ohiotoday For ALUMNI and FRIENDS of OHIO UNIVERSITY
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Medical education meets the future
In the world of esports, OHIO is ready to play
PRE SI DEN T ’ S M E S S AG E
Sowing the seeds of student success Dear OHIO Alumni, Since our founding in 1804, Ohio University has always been committed to providing our students with the knowledge and experiences they need to be successful in their careers and lives. Today we are living through another period of rapid change—a period increasingly characterized by the internet of things, artificial intelligence and robotics. Over the next few years, this will require us to redesign how we teach students to learn, and what students learn. But regardless of how the world changes, our focus at Ohio University will always be on student success. We will always be dedicated to helping our students secure the knowledge and competencies they need to lead productive and fulfilling lives in our democracy.
One of our newest and most important initiatives is the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning, which is bringing OHIO resources together to help students achieve success on campus and their post-graduation goals. It is part of the University’s Guarantee+ Graduation Plans. Eventually, every OHIO student will be assigned an academic advisor, career coach and faculty advisor to assist them in developing an academic and career plan. These advisors will work with students to develop their own individualized plans to help them graduate on time and with the knowledge and skills they need to pursue the career of their choosing. As part of this program, all across the University we are expanding opportunities for students to build their own portfolio of experiences. This includes opportunities to participate in research and creative activities, community service projects, real-life client projects, as well as internships.
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Bobcat Beacons of Excellence FROM PRESIDENT HUGH SHERMAN In January, OHIO joined the nation’s top research institutions, earning Research 1 (R1) status from the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education and designated as a doctoral university with very high research activity. OHIO is one of just 141 institutions in the nation to hold the R1 classification. [ABOVE] President Sherman visited all of Ohio University’s regional campuses during fall semester, engaging with students, faculty and staff and hosting forums with members of the community. Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01 [OPPOSITE PAGE] Photo by Eli Burris, BSJ ’16
You can read more about the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning on page 8. And examples of students engaging in experiential learning can be seen throughout this publication— from the first graduates of our new Transformative Care Continuum to a new space in Seigfred Hall, where students are using donated letterpresses and other equipment to turn their words and thoughts into works of art. In addition, we continue to develop and offer new educational programs in emerging fields such as cybersecurity, digital design and esports. Read about OHIO’s esports program on page 34. Ohio University is a very different place than it was in the 1800s, but at the same time our focus is—and always will be—on the success of each and every one of our students. Proudly Forever OHIO,
Hugh Sherman President @OHIO_President
Ohio University has added a new regional representative to its Board of Trustees in order to help the University better serve the needs of our communities. Misty Crosby, executive director of the Buckeye Hills Regional Council in Marietta, is OHIO’s first regional trustee. The 1804 Scholars Program is a new residential scholars program focused on the academic success and overall well-being of high-promise students. Beginning in fall 2022, students selected for this program will live together in an honors and scholars residence hall and work closely with faculty members, residence hall staff and peer mentors. The Russ College of Engineering and Technology’s Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Environment has been awarded $2 million for two projects by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop advanced filaments for additive manufacturing and graphite for energy storage applications from mining wastes. Both projects support the goal of the U.S. government to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2035. The new Laura Landro Salomon (BSJ ’76) Fund, created by the Richard Salomon Family Foundation, is providing support to directly benefit students working for The Post and further ensure the longterm health of the independent student newspaper. Ohio University has also created a plan to fund the new director of student media position, which will be responsible for developing and maintaining high-quality co-curricular learning experiences for all students participating in student media activities.
Heritage Hall welcomed its first students fall semester and has changed the entire look, feel and impact of medical education at OHIO— starting from the minute you walk through its doors. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
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A hub for student support
A tale of two titans
New office, student success model are reconceptualizing the OHIO experience
How innovation, Bobcat connections and determination birthed a lifesaving drug and record royalties
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History meets artistry
Physicians of the future
New TypeShop and Bindery takes students back in time on a path to their futures
2021 graduates pioneer accelerated, community-based medical education program
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Care lives here
Game on!
Heritage Hall ushers in new chapter for medical education at OHIO and campus landscape
In the era of esports, where competition meets the digital age, OHIO is ready to play
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A sweeping view of OHIO’s new Seigfred 222
Class notes, Bobcat sightings, Future Bobcats, Alumni authors
Green scenes
Infographic
Time machine
Bobcat tracks
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OHIO making headlines
Ohio University Press
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OHIO Giving
Table of contents
In memoriam
Last word
Visit ohiotoday.org for multimedia stories that complement the stories inside this issue.
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L E T T E R S TO T H E E D I TO R
Stage set for OHIO’s Vibrancy Theater I am so proud of this project and of all those involved in its creation and of OU for supporting it. This is the best, most amazing project I’ve heard come out of OU. You are helping grow collegiate theater and keep all theater relevant. Congratulations! And thank you. —John Cosby, MFA ’75, via ohiotoday.org
Building chemistry in a new Chemistry Building In those ancient times when I studied chemistry at OU, undergrads were relegated to some antiquated labs in the old buildings across the bridge from the West Green. There were some decent ones at the (then fairly new) Clippinger building, but only for research. (I remember one of them becoming “radioactive” when someone forgot their basic
lab techniques and dropped boiling stones into a hot column.) Clippinger was also home to the main computer system, before OU took over the old post office building. (Card punching was one step better than clay tablets.) It brings me joy to see a new Chemistry Building added to the Athens Campus! —Rick Hare, BS ’78, via ohiotoday.org
Very exciting time—even for me, who had his first chemistry class in the old, old building Fall 1955 and gloried in a board job at Lindley Hall, a couple blocks away! —Larry Garzony, BBA ’69, via ohiotoday.org
OHIO unified under ‘One OHIO’ The first thing that caught my eye was the dynamic, vibrant and diverse graphic that accompanied your article!
As a former member of the Alumni Board of Directors, I have become more interested in OHIO’s satellite locations and have put visiting each one on my bucket list. I enjoyed your article tremendously! —Connie LawsonDavis, BSED ’67, via ohiotoday.org
What an informative article! I enjoyed reading about all the initiatives connecting the regional campuses to their communities. Just reinforces what a positive, powerful force the University can be in the community. —Deanna Clifford, BSC ’85, MA ’90, via ohiotoday.org
WRITE TO US. Ohio Today welcomes comments from readers. We reserve the right to edit for grammar, space, clarity and civility. Send letters by email to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or by mail to Ohio Today, Ohio University, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701-0869 or join the conversation at ohiotoday.org. We regret that we cannot publish all messages received in print or online.
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MORE POSTS FROM THE PAST
A NEW CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
NEW VISITOR SPACE IN BAKER
University Libraries has digitized 30 more years of The Post, bringing OHIO news from fall 1960 through June 2011 to everyone, anytime, at ohio.edu/library/ collections/digital-archives. Also featured is the entire run of The Post’s predecessor, The Green and White, and the studentpublished newspaper AfroAmerican Affairs.
The Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services selected OHIO’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service to coordinate a new statewide center of excellence focused on mental health promotion and early intervention to prevent substance abuse or dependency while emphasizing cultural competency and accessibility.
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OHIO is improving the visitor experience for prospective students by creating dedicated space on the first and fifth floors of Baker University Center to serve as a gathering and information center and a launching point for campus tours. The University is also planning to launch a space planning study of Baker University Center.
Aaron “DJ A-Roc” Thomas, BSC ’01
Back together TRIENNIAL BLACK ALUMNI REUNION RETURNS IN SEPTEMBER The 2022 Black Alumni Reunion (BAR)—open to all OHIO alumni and friends—will be held Sept. 15-18 in Athens. The Ohio University Alumni Association hosts this exciting weekend of reminiscing and reconnecting that only happens once every three years. For alumniexclusive BAR planning updates, join the Black Alumni Reunion group on OHIO’s Bobcat Network at bobcatnetwork.ohio.edu. Green scenes
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Last November, OHIO students helped excavate a 13,000-year-old Roanoke River valley site that holds some of the oldest evidence of human activity in the Eastern United States. Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Joseph Gingerich, his undergraduate students and OHIO alumni spent several days in Virginia uncovering ancient artifacts using advanced mapping and collection techniques. This hands-on experience provided students the opportunity to uncover and preserve history being lost to erosion while honing their skills—from field to lab. Experiences like these and donor support for the David Hudnell Fund for Archaeological Research shape not only students’ years at OHIO but also their future success. On April 13, OHIO will hold its third Giving Day—one day to remember, celebrate and pass on the unforgettable moments that led to unimaginable opportunities to discover passions, forge friendships and make memories you’ve carried with you forever. Visit givingday.ohio.edu on April 13 and share the OHIO experience with the next generation of Bobcats. To read more about the archaeological dig in Virginia, visit ohio.edu/ohio-archaeology. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
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New OHIO office helping students achieve their academic and career goals Kaley Norris came to Ohio University as a first-year student—but with enough credits earned in high school to make her a junior. She was ahead of the curve academically but started her college journey with only two years to define her post-graduation goals and secure the experiences that would set her up to achieve them. After just one semester, Norris has built a resume that has landed her a full-time summer internship as a data analyst at Union Home Mortgage in Strongsville, Ohio—all thanks to a new OHIO office that is helping students customize and achieve plans designed to ensure their success on campus and after graduation. Known as the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning, the office is bringing together OHIO’s Allen Advising, Career Network and Experiential Learning Hub, creating a comprehensive, no-cost student support system. “This office, in collaboration with colleagues across the institution, is reconceptualizing the student experience at Ohio University,” says Dr. Jen Murphy, associate vice provost for OHIO Guarantee+ Graduation Plans who, after running a similar program in the College of Business, now oversees the center. “Through our office, students truly have an entire support system from day one to graduation.” The center was launched during Bobcat Student Orientation when incoming first-year students were given the choice to opt in to the OHIO Guarantee+
Graduation Plan, through which the center’s student success advisors in each college partner with students to create individualized pathways to graduating on time and on plan. Those advisors track the students’ progress, marking them on or off plan after each semester and intervening when students stray from their plan. The center also aims to ensure students are career ready as they transition to successful alumni. Career Network personnel work with students to explore career options and then connect them with career engagement opportunities in specific industries. And the office’s experiential designers help students access experiential learning opportunities—from internships and community engagement to research and studyaway programs. Norris, a mathematics major, came to the center needing help in narrowing down her career focus. She worked with Holly Seckinger, BA ’02, MED ’19, an assistant director of career and employer engagement. “We were building Kaley’s resume, and I helped her identify opportunities on campus to build experience,” Seckinger says. “She sent me her resume the other day, and it is amazing. It looks like a junior, and she just finished her first semester.” Seckinger also helped Norris establish her profile on Handshake, a career platform used by more than 250,000 employers, and encouraged her to search the platform for OHIO alumni who might be able to connect her with opportunities.
