, an arts and sciences freshman, patronize the Uptown Girl, across the street from the wreckage and next door to the new location of Uptown Dog T-shirts. Photo by Eric Albrecht, courtesy of

The Columbus Dispatch

s p r i n g 2 015

• 9

ACROSS THE

college green

Runs, hits, & errors: Kammie on First Editor’s note: Each edition of Ohio Today covers a recent Ohio University Press book.

Photo courtsey of The New York Times/Redux

he initial installment of the Ohio University Press series Biographies for Young Adults adeptly retells two interrelated stories. Veteran young-reader author Michelle Houts honors Dorothy Kamenshek, first-base standout for the Rockford Peaches in the short-lived AllAmerican Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1940s and ’50s. Houts simultaneously puts her into societal context long before Title IX, the 1972 legislation that partly leveled the playing field for female athletes of all ages. Kamenshek, a child of immigrant parents, grew up in Cincinnati during the Great Depression, Houts recounts accessibly. Originally a softball center fielder, Kamenshek switched to professional baseball at age 17. Feats include seven all-star appearances, four league championships, and two batting titles. She struck out only 81 times in 3,736 career at-bats; her lifetime batting average was an impressive .293. In 1946, Kamenshek stole 109 bases in 107 games. Also a defensive stalwart, the all-around player is said to be a model for the Geena Davis character in A League of Their Own, the 1992 Hollywood movie about the Peaches. After injuries forced her retirement from baseball, Kamenshek earned a bachelor’s degree

A chapter from Kammie on First, an author Q&A, related videos, and other features appear online at: ohio.edu/ohiotoday/extras

in physical therapy, worked as a physical therapist in Ohio, and then headed therapy services for a Los Angeles County children’s services agency. She died in 2010 at age 84. Houts ably intersperses this narrative with sidebars and insets that offer perspective on and off the diamond. Philip K. Wrigley, the chewing gum magnate who owned the Chicago Cubs from men’s Major League

Baseball, created the women’s counterpart to help keep the sport in the public eye when the World War II draft depleted male ballplayers. Kamenshek and colleagues faced dress codes: “No one will be allowed to appear off the [team] bus in slacks, shorts, or dungarees,” Houts summarizes, and conduct clauses: “Your appearance at public bars is prohibited.” Beyond Wrigley’s maverick exception, few opportunities existed for women athletes (in any organized sport); without high school teams to join, they honed their baseball talents in factory leagues. Though relatively popular at the time, women players and leagues were forgotten for decades before rediscovery. So, Kammie on First doubles as a biography of a trailblazer in American women’s athletics and as gender studies of problems and progress therein. Houts accordingly makes well-rounded use of resources: newspaper clippings, archival photographs, player interviews. The content and the design should inspire youngsters, whether baseball fans or history buffs. “To those who never had the opportunity to know Kammie,” Houts writes, “her legacy is an inspiration—a reminder that with determination, we can do more than the world expects us to do.” » CHRISTOPHER GUDER is a reference and instruction librarian at Alden Library, Ohio University, specializing in education and children’s literature and in recreation and sports pedagogy, among other areas. PHD ’13

OHIO alumni books Ohio University alumni publish books across subjects and genres. Here are releases within the last year. Following the Light: New and Collected Poems, faith-based verse (Kaufmann Publishing), by Kevin Bezner, PhD ’91 • The Shadow Broker, a crime thriller and debut novel (CreateSpace), by Trace Conger, BA ’98 • Moments of Time, a collection of poems (Mercury HeartLink), by Mark Fleisher, BSJ ’64 • Ball or Bands: Football vs. Music as an Educational and Community Investment, comparative analysis (Archway Publishing), by John R. Gerdy, MSA ’83, PhD ’86 • A Place for Humility: Whitman, Dickinson, and the Natural World, a study of two of America’s leading nature poets (University of Iowa Press), by Christine Gerhardt, MA ’98 • The History of Soccer in Greater Cleveland

10 •

ohiotodayonline.com

from 1906 until 1981, how the sport evolved over the decades in that region (Outskirts Press), by Thomas Hatfield, AB ’59 • A Comedian Sees the World, Charlie Chaplin’s travel memoir of Europe in the early 1930s (University of Missouri Press), edited by Lisa Stein Haven, PhD ’05 • What’s Important: Understanding and Working with Values Perspectives, an interpretation of and handbook about values (Integral Publishers), by Kenton Hyatt, PhD ’86, and Cheryl De Ciantis • Reading Lincoln: an Annotated Bibliography, notated reviews of more than 275 books on Abraham Lincoln’s legacy (CreateSpace), by David Keck, BSED ’69, MED ’71, and Tom Peet • Counteract, the first in a trilogy of young-adult dystopian novels (Buddhapuss Ink), by Tracy Lawson, BSC ’88 • The Marketing Performance Blueprint, a guide on marketing strategies (Wiley), by Paul Roetzer, BSJ ’00 — Compiled by Sara Jerde BSJ ’15

Elimination of a serious problem

rin R. Murphy specializes in Shigella, a family of bacteria that causes shigellosis, a potentially fatal intestinal disease in humans. The main symptom of shigellosis is bloody diarrhea. Highly contagious, shigellosis links to poor sanitation, contaminated sustenance, and overcrowded living. It tends to occur in developing countries and refugee camps. In the U.S., outbreaks arise in group settings, including daycare centers and nursing homes. An associate professor of bacteriology in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Murphy publishes regularly on the topic. In January she presented findings at Vanderbilt University and University of Tennessee, Knoxville. —Editor Peter Szatmary

Responding to the shortage of primary care providers OHIO’s College of Health Sciences and Professions is establishing a new master’s level physician assistant program on the Dublin Campus to fill healthcare gaps in the region and across the country. “Physician assistants will be necessary as frontline care providers, fitting the needs of the nation and the state,” said Averell (Tootie) Overby, associate professor of physical therapy and project leader for the site in Dublin. “Our interdisciplinary approach focuses on medicine, dietetics, and nursing.”

Here’s a timeline:

January 2014: The Ohio University Board of Trustees approves the program. March 2014: Ground broken on the 86,000-squarefoot, three-story Dublin Integrated Education Center to house it.

She writes: “Conservatively estimated, each year more than 165 million people fall ill to shigellosis and 1.1 million die from the infection. Our studies, recently funded by the National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association, aim to understand how Shigella adapts to the human body. For instance, body temperature and nutrient composition in humans coordinately signal the bacterium to produce factors required to initiate and progress an infection. “Only after comprehending how bacterium regulates the generation of such critical conduits can we design ways to disrupt these pathways. By doing so, we hope to limit or eliminate the ability of the bacterium to cause disease— and make the world not only cleaner, but healthier.”

March 2015: A microbiology/biological procedure lab installed, one of just a few in the nation dedicated exclusively to a physician’s assistant program.

Photo by John Sattler

Erin Murphy mentored Andrew Kouse, BS ’08, Ph.D. ’14, on his doctoral dissertation on Shigella, which is seen in this microscopic slide.

April 2015: College of Health Sciences and Professions to get keys to the first floor, which features a large auditorium equipped for distance learning, plus classrooms and labs. May 2015: The first class, of up to 45 Bobcats, to enter the seven-semester program, pending provisional accreditation from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant. July 2015: College of Health Sciences and Professions to get keys to the second floor and to sublease space to educational partners including OHIO’s College of Business and the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs. Secondfloor College of Health Sciences and Professions programs range from clinical informatics to health leadership to corporate wellness. Columbus State Community College will occupy the third floor. “We also hope to team with educational and healthcare providers in central Ohio, for example, Ohio Dominican University, University of Findlay, and OhioHealth, to create educational pathways and exceptional clinical experiences for students,” said Overby. “We’re not in Dublin to duplicate efforts, but to elaborate and enhance.”

» JENNIFER SHUTT BOWIE BSJ ’94, MS ’99

s p r i n g 2 015

• 11

ACROSS THE

college green

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

herever you live, Ohio University wants to keep in touch with you. Alumni chapters exist around the globe to help you meet and reconnect with fellow Bobcats. Of course, you’ll occasionally want to find a reason to return to campus—spring is the perfect time to visit! For a full schedule of chapter, society, and on-campus events, including reunions, visit ohioalumni.org/calendar.

Cruise-In at the Convo 9 AM-3 PM MAY 16

MAY 27-31, 2015

Vroom! Honk! Classic cars, trucks, and motorcycles rev at OHIO Alumni Varsity Band’s 5th annual fundraiser. Location: the Convocation Center parking lot, Athens Campus.

9 AM • Baker University Center

facebook.com/CruiseInAtTheConvo

Mini courses range from healthy aging to digital detoxing and more—with no homework, papers, or tests! To register online: ohio.edu/alumni/onthegreen

Akron Association of Ohio University Women: Celebrating 75 years

Tassels to the left

Luncheon festivities take place on MAY 16 at Gervasi Vineyard in Canton. The setting evokes a grand Tuscan home with a spring-fed lake. To register online: bobcatevents.net

Spring 2015 commencements: 9:30 AM MAY 1 for graduate students and 9:30 AM and 2 PM MAY 2 for undergraduates. Ceremonies are held indoors in the Convocation Center on the Athens Campus and last approximately 2 ½ hours. Tickets are not required. ohio.edu/commencement

Cincinnati 05.06.15

Columbus 06.04.15

Bobcat Dash 5K Color Run A new addition to On The Green Weekend, this springtime morning run along the Hocking River includes optional Mud Run-like strength and endurance obstacles and a splash of color at each mile marker. 8 AM MAY 30 at Pepsi Tailgreat Park.

Are you a member of the Golden Bobcat Class of 1965? This year OHIO is celebrating you!

Lobster Fest The Massachusetts Chapter Serving New England hosts this new tradition honoring state ties to OHIO. The JULY 11 daylong event, in Cape Ann, Mass., begins at Manasseh Cutler’s church and moves to a lobster dinner. To register online: bobcatevents.net

MAY 27-31, 2015

OHIO UNIVERSITY

FAMILY REUNIONS

ohioalumni.org/bobcat-family-reunions

12 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Your Golden Bobcat classes will come together for On The Green Weekend events and reflect on what Ohio University means to you during a special Golden Reunion dinner. To register online: ohio.edu/alumni/onthegreen

ore than 140 members of the Ohio University community participated in the seventh annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, an international men’s march to prevent rape, sexual assault, and gender violence. OHIO faculty, staff, and students donned women’s footwear for the trek around Athens Campus and uptown area one day last November. Spectators cheered from the sidelines and held thematic signs such as “Real men ask permission” and “Will you remember this march at parties tonight?” The health-related event, sponsored by OHIO’s Women’s Center, for the first time included a week’s worth of educational programming beforehand: a documentary film screening, a panel discussion, a brown bag lunch, a workshop, and an open forum. Photo by Jasmine Beaubien BSVC ’16

s p r i n g 2 015

• 13

New medical campuses serve state & nation

ithin the next decade, experts predict a shortage of more than 45,000 primary care physicians in the United States, with people living in rural and urban underserved areas being hit the hardest. Thanks to recent gifts through Ohio University’s Promise Lives Campaign, OHIO’s medical school is well-positioned to help fill this need, both in Ohio and beyond. “Through innovative learning opportunities that are built on teamwork and collaboration, we are transforming osteopathic medical education and realizing our vision of being the national leader in training osteopathic primary care physicians,” said Kenneth Johnson, D.O., executive dean of OHIO’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. “As we grow, we remain committed to training physicians who understand that it’s not enough to care for their patients; they must also care about them.” The Heritage College has focused on this mission of training physicians committed to practicing in Ohio, particularly in primary care, since its founding in 1975. Over the last 40 years, the college has graduated more than 3,000 doctors— many going on to practice in the nation’s most medically underserved areas. Since the 1990s, students at the Heritage College have received their clinical training in community hospitals throughout Ohio through its Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education, a statewide network of hospitals. With new campuses in Dublin and in Cleveland, the Heritage College is preparing to recruit and train more students from central and northeast Ohio, with the goal that they will remain in those regions to practice. “As the need for primary care practitioners in Ohio grows, our new campuses in Dublin and in Cleveland allow us to accept an even larger share of the responsibility for educating physicians committed to remaining in Ohio,” said OHIO President Roderick J. McDavis.