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Chloe Irish, assistant director for experiential design, meets with a student outside McGuffey Hall, which houses the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
“There’s not a job title I know I want,” says Norris. “The internship this summer will help give me the experience and knowledge to figure out what I do and don’t like.” OHIO alumni have an important role to play in the success of students and the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning. “The best way to get involved is to hire a Bobcat, turning around and giving a hand to the people behind you,” Seckinger says. “Help them with an internship experience or consider helping a student like Kaley who needed an internship but also might need a day at your company to learn about what you do. Sometimes it can be as simple as an email conversation.” Bob Redd, BBA ’09, knows firsthand the power alumni have to launch a student’s post-graduation success.
When he was a student, Bobcat connections helped Redd secure an interview with Dell. “Dell was starting a new development program,” Redd recalls. “They were looking for students who might be interested.” Redd landed that job at Dell and today is the company’s director of sales planning and strategy. He credits his experience at OHIO with his success and urges fellow alumni to consider ways to pay it forward. “Many of our alumni have a tremendous amount of talent to offer,” says Redd. “All it takes is an email or phone call to get involved and give back.” Alumni looking to get involved can contact the Center for Advising, Career and Experiential Learning at acel@ohio. edu or 740.566.8888. —Carly Keeler Leatherwood, BSJ ’96
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In 2017, Gene Thrailkill, MED ’62, took what would be his last bow at Ohio University, returning to campus to conduct the Marching 110 and its alumni during a Homecoming performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of the band he built. In less than five years as director of marching bands, Thrailkill—alongside his “marching men” of OHIO—transformed the look, energy and undeniable style behind the powerhouse known worldwide as the Marching 110. Thrailkill passed away on Nov. 10, but his legacy marches on in “The Most Exciting Band in the Land,” which is planning on honoring him during Homecoming 2022. Photo above by Nick Bolin, BSVC ’18, MA ’20. Photo left courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections.
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HISTORY meets artistry NEW FACILITY TAKES STUDENTS BACK IN TIME ON A PATH TO THEIR FUTURES A bespeckled professor bends over a massive, mysterious contraption. Open drawers reveal hundreds of metal and wood blocks. He rolls out the ink before applying it to type methodically set in place, letter by letter. He kisses paper to that very ink, creating a lasting impression. Welcome to the Don E. Adleta TypeShop and Bindery, where printing processes and instruments of the past breathe new life and meaning into “words of art”—and fuel the creative minds of the future. This newly dedicated space in Ohio University’s Seigfred Hall houses 400-plus drawers of metal and wood type, restored historic presses and a complete bindery—all of it donated. “I can’t imagine a better legacy ... than helping preserve this space and the activities it promises,” says Professor Emeritus of Graphic Design Don Adleta, BFA ’75. The space pays tribute to Adleta’s OHIO and graphic design legacies and his work—alongside colleagues past and present—to preserve the traditions of the printed word and create a hands-on learning environment. It all began in the 1970s, when Adleta studied under Professor Emerita Karen Nulf, then-chair of OHIO’s School of Art + Design and, Adleta notes, a magnet for industry heritage. Adleta went on to
explore design around the world before resettling in Athens and joining Nulf, who acquired the school’s initial donations. Today Adleta’s former student, Darren Baker, MFA ’12, has taken up the charge. When not lecturing in Chillicothe and Athens as assistant professor of design, Baker, who helped build and now manages the TypeShop and Bindery, is busy securing new donations and partnerships. He and Adleta continue to collaborate in creating workshops, classes, residencies and more, for OHIO students, community members and design scholars. “Typesetting and bookbinding provide a profound physical understanding of design as real visual space— not just a hypothetical,” Baker says. Michael Jung, BFA ’16—now a digital product designer at Peloton—says Adleta’s bookbinding course helped him think outside the digital screen and made him a “more purposeful, decisive designer.” “I remember the first time I walked through the typeshop,” Jung says. “That was the first time I really saw typography not as words, but as shapes ... like, ‘Oh, I need to stop and look around at things—not as they are, but as they could be.’” —Anita Martin, BSJ ’05 To read more about the history of and future plans for the TypeShop and Bindery, visit ohiotoday.org, and take a sweeping view of Seigfred 222 on Page 14.
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PAIRING PAST & PRESENT | Banners for the 2019 Faculty Biennial Exhibition feature letterforms printed using the facility’s equipment. The letters were handinked then manipulated in Photoshop, melding traditional and contemporary graphic design techniques. BOOKS | Pictured alongside books produced by OHIO students in the bindery is focus drawing, the first in a series of books on design education published by the facility’s namesake, Don Adleta.
TYPE LIBRARY | The library includes 19 cabinets organized by font and size and 400+ drawers of type from 8 point to 8 inches, including “The Sisters Wood Type Collection” donated by Karen Nulf and Anita Marks.
A VIEW OF SEIGFRED 222
Visit ohiotoday.org for a closer look at the equipment and instruments of the past that are being used to educate the graphic designers of the future. Photos by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
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THE CHANDLER & PRICE | This old-style, hand-fed, flywheel-driven 8x12 C&P printing press dates back to pre-1910 and was donated by Linda Donaldson. DARREN’S TYPE | Assistant Professor Darren Baker has been casting metal type, including the Caslon font (pictured here) that was used in the first printed version of the Declaration of Independence.
PLATEN PRESSES | Letterpress started on table-top platen presses, such as these Kelsey Excelsior presses and the larger American Printing Equipment press from donors Darren Baker, Sheppard Black and Linda Donaldson.
INK | The facility houses a complete ink supply, including some inks from decades ago that were donated by Anita Marks and that are still being used today.
THE VANDERCOOK | The “heavyweight” of the facility, weighing 4,000+ pounds, is the Vandercook & Sons No. 223 proofing press with three sets of inking rollers. Manufactured in the late 1930s to early ’40s, it was donated by Lawhead Press.
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The Patton family name is synonymous with dedication to public education—at Ohio University and beyond. That legacy is about to shine a little brighter on OHIO’s Athens Campus. In October, the Ohio University Board of Trustees approved the renaming of OHIO’s home of the Gladys W. and David H. Patton College of Education from McCracken Hall to Gladys W. and David H. Patton Hall. The name change honors the Patton family and Dr. Violet L. Patton, BSED ’38, whose extraordinary generosity has advanced the Patton College and arts education at Ohio University. Photo by Champlin Architecture
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Care lives here
Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine has established itself as a leading provider of medical education in the state and in the nation. Now it has a home that reflects that success and its mission.
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Medical students train in the new anatomy lab inside Heritage Hall under the direction of Professor of Anatomy Dr. Susan Williams. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
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Heritage Hall welcomed its first medical students fall semester. Standing three stories tall, the 120,000-squarefoot building marks a historic transformation in medical education at OHIO and the landscape of the Athens Campus. It is the first building on the Athens Campus constructed solely for the Heritage College, which was previously housed in repurposed residence halls on West Green. It’s also the first academic facility on OHIO’s new Union Street Green, which stands to revitalize the city’s near west side.
Heritage College Executive Dean and OHIO’s Chief Medical Affairs Officer Ken Johnson, DO, says. “To do that, we needed to revamp our curriculum, and in order to fully implement that curriculum, we needed a space suited to teach medicine in a much more collaborative, modern and forward-facing way than what has been done in the past. Heritage Hall allows us to fully roll out that new curriculum. Its innovative, flexible design has positioned us as a national destination for medical education.”
The $65 million facility is named in honor of the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, whose $105 million Vision 2020 award included $21 million for this stateof-the-art building.
Fall semester marked the first time all Heritage College students are participating in the college’s Pathways to Health and Wellness Curriculum, which debuted in fall 2018. The new curriculum and Heritage Hall were designed with a focus on wellness, a collaborative problem-solving approach to learning that carries over into clinical practice, and the flexibility needed in a fast-changing world and medical field.
“Our mission, with critical support from the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation, is to transform the Heritage College into a nationally prominent institution to train primary care physicians,”
Students enjoy some food and fellowship at the Heritage College Society of Alumni & Friends Café at Factory Street, located on the first floor of Heritage Hall. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
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Heritage Hall began serving the Southeast Ohio community even before opening its doors to students, serving as a distribution point for more than 20,000 COVID-19 vaccines, administered in partnership with the Athens City-County Health Department. Students in the College of Health Sciences and Professions’ Family Studies’ Child-Life program have been supporting— and easing the fears of—young children at the vaccine clinics. Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01
“The nature of our curricular goals and how we approach education has changed over time,” says Dr. Lawrence Witmer, professor of anatomy and OHIO’s Chang Ying-Chien Professor of Paleontology. “The science of medicine is changing at such a rapid rate. Realistically, 10, 15, 20 years in the future, we will probably have a different curriculum. Having a space that is flexible is key.”
notes Witmer, whose anatomy lab, along with the college’s Clinical Training and Assessment Center, has moved from the basement of Grosvenor Hall to the third and second floors, respectively, in Heritage Hall. “The reality of medicine is the practice of medicine. Having students able to be in a learning environment that replicates the clinical environments where they’ll be was critical.”
Heritage Hall isn’t just moving the college forward and preparing it for the future; it’s changed the entire look, feel and impact of medical education at OHIO— starting from the minute you walk through its doors. Visitors are greeted by a three-story, glass-roofed and window-walled atrium, setting the tone for a learning environment bathed in natural light.
Heritage Hall is providing space to teach wellness and to facilitate it. The Heritage College Society of Alumni & Friends Café at Factory Street, on Heritage Hall’s first floor, offers an on-site location for healthy eating with a nod to the property’s past. A brick wall inside the café is composed of bricks from 9 Factory St., a building that previously sat on the site of Heritage Hall, and a large wooden table in the café was crafted from a tree removed from the property.
“The amount of light that just falls upon us, whether we’re in class or just walking around… it’s my favorite part of the new building,” second-year medical student Harrison Koyilla says. “It’s a testament to how hardworking the administration, the faculty and students have been just to get us here. I don’t think it’s lost on any student just how much work it took to get us where we’re at right now.” The building’s two active learning classrooms, on the first and second floors, look out onto the atrium. A more modern version of the traditional lecture halls, these unique classrooms include technology linking them to classrooms at the college’s Dublin and Cleveland campuses, allowing students across locations to learn together. “Our learning spaces are designed to really engage the students and have them not just learn facts,”
The third floor of the building was designed to serve as an indoor walking track and also includes a fitness room and mindfulness room, offering the Heritage College space dedicated to personal wellness. “Every aspect of Heritage Hall has been crafted to reflect the possibilities of the future of medicine as well as to honor the legacy and traditions of osteopathic medicine,” says Osteopathic Heritage Foundation President/CEO Terri Donlin Huesman. “The Foundation is proud of its transformational partnership with OHIO and the Heritage College, and we are eager to welcome future osteopathic medical students that will one day experience the excellence of the osteopathic medical education program offered by the Heritage College.” —Jim Sabin, BSJ ’95
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OHIO making headlines Bobcats make the news—and the OHIO community proud—every day. Read about a few of the Ohio University alumni, students, faculty and staff who have made headlines in recent months. Making the Best Maker Schools list
Ohio University was named to Newsweek’s inaugural “Best Maker Schools in Higher Education” list. The list recognizes institutions around the world that encourage learning by doing and collaborative problem-solving, as well as those that have welldeveloped makerspaces, labs and studios and that support diverse, interactive communities.
Giraffes, hyenas and—not—bears!
Just months after joining the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine faculty, Dr. Ellison McNutt created quite the buzz as lead author on a study that found ancient footprints discovered in Tanzania—and attributed to bears—were actually made by early humans. The study, published in Nature, generated hundreds of headlines around the world.
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Bobcats at the Olympics
Matt Barnes, BSJ ’08, was one of five OHIO graduates who traveled to Tokyo for a one-of-akind Summer Olympics. Russ College alumnus Joe Schroeder, MS ’19, made his Olympic debut as a member of the USA Men’s Rugby team. Behind the scenes were: Barnes, covering the Games for Nexstar Media Group; Michael Burns, BSC ’05, contributing to the media team at the Today Show; Jay Cohen, BSJ ’99, covering water polo for The Associated Press; and Preston McClellan, MBA/ MSA ’14, who served as a press officer for USA Golf. Read about their experiences at ohio.edu/ bobcat-2020-olympics. Barnes and Burns also took their talents to Beijing for the Winter Olympics—Burns’ seventh trip to the Games.
Photo courtesy of Matt Barnes, BSJ ’08
Shattering OHIO, MAC records
A ‘Supreme’ dream come true
Last fall, Sarah Welch, BA ’16, stepped into a position that law school graduates dream of. Welch, who majored in music through OHIO’s Honors Tutorial College and graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, was selected to serve as one of four law clerks for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the court’s 2021-22 term.
In January, fifth-year senior Cece Hooks, BSIHS ’21, secured her place in Ohio University and MidAmerican Conference history. The senior point guard has scored more points than any other men’s or women’s basketball player, surpassing the record 2,449 points set by Ohio Basketball Hall of Famer Caroline Mast Daugherty, BSED ’86.
National award and national coverage
Dr. Lisa Harrison, associate professor and program coordinator for middle childhood education, made headlines last fall for her expertise and service. She was presented the Association for Middle Level Education’s highest honor and featured in an article by the Hechinger Report—and picked up by The Washington Post—on the unprecedented trauma and mental health issues facing middle-schoolers.
One spud-tacular professor
Efforts by Ryan Ball, BSCE ’96, MS ’98, to bring a little humor to and capture the attention of his students went viral. The assistant professor of accounting at the University of Michigan used a filter on Zoom to deliver a two-hour review session—as a potato. Videos of the session have generated millions of views on TikTok.
Just a week after breaking OHIO basketball’s scoring record, Cece Hooks set the all-time scoring record for the MAC. Photo by Eli Burris, BSJ ’16
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A TALE OF T How innovation, Bobcat connections and determination birthed a lifesaving drug and the largest royalty income in OHIO history
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Somavert®, a life-saving treatment for acromegaly, would not exist if not for OHIO’s Dr. John Kopchick [OPPOSITE PAGE], who discovered a growth hormone receptor antagonist, and alumnus Rick Hawkins [LEFT], who moved that discovery from the laboratory to the global market. Photos by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02, and Pu Ying Huang
WO TITANS Rick Hawkins, BSED ’75, spent the morning of Nov. 2 at Ohio University’s Edison Biotechnology Institute (EBI), hearing about the latest research occurring in Dr. John Kopchick’s lab, where decades earlier a scientific breakthrough put OHIO on the map in the study of obesity, diabetes, cancer and aging. It was that breakthrough that 30 years ago brought Hawkins, an OHIO alumnus and changemaker in the field of drug development, to Kopchick, a distinguished professor in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Biomedical Sciences and GollOhio Eminent Scholar. This dynamic duo would spend the next decade
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turning Kopchick’s discovery into pegvisomant, known by its brand name Somavert®, a treatment for a rare and life-shortening disease. “Without Rick Hawkins and a lot of serendipity,” says Kopchick, “Somavert would not exist.” As Hawkins puts it: “John and I were meant for each other.” The story behind Somavert is the story of two trailblazers whose work—as individuals and in partnership—has saved lives, advanced science, and generated prestige and record-breaking drug royalties for Ohio University. It’s a story of extraordinary innovation, Bobcat connections and unwavering determination in the face of, at times, seemingly insurmountable hurdles. And it’s a story that continues to unfold.
THE DISCOVERER Kopchick came to Athens in 1987, lured from a position with pharmaceutical giant Merck by an offer to become one of Ohio’s first eminent scholars—an endowed professorship funded by the state and OHIO alumni Milton, AB ’35, and Lawrence, BBA ’66, Goll—and an opportunity to work at EBI. The institute had one of the few labs in the world capable of producing transgenic animals, whereby cloned genes are transferred from the laboratory to mice through DNA microinjections. It was a revolutionary breakthrough in biomedical research discovered by an OHIO research group led by Professor Thomas Wagner, who in 1981 made global headlines after successfully producing the world’s first transgenic mouse and patenting the technology behind it. Using transgenic mice, Kopchick began experimenting with growth hormone, a protein that captured his attention because of its ability to dissolve fat while increasing muscle and bone mass, but that also is associated with elevated risk of diabetes and cancer. “We started out saying, let’s see if we could change the growth hormone molecule in specific places and retain the good things—the ability to make bones grow, decrease fat, build muscle—and do away with any of the bad actions,” he recalls.
Kopchick and the graduate students in his lab began altering each of the protein’s 191 amino acids. The team screened the effects of each alteration by injecting the modified genes into mice, hoping to get a larger mouse resistant to diabetes and cancer. One change made by student Wen Chen, MS ’87, PHD ’91, brought the unexpected: a dwarf or mini-mouse. “I didn’t believe it, so I had the student go back and repeat the whole thing,” Kopchick says. “Sure enough, he was getting these small animals. One amino acid change made it a growth hormone receptor antagonist.” Kopchick knew they had stumbled onto something big—an inhibitor, some of which are major blockbusters in the pharmaceutical industry. Working with OHIO’s Technology Transfer Office, they applied for and received several patents on the discovery. Kopchick began contacting pharmaceutical companies, hoping to license the discovery and develop it into a drug. He zeroed in on its potential uses for the treatment of diabetes, cancer or acromegaly, a rare condition in which the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone, causing excessive growth of organs and bones and, if untreated, premature death. “I visited just about all of the major pharmaceutical companies,” Kopchick remembers. “None of them were interested, and I couldn’t believe it.” His discovery was the first-ever large molecule antagonist, which, in the early stages of development, caused apprehension in the pharmaceutical and scientific communities. Efforts to even get the work published proved challenging—until 1991, when Molecular Endocrinology featured the discovery, aptly illustrated in OHIO’s signature green and white, on the cover of its December issue. During one of their bi-weekly basketball games and weight-lifting sessions, Kopchick mentioned his struggles to license the discovery to his friend, Joe Dean, BSED ’61, MED ’62, an assistant OHIO football coach. Dean immediately thought of one of his former players: Rick Hawkins.
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“Joe told me that Rick is very successful in the drug development business,” Kopchick recalls of that fateful conversation. “I said, ‘That’s exactly what we need. We made the discovery. I know what we have to do to get to the endpoint, but I don’t know how to do it.’” Dean wrote Hawkins’ phone number on a Post-it®—a piece of paper that wound up in his dirty shorts in the laundry. Kopchick’s wife, Char, discovered it that evening in the washing machine and prompted him to make the call.
THE DEVELOPER Like Kopchick, Hawkins started his career in the pharmaceutical industry, working for Johnson & Johnson while finishing the final credits for his OHIO degree. He spent 10 years with J&J, learning, he says, “drug development from one of the finest companies on the planet.” Even in the earliest days of his career, Hawkins’ entrepreneurial mindset began to emerge. “I used to say: It only takes 12 years and $1.2 billion to get a drug approved. The process is so inefficient,” he recalls. Hawkins began advocating for making certain aspects of drug development independent of the big pharmaceutical companies—all as a means of expediting the process. In 1981, he set out to do just that. Using a small bank loan and quickly maxed-out credit cards, Hawkins founded Pharmaco, an Austin, Texasbased company that provided drug development services, like analytical chemistry and clinical trials, to big pharma and established himself as a pioneer in the contract research organization (CRO) sector. “If you learn how to be successful at one thing and use that as the foundation to whatever you take on next, it can be very powerful and sustaining,” Hawkins says of his career trajectory. Hawkins’ road to success began as an all-conference high school athlete in Fairfield County, Ohio, where his biology teacher, Max Beougher, BSED ’58, inspired him to study biology in college. Two other OHIO graduates from his community, Milt Taylor, BSCOM ’50, and Mark
Rick Hawkins (No. 27) was a defensive back for OHIO Football from 1968 to 1972, learning lessons on the field he later applied to his career and forming lifelong bonds with his teammates and coaches. He spearheaded plans for a 50th reunion that brought 23 seniors from OHIO’s 1972 football team back to campus in October.
Wylie, BSED ’49, made those college dreams come true, helping Hawkins secure a full scholarship to play football for the Bobcats after an injury his senior year put that dream in jeopardy. “I came to Ohio University as an athlete, had to evolve into being a student-athlete and then become a lifelong student in order to be in the business I’ve been in,” says Hawkins. “I learned all of that in Athens, Ohio.” Hawkins describes his OHIO student experience as “an awakening”—a time to engage in a diverse community and be exposed to new perspectives, and during a tumultuous time on college campuses nationwide. As a defensive back on the Peden Stadium field, he learned the value of teamwork, how trust is paramount to success and that “you better come prepared and bring your best game no matter what.” He used those experiences and lessons to build a culture at Pharmaco centered on service and saw immediate success, growing the company to more than 2,000 employees. In 1991, Hawkins sold Pharmaco, which later merged with Pharmaceutical Product Development, a global CRO that, in December, was purchased for $17.4 billion.