14 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine staff report

Photography by

John Sattler BFA ’87 Joel Prince BSVC ’12

Joshua Bryant (left) and Adam Jara, third-year students at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, confer on essential clinical skills. In their final two years of medical school, Heritage College students participate in clinical rotations at the college’s hospital partners throughout Ohio. Photo by Joel Prince BSVC ’12

s p r i n g 2 015

• 15

William J. Burke, D.O. ’88, dean of Heritage College, Dublin, talks with members of the first-year class in Dublin during orientation. The campus, which started with 50 students in summer 2014, is the Heritage College’s first new campus since its founding in 1975 and the first new regional campus for OHIO since 1957. Photo by John Sattler BFA ’87

Funded in part by a transformational $105 million gift from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, the Heritage College, Dublin, welcomed its first class of 50 students in July 2014. The 2011 gift from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation was the largest single gift to an Ohio college or university at the time and the largest gift to support primary care education. OhioHealth, the college’s preeminent education partner for the Dublin campus, has guaranteed rotation slots in its area facilities for all Dublin students, allowing them to complete all four years of medical school in central Ohio. Dublin student Samuel Nobilucci, a longtime paramedic, a former clinic manager for OhioHealth, and a native of the tiny village of Johnstown, Ohio, wants to study and practice in the region where he grew up. “One of my main reasons for choosing the Dublin campus was my connection to central Ohio,” he said. “We really have a chance to start something here and be in on the ground floor of something that years from now can blossom into something fantastic.” In July 2015, the Heritage College, Cleveland, will welcome its

16 •

ohiotodayonline.com

first class of 50 to a new campus being developed in affiliation with Cleveland Clinic and in partnership with other healthcare providers in northeast Ohio. Located on the campus of Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, the new location allows the Heritage College to train more primary care physicians for Ohio, much like campuses in Athens and Dublin. The Heritage College, Cleveland, specifically aims to increase access to care for some of the most medically underserved urban areas of the region by training physicians who are more likely to remain there to practice after graduation. “This is an incredibly powerful and exciting collaboration between the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and Cleveland Clinic,” said Adrienne White-Faines, executive director and CEO of the American Osteopathic Association. “The thought that we can expand opportunities to access osteopathic medicine, particularly for underserved populations, should make us all very, very proud.” To read more about the Dublin campus, go online to: ohio.edu/ohiotoday/extras

Tending to the vulnerable

hio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine Community Health Programs continues to develop and deliver essential healthcare to the vulnerable throughout Appalachian Ohio. Free and low-cost medical services are provided to those who lack access to or funds for them. Community Health Programs remains committed to addressing unmet needs. In 2013-14, it oversaw seven projects—from breast screenings to childhood immunizations to community clinics—with a cumulative budget topping $1.6 million. Upwards of 20,500 people in rural southeastern Ohio were served, with personnel traveling almost 11,000 miles to do so. RIGHT: David Kling Jr. (center) and Nina Passen, both first-year medical students on the Heritage College’s Dublin campus, work with mannequins as part of their pediatric CPR training. Photo by John Sattler BFA ’87

Here are some other numbers from 2013-14: • 16,552 individuals received screenings for lice, vision, hearing, gross motor skills, and immunization compliance. • 2,651 immunizations were given through 1,565 community visits via two mobile health units. (This initiative began in 1994 with the Ohio Department of Health. Total number of immunizations to date: 130,000-plus. A new mobile unit is expected by mid-April by trading in an existing one.) • 832 screenings were given for blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.

• 680 TB screenings were given. • 584 prescription vouchers were provided. • 447 children at 10 childcare centers in Athens County learned ways to prevent obesity.

• 340 referrals for screening mammograms were given. ABOVE: Second-year Heritage College student Julius Musenze (left) gets pointers from Chidozie Odigwe, a primary care associate, during clinical skills training in Athens. Each year, up to eight medical students are selected for an extra year of training in medical education, clinical practice, and research as predoctoral associates.

• 322 Pap tests were given.

» KATHLEEN TRACE

BSN ’93, MHA ’01,

director of the Community

Health Programs

Photos courtesy of the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine | Photo by Joel Prince BSVC ’12

s p r i n g 2 015

• 17

W “The first wealth is health. Sickness is poor-spirited, and cannot serve any one: it must husband its resources to live. But health or fulness answers its own ends, and has to spare, runs over, and inundates the neighborhoods and creeks of other men’s necessities.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Conduct of Life, 1860

18 •

ohiotodayonline.com

hen Ohio Today chose “OHIO Health” as the theme for this issue, the magazine cast a wide net. After all, health means many things—at Ohio University and beyond. Faculty, administrators, and students, along with doctors and additional medical professionals, plus alumni, neighbors and residents from surrounding counties, and other stakeholders supplied myriad ideas about physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional health. The following pages explore all these pillars of Bobcat well-being. The University offers a rich diversity of healthcare degrees—and is launching new medical campuses in Dublin and Cleveland, in partnership with OhioHealth and Cleveland Clinic, respectively, to respond to regional and national needs. OHIO’s Translational Biomedical Sciences Program, a unique and collaborative doctoral curriculum, also is underway. These vital developments get documented here, too. OHIO nurtures its students, staff, alumni, and communities in a variety of ways. This edition celebrates some of these endeavors, participants, and beneficiaries. Examples: A University College student crafted her own healthcare major. The Athens Photographic Project partners the local

Photo by Ben Siegel BSVC ‘02

National Alliance for Mental Illness with graduate students in the Scripps College of Communication’s School of Visual Communication. An unlikely but elegant program keeps performing-artist students in top form. And OHIO helps to combat the infectious parasitic Chagas disease. There’s more. An alumnus feeds the bodies and spirits of the rural Appalachian homeless and incorporates OHIO students in fulfilling this mission. The University’s cutting-edge flow cytometer, housed in the Academic & Research Center, a facility shared between the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology and the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, allows researchers to analyze particles for numerous applications, including health. Also heard from: OHIO’s Community Health Programs, School of Nursing, and culinary services as well as health-minded alumni such as the inventor of cryoplasty and the founder of a medical device company creating a way to block nerve pain. These OHIO people, initiatives, and results—and others included in this edition—improve humanity nearby, nationwide, globally, now and into the future. —Staff report

hio University Culinary Services puts many healthy items on the plates of the 3.8 million meals consumed annually at OHIO. Between September and December, it purchased approximately 1,000 bushels of apples, 135,000 pounds of fresh chicken, 17,000 dozen fresh eggs, 25,000 pounds of deli turkey (99 percent fat-free), and 2,200 pounds of ground beef (81 percent lean)— all from local vendors. Culinary Services also prepares 500,000 pounds of produce annually, makes broths from scratch to reduce sodium, uses only trans-fat-free oil for deep-frying, and makes 92 percent of its baked goods in-house. —Culinary Services staff report

s p r i n g 2 015

• 19

Looking after oneself and others

t a hospital in Middletown, Ohio, an elderly woman struggles to get out of bed. She recently had hip replacement surgery and now faces the challenges of healing and recovery. It’s a daunting time when she could easily become discouraged, if not for the help of her occupational therapist. Elizabeth Stemple, BSS ’15, assists her sister, an occupational therapist, in guiding the woman through the hour of therapy to enable her to carry out her morning routine. “We got her up and ready for breakfast. That seems like such an easy thing to do, but for people recovering from injuries, it takes a long time,” says Stemple, who plans to pursue a career in occupational therapy. “It feels really rewarding to help them become able to return home and to be independent.” The experience confirmed a calling she first felt her senior year of high school while shadowing therapists at two rehab facilities in Cincinnati. Watching the therapists tend to patients, she realized how much of the work entailed genuine care and concern for others. Most of all, she was attracted to the concept of inspiring someone to get up, get motivated, and get stronger. The fit seemed right, but as an incoming freshman, Stemple was unsure how to pursue the necessary education to reach her goal. Ohio University did not have an occupational therapy major and no

existing major matched the prerequisites to pursue graduate study in the discipline. Stemple turned to her advisor and found her solution in the University’s bachelor of specialized studies program. The BSS degree allows students to seek an individualized, multidisciplinary degree tailored to their interests and needs. Students submit a statement of rationale and, with the help of their advisor, map out their coursework and present their plan before a committee. Guided by Tanya Barnett, MA ’12, director of degree programs, Stemple applied to the program and proposed a curriculum that mirrored the prerequisites for a master’s degree in occupational therapy. “The program was my saving grace,” Stemple says. “With BSS, I got to take my courses in science, psychology, sociology, and math. If I had gone for a one-track major, I would have had to take so many courses that are unnecessary for occupational therapy.” Barnett’s support and encouragement and the “approachable, personal nature” of OHIO faculty helped propel Stemple toward her goal. She hopes to apply that same kind of genuine care for people in her future career. “When patients want to give up, I want to show them there is always a reason to make yourself stronger. Like my sister, I hope to be a light, a ray of hope,” she says. » KOREN WETMORE,

Photo by Jasmine Beaubien BSVC ’16

OHIO nursing

20 •

ohiotodayonline.com

The discipline of nursing has been a component of Ohio University since 1968, when the associate degree in nursing was established. In 1975, an RN to BSN online program began. Early on, the means was through microwave distance learning broadcasts. The venture went completely online in 2009. More than 5,000 students are currently enrolled. Admission is open to nurses residing in Ohio, California, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Students utilize online library e-resources throughout the nine nursing courses in this RN to BSN program. OHIO librarians offer help via e-mail and online chat. The BSN program, an on-campus

four-year degree, started in 2009 on the Athens Campus. It expanded to the Chillicothe, Southern, and Zanesville Campuses in 2012. The MSN program began in 2004; a fully online option started in 2009. There’s also a blended track. Graduate nursing programs are planned for OHIO’s new Dublin campus. OHIO granted its first BSN degree in 1976 and its first AS (Associate in Science) in nursing in 1970. —Ohio University School of Nursing staff report LEFT: Tina Clark, a graduate student in the School of Nursing MSN Family Nurse Practitioner program, completed part of her residency at the Grover Center MSN Simulation Lab in February.

Photo by Ben Siegel BSVC ‘02

Senior specialized studies major Elizabeth Stemple lounges in one of her favorite library spots to study. “I love to go to the library,” Stemple said via a phone interview. “It’s the only place where I can get homework done.” —Caption by Na’Tyra Green BSJ ’15

s p r i n g 2 015

• 21

Photo by Courtney Abram BSCHE ’10

Monica Burdick instructs an undergraduate student on a flow cytometry technique. She was one of five OHIO professors recently recognized in Ohio Magazine’s annual “Excellence in Education” section, which honors outstanding teachers at colleges and universities statewide.

The flow of science & health

window into a microscopic world, Ohio University’s stateof-the-art flow cytometer is creating big possibilities for campus researchers and students who, thanks to it, can clearly see the tiny. The device—purchased with funds from a 2010 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to the Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ College of Engineering and Technology, the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the College of Arts and Sciences—enables researchers to study specific types of particles from among diverse groups. Researchers can assess the size, shape, and molecular characteristics of cells and identify particular types based on the particles’ light-scattering properties. Then, using biomolecular tags, researchers can easily target the type of cell they want to study. This capability is critical for Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering Monica Burdick, who uses the instrument in her National Institutes of Health- and NSF-funded cancer research, which she says is a largely collaborative endeavor. “In the cancer stem cell project that I work on with Fabian Benencia from biomedical sciences and David Tees from physics

22 •

ohiotodayonline.com

and astronomy, we’re trying to distinguish small populations within breast cancer cells that may have certain stem cell-like properties,” Burdick says. By discovering ways to identify cancer stem cells, Burdick’s interdisciplinary team is making significant contributions to the emerging field. The scientists hope the research will lead to more accurate diagnoses and effective cancer treatments, Burdick says. Housed in the Academic & Research Center (ARC), a facility shared by the Russ College and the Heritage College, the cytometer connects 74 faculty, researchers, and students—representing four colleges, nine departments, and a multitude of graduate and undergraduate programs—who have been trained as regular users. “Its location in this multiuse, interdisciplinary building has been quite excellent,” Burdick says. “Being here in the ARC and so close to the classrooms—those of us who wish to use it for teaching purposes actually get to do so,” adds Burdick, who uses the cytometer in her courses to expose more than 100 mostly undergraduate students to the wonders and possibilities enabled by the device. » PETE SHOONER

2015 Russ Prize The 2015 Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize, the bioengineering profession’s highest honor, has been awarded to Blake S. Wilson, Graeme M. Clark, Erwin Hochmair, Ingeborg J. Hochmair-Desoyer, and Michael M. Merzenich for engineering cochlear implants (CI) that enable the deaf to hear. Merzenich, a neuroscientist and professor of otolaryngology at the University of California at San Francisco, established some of the neurophysiological underpinnings of present CI designs, making groundbreaking discoveries in multisite stimulation of CIs and neuroplasticity that paved the way to the Advanced Bionics cochlear prosthesis and enabled greater access to and commercialization of CIs. Electrical engineers HochmairDesoyer and Hochmair, cofounders of the leading global hearing implant manufacturer MED-EL Medical Electronics, employed an

engineering-based approach that led to the world’s first microelectronic multichannel CI, considered to be the prototype of modern CIs. Clark, a physician and professor of otolaryngology at the University of Melbourne, designed an implant that would sit flawlessly against the cochlea to stimulate nerve endings correctly, then implanted it in a patient to study and learn how to select the best speech information for deaf adults and children, and how bilateral implants could assist hearing speech in noise. Duke University professor and electrical engineer Wilson developed the “continuous interleaved sampling” system, which made it possible for CI recipients to understand words and sentences with far greater clarity than before and resulted in a rapid expansion in the number of individuals who have received a cochlear implant in one or both ears. —Russ College staff report

Established with a gift to Ohio University from alumnus Fritz Russ, BSEE ’42, HON ’85, and his wife, Dolores (pictured), the biennial Fritz J. and Dolores H. Russ Prize is awarded by the National Academy of Engineering to honor an outstanding bioengineering achievement in widespread use that improves the human condition. The prize, which includes a cash award of $500,000, is the world’s top honor for a bioengineering accomplishment. Photo Courtesy of Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