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“The roots of entrepreneurism are different for everyone,” Hawkins says. “For me, it was a combination of being demanding of myself as an athlete and then in business, wanting to be successful and then figuring out what the formula is for that. But it’s also an attitude that you can do it. … To me, a ‘no’ was only a delayed ‘yes.’” It was just after selling Pharmaco that Hawkins received that phone call from Kopchick, who told him about his discovery and the all the rejections from big pharma and followed up by sending him a proposal. Weeks later, a sleepless night and inquiries from Kopchick prompted Hawkins to start reading. “I read all night long, and what struck me based on my experience in rare disease drug development at J&J was that this compound should be effective in acromegaly,” Hawkins says. “Within 24 hours, I was on a plane to Athens, and within a month, I had licensed John’s discovery from Ohio University.”
THE DIFFICULTIES Using proceeds from the sale of Pharmaco, Hawkins began funding further research into Kopchick’s discovery and building a staff to develop what would become Somavert. In 1994, Hawkins and business partner Chip Scarlett established Sensus Drug Development Corp. Using his drug development knowledge, business acumen and ability to attract investors, Hawkins started pushing Kopchick’s discovery toward the marketplace. “Drug development is an extremely difficult business, fraught with all kinds of things that can go wrong,” Hawkins says. “With Somavert, there were multiple absolutely daunting barriers to getting this drug approved.” A growth hormone receptor antagonist was a completely new class of medicines, was being targeted
Rick Hawkins’ office is adorned with his life story—from a John Deere tractor reminiscent of his rural upbringing in a farmhouse outside of Baltimore, Ohio, to a vintage drugstore sign, a symbol of his 50-year career in the field of drug development. Photo by Pu Ying Huang
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for a rare disease—and was being developed alongside some high-profile failures in protein therapeutics, which made it extremely difficult to raise capital. “It costs a lot of money to develop any drug, and very few people believed in the rare disease market at the time,” Hawkins says. “I was attempting to raise capital for Sensus under those circumstances.” Hawkins also found himself having to wheel and deal with other companies. He negotiated a licensing agreement for technology called pegylation that allowed Kopchick’s compound to slowly filter through the kidneys, extending its half-life. And, with the persuasive help of the founder of the acromegaly patient advocacy group, Hawkins executed another agreement for technology owned by Genentech—one of a few companies producing recombinant human growth hormone or manufacturing large proteins at all—and got the company to agree to produce Kopchick’s compound. Genentech made enough of the compound to get the drug through its first trials, but the amount of money it wanted to be Sensus’ manufacturing partner for its final trial, and to eventually produce what would become Somavert, was onerous at best. “I literally was on a plane all over the world trying to find someone to do this,” Hawkins recalls. “There was no one on the planet manufacturing proteins on a contract basis.” Somavert’s most daunting hurdle was, for Hawkins, an opportunity. Armed with research on all the companies that were developing protein therapeutics—all of which were going to face the same obstacle when it came to manufacturing—he took a business plan to Corning. Hawkins left Corning with millions to develop a facility that would manufacture recombinant proteins, helping to found what would become Corning Life Sciences Inc. and establishing him, again, as a pioneer—this time in the protein contract manufacturing sector. Efforts to construct that facility in Ohio and Texas were unsuccessful, but government officials in North Carolina provided Hawkins the land, tax incentives and assistance in securing permits for Covance Biotechnology Services Inc. in Research Triangle Park.
“We pulled that thing out of the ground in the shortest period of time,” Hawkins says. “Not only did they make Somavert—and enough to get it across the finish line— but we got multiple new contracts, FDA inspectors to approve it, and we sold it to Akzo Nobel.” In 2001, Pharmacia Corp. bought Sensus and was later purchased by Pfizer. In 2003, the FDA approved Somavert, a new drug, for the treatment of patients with acromegaly. Annual worldwide sales of the drug reached $277 million in 2020. “No one knows this story—how difficult it was and all the obstacles we had to overcome,” says Hawkins.
THE IMPACT Hawkins and Kopchick have been celebrating the success of their discovery-turned-drug for the past 20 years. And they have much to celebrate. Somavert royalty payments, which ended in 2019, have netted OHIO and its inventors $105 million and have been reinvested in the University (see page 31). The impact it’s had on Kopchick—named an OHIO Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biology in 2012—can be seen throughout EBI, where the walls are adorned with publications he’s been featured in, places he’s spoken and awards he’s received. “I’m known worldwide, and I’m a 3 million United miler,” Kopchick says, referring to the number of miles he’s traveled training endocrinologists on the use of Somavert and delivering his “Growth Hormone, Mini Mice, Football, Dirty Shorts and a New Drug” presentation. “Every word in that title was very important for the development and discovery of this drug.” Among the most notable of Kopchick’s many awards are a 2008 AMVETS Silver Helmet Award, the British Society for Endocrinology’s 2011 Transatlantic Medal and the Endocrine Society’s 2019 Laureate Award for Outstanding Innovation. In 2013, Kopchick was elected president of the Growth Hormone Research Society, and his work and reputation have attracted scholars from around the world to study in his OHIO lab. “John is a real force in the endocrine drug world,” says Hawkins, who’s seen Kopchick’s students dominate
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Students, postdoctoral fellows and investigators in Dr. Kopchick’s lab continue to build on his discovery of a growth hormone antagonist, concentrating on the protein’s effects on growth, cancer, diabetes and aging. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
the podium at international endocrinology conferences with their presentations and research. “In his lab, he creates a culture that allows those around him to be successful. That theme has been at the core of my career and why I’ve been successful.” For all of their success, what means the most to Hawkins and Kopchick is what Somavert has meant to those with acromegaly. “There’s nothing more humbling than to have a patient sitting in your office, looking at you and saying, ‘Thank you.’ Nothing,” Kopchick says. “It still gives me chills whenever I talk about it.” For Hawkins, who was awarded OHIO’s Konneker Medal for Commercialization and Entrepreneurship in 2014, bringing Somavert to the marketplace is a fullcircle moment—a chance to contribute to the future of a university that paved the way for his future. “Working with one of the preeminent molecular biologists in the world, at Ohio University, to develop this compound that does so much good
for patients and at the same time rewards John and Ohio University in a profound way gives me so much pleasure. I can’t even tell you,” he says.
THE NEXT CHAPTER Today, Hawkins is CEO and chairman of Lumos Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for rare diseases. The company’s latest endeavor? A growth hormone-stimulating drug for the treatment of Pediatric Growth Hormone Deficiency (PGHD). The compound is the opposite of Kopchick’s antagonist but was brought to Hawkins’ attention by Kopchick. Kopchick learned about the compound from Dr. Michael Thorner, professor emeritus of medicine at the University of Virginia, who contributed to the clinical trials for Somavert and served on Sensus’ advisory board. Like Kopchick with Somavert, Thorner couldn’t find a pharmaceutical company interested in bringing it to market.
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“I said, ‘Why don’t you call my buddy, Rick Hawkins?’” Kopchick recalls. “Exactly what Joe Dean told me.” Hawkins entered a licensing agreement with Thorner, and Lumos Pharma is running a global Phase 2 trial of LUM-201, which, if successful, will allow children with PGHD to take a once-a-day orally administered medication instead of the daily injections of recombinant human growth hormone they’re subjected to now. Back in Athens, Kopchick and his team of students, postdoctoral fellows and investigators at EBI are continuing their research on growth hormone as it relates to obesity, diabetes, cancer and aging. Their work over the past 30 years has resulted in significant external research funding for OHIO, particularly, Kopchick says, for aging studies. While working on Kopchick’s growth hormone receptor antagonist, the team also generated a growth hormone receptor “knock-out” mouse, which lived to be nearly five years old and continues to hold the record for the longest-lived laboratory mouse. Some of the lab’s most promising work right now: “Growth hormone receptor antagonists for cancer,” Kopchick says. His lab works with a Columbus-based company and has developed an improved version of Kopchick’s growth hormone receptor antagonist that inhibits tumor growth and, when combined with chemotherapy, eradicates certain types of tumors. In December, Kopchick was one of only three university innovators throughout the state invited to share his lab’s work at a special event hosted by Ohio’s lieutenant governor and designed to connect university research with private sector investment. And Kopchick and Hawkins will take center stage when OHIO hosts the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology’s 2022 Growth Hormone/Prolactin Family in Biology Disease Conference. Slated for May 15-19, the conference will bring clinicians, scientists and industry representatives to Athens to explore the latest developments in their fields—and to hear the story of Somavert. —Angela Woodward, BSJ ’98
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Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
SOMAVERT SIDE EFFECTS AT OHIO Somavert® hasn’t just saved lives. It’s injected life into Ohio University’s research, scholarship and creative activities. The $105 million Ohio University and Somavert inventors received in royalty payments from the drug is a record for the institution, placing OHIO first among universities in the state for license royalties generated in the last decade and opening avenues for new biomedical research and technology commercialization initiatives. Somavert royalty payments have been reinvested in OHIO colleges, departments and offices affiliated with the discoveryturned-drug, including support for an endowed professorship and research funding in the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and several quasi-endowments whose earnings will provide permanent support for: • Edison Biotechnology Institute research • College of Arts and Sciences faculty and student research • Technology Transfer Office operations Quasi-endowments created by the Heritage College and Research Division also enabled the development and continued support of OHIO’s Translational Biomedical Sciences Doctoral Program. Students in this interdisciplinary program work with faculty to craft a customized curriculum aimed at improving the health of individuals and society by moving research discoveries from campus to community. “The discovery of a growth hormone antagonist and its successful commercialization as Somavert has established a powerful legacy, in terms of the lives of patients transformed by this therapeutic and financial resources to support research that may lead to similar breakthroughs in the future,” says Dr. Joseph Shields, vice president for research and creative activity and Graduate College dean.
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The family doctors of the future 2021 GRADUATES PIONEER ACCELERATED, COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM Blake Kinsel, DO ’21, didn’t just graduate from Ohio University last May. He and seven fellow Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine graduates made history, becoming the first to complete a one-ofits-kind medical education program that immerses students in a clinical setting—from day one of their training through residency—and in the communities they serve.
In 2018, the Heritage College debuted its Transformative Care Continuum (TCC), an accelerated curriculum developed in partnership with Cleveland Clinic that’s training the family doctors of the future. “In developing this program, we asked Cleveland Clinic: In a perfect world, what would primary care look like for them a decade from now, and how can we
The first cohort of eight students to complete the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Transformative Care Continuum graduated in May 2021—just three years after they started medical school rather than the traditional four. Photo courtesy of Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
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start training those physicians today?” explains Isaac Kirstein, DO, dean of Heritage College, Cleveland. The result? A curriculum that is transforming medical education and patient care. “This innovative program transforms medical education by providing hands-on experience with patients and health care delivery teams to train future physicians in a dramatically different way and uniquely prepare them for 21st-century medicine,” says James Young, MD, executive director of academic affairs at Cleveland Clinic. “Health care systems need more patientcentered solutions that engage social determinants of health and collaborate across traditional silos to improve health outcomes. These students will help us lead the way to healthier communities.” TCC students are admitted into family medicine residency programs at Cleveland Clinic’s Akron General or Lakewood Family Health Center before they even begin medical school. They spend the next three years completing the Heritage College’s curriculum while working alongside health care teams across the patient care continuum. After graduating medical school—in three years instead of four—those students complete their formal three-year residencies at the same Cleveland Clinic sites. “It’s not just our faculty, not just the doctors at Cleveland Clinic. It’s the front desk staff, the pharmacists, the nurses, the care coordinators, the social workers. The entire team has become a part of our faculty,” says Leanne Chrisman-Khawam, MD, MEd, assistant professor of social medicine and TCC director.
In the third year of the TCC, students complete research, quality improvement or programmatic projects they design in partnership with community organizations and aimed at addressing local health challenges. For his project, Kinsel partnered with the LGBT Center of Cleveland and Doctors on the Streets, a program that provides health care to homeless individuals. “After going a few times to participate and see what resources are available to the individuals living in shelters, I noticed that resources for sexual health were severely lacking, particularly with regular STD/ HIV screenings when people meet certain criteria to be deemed high risk,” Kinsel explains. Kinsel worked to expand point-of-care HIV testing and prevention services, reducing the barriers of accessing these health care needs by bringing them directly to the shelters. He received the Excellence in Public Health Award from the U.S. Public Health Service Physician Professional Advisory Committee for his work. Today, Kinsel is completing the first year of his residency at Cleveland Clinic’s Lakewood Family Health Center. “Being here for three years prior to the start of residency has been a huge plus,” he says. “There were many patients that I saw as a medical student who are now my patients. A lot of what I learned through the TCC and the experiences the program allowed me to do are what shaped who I am as a resident physician now.”
Working on the front lines of a health care system and directly with patients allows these students to identify areas of improvement in the system and social determinants of health.
The TCC has positioned the Heritage College and Cleveland Clinic as leaders in reinventing primary care physician training. The Heritage College is one of 37 medical schools selected as members of the American Medical Association’s Accelerating Change in Medical Education Consortium.
“It makes them leaders before they are doctors,” Chrisman-Khawam says. “So much of health care is actually not happening in the four walls of a hospital system or doctor’s office. It’s happening in the community.”
“From the earliest times, we started publishing our ideas about how we were going to create this innovative pathway,” says Kirstein. “Now, our work is recognized nationally.” —Isaac Miller, BSJ ’22
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GAME ON! It was 50 years ago that Atari kick-started the video game industry with the release of “Pong,” the Magnavox Odyssey brought video games into the homes of thousands of American families and Stanford University hosted the world’s first video game competition. Decades later, what was once a pastime is now a billiondollar—and growing—industry. So enters the era of esports, where competition meets the digital age. Short for electronic sports, esports is competitive video gaming in which individual players or teams face off in real time to be crowned champion. Once relegated to at-home play, today esports broadcasts and events draw millions of viewers and attendees, making esports one of the fastest-growing industries in the world and expected to generate $2 billion in revenue this year. The seemingly boundless growth and popularity of this industry has not gone unnoticed in the educational world. Over the past five years, Ohio University has been investing in academic programs, co-curricular activity and a new facility—all designed to prepare students for careers in esports while building community on campus. Behind the scenes of this robust and enthusiastic esports push lies a group of motivated students, alumni and faculty who see the abundance of opportunities in this industry and are sending a message to the world of competitive gaming: OHIO is ready to play.
The birth of Bobcat Esports In 2017, Dr. Jeffrey Kuhn, MA ’11, PHD ’17, began advocating for an esports team and facility at OHIO. “I was interested in the national landscape of esports, especially at the collegiate level,” says Kuhn, who was named OHIO’s first esports director last summer. “That’s what made me want to present it to the University. I could see the potential in this industry.”
He soon crossed paths with three then-students—Adam Maslowski, BSC, BSJ ’20, MITS ’21, Kristofer Meyeres, BBA ’20, and Ivy O’Shaughnessy, BSC ’20—who met through a club O’Shaughnessy formed for students who played the game “Overwatch.” For O’Shaughnessy, the club was a means of bringing something students were enjoying completely online to something they could do together. In the midst of the success of the “Overwatch” club, Maslowski, Meyeres and O’Shaughnessy started seeing a much bigger picture: a University with various student clubs dedicated to specific video games and an opportunity to bring those groups together and galvanize campus-wide interest in esports. “That’s how Bobcat Esports was born,” O’Shaughnessy says. “The number of members we had grew like crazy in just the first year, so we knew we wanted to make the club more official. We started talking to professors and thinking of ways we could demonstrate that esports was a worthy investment for the school.” The founders of the Bobcat Esports club connected with Kuhn and, in spring 2019, were invited to present at OHIO’s Board of Trustees meeting, where they advocated for the construction of an esports arena on campus. “The goal was always to unify the club as much as we could,” O’Shaughnessy says. “And playing in person is a huge part of that. We knew that having a big educational space would be great for personal and professional development. Plus, we could invite other schools to come compete with us.” The Board of Trustees approved funding for OHIO’s first space dedicated to esports. The state-of-the-art facility is housed on the ground floor of Scripps Hall and features a social gaming area and varsity-level
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OHIO’s new esports arena, featuring this broadcast booth, is located on the ground floor of Scripps Hall and is already home to some of the courses being taught as part of the University’s esports certificate program. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
competition and practice spaces—with Bobcat Esports representing OHIO in the Esports Collegiate Conference, a competitive esports league that the Mid-American Conference launched in June 2020. The arena also includes a broadcast booth, where OHIO students interested in sports-related journalism and production can perfect their skills by coordinating and announcing esports matches.
“Esports isn’t just about students competing; it’s about creating a social space and opportunities where everyone is welcome.”
Construction on the arena has been completed, but a global computer chip shortage has the facility awaiting the 50 computers that will equip the space. When the arena fully opens, it will welcome the approximately 350 and counting members of Bobcat Esports and other interested students.
“You can do any career in esports that you can do in professional sports,” explains Brandon Wright, assistant professor of instruction in the College of Business’ Department of Sports Administration and one of the first faculty members to teach an esports class at OHIO. “Students can get into organizing tournaments or team management. There’s a need for marketing and advertising events. Teams need broadcasters for narration, and there’s also a need for branding.”
“If you think about it, every college has a program for music, and the video games industry is five times the size of the music industry but often lacks the presence at universities that the music industry has,” Kuhn says.
At OHIO, it’s also about preparing students for careers in an emerging and profitable industry. In fall 2020, the University debuted a new esports certificate designed to do just that.
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Adam Apicella, BSSPS ’03, and Ivy O’Shaughnessy, BSC ’20, have already solidified their legacies in the field of esports: O’Shaughnessy as one of the founders of Bobcat Esports, Apicella as one of the founding executives of Major League Gaming and a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Esports Awards. Photo by Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02
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Housed in the Scripps College of Communication’s J. Warren McClure School of Emerging Communication Technologies and offered in partnership with the College of Business, the esports certificate includes tracks in esports management, game design and information technology.
OHIO’s esports champions Championing the rise of OHIO’s esports landscape are eager students—who, Kuhn emphasizes, “put their hearts and souls into it”—and successful and active alumni who brought the Ohio University name to the esports world long before most on campus even knew what esports was. “Nearly every esports business in the United States has an Ohio University graduate working there,” says Kuhn. Many of those alumni, including the founders of Bobcat Esports, have been instrumental in lending their time and expertise to the development of esports curricula and an arena that will position OHIO students as leaders in the field. Adam Apicella, BSSPS ’03, is one of several OHIO graduates serving on the University’s Esports and Gaming Advisory Board—and a legend in the industry, earning a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Esports Awards. After graduating from OHIO, Apicella began preparing for law school while interning for a political campaign. “I was working probably 90 hours a week and adding thousands of miles on my car,” he recalls. “I didn’t have the time or money to go out in my free time, so I started playing ‘Halo’ on my Xbox to unwind.” Wanting to bring “Halo” players together to compete, he decided to rent out a hotel ballroom and host a tournament. “Hundreds of people ended up showing up, and the tournament lasted all day,” Apicella says. “I was in total shock. We had so many people that we were able to give out prizes and pay all of our expenses.” Word traveled about Apicella’s event, prompting Major League Gaming (MLG), a budding esports company, to contact him. In 2004, he agreed to help the company
host a similar event, which was so successful that Apicella was offered a position with MLG, becoming its first employee. “I rolled the dice and decided to put off law school and take the job,” he says. “Eighteen months later, we raised $10 million in funding.” Apicella worked for MLG for more than 15 years, organizing and executing some of the nation’s first esports competitions, and was ready to roll the dice again. In 2019, he founded Esports Engine, a Columbus-based company that serves as a one-stop shop for all things esports and gaming, from strategy and competition operations to broadcasting and production. In just two years, Esports Engine has grown to 200-plus employees, including several fellow OHIO graduates. One of the company’s most recent hires? Bobcat Esports co-founder O’Shaughnessy. “Adam is somebody I look up to a lot in the industry,” says O’Shaughnessy, associate client operations manager at Esports Engine. “I’m kind of at my dream job right now.” Those Bobcat connections can be found throughout the esports industry. Apicella was recently selected to serve on a new advisory board for eFuse, a successful professional hub for esports and gaming founded by fellow OHIO College of Business alumnus Matt Benson, and volunteers his time to advise Bobcat Esports. “Bobcat Esports mirrors OHIO’s broad alumni connections with students,” says Pat Daley, the club’s current president and a junior majoring in integrated media. “We have tons of OHIO alumni involved in esports, and this school is a great place to be if you’re wanting to get involved in the industry.” Apicella admires OHIO’s commitment to esports, which he sees as a larger commitment to student success. “I have a lot of respect for Ohio University and its education,” Apicella says. “Esports is exciting, it’s innovative, and OHIO understands this. The industry is going to grow exponentially. The potential to monetize and grow this space is really unmatched.” —Julie Ciotola, BSJ ’20
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At the top of their game From campus to career, here’s a look at just some of the Ohio University graduates who laid the foundation for success in the world of esports while pursuing their OHIO degrees. C. LEMAR DANIELS, MBA/MSA ’19
CARTER RODRIGUEZ, BSJ ’13
While at OHIO, Daniels served as director of operations for Bobcat Esports and was a key player in organizing the first Bobcat Esports Invitational. In July 2019, he was named director of esports at Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio, where, last year, he coached the university’s Overwatch team to its first Great Lakes Esports Conference Championship. He serves on the Competition Committee for the National Association of Collegiate Esports and was named its 2021 Overwatch Coach of the Year.