New translational biomedical sciences doctoral program

ackling healthcare problems often requires ingenuity and collaboration. That’s why Ohio University is recruiting students to a new graduate program designed to prepare professionals for the complex and variable demands of public health and medicine. Graduate students in the recently launched Translational Biomedical Sciences Program will work with faculty mentors from two disciplines (for instance, chemistry and biomedical sciences or mathematics and biomedical engineering) to craft a unique curriculum that aims to improve the health of individuals and the community. The program, the first of its kind in the state of Ohio, intends to focus on how research discoveries inspire diagnostic tools and medicines and prompt changes in policy and education. “For people who want to work in healthcare, this is looking like an attractive option,” says Program Director Sonsoles de Lacalle, an associate professor of biomedical sciences in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. OHIO hopes to enroll six to eight graduate students annually in the program, which accepts applications each January. Recruits come from the Heritage College’s D.O./Ph.D. track, with entrants using the Translational Biomedical Sciences Program to fulfill the Ph.D. component. De Lacalle also is fielding inquiries from prospects in disciplines ranging from nursing to biomedical engineering. For analogous examples that combine disciplines and foster innovations, she cites current creative partnerships at OHIO. Professors in math and biomedical sciences have teamed to calculate the risk of patients on hospital ventilators developing pneumonia. And students and faculty in psychology and social medicine are jointly investigating how perceptions of type 2 diabetes affect treatment. In addition to recruiting students, de Lacalle also seeks graduate faculty members with expertise in different areas in order to broaden student exposure to other topics in and related to the health and medical fields. “We are encouraging people who are interested in the translational approach to contact me,” de Lacalle says. “We need experts who are not necessarily in academia but could bring a lot to the table.” » ANDREA GIBSON BSJ ’94

s p r i n g 2 015

• 23

Keeping performing artists in shape

» CORINNE COLBERT BSJ ’87, MA ’93

24 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Photo by Ben Siegel BSVC ‘02

hen Ohio University MFA acting student Kat Bramley wanted to prepare for the physical demands of portraying the heroine Rosalind in As You Like It last spring on campus, she knew where to get in shape. The Science and Health in Artistic Performance (SHAPe) Clinic applies athletic training techniques to the performing arts. “The athletic trainers at the SHAPe Clinic helped me to recover from [old] injuries and rebuild the stamina that I needed to perform at my full physical capacity,” Bramley said. Available to all performing arts majors at no out-of-pocket cost to them, the SHAPe Clinic opened in August 2013 in a collaboration between the College of Health Sciences and Professions and the College of Fine Arts, with support from the University’s 1804 Fund. Jeff Russell, SHAPe’s director and an assistant professor of athletic training at OHIO, has 30 years of experience in athletic training, much of it with performers. “From my own research and experience, I know that performers are underserved by the healthcare profession,” said Russell, whose doctorate is in dance medicine and science from the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom. “When they do receive care, they are typically unhappy with it because it isn’t specialized for them, or the practitioners do not possess knowledge about caring for artists. Nor do they express an interest in the arts.” The clinic’s staff—all licensed athletic trainers in the graduate athletic training program—treated 270 patients for more than 400 conditions in 2013-14, Russell said. Dance and music majors tend toward overuse injuries such as myofascial pain syndrome, caused by repetitive contractions of muscles; theater majors and members of the Marching 110 usually come in for traumatic injuries (for example, strains, sprains, or concussions). “There is no difference between the exercises we give artists versus ones that would be prescribed to traditional athletes because we consider our artists to be athletes,” Russell said. The SHAPe Clinic incorporates components beyond most athletic training facilities: a dance floor, a ballet barre, and an electronic keyboard. Musicians might be asked to bring their instruments to demonstrate the cause of pain so protocols can be tailored accordingly. The combination of professional care and artistic empathy benefits students such as Stephanie Lamoreau. The sophomore dance major receives treatment three times a week for spondylolysis, affecting the lumbar vertebrae and reducing mobility. “What differentiates the SHAPe Clinic from conventional therapy is their focus on our performing arts background and the overall understanding and interest to get me back in the condition to pursue my performance career,” she said.

The backdrop for Bobcat dance major Stephanie Lamoreau’s gyrations is a mural in the pedestrian/bike tunnel underneath the 2010 roundabout on Richland Avenue in Athens. Æthelred Eldridge, OHIO professor emeritus of painting, created it.

s p r i n g 2 015

• 25

Jon Snyder started Neuros Medical to create proprietary therapies for unmet needs of patients. Photo by Dustin Franz BS ‘10

Alleviating chronic pain

n 2007, Jon Snyder, BSC ’87, read that bioscience companies in northeastern Ohio had raised more venture capital than in any other part of the Midwest. Intrigued by what he called a “robust region for startups,” the budding entrepreneur, whose career encompassed medical device sales, marketing, and operations, moved from Chicago back to Cleveland and in 2008 founded Neuros Medical, a medical device company developing a way to block nerve pain. Relief occurs via delivery of a high-frequency signal that prevents nerves from firing—through an electrode placed around a peripheral nerve and powered by a small generator. This Altius® Electrical Nerve Block, the size of a pacemaker, is implanted in the body. Based on technology licensed from Case Western Reserve University, the device has completed two clinical trials, funded by $11 million from venture capital and strategic industry partners. If

26 •

ohiotodayonline.com

a current study also shows the mechanism to be safe and effective, Snyder will seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to begin selling it to hospitals. Neuros Medical’s initial market is the nearly 1 million Americans suffering from post-amputation pain, Snyder said. Increases in diabetes and peripheral vascular disease mean that number is likely to go up. Other potential uses include postsurgical pain and occipital neuralgia. “Since our technology blocks the pain signal on demand as needed by the patient, it has many other markets we could explore,” Snyder said of his nine-employee firm. He added, “Northeast Ohio is a great example of what a strong ecosystem can do to help produce economic growth.”

» CORINNE COLBERT BSJ ’87, MA ’93

Doing one’s heart good

s a cardiology resident, when James Joye read a paper about cryosurgery for tumor ablation in cancer patients, he marveled that blood vessels in frozen tumors healed with little scarring. Joye wondered if a similar approach would benefit patients with clogged arteries. “In the days preceding stenting, we were all looking for ways to improve on the high recurrence rates with standalone angioplasty,” Joye, DO ’88, and director of research and education at the Heart and Vascular Institute at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View, Calif., wrote via e-mail. “The ‘light bulb’ moment was basically transferring knowledge from one field (oncology) to another (cardiology).” Joye was right; today he is widely credited as the inventor of cryoplasty. Similar to angioplasty, the procedure uses a balloon filled with nitrous oxide instead of saline. Cryoplasty allows for more uniform dilation, and freezing blunts scarring. Envisioning a medical technique, cofounding a startup to develop it, and selling that startup would satisfy many. Not Joye. He remains not only a practicing cardiologist, but also a leading researcher of less invasive heart and vascular procedures— including replacing heart valves without open-heart surgery and conducting bypass surgery in the legs through a catheter, thus avoiding general anesthesia and open incisions. “Clinical research satisfies three key professional needs,” Joye said. “It keeps me academically viable and in tune with the current practice of medicine. It allows me to offer my patients cutting-edge therapies long before they make it to the general marketplace. And it provides me with an outlet for the innovative part of my brain.”

» CORINNE COLBERT BSJ ’87, MA ’93

ABOVE RIGHT: “The program and staff at Ohio University gave me all the building blocks necessary to understand the science behind medicine,” wrote James Joye in an e-mail, and “the delivery of the practice of medicine.” Photo by Peter McCollough BSVC ’08

Some OHIO health graduates There are 2,378 OHIO Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates from 1980-2014 practicing as of January 2015. Of that total, 58 percent practice in Ohio, 48 percent practice in primary care in the U.S., 34 percent practice in a federally designated health professional shortage area (HPSA) or medically underserved areas/populations (MUA/P), and 17 percent practice in primary care in a federally designated HPSA or MUA/P. —Heritage College staff report

s p r i n g 2 015

• 27

Salutary power of images

spiring conservation photojournalist Megan Westervelt, MA ’14, believes images help solve social and healthcare problems. That outlook led her to Ecuador first with the Tropical Disease Institute at Ohio University in summer 2013 to capture efforts to curb the spread of Chagas disease. She returned for the current academic year on a grant through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program to document the fracking of the Amazonian jungle. “I’ve always felt there is a very strong disconnect between science and the general public,” Westervelt said. “Scientists are so often gathering information that is beneficial to the public. But very rarely does the general public take interest in what scientists are doing because they don’t understand it and cannot relate.” She intends to lessen the divide through her work as a photographer. Westervelt, who earned a master’s degree

in photography from OHIO’s School of Visual Communication, summarized her goal when studying with the institute as “look[ing] at all the different aspects of how volunteers and community members were combating Chagas, not only from a medical standpoint, but from social and community development standpoints as well.” She made a short film as her thesis. Chagas disease, named for Dr. Carlos Chagas, the Brazilian physician who discovered it in 1909, is largely unknown in the U.S., although cases have been reported in Texas. It is contracted through the feces of Trypanosoma cruzi, also known as the “kissing bug.” Similar to bedbugs, the parasites typically live in mud, thatch, or adobe huts, hide during the day, and bite victims at night. After sucking the blood of sleeping humans, the organisms defecate. If victims scratch the wound, they may become infected.

Although the disease can be treated in early and asymptomatic stages, most victims aren’t aware of their fate until too late. In acute and chronic phases, the infection can affect healthy tissue of various organs, eventually becoming fatal over 15 to 20 years. As many as 8 million people in South America, Central America, and Mexico have Chagas disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In her time-lapse video, “Tres Mil Ladrillos (Three Thousand Bricks),” (http:// vimeo.com/71397497) Westervelt chronicled the construction of new adobe structures that reduce the spread of the disease through material innovations that block the entrance of the parasite. “The basis of what I did was a documentary on the fight against the spread of the disease by showing the building of structures with the new type of adobe that won’t crack over time and showing how communities are developing alternative sources of income generation,” said Westervelt, who holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental journalism from Colorado State University. “If natives have the capacity to fix their own houses, they have the ability to combat the disease themselves.” Mario Grijalva, institute director and an OHIO alumnus (Ph.D. ’97), wrote via e-mail that “Megan’s compassionate approach and dedication to the work, combined with her amazing artistic and technical abilities, brought to light the struggle of the people that have to live with Chagas disease in southern Ecuador.” Westervelt, in turn, said her involvement in his project made sense because the program supports interdisciplinary collaboration. Maria Jose Carrasco passes an adobe brick to Leslie Cardenas Sevilla during the initial phase of construction of a community center in Bella Maria, Ecuador. They study architecture at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador, which has partnered with the Tropical Disease Institute to fight Chagas disease year-round.

28 •

ohiotodayonline.com

ABOVE: The Tropical Disease Institute also is overseeing construction of a prototype house in Guara. The home requires 3,000 adobe bricks. Day one: 236 large adobe bricks made. BELOW: The Tropical Disease Institute analyzed blood and tissue samples from mammals (bats and squirrels) last summer to determine if they, too, carry the parasite that can lead to Chagas disease. —Megan Westervelt’s blog supplied

Photos by Megan Westervelt MA ’14

caption information.

She added, “I feel so much appreciation for the faculty of the School of Visual Communication for giving me the ability to bridge the gaps through images, because there is nothing as powerful as the image to inform the public.” Westervelt went on to lobby the Ministry of the Environment of Ecuador to enter “intangible areas” of the jungle to follow communities reticent of contact with the rest of the world. She has recently gained entrance to begin her project on documenting the effects of fracking in the jungle.

» ERIN ROBERTS BSJ ’00, BA ’00

Megan Westervelt talks more about the institute, OHIO, and her career at ohio.edu/ ohiotoday/extras.

s p r i n g 2 015

• 29

APP artist Paul Hall takes a snapshot of an art installation outside The Dairy Barn Arts Center in Athens during the project’s fall 2013 introductory photography course. Photo by Lauren Pond MA ‘14

30 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Picturing mental health recovery

he Athens Photographic Project celebrated two milestones recently. The nonprofit—which provides community members living with mental illness opportunities to foster recovery and integration through photography, and which utilizes Ohio University students as teaching assistants—turned 15 this year. The award-winning outreach (acronym APP) also partnered with Hopewell Health Centers as a subcontractor to be reimbursed by Medicaid for supplying germane treatment. “This new alliance will help us expand locally by 35 percent next year,” said APP Executive Director Nate Thomson, BSVC ’02. “It also provides a framework that allows our grassroots model to extend beyond Southeast Ohio.” Founded by regional photographer Elise Sanford, BFA ’88, MFA ’90, CERT ’90, with support from the National Alliance on Mental Illness-Athens, APP began with 10 participants. It has grown fourfold and hosts an annual juried exhibit. Five OHIO undergraduate and graduate students in visual communication and fine arts aid the even smaller staff. Classes meet once or twice a week for two hours. Each year, 85 percent of enrollees complete the program, which includes introductory and advanced levels, said Thomson, who began with APP as a volunteer when he was a photojournalism major. “Artists in our program overcome cycles of isolation and low self-worth and become visible and active in the community,” he said. “The photography shows, public art displays, and the artists themselves are a cultural benefit to the community and an opportunity to reduce public stigma towards mental illnesses,” agreed Earl Cecil, executive director of the 317 Board, which provides alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, and which has helped underwrite APP for years. “The photography and creativity take my mind off things and open up a whole new world and a whole new perspective,” said Beth Klaus, who reports “chronic depression and posttraumatic stress after having grown up with

s p r i n g 2 015

• 31

& EDITOR PETER SZATMARY

32 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Photo by APP artist Sandra Frazier

various forms of abuse.” Engaged with APP periodically from day one and consistently since 2008, Klaus became a mentor in 2009. Her initial subjects included garbage “because that’s what I felt like,” then “character work, with fragments of me, to deal with issues.” Klaus now uses herself as a model in bringing fictional figures to life. School of Visual Communication photojournalism alumna Dijana Muminovic defended her master’s thesis on APP last November. It intended in part to encourage “those who might be silently suffering from whatever disorder,” Muminovic wrote via e-mail, “and trying to find a way to communicate.” » MAKENZIE BOWKER BSJ ’11

OHIO student mental health: A retrospective

hen I arrived at OHIO in 1967, Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS) was only three years old. At that time, most studentclients typically sought help for depression, self-confidence, and relationships. Still others desired to attain greater self-awareness. Today, almost 63 percent of students who seek help at CPS identify anxiety as their primary concern while others struggle with various mood disorders, eating disorders, PTSD, personality disorders, and alcohol/substance abuse. The use of medication to deal with all of these problems led to the addition of two psychiatrists to our staff. The demand for services required CPS to shift from weekly sessions that focused on self-exploration to a brief therapy model where sessions usually occur every other week and emphasize symptom relief and behavioral management. Yet, the average number of annual appointments used by students, 4.5, has hardly changed from the number of sessions students used more than 40 years ago. Last year, approximately 1,900 students sought help at CPS. This demand necessitated a change from traditional intake appointments to daily drop-in/ triage hours where students have an immediate consultation on a first-come, first-served basis for their initial contact. Another significant development has been the growing importance of group therapy. Our group program is robust, offering a chance to explore interpersonal relationships as well as anxiety management, graduate support, emotion regulation, and chronic illness. What is also important to appreciate is that today’s counseling center has evolved into a proactive organization that provides psycho-educational programming, training opportunities for future professionals, and preventive endeavors such as suicide-gatekeeper training. » ALFRED WEINER, OHIO’s director of counseling and psychological services

TOP LEFT, pg. 32: (From left to right) APP artists Tom Foster, Donna Lechleiter, and Gary Cartwright hang an image in APP’s permanent display space at The Market on State shopping center in Athens in February. BOTTOM LEFT, pg. 32: APP artist Beth Smith’s look at West Union Street in Athens formed part of the art program’s 2011-12 “Path” show. TOP, this page: APP artist Jamey Taylor’s entry in the “Path” exhibit. BOTTOM RIGHT, this page: APP artist Katie Krivesti contributed this piece to the outreach organization’s 2013-14 “Revealing Light” exhibition. —Captions by Lauren Pond MA ’14

s p r i n g 2 015

• 33

Photo by Ben Siegel BSVC ‘02

Embodying the humanitarian spirit

ast August, Good Works, Inc., a Christian outreach center in Athens, Ohio, provided its 100,000th night of shelter for those in need. The “community of hope,” as founder and executive director Keith Wasserman, BGS ’81, calls it, feeds more than 21,000 meals to the hungry each year. In 2014, some 1,100 volunteers— community members; students at the primary, secondary, and, especially, college levels; congregants from local flocks as well as regional churches—assisted Good Works in bettering existence for the struggling in rural Appalachia. The notion of “believing people back to life” fuels Wasserman, who didn’t start

13 84 •

ohiotodayonline.com

keeping statistics about his ministry until 1984, and who didn’t draw a salary until then, either. Good Works began in January 1981 in his basement tucked away on Elliot Street, when the-then OHIO senior opened the nonprofit’s doors to its first person without a home. Wasserman—who forsakes the term “homeless” because, he argues, it fuses one’s identity with one’s situation— to this day offers sanctuary at his private residence with his wife of 33 years, Darlene, BFA ’80, a behind-the-scenes presence at Good Works, when the site fills up. A staff of about two dozen oversees efforts focusing on people without homes, children, and widows, approximately 250, 50, and 50

annually, respectively. Good Works offers 20 initiatives, from the Timothy House shelter to the Friday Night Life supper. It also hosts an annual walk to understand dispossession, with hundreds participating, and a Transformation Station in which constituents apply their skills to help others and, as a result, earn points to redeem for items that increase standards of living, everything from vehicles to furniture to appliances. Wasserman stresses four principles: “gratitude, hospitality, living truthfully with each other, and keeping our word.” He also asserts that building relationships buttresses programing. Little gets accomplished

LEFT: Keith Wasserman (center), founder and executive director of Good Works, shares conversation at a recent lunch at Hannah House, its long-term care facility. Volunteers, recipients, and staff commune at these meals several times a week. Good Works also hosts weekly Friday Night Life suppers; 120-150 people without homes as well as people from the community attend these sit-down, family-style occasions. —Caption by Maygan Beeler BSJ ’17

without trust, Wasserman adds. And he insists that the disadvantaged be “clothed in dignity” to allow them to change some parts of themselves while honoring others. The more Good Works—which relies on donations—gives back, the more its beneficiaries do, too, he finds. Devotion to Christianity guides his work. Specifically, he feels called to serve, considers it a privilege to ameliorate. Wasserman spoke with Ohio Today by phone about succor, spirituality, and how the two blend. Edited excerpts follow. Ohio Today: What inspired you to start Good Works?

Keith Wasserman: My faith. I had become a Christian in high school. I grew up in the Jewish community of Cleveland, Ohio— Cleveland Heights and University Heights— and I became a Christian in a little town outside of Dayton called Centerville at the age of 16 going on 17. And my worldview began to change as I read the Bible and I began to realize that God had a value for people. I began to have a similar kind of [way of] looking at people with compassion, and my motivation to help people began to emerge for me. You have to understand, I was a drug addict between the age of 12 to the age of 17, so something was being covered up in that drug abuse era that was revealed and unveiled by faith. OT: The Good Works mission is to “create and sustain a community of hope.” What does that look like?

KW: Well, it’s important to me that people

feel loved and respected. So much of the system that people who are vulnerable have to interact with is harsh. We desire to counter that with compassion, with respect. … To be a community of hope means we can interact with people and they leave us in a much better mental, emotional, and spiritual state than when they first met us. OT: What are some programs offered through Good Works?

KW: One of the more exciting things we’re doing now is Service Living, which is our campus initiative where we’re inviting [about 50] OHIO students to get off campus within the first year and to get into the county and to develop service-based relationships [for people with disabilities, at the end of their lives, or struggling with poverty]. These are not project-based relationships. … I differentiate to say that we want the students to get to know the people … [and their and the region’s] history, values, needs, and beauty. … We [also] now have 19 gardens in the county. We are doing a lot with agriculture and helping people grow their own food. So, we have three community gardens and then the rest are all at homes of widows or citizens who have a disability. … Another very large initiative is our program called Neighbors Helping Neighbors [aiding the elderly or disabled low-income homeowners]. We’ll have 50 groups of volunteers this year. These are people that come from all over Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan, [and] Illinois. They come for weeklong stays. They stay in our dormitories during the summer or long weekends in the fall and spring. Most of these are partnerships with religious communities [and] churches, and they are intergenerational, which is really exciting to us. This is an important value where we have children working alongside adults and service towards others in rural Appalachia.

OT: What’s it mean to be a Bobcat alumnus giving back to the Athens area?

KW: I love Athens. It’s just a wonderful city. I’ve chosen to stay and raise my family here. [The Wassermans have a son, Timothy, 25, a night staffer at Good Works and a volunteer with Central Avenue United Methodist Church. Timothy House was named after him.] I have a great love for Ohio University, and it’s very energizing to work with students for the most part. … The University has been very supportive of me personally and of the institution that I’ve created. So I just have a lot of gratitude. OT: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

KW: First of all, it’s a gift to be invited into relationships with people who are vulnerable. When I see their vulnerability and whether their vulnerability is based on age or disability or a situation, I feel very protective of them. I feel that this is a gift in and of itself. I have power and I pledge to use my power for good. So what gives me joy is to use my power for good and to see someone really experience love and to see their facial expressions change, their countenance change, to see them come into opportunities and believe in them and to see them take advantage of the opportunities they are given or simply to console them or to—as the Bible teaches us—weep with those who weep. … Second to that is facilitating these experiences for others and helping them to grow [as a result]. … As I am present with other volunteers and staff, and we get to experience things together, helping people, or just grieving with people, it does something to our whole sense of community, about who we enjoy being with. And so, you know, the work that we do is hard at times. But it’s a lot easier when you’re doing it with people who share the same love and values for others that you have. » MAKENZIE BOWKER BSJ ’11

s p rfi a n lgl 22001154

19 •• 35

BOBCAT TRACKS for alumni and friends

Peaks & valleys Highs and lows marked early 1980s America. Take 1982. Johnson & Johnson recalled 31 million bottles of Tylenol after seven people died from cyanide-laced pills. A 57-day players’ strike delayed the NFL season. Prince Charles and Princess Diana welcomed their first child, William. E.T. the Extra-terrestrial soared at the cinema. OHIO experienced extremes, too, as the following examples suggest.

36 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Numerous changes occured at OHIO in this era 1. Dean Hilda Richards and Associate Dean Donald Fucci appeared on the cover of the January 1980 issue of “OUtlook,” the University’s newsletter for faculty and staff, with a story about the founding of the College of Health and Human Services. Fucci is professor emeritus of hearing, speech, and language sciences. 2. Richards, seated, returned to campus in 2008 to attend the retirement reception of longtime associate dean Lee Cibrowski, standing. 3. The School of Home Economics was one of three that moved from the College of Education to HHS. Hearing and Speech Sciences moved from the College of Communication. 4. Richards—the first woman and first African American dean at OHIO—was one of five senior women administrators profiled in the fall 1984 issue of Ohio University Today. Women abound in today’s OHIO senior administration: The provost, dean of students, and five deans are women, with many more in the ranks of both academic and administrative units. Photos Courtesy of Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

Up for the challenge

n 1979, Hilda Richards’s former boss advised her to avoid controversy in her first six months as dean of OHIO’s new College of Health and Human Services (renamed the College of Health Sciences and Professions in 2010). Yet she had to remove a beloved female faculty member from an administrative post. Richards broke the news gently, with two other officials as witnesses. When the woman complained of wrongdoing, the witnesses quickly confirmed the truth. Richards further rocked the boat by insisting that male faculty take down offensive posters (of scantilyclad women) and respect female colleagues. It was a bold start for the University’s first female dean and first African American dean of an academic college. “I was always considered a bit of a maverick,” Richards says. “I never took no for an answer, but always responded positively.” She arrived in Athens armed with a wealth of life and work experience and the spirit to tackle whatever challenge arose. Raised in the racist 1950s by a single mom who urged her to reach for the best—including a college education— Richards learned to stand tall and persevere with grace. To watch a video tribute Earning advanced degrees in nursing of Hilda Richards by OHIO, and a doctorate in education, she became go online to ohio.edu/ president of the National Black Nurses ohiotoday/extras Association and served 15 years in nursing before shifting to academia. “I’ve always worked for diversity and inclusion and really believe that education is the way. It’s where I felt I could do the most good,” she says. Richards helped shape the nursing program at Medgar Evers College in New York and ensured funds to sustain it. In her seven years at OHIO, she led the development of academic programs for physical therapy and health administration and established the Hilda Richards Scholarship to benefit a minority student enrolled in the College of Health Sciences and Professions. In 2013, she received the first Ohio University Diversity and Inclusion Medal of Excellence. Indeed, Richards funded scholarships and promoted inclusion on every campus where she worked, including later posts as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and as chancellor of Indiana University Northwest. Ebony magazine named her one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans from 1999 to 2003. Now retired, Richards continues to support and mentor youth. “You have to choose your struggles and where you put your energy,” she says. “I want to be remembered as someone who helped others get good educations.” » KOREN WETMORE

ALSO IN 1982 . . . • Enrollment not only fails to drop as predicted, but actually increases—leading to crowding in residence halls and lines, lines everywhere. • TV lounges fill weekdays at 3 p.m. for mass viewings of the soap opera “General Hospital.” • Students and administrators alike wait to see how Reaganomics—a $41.4 billion reduction in federal spending—would affect financial aid and education funding. • Convicted Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy speaks to a near-capacity crowd in Memorial Auditorium. • The OHIO Hockey Club tops the Midwestern College Hockey League regular season and takes the MCHL tournament crown for the third time in four years. • Under pressure from the black community, the University cancels classes in observance of Martin Luther King Day for the first time. • International students attend OHIO from 90 countries. • Campus fashion favored jeans, T-shirts, and tennis shoes … or a preppy look … or new wave … or urban cowboy, after the 1980 flick of the same name … or Army fatigues. • Gospel Voices of Faith (left) took its show on the road over spring break to Cincinnati, Louisville, and Fostoria. • Almost 1,000 people attended “The Festival of the Nile,” a celebration of Egyptian culture, at Memorial Auditorium. • Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and Harvard Law professor Anthony Lewis spoke in Morton Hall about libel, the First Amendment, and the Supreme Court. — Entries compiled by Corinne Colbert BSJ ’87, MA ’93

ERRATUM: A reference to Edward Vlcek, BS ’64, in the alumni essay about Golden Bobcats in the fall 2014 edition misspelled his last name.

s p r i n g 2 015

• 37

BOBCAT TRACKS for alumni and friends

CONNECTING BOBCAT FRIENDS AND FAMILIES

1. Bill Roach, BSHSL ’10, carried his Bobcat pride all the way to Machu Picchu, Peru. 2. Amy Paul Cassulo, BSJ ’94, made room in her luggage for an OHIO flag to show off on the Great Wall of China. 3. John Seyal, BFA ’09; Kait Whistler Seyal, BFA ’09; and Amber Miller, BSVC ’08, took a trip down memory lane on the steps of Mackinnon Hall, 10 years after meeting on move-in weekend 2004. 4. The Sufferin’ Moses Blues Band—formed in Athens by Brad Huffman, BMUS ’08; Zach Quillen, BMUS ’06; and Bobby Withers, BSC ’11—won the 2014 Lowcountry Blues Challenge in Charleston, S.C. (Sean Harshaw rounds out the quartet.) The band did not advance out of the semifinals at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis in January—but, as Quillen wrote on his Facebook page, “Being one of the top 40 blues bands in the world ain’t too shabby, though.” 5. Paul Rupert, BBA ’89, spent two weeks in Antarctica snowshoeing and watching birds, penguins, and whales. 6. T. J. Simonik, BBA ’07, traveled around Spain last summer,

visiting sites such as the Alhambra. In Barcelona, he met up with Ped Phrompechrut, BBA ’07. 7. Amy Hemmelgarn, BBA ’09; Nikki Klemp, BSSP ’08; Katie Wilson, BBA ’09; Mandy Mazzaro, BSEd ’09; and Carrie Luce, BSHSL ’09, MEd ’12, celebrated birthdays and engagements in Columbus and reminisced about Athens. 8. Carrie A. Holman, BSC ’02, and her sons, Jonathan (in green), 1, and Christian, 21/2, whom she calls “my future Bobcats,” sport OHIO gear. —Compiled by Corinne

Colbert BSJ ’87, MA ’93

Send your photos to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or Ohio Today, 213 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701.