Rodriguez spent his years as an OHIO undergraduate working and learning at WOUB as a reporter and co-producer of the station’s Hardwood Heroes program. He launched his career with a digital sports network in Chicago, working his way up to producer and director, and entered the field of esports as an associate broadcast manager and then producer at Blizzard Entertainment. In 2019, Rodriguez joined Esports Engine, where, today, he is the company’s director of broadcast operations.
MATTHEW SHIFLET, BSJ ’19
SYDNEY MALHAM, BSVC ’21 When she wasn’t tending the goal for OHIO’s Women’s Soccer Team, Malham was honing her skills both in the classroom and through experiential learning opportunities with sports and esports organizations. She spent her last two years as a student working as a part-time graphic designer for Washington Justice, a Washington, D.C.-based professional Overwatch esports team. In January, she joined The Guard, a Los Angeles-based esports and gaming organization that competes across multiple game titles, as a graphic designer.
As a student in OHIO’s Honors Tutorial College, Shiflet served as a senior editor at a virtual publication focused on the video game industry, captained a team within the Bobcat Esports club and wrote a thesis about viral marketing in video games and esports. Just weeks after graduating, Shiflet landed a job as social media coordinator for professional esports team Boston Uprising and, last March, joined Esports Engine as a digital and social media manager.
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New book breaks new ground for author, Ohio University Press A new release from the Ohio University Press offers many firsts— the first major study of its kind, written by a first-time book author and with support from a new fund. Written from a Zambian perspective, War and Society in Colonial Zambia, 1939–1953 is a study of how the British colony of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) organized and deployed human, military and natural resources during and after World War II. It is the first book written by Alfred Tembo, a research associate with the University of the Free State International Studies Group and a lecturer in the Department of Historical and Archaeological Studies at the University of Zambia. “Alfred Tembo has produced a text that is both elegantly written and based upon meticulous and well-presented original research,” Ashley Jackson, a fellow from the University of Oxford, says of the book. “Throughout, Tembo makes seamless linkages between the grand political/strategic levels and the ‘on the ground’ participation in the conflict of this important African colony. The accessibility of its presentation makes this book ideal for academics, historians and general interest readers alike.” A reflection of the pride it has in its first-time authors who have
won major awards in African and Appalachian studies and its support of the best and the brightest young scholars working in these fields, Tembo’s book is the first to receive an award from the Ohio University Press’ Young Scholars First Book Fund. The fund sets out to level the playing field for African and Appalachian scholars as they seek to publish their first books. Creators of the fund include Gillian Berchowitz, former Ohio University Press director; Jeff Chaddock, BSC ’88, philanthropist and private wealth advisor/CEO of Envisage Wealth; Steve Howard, professor in OHIO’s School of Media Arts and Studies and former director of the University’s African Studies Program; and Jean Allman, Derek Peterson and Allen Isaacman, series editors for the Ohio University Press’ New African Histories series. Other authors and friends of the Ohio University Press have joined in supporting this fund, which can be used for any aspect of the revision and publication process. For more information on the Young Scholars First Book Fund, visit give.ohio.edu/funds/youngscholars-first-book-fund. —Beth
Image courtesy of Ohio University Press
“Alfred Tembo has produced a text that is both elegantly written and based upon meticulous and wellpresented original research... The accessibility of its presentation makes this book ideal for academics, historians and general interest readers alike.” — Ashley Jackson
Pratt is the director of the Ohio University Press.
Ohio University Press
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Year in, year out Have you met Gary Clark? You may have heard his story or seen his face (or maybe that hip illustration of him) over the past few months. If you’re wondering why, it all dates back to 1962, when he made his first gift to Ohio University. He will tell you it wasn’t much, but it was what the young OHIO graduate could afford. He made another donation the next year. And again, the year after that. He’s kept it up for 59 years in a row now, making him OHIO’s longest-running annual donor. Gary’s OHIO story starts in 1956, on a fateful campus visit in the spring of his senior year of high school. As it does for so many Bobcats, the quintessential beauty of the Athens Campus won him over. “When I first came down here, the impactful thing at the time was the College Green,” Gary, BSCOM ’60, recalls. “It looked like everybody’s view of what a campus ought to look like.” Gary studied business, preparing him for what would become a successful career in corporate business development and marketing. However, it was outside the classroom where he found his most formative experiences, many of which were connected to his passion for singing. He sang in the Ohio University Chorus and in the Ohio University Singers. As a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity, he sang formally in competitions like the Spring Torch Sing and informally during pinning ceremonies or whenever the mood struck.
These experiences and more, including landing his first job through a connection in OHIO’s student chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Management, shaped Gary in a lasting way. “What you come away with [at OHIO] is a degree and academic experiences that you hope to apply as you go forward in life. And no one is 100 percent successful at that, but everyone is successful to a point that they wouldn’t have been had they not had the experience,” Gary says. “So many of the significant events of my life occurred here.” That is what has fueled Gary’s remarkable pattern of generosity, which over nearly six decades has impacted hundreds of thousands of students, supported the expansion and transformation of campus facilities, and helped preserve the timeless traditions that make Ohio University one of a kind. And Gary’s not done yet. He plans to continue his annual tradition of giving and hopes that his story inspires others to start their own. “If you recognize the benefit of you having come here in the first place, you can then share back part of the reward you reap from that investment,” Gary says. “So that then, the institution survives and can do for others what was done for you.” To learn more about Gary and how you can start your own legacy of giving today, visit ohio.edu/gary. —Peter Shooner
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Gary Clark, BSCOM ’60, holds a meaningful record at Ohio University. He has given to his alma mater every year—for the past 59 years—making this Bobcat OHIO’s longest-running annual donor. Photo by Laura Bilson, BSVC ’23
OHIO giving
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TIME MACHINE
Scripps Hall: From print to pixels Constructed in 1904, the building at the southwest corner of Ohio University’s College Green has always been dedicated to communication and communication technology. But what began as the first campus building established for use as a library has become OHIO’s home for educating communicators skilled in the latest means of storytelling, information sharing and entertaining.
In 1982, an endowment from the Scripps Howard Foundation paved the way for OHIO’s newly named E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and the transformation of what was originally Carnegie Library into Scripps Hall. The journalism school took up residence in its new headquarters in 1986, offering students everything from word processors and laser printers to a broadcast journalism studio.
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“Very few universities would allow live student news broadcasts … we did them every day,” recalls Dr. Eddith Dashiell, director of the journalism school. When the Schoonover Center for Communication fully opened in 2015, it brought all of the Scripps College of Communication’s schools under one roof and launched a 21st-century makeover for Scripps Hall, which welcomed the Game Research and Immersive Design (GRID) Lab in 2016. The GRID Lab uses interactive digital technology like games, simulation and augmented/virtual reality to educate while serving campus and community. “I think the GRID Lab is one of the best experiential learning labs on campus…,” says the lab’s director, John Bowditch, BSC ’04, MA ’06.
“We’re doing some of the most incredible work in the state, if not the country, in this space.” Today, Scripps Hall is home to a motion capture lab, some 50 workstations, 200 mobile VR headsets, plus a cinematic virtual reality lab, an immersive audio suite, a research and development lab, an equipment library, and a new esports arena. Visit ohiotoday.org to read more about Scripps Hall and its evolution from print to pixels. — Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93 [OPPOSITE] This postcard from the early 1900s shows what was originally Carnegie Library. Photo courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections. [ABOVE] Students interact with an immersive virtual reality project inside the GRID Lab at today’s Scripps Hall. Photo by Daniel King, MA ’15.
OHIO time machine
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Class notes
* denotes accolades featured at ohio.edu/news or in the media
1956
1963
Marquis Who’s Who honored H. Donald Winkler, MS ’56, for his “lifetime achievements and unwavering excellence” in book authorship and university public relations, featuring his biographical narrative in a new book, A Lifetime of Achievement, Our Collection of Prestigious Listees. The publication celebrates individuals who have excelled not only during their careers but also in retirement. Among Winkler’s accolades, it notes the five books he has produced since retiring and the 84 national awards he received during his 38-year career as a university public relations executive. He resides in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
James Young, AB ’63, presented “Democratic Unionism: The Pennsylvania Social Services Union” at the Labor and Working-Class History Association’s virtual conference last May. He was also inducted into the Sylvania (Ohio) Schools’ Academic Hall of Fame in 2020 and the Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021.
1961 In July, Fairfield Union (Ohio) Local Schools dedicated its high school auditorium the Robert C. Trocchia Performing Arts Center in honor of Robert Trocchia, BSED ’61, a retired teacher and longtime supporter in the district. Trocchia spent 47 of his 49 years teaching in public schools with Fairfield Union in addition to 30 years of teaching at OHIO’s Lancaster Campus and 29 years as artistic director of the Lancaster Chorale.
B O B C AT S P O T L I G H T Forever learning, forever serving Jack Marchbanks, PHD ’18, spent years climbing the ranks at the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and in 2019 was appointed director of the state agency. But Marchbanks’ biggest climb—his “mountaintop achievement,” he says—is Photo courtesy of ODOT the doctoral degree he earned from Ohio University. It was a goal that had been weighing on him for years and a pinnacle moment in a journey of lifelong learning that has fed his mind and soul and enabled him to contribute to culture and community. This spring, Marchbanks is being presented OHIO’s Outstanding State Government Alumnus Award, honoring not only his nearly 30 years of service at ODOT but also his commitment to lifelong learning and personal passions that he has turned into opportunities to serve. Visit ohio.edu/jack-marchbanks to read about Marchbanks, a jack of many talents—from music and the arts to history and transportation—who has mastered the art of learning and public service. —Jalyn Bolyard
1966 Retired Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court Judge Michael E. Jackson, BA ’66, spoke about his military service—from boot camp to combat and returning home—in American Veteran, a PBS series that aired last fall. He served as a Marine lieutenant platoon leader and company commander in Vietnam, receiving four awards for valor and the Purple Heart. He was inducted into the Ohio Military Hall of Fame in 2019 and resides in Cleveland.