38 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Put a ring on it, again

im Neal, BSEd ’79, cherished his Ohio University class ring. He wore it when marrying his college sweetheart and fellow Bobcat, Anne, AB ’79, in Galbreath Chapel, on June 30, 1979. Neal took it off only for protection’s sake, for example, while on the job for Syracuse University sports medicine. Yet the ring disappeared in September 1981 at a home Syracuse football game. “It was devastating,” Neal said on the phone, recalling fruitless searches. “That ring is symbolic of the great times we had at OHIO.” Last holiday season, after twists and turns—and more than three decades—Neal boasted school jewelry again, thanks to a good Samaritan and the Ohio University Alumni Association (OUAA). A considerate stranger, Jerry Quesada, found the ring in mud outside the Syracuse arena in 1986. Quesada put the keepsake in his wife’s jewelry box and forgot about it—even when moving to Florida a dozen years later and for 28 years total. Upon its rediscovery, he spotted the OHIO imprint and contacted Victoria McFadden (MA ’92), OUAA assistant director of alumni special projects. She entered the engraved initials, class,

and degree into a database and deduced Neal as the probable owner, McFadden explained. When finished sleuthing, she mailed the ring, with Quesada’s business card. Neal quickly rang him. But no happy ending yet. The ring needed resizing. So Neal shipped it to Austin, Texas, to Balfour, the company from which he had purchased the memento for $85. The ring, however, disintegrated during resizing. But the company still had the original mold. Four weeks later, he received a replica, gratis. He proudly wears it—occasionally. “That Ohio University ring really means something to me,” said Neal, who retired as Syracuse’s assistant director of athletics for sports medicine and who does private consulting, “in terms of my education, meeting my wife [an RN at a general hospital], being married on campus.” The legacy continues. Last summer, son Brooks, MSA ’11, also married a Bobcat, Morgan Staley, BSJ ’07, BSSPS ’07, MBA ’10, MSA ’10. Neal concluded, “Maybe the ring is calling me back to Athens.” » SARA JERDE BSJ ’15

ABOVE: Bobcats Tim and Anne Neal pose in Galbreath Chapel, where they got married in 1979. BELOW: They celebrate with son, Brooks, and his wife, Morgan—also OHIO graduates—at their wedding in July in Cincinnati. Photos courtesy of Tim Neal

Photo by Brian Kellogg BSVC ‘02 | briankellogg.com

An exquisite site for your special day Ohio University Inn & Conference Center, the perfect venue for Bobcat weddings An elegant ballroom seats 150. A picturesque courtyard features a gazebo, patio, and fire pit. Menus specialize in fine dining. And there are 139 resplendent rooms and four suites for guests. We offer several packages to help create a lifetime of beautiful memories. 740.589.3705 catering@ouinn.com

s p r i n g 2 015

• 39

BOBCAT TRACKS for alumni and friends

‘61

Ralph Schmoller, BSEE ’61, and his wife, Nancy, finished their third trip around the world. Grand total of countries visited so far: 97. They reside in Rolling Hills, Calif.

at 50: An Annotated Bibliography with Lessons” at several sites. He teaches at Twin Valley Behavioral Healthcare in Columbus, Ohio, and lives with his wife, Rebecca, in Johnstown.

‘62

Arthur Stellar, BSEd ’69, MEd ’70, PhD ’73, joined the board of trustees of the Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School in Marlborough, Mass. A vice president of the National Education Foundation, he lives in Hingham, Mass. Stellar also has been a superintendent of several schools and a former national president of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Charles Beiling, BSIT ’62, a general contractor and developer, has four current housing developments. He and his wife, Sandra, live in Columbiana, Ohio, and have four daughters and 16 grandchildren.

‘67

Larry Sassano, BBA ’67, president of Florida’s Great Northwest, an economic development organization, and host of a regional TV show of the same company name, interviewed Amy Stidham Miller, BSJ ’87, head of the Port of Pensacola, during a 30-minute broadcast of the program.

‘69

David Keck, BSEd ’69, MEd ’71, presented his “JFK

‘70

Randy Mendat, BBA ’70, now works as a CPA at Nexsen Pruet, a law firm, after 28 years at Bank of America. He and his wife, Ginger, BSEd ’70, who retired from the Charlotte school system, live in Charlotte, N.C.

Available at the Bobcat Store online: bobcatstore. ohioalumni.org

‘71

Earl Stein, BGS ’71, retired after 25 years as co-owner of Corky & Lenny’s American and Eastern European restaurant and deli in Cleveland, Ohio. He looks forward to spending more time with his wife, children, and grandchildren.

‘72

Amy Camardese, BSEd ’72, was promoted to professor at Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pa. She also chairs the education department.

‘73

Maxine Landau Drapkin, BSEd ’73, retired after 34 years as an ESL teacher and high school counselor for the Los Angeles Unified School District. She operates an Etsy business called “MADSewingLady” and resides in Henderson, Nev. Ken Rusche, BSEd ’73, was inducted into the Reading (Ohio) 2014 Athletic Hall of Fame. Class of ’69, he earned three varsity letters in football and two in golf. Rusche has been an assistant athletic trainer for the Detroit Lions and Houston Oilers in the NFL and the Cincinnati Reds in MLB, athletic trainer for the USA swim team, and director of Christ Hospital Sports Medicine Institute. He is cofounding partner of Oxford Physical Therapy Centers and has been a board member of the Ohio University Alumni Association.

‘74

LIMITED EDITION PRINTS

Do you like OHIO best when nature colors it white or green? Artist Betsy Ross Koller’s Winter at Ohio University marks the second in a series of four seasonal paintings of the Green by the OHIO alumna. The first (bottom) is Homecoming at Ohio University.

All proceeds support the Appalachian Scholars Program: ohio.edu/omsar/ appalachian/

OHIOLEGACY.ORG |

OHIO UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF GIFT PLANNING |

4 0 • o h i o t o dayo n l i n e . c o m

Timothy Finton, BA ’74, was appointed to the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem. He resides in Bethesda, Md.

‘75

Judy Beckman, MFA ’75, was crowned Ms. Ohio Senior America 2014 at the TriState Pageant (Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania). For the talent portion, she performed a martial arts routine to music. Beckman resides in Ashville, Ohio, and teaches art and art history at Columbus State Community College. Daniel Conner, AB ’75, ran the Boston Marathon last April, with “a lot of Bobcats along the course cheering me on,” he reports. Conner lives in Columbus, Ohio.

@OUGIFTPLANNING

‘76

Kenneth Dixon, BSJ ’76, won first place in the general interest category for newspapers

with a circulation of 50,000 or more in the National Society of Newspaper Columnists annual competition for 2014. He covers the Connecticut state Capitol for Hearst Connecticut Newspapers. Laura Pritchard, BFA ’76, displayed her batik paintings at the Rosenfeld Gallery annual small works show in Philadelphia, Pa. She resides in Glenside, Pa.

‘78

Charles Denton, AB ’78, was recognized by Michigan Super Lawyers once again for his work in environmental litigation, insurance coverage, and alternative dispute resolution. He is a partner in the Grand Rapids, Mich., office of Barnes & Thornburg.

‘79

James Mertes, MBA ’79, retired as vice president of labor relations of Domtar, a manufacturer of fiber-based products, after 40 years in the paper and pulp industry. He resides in Ft. Mill, S.C., with his wife, Holly.

‘81

Katherine Leisering, PhD ’81, won third place for poetry in the 2014 Writers-Editors Network International Writing Competition. Her “Verses Scribbl’d in My Burning House” parodies Anne Bradstreet’s “Verses upon the Burning of Our House, July 10th, 1666.” Leisering lives in Parkersburg, W.Va.

‘82

Kurt Kuffner, AB ’82, is now the environmental, health, and safety coordinator at Omni Manufacturing, Inc., a tooling concern in St. Marys, Ohio. Kuffner’s previous jobs include Auglaize County (Ohio) county administrator and St. Marys City Schools business manager.

‘84

Ronald Teplitzky, AB ’84, was named 2015 Lawyer of the Year for Cleveland banking and finance law by Best Lawyers. Winner of numerous previous honors, he is a principal in the Cleveland office of Singerman, Mills, Desberg & Kauntz Co., L.P.A.

‘85

Tracey Washington Bagley, BSC ’85, is a producer for ABC-TV in New York City. She has earned six mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards over the course of her career.

Athletic fitness The 1984 edition of The Athena Yearbook referenced Bobcat health, too—through sports. In this photo, wrestler Marcellino “Moose” Moss, a freshman from Miami, Fla., received treatment for an arm injury. He wound up as OHIO’s top finisher in the MAC championships that year, in fourth place. On the same page, a secondary photo (not shown) is a close-up of a notable joint under care. The caption states, “Taping injuries for support becomes second nature to the trainers. This trainer is taping Caroline Mast’s ankle before the Central Michigan basketball game.” Mast, BSEd ‘86, would eventually be named MAC Player of the Decade for the 1980s and be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. Photo courtesy of Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

‘86

Sheila Gray, BSC ’86, became morning anchor at WKRC-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio. Also a national correspondent for Sinclair Broadcast Group, she lives in Crestview Hills, Ky., with her husband, Ric.

‘89

Kathy Anne Johnson Bowles, MFA ’89, was appointed vice president for advancement at Warren Wilson College. She also curated the exhibit, “Scent of the Pine, You Know How I Feel: North Carolina

Art from the Jonathan P. Alcott Collection,” for the Longwood (University) Center for Visual Arts and wrote the accompanying catalogue. And her multimedia artwork, from a series entitled “Confrontational Melancholy,” was in a group show at Adams State University Colorado. Wendy Brown Chapkis, BSJ ’89, signed on as a voice for Pandora Internet Radio ads. Recent spots include Celebrity Cruises in the Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, and

San Francisco markets. She and her husband, Evan, live in Tampa, Fla.

‘90

Yolanda Armstrong, BSH ’90, was named president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cleveland. A 24-year veteran in social service administration, she most recently served as director of community relations and organizational diversity at OhioGuidestone community services. Robert Walter, AB ’90, MA ’92, is now assistant director of the Washington internship program at College at Brockport-State University of New York.

‘91

Julia Allen, BSC ’91, was named one of the 201415 “Go Red Real Women/Go Red for Women” spokespeople for the American Heart Association. She is a two-time heart-attack survivor. Allen lives in Charlotte, N.C. David Newman, BGS ’91, was named the National Association of Tobacco Outlets 2014 Pinnacle Retailer of the Year. He resides in Canfield, Ohio. Lucian Spataro, Jr., MS ’91, PhD ’93, was named president and COO of FlipSwitch, an online education technology company. He most recently had been president and CEO of the Joe Foss Institute for

national civics education and, before that, chief operating officer for Edgenuity, an educational software and service provider. Spataro resides in Scottsdale, Ariz.

‘92

Danielle Giddens Hodges, AB ’92, married her husband, John, on Jan. 3, 2014. The couple live in Tallapoosa, Ga.

‘93

Rob Demovsky, BSJ ’93, took a job at ESPN to cover the Green Bay Packers of the NFL after 15 years at the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Renee Standera, BSJ ’93, is a digital media content reporterproducer at WIS-TV in Columbia, S.C.; the position is a companywide prototype for station owner, Raycom Media.

‘94

Anthony Petruzzi, AB ’94, was named to the list of The Best Lawyers in America and recognized as an Ohio Super Lawyer for 2015. He practices white-collar criminal defense, corporate investigations, and business litigation for Tucker Ellis in Cleveland.

‘95

Mary Caffrey Knapke, BSJ ’95, BA ’95, and her husband, Brian, welcomed their son, Alexander James, on June 5. He joins big brother Thomas Joseph, Oct. 10,

A CAMPAIGN FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE Invest in students. Invest in academics. Invest in OHIO Athletics.

The goal of the Campaign for Academic Excellence is to raise $6 million to construct a new athletic academic center in the north end zone of Peden Stadium. Fundraising began in September 2014. As of March 1, more than 200 donors have contributed $4 million. The campaign ends on Dec. 31. For more information about the Perry and Sandy Sook Academic Center, or to donate, call 740.593.1176 or visit OhioBobcatClub.com/AcademicCenter.

s p r i n g 2 015

• 41

BOBCAT TRACKS for alumni and friends

2011. Both boys came home through Adoption Link in Yellow Springs, Ohio. The family resides in Troy, Ohio. Robin Diamond Miller, AB ’95, became a partner at the Cincinnati office of Ulmer & Berne law firm. She focuses on complex commercial litigation. B. David Ridpath, MSA ’95, associate professor and Kahandas Nandola Professor of Sports Administration at OHIO, is on sabbatical as a visiting professor and Fulbright Scholar at the University of Bayreuth, Germany. He is researching European sports clubs. Tracey Doebling Williams, MEd ’95, was appointed executive director of Delta Gamma Fraternity, a sisterhood devoted to doing good. She had been assistant executive director since 2007 and has worked in the executive office in Columbus, Ohio, since 1996. Williams lives in

Dublin with her husband, Scott, and two daughters. George Zamary, BSC ’95, joined the law firm of Buechner, Haffer, Meyers and Koenig in Cincinnati, Ohio. He focuses on business and corporate law, commercial litigation, construction law, estate planning, election law, and labor and employment.

‘96

Eric Jon Howland, BSIT ’96, a lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force, assumed command of the Heavy Airlift Squadron, Papa AB Hungary.

‘97

Catherine Carson, AB ’97, became a partner at Cole, Scott & Kissane, P.A. law firm in Orlando, Fla. Her practice encompasses all aspects of insurance and general liability defense; she also has experience in intellectual property litigation.

Ireland July 5–15

Cruising the Canary Islands May 5–13

Town & Country Oxford with Downton Abbey July 11–19

Essential Europe May 15–June 2

Oceania Cruise—Baltic Marvels Aug. 19–27

Great Journey Through Europe June 12–24

Spain—Valencia & Barcelona Sept. 14–23

Oceania Cruise—Pearls of the Mediterranean June 15–23

Village Life in Dordogne Sept. 17–25

Northern National Parks June 26–July 3

American Queen—Country Music Oct. 17–25

Lifestyle Explorations in Italy June 26–July 25

Oceania Cruise—Pacific Dreams of the Tahitian Islands Jan. 25–Feb. 4, 2016

For information, call 740.593.4300 or visit ohioalumni.org/travel.

ohiotodayonline.com

Jeff Baran, BA ’98, MA ’98, was sworn in as a commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to a four-year term. Previously, he spent 11 years at the U.S. House of Representatives, most recently as staff director for Energy and Environment for the Democratic staff of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. He lives in Arlington, Va. Joseph Donatelli, BSJ ’98, is senior editor at playboy.com. He lives in Los Angeles, Calif., with his wife, Jen Jones, BBA ’98. Jarrett Dunbar, BSJ ’98, was hired as Nationwide’s public relations consultant for the insurance company’s sports sponsorship team. He resides in Orient, Ohio.

‘99 Village Life in Dordogne Sept. 17-25

42 •

‘98

Timothy Seidel, BSJ ’98, and his wife, Allison, welcomed their second child, Raylan Harold-Joseph, on Feb. 2, 2014. The baby weighed 7 lbs., 15 oz. The family lives in Pittsburgh, Pa.

2015-16 TOURS The Divine Coast—Amalfi May 5–13

Jeff Johnson, BSJ ’97, is a certified Project Management Professional. He and his wife, Ulrike, live near Princeton, N.J., with their two sons.

Hilary Bendik, BA ’99, was named a Pennsylvania Rising Star by Pennsylvania Super Lawyers for the second straight year (2014 and ’13). She practices family law at the matrimonial law firm of Bunde, Gillotti, Mulroy & Shultz in Pittsburgh. Alexander Sarady, BA ’99, joined the Cleveland, Ohio, office of Weltman, Weinberg & Reis Co., a creditor representation law firm. The attorney practices in consumer collections.

‘00

Building homecoming one brick at a time Red bricks shape Ohio University. They form historic Cutler Hall; pave the trails that Margaret Boyd and John Newton Templeton, the first female and first black graduate, respectively, took across College Green; lead to uptown attractions; and adorn the four new residence halls opening on the Athens Campus in August. Hence the theme for Homecoming 2015: “Same Bricks, Different Stories.” “Bricks evoke the University’s charm and tradition,” said Dawn Werry, director of external relations at the Ohio University Alumni Association. “We’re linking a beloved icon to a popular event.” Nathan Bodiker’s winning logo from the Homecoming design contest “reflects this tribute beautifully,” said Brian Heilmeier, assistant director of student activities at the Campus Involvement Center. “Its color and texture illustrate the significance of the bricks.” Bodiker, a junior music production major, earned a prize valued at $100 in the second annual competition. Homecoming 2015 occurs Oct. 5-10. Go online to ohio.edu/ homecoming. » HAILEE TAVOIAN

Shane Caswell, MSPE ’00, PhD ’03, was promoted to full professor of athletic training at George Mason University, where he also serves as executive director of its sports medicine assessment research and testing lab. His wife, Amanda Caswell, PhD ’04, was promoted to associate professor and coordinates the athletic training education program at the same school.

strategic communications; she is responsible for strategic integrated programming across consumer marketing and corporate branding accounts.

Katie Harcourt Feltz, BSJ ’00, was promoted to senior vice president at the Chicago office of MSLGROUP

Meghan Miller Olszko, BSS ’01, a media consultant with Time Warner Cable Media, and Nathan Olszko,

‘01

Megan Hensler Gramke, BSJ ’01, was named a partner at the Cincinnati office of Ulmer & Berne law firm. She focuses on product liability defense.

Jennifer Novotny Mulrooney, BSJ ’05, BA ’05, married Jeffrey Mulrooney on April 29, 2014, at St. Mary’s Church in Dingle, County Kerry, Ireland. Both spouses are practicing attorneys; they live in Pittsburgh, Pa.

‘06 One, two, three … times two Yes, you’re seeing double. Or triple, twice. Two sets of Bobcat parents had triplets! The proud parents sent a photo of them in OHIO finery and answered an e-mail question about their emerging personalities. The progeny of Jason Raabe, BSSP ’00, and Abbe Hafer, BBA ’01, arrived on Sept. 18. Paw babies, left to right: Greyson is “patient and happy,” William “Mr. Personality, loud and vocal,” and Logan “high energy, able to do pushups.” Daniel Shannon, BBA ’06, and Jessica Thrall Shannon, BBA ‘06, debuted their trio on Oct. 28. Sitting babies, left to right: Emma is “smiling and happy,” Brayden “talkative,” and Peyton “hard to please.” —Editor Peter Szatmary Send your photos to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or Ohio Today, 213 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701-2979.

BSME ’02, an engineer at HWH Architects Engineers Planners, married on Oct. 4. They live in Cleveland, Ohio. The wedding party included Cara Caven Fisher, BSH ’01, MBA ’14; Emily Fritz Boggs, BBA ’01; Shannon Burckart, BA ’01; Brian Sierleja, BS ’02; Matthew Welsh, BBA ’01; and Jason Fondran, BBA ’01.

‘03

‘02

Tracy Liszkay Smith, BA ’03, married Christopher Smith in Rochester, N.Y., where the couple live, on July 5, 2014.

Alison Warren Bridge, BA ’02, received the 2014 Diversity Educator of the Year Award for Talawanda School District in Oxford, Ohio, as a community school liaison in the Butler County Success Program. She now is a high school counselor for the Hamilton (Ohio) City School District. Alison Duff McGrath, BSIH ’02, and her husband, Derek, welcomed a daughter on April 3, 2014. They reside in Columbus, Ohio. Dana Varner, BS ’02, CERT ’02, became the science coordinator for the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture (RWBJV), a public-private partnership protecting Nebraska wetlands. Her position, located in both Grand Isle and Lincoln, developed through an alliance between the RWBJV, the Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Erin Hause Hollon, BSEd ’03, studied community-based efforts to preserve Bornean species along the Kinabatangan River in eastern Malaysia last summer through Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course. She teaches at South Mifflin STEM Academy in Columbus, Ohio.

Amanda Leff Ritchie, BSJ ’06, is the communication manager at the national law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott. She and her husband, Andrew, reside in Pittsburgh, Pa. Dana Sanders, BA ’06, accepted a position with the U.S. Department of State as a Foreign Service Officer after five years with the FBI. Amber Nicole Snowden, BA ’06, MPA ’09, is now the communications and project manager for the Center for State and Local Government Excellence and the public policy coordinator for the International City/County

Join our

Management Association in Washington, D.C. Lauren Wulker, BSSP ’06, studied evolution, biodiversity, and human intervention in the Amazon last summer through Miami University’s Earth Expeditions global field course. She teaches science at Archbishop McNicholas High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

‘07

Kevin Marchaza, BA ’07, joined the Cleveland law firm of Gallagher Sharp as an associate in the professional liability and business and employment practice groups. Margaret Quinlan, MA ’07, PhD ’09, CERT ’09, associate professor of communication and core faculty member of the health psychology Ph.D. program at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and her husband, James M. Carbone, Jr., welcomed a baby girl, Sweeney, on Oct. 22.

OPT-in list

& receive 18.04% off your next purchase!

‘04

Mae E. Klingler, BSJ ’04, released her first full-length record, The Mighty Small (Shake a Leg Record; iTunes). The singer/ songwriter resides in Cincinnati, Ohio. Kelly Holl Poole, BBA ’04, married Josh Poole on Nov. 8 in Louisville, Ohio. Erin Lahr, BBA ’04, was maid of honor. The Pooles live in Medina, Ohio.

‘05

Jerry Johnson, EdD ’05, became chair of the Department of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership at the University of West Florida. He earlier was a high school English teacher and principal and served as policy research director for the Washington, D.C.-based Rural School and Community Trust.

ohioalumni.org/bobcat-store-signup

s p r i n g 2 015

• 43

BOBCAT TRACKS for alumni and friends

‘08

What’s new? Share your news with fellow alumni by completing this form and mailing it to Ohio Today, 213 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701-2979; sending an e-mail to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or a fax to 740.597.9070; or visiting ohioalumni.org/submit-a-class-note. Name ...........................................................................................................................

First

Middle initial

Maiden

Last

Degree and graduation year ........................................................................................................................... ID number (top line of your Ohio Today mailing label) .......................................................................................................................... Spouse’s name ........................................................................................................................... Degree and graduation year (if an Ohio University alum) ........................................................................................................................... Address ........................................................................................................................... Street

........................................................................................................................... City

State

ZIP

Home phone ........................................................................................................................... Business phone ........................................................................................................................... Email address ........................................................................................................................... News you’d like to share: ........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ........................................................................................................................... ...........................................................................................................................

Editorial offices are at 213 McKee House, 1 Ohio University, Athens, OH 45701-2979. Send questions, comments, ideas, and submissions (such as Bobcat tracks, future Bobcats, and alumni books) to that address, email to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or call Editor Peter Szatmary at 740.593.1891. Make address changes at ohio.edu/alumni or via Advancement Services, WUSOC 168, Athens, OH 45701-0869. Send in memoriam details to the latter. The OHIO switchboard is 740.593.1000.

44 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Ashley Freed Dinger, BSHC ’08, and her husband, Kyle Dinger, BSEd ’09, welcomed twin boys on July 21. They reside in Asheville, N.C. Michael Kuhn, BSS ’08, was promoted to program director of Wellspring Family Services, an outpatient community mental health agency. He oversees services in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Samantha Shaffner, BSS ’08, was named the 2015 Outstanding High School Educator by the Ohio Council of Teachers of English Language Arts. She teaches 10-12th grades and is department head at Franklinton Preparatory Academy in Columbus. Nick Stanich, BS ’08, CERT ’08, is the director of Franklinton Gardens, a nonprofit urban farm in Columbus, Ohio. Drew Stetson, BBA ’08, was promoted to senior account manager at Marketing Werks, a Chicago-based consumer engagement firm that’s part of CROSSMARK, a sales and marketing services company.

‘09

Caitlin Graham Felvus, BSJ ’09, joined the Cincinnati office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister law firm. She is an associate in the litigation practice group. Doug Uhrig, BSIH ’09, obtained certification from the American Board of Industrial Hygiene. He resides in Ocoee, Fla.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Ohio Today is published three times a year. Ohio Today Online comes out twice a year at ohiotodayonline.com. Both are produced by University Advancement, with funding from The Ohio University Foundation. Views expressed in them do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the staff or University policies.

Jonathan Brauer, BA ’08, MS ’10, married Lauren Kolesar, BSS ’09, on June 21 at ThornCreek Winery and Gardens in Aurora, Ohio. They reside in Sagamore Hills, Ohio.

‘10

Jenielle Hunt Daugherty, BSAT ’10, married Mitchell Daugherty, BSRS ’12, on May 17 in Pittsburgh, Pa. The couple reside in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he’s a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and an explosive ordnance disposal technician. David Gallagher, BSME ’10, accepted a job as a product excellence engineer, powertrain, at Tesla Motors in Mountain View, Calif.

Ashley Poitinger, BSEd ’10, is in her first season as assistant coach for the swimming and diving program at Gilmour Academy, a preK-12th grade Catholic school in Gates Mills, Ohio. She also is a teacher counselor at the Positive Education Program for troubled and troubling students in Cleveland. Maggie Settle, BA ’10, was selected as one of 31 participants from hundreds of applicants for the urban Richmond Teacher Residency, a graduate teacher program at Virginia Commonwealth University. Residents commit to a four-year service to Richmond (Va.) Public Schools. She co-teaches social studies alongside a master teacher at Thomas Jefferson High School.