1967 The Best Lawyers in America© named Harry W. Greenfield, BBA ’67, the 2022 Lawyer of the Year in Cleveland for Litigation - Bankruptcy. He is a partner in the Ohio office of Bernstein-Burkley, P.C.
1970 James Kearns, BSCHE ’70, was presented the 2021 George F. Linsteadt Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer, recognizing the outstanding achievements of those who enable and advance Department of Defense technology transfer. As the longtime technology transfer manager for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing, Kearns helped commercialize
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numerous life-saving technologies. He retired from his position at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in August and resides in Centerville, Ohio.
1974 Since retiring from the U.S. Department of State in 2018, Timothy Finton, BA ’74, has served as a patron of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, volunteered as chair of the Museum Ambassadors and most re-
Alumni Authors cently chaired the Corporate Sponsor Committee for the museum’s biannual Fine Arts and Flowers exhibition. He was also a background actor on the Hulu series Dopesick.
has been a member of the NASBA Board of Directors since 2013, holding several leadership positions, and resides in Blacklick, Ohio.
Jeffrey Heil, AB ’75, retired in December after serving 18 years as the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s first chief investment officer.
The Delaware Center for the Book selected Raindrops to Rainbow, a picture book written by John Micklos Jr., BSJ ’78, for the 2021 National Book Festival of the Library of Congress’ “Great Reads from Great Places” list.
1976
1980
Kenneth Dixon, BSJ ’76, received first place for crisis commentary and honorable mention for social justice columns at the National Society of Newspaper Columnists annual awards. He is a politics editor for the eight daily newspapers in Connecticut owned by the Hearst Connecticut Media Group.
An essay, titled “Living in the Moment,” by Teri Krimm Rizvi, BSJ ’80, is featured in a new book, Fast Fierce Women. She is the founder and director of the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop at the University of Dayton, where she also serves as executive director of strategic communications.
1975
1978 W. Michael Fritz, BBA ’78, was installed as chair of the Board of Directors for the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA). Fritz is a retired senior partner with Deloitte & Touche, LLP, in Columbus, Ohio, where he served as the industry professional practice director for state and local government, higher education and notfor-profit industries. He
1982 Alan Miller, BSJ ’82, MS ’02, retired as executive editor of The Columbus Dispatch after 37 years with the newspaper, where he also served as Ohio regional editor for the USA TODAY Network of 21 daily news organizations in the state. Miller serves on the professional advisory board for OHIO’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and teaches journalism at Denison University.
1984 Dean DellaPenna, BS ’84, was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, an organization of the country’s leading researchers and one of the highest honors a scientist can receive. A Michigan State University Foundation Professor and University Distinguished Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, he was recognized for excellence in the field of plant science.
1986 OHIO’s College of Business presented Paula Tolliver, BBA ’86, its 2021 Award for Achievement in Business, honoring business leaders who have significantly contributed to their organizations and communities while maintaining the highest ethical standards in all endeavors. She is a member of the board of directors for C.H. Robinson, Invesco Ltd. and Syniti and is an investor and/or advisor to venture capital firms and several technology companies and startups. She previously served as CIO and a member of the executive management committee at Intel Corp. and as corporate vice president of business services and CIO at Dow Chemical. She serves on the College of Business’ Executive Advisory Board and resides in Miami, Florida.
Bobcat tracks
OHIO alumni publish books across subjects and genres. Here are releases within the last year. Flashpoint: How a Little-Known Sporting Event Fueled America’s Anti-Apartheid Movement, sports history (Rowman & Littlefield), by Derek Catsam, PHD ’03 • Distant Turns, fiction (AuthorHouse), by Marie Hess Hammerling, MS ’83 • Quilling Will, poetry (Assure Press), by Alice-Catherine (Knost) Jennings, AB ’72 • The Long Red Thread: How Democratic Dominance Gave Way to Republican Advantage in U.S. House Elections, political science (Ohio University Press), by Kyle Kondik, BSJ ’06 • To Lead is to Teach: Stories and Strategies from the Classroom to the Boardroom, education, administration, nonprofit (Proving Press), by Jim Mahoney, MED ’79, PHD ’89 • Passages: Book III, historical fiction/series finale (Wipf and Stock), by Evie Yoder Miller, MA ’94, PHD ’98 • Stiff Hearts, historical fiction (Dorrance Publishing), by Joanna “Jo Deniau” Neff, MA ’80 • One Heart with Courage, collection of essays (Braughler Books), by Teri Krimm Rizvi, BSJ ’80, edited by Julie Fanselow, BSJ ’82 • When Time Runs Out, end-times novel (Christian Faith Publishing), by Gerald Roche, BSC ’69 • Good Outfit: The 803rd Engineer Battalion and the Defense of the Philippines, 1941-1942, history (Air University Press), by Paul Ropp, AB ’65, MA ’67 • The Doctor Will Be Late, children’s book (Pager Publications), by Sarah Carroll Smith, DO ’01 • A Million Reasons Why and The Next Thing You Know, fiction (St. Martin’s Press), by Jessica Strawser, BSJ ’01. Send your published work updates to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or to Ohio Today, Ohio University, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701-0869.
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1988 Joe Fincham, BSPE ’88, MSPE ’89, retired after completing his 25th season as head football coach at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. The winningest coach in the program’s history, he amassed an overall record of 224-51, earned 10 North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) Coach of the Year designations and led his teams to 14 NCAC titles. Janice Young LoRaso, BSJ ’88, was promoted to executive director at The Works: Ohio Center
for History, Art & Technology, a Smithsonian Affiliate Institution in Newark, Ohio. She has worked there since 2010 and held various leadership positions.
1990 LeeAnn Helber, BBA ’90*, was named president of OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital in Athens, continuing a 26-year career in health care. She resides in Logan, Ohio. For the ninth consecutive year, Diablo Magazine has recognized Venture Quality Goods, a San
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Francisco-area apparel and gift store owned by Thomas Stenzel, BBA ’90, and Rosylyn Aragones Stenzel, BSJ ’90, with a Best of the East Bay Award. The couple, who met their junior year at OHIO, also was featured on Patrick Lencioni’s podcasts, Working Genius and At the Table.
1993 Ernst & Young LLP promoted Ginnie Carlier, BBA ’93, to EY Americas vice chair – talent. After 28 years with the organization, she is leading talent initiatives for more than 80,000 individuals across 31 countries. She resides in Denver, Colorado.
1994 Ohio Poet Laureate Kari Gunter-Seymour, BFA ’94, MA ’16, won the 2021 Lascaux Prize in Poetry for her poem, “Saving Sgt. Billings.”
1995 The Ohio Library Council named James Hill, AB ’95, its 2021 Librarian of the Year. He is the director of the Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library and resides in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Alumni Association
bobcatnetwork.ohio.edu
Christopher Kacir, AB ’95, MS ’98, PHD ’02, joined the Ohio Department of Higher Education in July as the associate
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vice chancellor for student success. He and his wife, Cornelia Guadiz Kacir, BS ’96, DO ’01, reside in Dublin, Ohio, with their two children, Marcus and Zoe. Sonya Pfeiffer, BSJ ’95, is serving her fourth year on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She is a partner with Rudolf Widenhouse in Charlotte, North Carolina.
1996 Monique Chism, BSC ’96, was named Under Secretary for Education at the Smithsonian Institution last May and recently was appointed to the Educational Theatre Association Board of Directors. She previously served as vice president for education policy and strategic initiatives at the American Institutes for Research and as deputy assistant secretary for policy and programs at the U.S. Department of Education. The semi-autobiographical, creative dissertation project completed by Daryl Malarry Davidson, AA ’96, BSS ’97, PHD ’20, is the first and only scriptment catalogued by ProQuest, a global information-content and technology company featuring dissertations from 100 countries. A
BOBCAT SIGHTINGS
OHIO alumni go on adventures hither and yon!
Seizing on their aunt and uncle’s tradition of displaying flags from their children’s colleges during visits to their lake house, Andrea Johnson, BFA ’05, DaLan Johnson, BFA ’06, and son Lincoln raise the OHIO Green and White at Hamlin Lake in Ludington, Michigan.
Bobcats from The Villages and nearby Florida communities gather at Gator’s Dockside to watch the Nov. 2 OHIO Football victory over rival Miami. Among those cheering on the Green and White were Steve Sommer, AB ’70, Phil English, AB ’67, Rich Tisovec, BSIT ’65, Ed Williams, BSC ’72, and Ken Budd, BSED ’72, MED ’84.
Amy Tirimacco Fleishman, BBA ’06, and Jon Fleishman, BSSPS ’06, returned to the Athens Campus for their first walk down OHIO memory lane since graduating.
Carol Rockhold Braden, BSED ’68, and Jay Braden, BSED ’67, bring a little paw power to one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments during a 2019 trip to England’s Stonehenge. Alumnae who met in September 1971 while living in West Green’s Crook Hall (today Stocker Center) celebrate their “Elite Eleven” 50th reunion at Wintergreen Resort in Virginia last July. Pictured are [FROM LEFT, FRONT] Jamie Cure, BSED ’75, Andrea Korinchak, BSED ’75, Mary Battung, BSED ’75, [BACK] Cindi Krebs, AB ’75, Lari Brigilia, Virginia Popovich, BSRS ’80, Mary Lynn Hope, BSED ’75, Jane Beatty, BSED ’75, Barb Kostohryz, BSED ’74, MED ’78, Chris Maistros, BSED ’75, and Julie Cole, BSED ’75.
Bobcat tracks
It was a July 3 homecoming and wedding for Kayla Gross Bethel, MED ’19, and Andrew Bethel, BSED ’14, son of Lisa Harrison Bethel, BSJ ’87, and Orren Bethel, BSED ’86, and grandson of David Harrison, BSJ ’56.
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Olivia Wolff, MSES ’21, Ralph Phillips, BSC ’80, and OHIO senior Jane Armstrong enjoyed the summer at Friends of Nevada Wilderness, where Phillips is development director and Wolff, who is now a programs coordinator with the nonprofit, and Armstrong were AmeriCorps members.