‘12

Terence Caldwell, BBA ’12, is now a certified public accountant, having passed requisite exams. He works in the Marietta, Ohio, office of Rea & Associates, a regional accounting and business consulting firm, as a senior accountant on its tax team.

‘13

Eric Bartels, MSA ’13, was named 2014-15 president of the Central Florida chapter of the American Marketing Association. Max Monnig, BFA ’13, was accepted as an actor into the 2014-15 Actors Theatre of Louisville (Ky.) Apprentice/ Intern Company. More than 2,000 people applied for 20 acting apprenticeships and 17 internships for the current (43rd) season.

‘14

Denver Fowler, EdD ’14, was named the 2015 Ohio Assistant Principal of the Year by the Ohio Association of Secondary School Administrators and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. He is assistant principal at Gahanna Middle School South. —Compiled by Sara Jerde BSJ ’15 and Maygan Beeler BSJ ’17. Jeff Baran item by Brian Vadakin BA ’15.

JOIN YOUR OHIO UNIVERSITY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION FOR ON THE GREEN WEEKEND

A spring Homecoming featuring academics and the arts, OTG will include activities for the entire OHIO community, alumni and their families, and those celebrating class milestones and special reunions.

EA RLY BIR DS

WE DNE SDAY, MAY 27- FRIDAY, MAY 29

The History of the Undergroun d Railroad in Southeast Ohio Tour Little Cities of the Black Diamond Tour Major Works of Art on Campus Tour Alumni College courses such as … • How Did We Get Here?: Highlig hts of Ohio University History by author Bett y Hollow • Censoring the News During WWII by Professor Michael S. Sweene y • Digital Detox: Understanding the Benefits of Unplugging and Reconnecting with Nature by Assistant Professor Andrew Szolosi • Healthy Aging by Professor Bria n Clark … And many more! OTG Filmfest at The Athena 1965: Thunderball and The Sou nd of Music 1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo ’s Nest and Jaws 1985: Goonies and Back to the Future Filmfest Matinee: Pride Ohio University Lancaster Theatre presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee A musical comedy at the Baker Center Theater

SAT URDAY, MAY 30- SUN DAY , MAY 31

Bobcat Dash 5K Color Run Brunch Celebration Golf Outing at the Ohio Univers ity Golf & Tennis Center Decade Reunions on Court Stre et “OH, I dO” vow renewal at Galb reath Chapel

MAY 27-31, 2015 For more details, visit:

ohio.edu/alumni/onthegreen/

IN MEMORIAM remembering fellow alumni

1930s

Myrtle V. Gue Leak, ELED ’30 Mary E. Rannells Gabel, BSED ’31 Frances J. Abruzzino Eckert, AB ’34 Hilda G. Morse McPherson, BSED ’34 Dorothy N. Michael Minister, AB ’36 Robert D. Sweet, BSED ’36 Lois A. Burger, AB ’37 Lucille (Alice) Dutton Faris, BSED ’37 Robert C. Schmid, AB ’37 Marcella G. Willis Mosier, ELED ’38 Barbara L. Silver Belknap, BSED ’39 Robert A. Felmly, BSEE ’39 Marjorie Emrick Monson, BSS ’39 Kathryn Wright Shepard, ELED ’39

1940s

John Duffy Jr., BSAGR ’40 Donald I. Smith, BSEE ’41 Evelyn A. McGuire Watts, ELED ’41, BSED ’44 Mary E. Winner, BSED ’41 Virginia N. Keairns Barker, BSED ’42 Euphemia Shaw Grey, BSED ’42 Margy Semenow Hahn, BFA ’42 Dorothy Brazel Morris, BSS ’42 Ruth M. Beck Wrixon, BSED ’42 Warren F. Cecil, BSCOM ’43 Barbara Brown Cresswell, BSED ’43 Robert L. Johnson, BSED ’43, MED ’53 Esther Balfour Oshman, BSHEC ’43 Jeanne Remsen Pierce, BS ’43 Betty Chester Rickey, BSHEC ’43 Edna L. Wodarksy Simmerly, BS ’43, BSCE ’44 Anna L. Kibble Everly, ELED ’44, BSED ’45 Ruth A. Driscoll Hallman, BSED ’44 Bette Richards McClelland, KP ’44, BSED ’46 Amelia I. Potts Muhlbach, BSED ’44 Martha A. Hoisington Eachus, General ’45 Arthur P. Ellis, General ’45 Janeth S. Winter Larson, BSJ ’45 Verdin A. Moll Jr., ’45 Janis Poole Brazee, BFA ’46 Margaret J. Scott Hommel, BS ’46, MED ’71 Omar Perez, AB ’46 Harold F. White, BSCOM ’46 Margaret A. Woods Koehler, BSED ’47 Mary E. Patton, AB ’47 Phyllis A. Taylor Pung, BSED ’47 Wilbur W. Troland, BSJ ’47 Robert R. Baur, BS ’48 Ben E. Evans, BSCE ’48 Paul Kleefeld, BSCOM ’48 Anthony P. Palermo, BSED ’48 William E. Sprague, BS ’48 Barbara L. Pritchard Szalay, BFA ’48 Jean L. Mickle Watkins, BSS ’48 Marilyn A. Mattson Arnold, AB ’49

46 •

ohiotodayonline.com

Willard N. Brooks, BSAGR ’49 Victor W. D’Amato, AB ’49 George E. Gove Jr., BSCOM ’49 Joan L. Maseritz Hartman, BSS ’49 James L. Hontas, AB ’49 J. W. Jeffers, BSCOM ’49 Omer W. Johnson, BSJ ’49 Henry A. Larson, BSCHE ’49 Treva A. McConahay, BS ’49 James J. Murray Jr., BSCOM ’49 George W. Peckham, BSIE ’49 Eloise M. Schill, BSCOM ’49 Thomas P. Semancik, BSCE ’49 Howard P. Seubert, BSIE ’49 Robert J. Sheskey, BSED ’49, MED ’72 Donald E. Souder Jr., MS ’49 Donald R. Ward, BSCE ’49 John F. Webb, BSCOM ’49 Chester A. Widger, BSCOM ’49 Patricia A. Bauereiss Widger, BSED ’49 Clyde E. Willis Jr., BS ’49, MS ’50

1950s

Alfred P. Ahart, BSCE ’50 James J. Bruss, BSJ ’50 Douglas A. Campbell, BSED ’50 William Capito, BSED ’50, MED ’51 Howard E. Carmean, AB ’50 Harold E. Cecil, BSCOM ’50 Wayne Claassen, BSCE ’50 Carol Mack Endsley, BSCOM ’50 Charles T. Faneuff, BSED ’50 Robert E. Forsythe, BFA ’50 Catherine V. Gontero, BSED ’50 Betty L. Bascom Humphrey, AB ’50 James J. Kabat, BSED ’50, MED ’54 Wallace E. Knight, MA ’50 Jack Gerald Schaffer, BSED ’50 John F. Weissgarber, BSIE ’50 James M. Wielgos, BSED ’50 Shirley Baxter Berndsen, AB ’51 Sara Lee Roach Evans, BSED ’51 Robert L. Force, BSED ’51, MED ’60 Doris J. Brunn Francis, BSED ’51 Dorothy A. McConnell Harris, AB ’51 Robert J. Havel, BSJ ’51 Doris Hull Johnson, General ’51 Lora Anne Routsong McCutcheon, BFA ’51 Mary E. McKenzie Miller, BSED ’51 Betty L. Houser Pomeroy, BSED ’51 Donald F. Ryan, BSED ’51 James J. Salem, BSED ’51 William D. Senft, BSED ’51 H. Thomas Somerville, BSED ’51, MED ’57 Richard D. Stelling, BFA ’51 James B. Thomas, BSCOM ’51 Dewey E. Todd, BSED ’51, MED ’67 Robert J. Weidner, BSCOM ’51 William H. Barton, BSED ’52 Nancy A. Schnoor Circle, BFA ’52 Sue Hamric Hickman, BSED ’52 John R. Lynch Jr., BSCOM ’52

Milton E. Lyon, ’52 Tony Svet Jr., BSJ ’52 Samuel D. Carpenter, BSCOM ’53 Robert G. Ewing, BSCOM ’53 Martha A. Christman Graf, General ’53 Norma McCally Kipp, BSJ ’53 William A. Klauber, BSJ ’53 Donald P. Stoos, BSCOM ’53 Philip R. Enoch, BFA ’54 Clyde R. Fobes, BSCOM ’54 Phillip A. Harwood, BSCE ’54 John R. Heter, MA ’54 Daniel I. Lechner, BSCOM ’54 James E. Martin, BSCOM ’54 Patricia A. Weaver Miller, BSED ’54 Curtis W. Phipps, BSCHE ’54 James R. Rhodes, MFA ’54 Kenneth W. Walters, BSCOM ’54 Herbert Wojcik, BSCOM ’54 Thomas Hudson Bay, BSME ’55 Donald E. Bobo Sr., BSME ’55 Henrietta B. Semans, AA ’55 Robert L. White, BSED ’55 Thomas G. Worcester, BS ’55, MS ’59 Harry B. Bates, BSCOM ’56 Frank H. Bauer, BSEE ’56 Robert D. Blackham, AA ’56 Janet Kapl Carpenter, BSED ’56 Joseph S. Carpino, AB ’56 John T. Evans, AB ’56 Lois A. Laub Fox, BSSS ’56 Kenneth L. Heichel, BFA ’56 Roger Klever, BSCOM ’56 Barbara Setty Moore, BFA ’56 Hedy (Margarete) Hens Nash, AB ’56 Rowland M. Okafor, BSCE ’56 George Poffenbarger II, BSCOM ’56 Herald L. Roettger Jr., BSED ’56 Michael P. Stronz, BSJ ’56 Charles W. Beringer, BS ’57 Michael J. Cervenak, BS ’57 Lewis E. Cook, General ’57 Philip Henderson, AB ’57 Jerry Kelly, BCOM ’57 Carole A. Jacobs Kircher, BSJ ’57 Peggy McGregor, BSHEC ’57 Kenneth W. Riley, BSAGR ’57 Robert W. Schmeding, MA ’57, PHD ’62 Joan Wright Bair, BFA ’58 Jerry L. Keim, BFA ’58 Thomas G. Levy, BSJ ’58 James J. Marek, BSJ ’58 Mary A. Steffancin, BSJ ’58 Earl T. Trimble, BSCOM ’58 Lt. Col. Edward M. Walters, AB ’58 Homer O. Wolfe Jr., BSME ’58 Doris E. Axe Applegate, BSED ’59 Margaret L. Phillips Ferrara, MFA ’59 Robert L. Henry, BSED ’59 Daniel T. Langdale, BFA ’59 John H. Pollock, BSCOM ’59 Mary S. Cosgrove Roby, BFA ’59 Ann Leightenheimer Shepherd, BSED ’59 Donley D. Swinehart, BSCOM ’59

1960s

Thomas D. Beardmore, AB ’60 Ray V. Bethel, BSED ’60 C. H. Copper, BS ’60 Frances M. Turner Corson, BSED ’60 James A. Holmquist, BSCE ’60 Robert H. Kannan, AB ’60 Frederick C. Ketteman, BSJ ’60 June K. Larson Nott, BSED ’60 Karen A. Hesler Nunez, BSED ’60 Charles R. Beckett, BFA ’61 Donald W. Kitchen, BSCOM ’61 Carl K. Safreed, BS ’61 Richard F. Starr, BS ’61 Eric R. Angle, BS ’62 Joachim N. Blutreich, BSEE ’62, MS ’65 Sylvia P. Crawley Delap, General ’62 Beverly G. Lewis Hatcher, BSJ ’62 Ruth S. Hyre, MED ’62 Frank S. Kinsey, BSED ’62 Donald J. Miller, BFA ’62 Harriet A. Kovachik Weller, BFA ’62 Roger N. Clark, AB ’63 Kyle A. Hill, BFA ’63, MS ’69 Don E. Hunt, BSEE ’63 William R. Lake, AA ’63, BSED ’67, MA ’90 Roger C. Nagy, BSED ’63 Gloria Allen Raike, BSED ’63 Harriet T. Johnson Schier, MS ’63 James W. Wagner, MED ’63 Ruth Keller Aiello, BSED ’64 Jon C. Beckley, BFA ’64, MFA ’68 George T. Current, BS ’64, MS ’67 Robert R. Harson, MA ’64, PHD ’66 Thomas R. McClure, BBA ’64 Dianne Leary Murchison, BSED ’64 Harry M. Ross, BSED ’64 Elizabeth E. Klinebriel Steffens, BSED ’64 Richard D. Gilroy, BA ’65 Richard William Little, BSED ’65 James E. McMullen Jr., BBA ’65, MA ’67 James F. Staib, BBA ’65 Richard E. White, MS ’65 Lt. Joseph N. Miller, MBA ’66 David J. Poduska, BBA ’66 Emma Lida Mayne Roach, BSED ’66 Keith P. Straka, BS ’66 William P. Van Voorhis, BSED ’66 Gary D. Warner, BA ’66 Gayle E. Milliken Adkins, AB ’67 Edwin C. Boetticher, BBA ’67 Charles L. Fulks, BS ’67 Karen Higgins Hamlin, MED ’67 Clive J. Kinghorn, MA ’67 Rebecca Kurash Levine, BSJ ’67 Thomas R. Ortlieb, BSJ ’67 A. D. Pallini, BFA ’67 Daniel R. Shaffer, BBA ’67 John R. Stephen, BBA ’67 Patricia S. Beeney Willis, AB ’67 Pauline M. Heigle Wyskiver, BSED ’67 Sally A. Linn Helwagen, BSED ’68 Victor Zinn, MS ’68 Carl L. Boon, BSJ ’69, MSJ ’71

Philip W. Glasgo, BS ’69 Kenneth R. Griffith, BBA ’69 Karen S. Hunt Kuhn, BSJ ’69 Edward M. Maluke, BSEE ’69 Thomas W. Schumake, AB ’69 Robert James Staniewicz, MS ’69, PHD ’76 William P. Wolverton, MA ’69

1970s

Mabel J. Lea Bassak, BSED ’70 Clarence L. Bender, BSED ’70 Craig P. Caywood, AB ’70, MA ’71 Jane Hemmer Hodges, BSHSS ’70 Dale E. Holmes, AA ’70, AB ’75 Leota Lane, BSED ’70 Nancy Smith Lankas, MED ’70 Jane S. Thompson, BSED ’70 Howard E. Becker, AB ’71 Judge Douglas J. Bennett, AB ’71 Paul W. Buchanan, BBA ’71 John Patrick Campbell, BGS ’71 Jeffry L. Durant, BSED ’71 Joseph E. Fisher, BSJ ’71 Col. Arlene F. Greenfield (Ret.), BSHEC ’71 Elizabeth A. Kaplan, AB ’71 Michael E. Steele, AB ’71 Donald P. Thomas, BS ’71 Orie J. Watson, BSED ’71 William W. Baker Jr., AB ’72 Elizabeth Holmes Black, MED ’72 Michael J. Cioffi, BSJ ’72 R. P. Gottmeier, BSJ ’72 Barbara B. Hettinger, BSED ’72 Roberta Ratcliff Howard, BSED ’72 Helen Heigle Rittgers, BSED ’72, MED ’81 Marion R. Stoneburner, BBA ’72, MBA ’81 Daniel L. Warner, BSED ’72 Daniel L. Withers, BSED ’72 Tameria K. Adams, BSED ’73 Paul N. Gard, AB ’73 Joyce Hendricks-Block, BSHSS ’73 Carolyn W. Johnston, BSED ’73, MED ’79 Karen A. Moss, BSED ’73 Pamela J. Stavick, BSHSS ’73 James R. Thomas, BBA ’73 Naomi J. Wasson, BSED ’73, MED ’86 Thomas P. Brown, BBA ’74, MBA ’81 Zelda E. Casterline, BSED ’74 Anne C. Ferguson, BFA ’74 Margaret R. Belek Fischer, BSED ’74 Harvey W. Howison, BSED ’74 Patricia A. Kallies, BBA ’74 Mona L. Martin, AAS ’74, BSN ’94 Douglas J. Osterfeld, BBA ’74 Karen Goyer Roger, AA ’74, BGS ’77, MED ’78 Patricia Hammond Edwards, MED ’75 Douglas A. Featsent, BSJ ’75 Bradley E. Lennon, BARCH ’75, BBA ’75 June M. Iski Macek, BSED ’75

Gerald A. Noda, BGS ’75 Opal J. Stone, BSED ’75 Thomas M. Harrier, BSED ’76 James J. O’Leary, AB ’76 Ruthe J. Schlosser, BSED ’76, MED ’94 William S. Tackett, MED ’76 Barbara Strom Thompson, AB ’76 Paul B. Bridgeman, BSED ’77 Robert E. Pendleton, BGS ’77, BSN ’78 Lucy M. Davis Pierce, BSN ’77, MED ’81 Buryl R. Allison, BBA ’78 Beverly K. Rapp Clark, BSED ’78 Betty M. Ruby Douglass, BSN ’78 Patricia A. Hranilovic Fiffick, BSC ’78 Lanelle P. Landrum, BSED ’78, MED ’81 Diane W. Williams Lewis, AAS ’78, AB ’80 Robert D. Brislin, BSIT ’79 J. Mark Erich, BBA ’79 Rudolph A. Levandofsky, AB ’79 William R. Lower, BSEE ’79 Lora N. Parsons, MED ’79 Linda K. Sarver, MFA ’79 Joyce Wolfe Walton, BGS ’79, MED ’86

1980s

Holly S. Teaman McMillen, MA ’80 Charles R. Powell, BSJ ’80 Ernest R. Gardner Sr., MBA ’81 Richard K. Heun, BSH ’81 Mary Pierce Johnston, AA ’81 Alan M. Stromberg, BSC ’81 Steven L. Haas, MA ’82 Martha Anne Reinhart Johnson, BS ’82 Dennis W. Stone, BSC ’82 John Derfel Turner, LLD ’82 David B. Underwood, BGS ’82 Darwin R. Boardman, MS ’83 Jeffrey L. Bruce, BSH ’83 Judy H. Bryant, BSED ’83 Richard D. Burlingame, BBA ’83 Louis A. Gonot, AB ’83 Lee Spaulding, AB ’83 Terry R. Spivey, BGS ’83, MA ’85 Sumiko Tanaka, BS ’83 Alton W. Whitehouse Jr., LLD ’83 Philip Caldwell, LLD ’84 Kevin O. Kelly, BGS ’84 John M. Kritzell, BSEE ’84 Jeffrey J. Cooper, MA ’85 Cara L. Robins-Keys, BFA ’85 Carol A. Scott, AAS ’85 David W. Ewing, BGS ’86 Iris E. McCrady, MBA ’86 David Kevin Moore, MA ’86, MA ’86 Kevin E. Pirkey, BSJ ’86 Mary Jane Wardle, BSC ’86, MSA ’93 Roy C. Plank, BSED ’87 Linda S. Price, BSN ’87 Timothy J. Axelrod, BBA ’88 Clinton Eric Dozier, BBA ’88 April Renee Lewis, BSHEC ’88 Dana Eugene Metz, MBA ’89

1990s

Margaret F. Cordle, AA ’91 Kimberly Ann Smock Barnhart, BSED ’92 Emigrace Young Finnell, MED ’92 Michael E. Ducille, MS ’94 Elva Ida Allen Heinz, MA ’94 Steven Paul Andrew, BSEE ’95, MS ’99 Nicole E. Cheney Bays, MFA ’95 Robert S. Rechtine, AA ’95, AAB ’95 Harvey William Hall, BSME ’96 Nicholas Anthony Tefakis, AB ’96 Lina Jean (Jeannie) Turner, BSHCS ’96 Kim Dolora Cole, BSS ’99 Michael F. Smith, AAS ’99

2000s

Andrew Charles Sammler, AAS ’00 Harold J. Gordon, AAS ’01, BSC ’03 Miranda Lynette Iser, AAS ’01 Jane Hemmer Hodges, MAHSS ’02 Matthew A. Dollings, BA ’03 Megan R. Johnson Kern, AAS ’04, BCJ ’07 Melissa Ann Nungester, AAB ’04, BSC ’05 Erin Leigh Fisher, BSS ’06 Ashley Lorraine Lamb, BSS ’07 Nathan Douglas Richeson, BSA ’07 Kelly Jo Alexander, AAS ’08 John Bruce Ogilvie, BBA ’08, MBA ’10 Ryan Paul Bick, BSSPS ’09 Angela Marie Jones, BSS ’09

2010s

Jennifer Morgan Richards Diehl, AAS ’10 Jason Edward Anderson, MSA ’13 Kelsey Crook, BSN ’14 Jeffrey Brendan Kelley, BSC ’14

Faculty/Staff

Ronald A. Black, Athens, Ohio, associate dean emeritus of planning for the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Jan. 29 Charles V. Carlson, Athens, Ohio, associate professor emeritus of interpersonal communication, Sept. 3 Wiladene Crocker, Chauncey, Ohio, former records maintenance clerk in career services, Jan. 27 Donald A. Lambert, Athens, Ohio, professor emeritus of journalism, Jan. 3

Mark S. Leff, Shanghai, China, former assistant professor of journalism, Dec. 13 Lee Ann McGee, Trimble, Ohio, former cook for dining services in Boyd Dining Hall, Nov. 23 Frances R. Sabo, Murray City, Ohio, former cook for dining services in Nelson Dining Hall, Oct. 29 Richard C. Scamehorn, MSS ’02, Lancaster, Ohio, lecturer and executive in residence emeritus for the College of Business, Dec. 21 Ernest Stricklin, Cincinnati, Ohio, associate professor emeritus of human and consumer sciences, Jan. 5 Richard D. Syracuse, Athens, Ohio, professor emeritus of piano, Nov. 2 Owen J. Wilkinson, S. Pasadena, Fla., associate professor emeritus of health and sport sciences, July 3, 2013 Robert L. Winters, Athens, Ohio, professor emeritus of theater, Aug. 12 —In Memoriam listings were compiled by Jennifer Shutt Bowie BSJ ’94, MS ’99, based on information received by the university office of Advancement Services prior to Feb. 13.

ERRATUM: The fall 2014 edition included Joyce Kinghorn Nyerges, BSEd ’65, in the list of in memoriam. “Imagine my surprise when I started getting calls, texts, and e-mails,” she wrote. “As far as I know, I’m still above ground and hope to be for some time to come. Would appreciate a retraction of same in the next edition.” In a follow-up phone call with the editor, she said, “My sister was the first to contact me. She asked, ‘Do I need to learn something from you?’” Nyerges laughed. “At least I had my 15 minutes of fame.” She is the widow of Richard Nyerges, BBA ’65, who taught at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville School of Business and passed away in 1996.

s p r i n g 2 015

• 47

LAST WORD

Policies & pucks

olly Raffle, assistant professor at OHIO’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs, takes equal pride in her job and family. She has secured more than $3.275 million in grants and contracts since 2008 for research projects, program evaluations, and consulting services in public health, education, substance abuse prevention, and mental health promotion. That impact is one reason the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services named her the 2014 Prevention Champion of the Year. Meanwhile, Raffle and husband Craig McCarthy, assistant professor of psychology at OHIO, former head coach of the school’s hockey team, and inductee into both the American Collegiate Hockey Association and the OHIO Hockey Halls of Fame, lace up skates for two sons, ages 8 and 10. She answered questions, professional and personal, via e-mail. Edited excerpts follow. » EDITOR PETER SZATMARY

Most proud of?

Completing my doctorate at OHIO in less than four years—and having our boys during that same time.

agriculture bag that week. And whatever my husband puts in, since he does the shopping for our family. Guilty pleasures?

Biggest challenge?

Quantifying results of prevention efforts— because we never know how our actions contribute. But prevention works. So we keep trying. And making strides.

Popcorn from OHIO’s Bird Ice Arena. Coke Zero. Nutella. People magazine. Justin Timberlake. Twizzlers. Not necessarily in that order. Fantasy career?

Favorite TV show?

“Friday Night Lights.” It portrayed authentic content about what my field calls “transitional age youth” in ways that resonated with young people and adults who support them. Exercise?

Marathons and half-marathons. I love my CrossFit community. What’s always in your refrigerator?

Local Snowville Creamery chocolate milk. The veggies from our community-supported

Travel agent. Question not asked you want to answer?

Favorite day of the academic calendar? Commencement. Seeing students with some of the many people who supported them reinforces the role nurturing plays in all of our lives. Something most people don’t know about you?

My superpower is “Hockey Mom.” I am a Level 3 certified USA Hockey coach. Most winter weekends, I can be found on the bench with the Athens Youth Hockey Association’s Squirt Team (players born in 2004 and ’05) with my husband. A formative event?

When our youngest was 4 years old, he started playing hockey. During games, I lifted him on and off the ice. Another player, about 7 years old, said, “If you keep doing that for him, he is never going to learn.” In everything I do, I try to embody what I learned that day: building capacity and facilitating learning to cause change. I am not doing my job if I do things “for” or “to” a community. To create lasting change, I must work “with” a community. Holly Raffle facilitates a Designing Youth-Led Programs That Work event in Dublin, Ohio, with the Ohio Youth-Led Prevention Network, an organization that focuses on furthering substance abuse prevention efforts at the state and local levels.—Caption by Sara Jerde BSJ ’15 Photo by Ben Siegel BSVC ‘02

48 •

ohiotodayonline.com

STILL MORE

Editor’s note: Starting with this OHIO health issue, Senior University Photographer Ben Siegel, BSVC ’02, in consultation with Ohio Today’s art director, Sarah McDowell, BFA ’02, submits a photo that interprets the theme of the edition. Tyler Ames, BS ’13, ran far and wide as an athlete and a student at OHIO. He majored in biology, conducting biomechanics research, and was captain of the varsity men’s cross-country team. In this 2013 photo, Ames ascended Radar Hill in The Ridges, Athens, training ground for the squad.

NONPROFIT ORG U. S . P O S TAG E

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

OHIO fights diabetes

HIO students, faculty, and staff celebrated World Diabetes Day last November at Walter Fieldhouse by donning T-shirts emblazoned with the International Diabetes Federation’s Blue Circle, the universal symbol for diabetes. The Diabetes Institute at Ohio University organized the activities-filled event. Diabetes affects Athens County at a higher than national rate, Darlene Berryman, executive director of the institute, has said. “In Athens County, the rates of diabetes and obesity have been increasing annually—each by about 1 percent every year—and are higher than many areas in this state and nation.” Photo by Katelyn Vancouver BS ’17

» Coming next edition: The theme will be “OHIO women.”