OHIO friendships forged in the 1980s continue to flourish as Bobcats [FROM LEFT] Patti Ryder Frullo, BSJ ’80, Maria Postallian Hayes, BSC ’80, Monica Maron Spier, BSHEC ’82, Lisa Novak Cowman, BSC ’80, Helga Ruppe Boswell, BSED ’80, Melanie Myers Jeter, BSC ’80, Becky Zielasko Mulcahey, BSJ ’80, and Linda York Baxter, BSJ ’80, reunite in Rosemary Beach, Florida.
Scripps College of Communication graduates who met the first week of their freshman year in James Hall got together last summer for a weekend in Athens. Pictured [CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT] are Alexis Evans, BSJ ’14, Caleigh Bourgeois, BSJ ’14, Jasmine Garcia, BSJ ’14, Brooke Bunce, BSJ ’13, and Ashleigh Mavros, BSJ ’13.
Former Bobcat roommates Lisa Cunningham, BFA ’79, and Janet Tims Brown, BFA ’79, reunited on campus for the first time in 42 years. They are pictured outside Washington Hall holding a photo from their 1979 lives inside the residence hall where their OHIO story began.
Devyn Brossard, BSPEX ’18, and Kyle Bowsher, BSN ’18, tied the knot on May 22, 2021, with a large group of Bobcat friends there to celebrate their love.
OHIO alumni [FROM LEFT] Joe Zychowicz, BBA ’72, and Dr. John “Jack” Carroll, BSED ’72, take a moment to show their Bobcat pride on a tour last year of Wawel Castle in Kraków, Poland.
Two generations of Ohio University alumni and a total of five OHIO degrees make for one proud Bobcat family! Pictured are Patti Ryder Frullo, BSJ ’80, Fred Frullo, BS ’79, Allison Frullo, BSED ’16, MED ’17, and Lauren Frullo, BSC ’20. Send your photos with names, grad degrees and grad years to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or to Ohio Today, Ohio University, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701-0869.
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scriptment is a written work that combines elements of a script and treatment, especially the dialogue elements, which are formatted the same as in a screenplay. Davidson’s dissertation project, titled “Joey Connor Larry Darrell: A Television/ Streaming Series á Clef,” explores the themes of family dysfunction, psychological manipulation, mental illness, stigmatization, diabetes, greed and forgiveness.
1997 Bryony Terrell, BSRS ’97, who was commissioned through OHIO’s Air Force ROTC program, was promoted to the rank of brigadier general. She is vice director J3/4 at the National Guard Bureau in Arlington, Virginia.
1998 Sean Stipp, BSVC ’98, was a producer and head videographer on Olympic Oak, the Story of John Woodruff, the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the Roots of Athlete Activism, a special film project for The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, where Stipp is the director of visuals. Scripps College of Communication senior Jordan Schmitt also contributed to the documentary, conducting an interview for the film and preparing social media content.
2002
B O B C AT S P O T L I G H T
Attorney Jason Cover, BA ’02, was promoted to partner at Ballard Spahr, a national law firm. He practices federal and state consumer lending and payments law at the firm’s Philadelphia office.
Powering the fight against pediatric cancer
The University of Botswana presented Agreement Lathi Jotia, BSED ’02, MA ’03, PHD ’06, a Teaching Excellence Award in recognition of his innovative teaching and impact on student learning. He is a professor of education at the university and acting dean of the School of Graduate Studies.
“I was just taking her lead,” Santos says of her decision to start the Isabella Santos Foundation (ISF), dedicated to increasing survival rates of children diagnosed with rare pediatric cancers. The nonprofit is named in honor of her daughter who, at 2 years old, was diagnosed with stage-four neuroblastoma and spent the remainder of her life with three wishes: Beat Cancer, Grow Hair, and Live Her Dreams. Santos and ISF supporters have been making Isabella’s wishes come true for others, raising nearly $6 million for pediatric cancer research; national pediatric cancer trials, studies and treatments; and support for families facing a cancer diagnosis. Visit ohio.edu/isabella-santos-foundation to read about Santos, who is powering the fight against pediatric cancer—from Isabella’s North Carolina hometown to an upcoming event near this OHIO graduate’s hometown in Central Ohio. —Kirsten Thomas, BSJ ’22
Erin Kolbrich Spargo, BS ’02, is president-elect of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and will assume the role of president of the organization in 2023. She is the assistant director of toxicological services and assistant lab director for forensic chemistry at NMS Labs in Horsham, Pennsylvania.
2003 Liz Pahl, BSC ’03, MPA ’10, directed and produced Legacy: Women of Southeast Ohio, a series of documentary films that premiered at Stuart’s Opera House in Nelsonville, Ohio, in August. The films highlight the
For the past 15 years, Erin (Myers) Santos, BBA ’99, has been championing the work of her firstborn—a little girl who dreamed of a world without cancer and has changed the world for those affected by rare pediatric cancers.
accomplishments of four area women who have dedicated their lives to education, community action, activism and social justice: Ada Woodson Adams, BSED ’61; Carol Kuhre, MA ’93; Francine Childs, HON ’97, EMERT ’05; and Dru Riley Evarts, BSJ ’51, MS ’73, PHD ’77, EMERT ’07. The Legacy team also included Andie Walla, BSC ’07, MED ’12, and Delia Palmisano, BSVC ’02, MFA ’20.
Bobcat tracks
2005 Kristen Jensen Easterday, BSS ’05, earned the Accredited Airport Executive designation. She is the director of communications and public affairs for the Columbus (Ohio) Regional Airport Authority. The Ohio State Bar Foundation inducted Columbus residents Amy Flowers, BA ’05, MPA ’08, and Dustin Torres, BSJ, BA ’05, into its honorary
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FUTURE BOBCATS
Proud parents Jim Dempsey, BSME ’90, MS ’92, and Sarah Jane welcomed Elena Jane Dempsey into their Bobcat family on April 6, 2021.
It’s been a couple of years since Mom took this photo of Future Bobcat Frederick Dravenstott, but his Bobcat spirit has only grown stronger. Frederick is the son of Kelley Marling Dravenstott, BSED ’09, MED ’12, and Ronald Dravenstott, BSISE ’09, MS ’12.
There’s a new baby Bobcat in the Montgomery family! Ryland, son of Laura Kortemeyer Montgomery, BSED ’08, and David Montgomery and brother of Clara, was born last August. Two-year-old Lucy Rowland has her sights set on following in the footsteps of proud Bobcat parents Lauren Toth Rowland, BS ’07, and Thomas Rowland, BA ’07.
Send your photos with names, grad degrees and grad years to ohiotoday@ohio.edu or to Ohio Today, Ohio University, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701-0869.
Lyra Maeve is one happy Bobcat! The daughter of Zoe Graham, BBA ’14, and Justin Hamlin, she was born May 15 in Athens.
givingday.ohio.edu
Help future generations of Bobcats experience the place that shaped us for the better, forever.
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Fellows Program. Flowers is an attorney with Ice Miller Litigation. Torres founded Torres Law LLC in 2012.
2007 Corie Richards McCallum, BSJ ’07, MED ’09, defended her dissertation, “A Student Conduct Administrator’s Journey to Wellness,” and earned a PhD in urban education from the City University of New York.
2010 Emily Mullin, BSJ ’10*, is one of 21 distinguished science journalists selected for the Knight Science Journalism Program’s 2021-22 project fellow class. An award-winning science journalist, Mullin completed her fellowship last fall, working on a proposal for a book exploring efforts to use animals as a source of organs for people who need transplants. She resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
2011 Nicole Bishop Hawks, BBA ’11, earned certification as a specialist in elder law from the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF), becoming one of only 35 attorneys in Ohio who hold the NELF certification. She is an associate at Critchfield, Critchfield & Johnston in Ashland, Ohio, and a member of the firm’s
estate planning and elder law practice team.
2012 Marissa Fitzpatrick, BA ’12, received the Ohio State Bar Foundation Community Service Award for Attorneys 40 and Under. An attorney at Robison, Curphey & O’Connell in Toledo, Ohio, she serves on the Genacross Lutheran Services Foundation Board and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity, the Maumee Chamber of Commerce and the Toledo P.E.T. Bull Project. In November, percussionist and composer Andrew Stauffer, MA ’12, released Firebird, a full-length album of spoken word and experimental music he created in collaboration with poet Kythe Heller and cellist/composer Nicholas Denton Protsack. Stauffer, who is based in British Columbia, and Denton Protsack formed Sounds Like Things, an experimental music duo, in 2020.
2013 Brad Fain, BSSPS ’13, was featured on Forbes’ 2022 “30 Under 30” list in the sports category, celebrating individuals shaping the future of the industry. He is the vice president of ticket sales and service for the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.
Elizabeth Johnson Lesley, BSED ’13, was promoted to director of student-athlete academic services at the College of Charleston in South Carolina and serves as the athletic department’s primary academic leader.
2014 Katie Asbury Lanham, BSCFS ’14, was promoted to transition coordinator for The Point/Arc, an organization serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati area.
2015 André R. Russell, MBA ’15, was named to Crain’s Cleveland Business’ 2021 “Forty under 40” list, recognizing individuals who have made an impact on Northeast Ohio’s business and civic communities. He is a partner and chief operations officer at Sports and Spine Physical Therapy Inc.
2016 Evan Brubach, AAS ’16, was sworn in as a probation officer for the Fairfield County (Ohio) Municipal Court in July.
2018 Adam Currence, AAS ’18, BCJ ’19, was sworn in as a police officer with the Lancaster (Ohio) Police Department in August.
Andrew Domozick, BA ’18, joined the Cleveland office of Reminger Co., LPA as an associate attorney. He focuses his practice on securities/ financial services liability, employment law, commercial litigation and general business litigation. Cat Hofacker, BSJ ’18, was promoted to associate editor at Aerospace America magazine following more than two years as its staff reporter covering developments in the aviation and space industries.
2020 The Society of Professional Journalists presented Ashton Nichols, BA, BSJ ’20*, the 2021 Julie Galvan Outstanding Graduate in Journalism Award. She is a communications coordinator at Cariloop and resides in Dallas. In October, New Jerseybased Morris Elite Soccer Club hired Stephanie Savino, MSRSS ’20, as the first head coach of its women’s franchise, making her the first head coach in the new United Soccer League (USL) W League, scheduled to kick off in May. Savino is also a director at Major League Soccer. —Compiled by Kirsten Thomas, BSJ ’22
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Remembering fellow alumni
1940s Nan (Whipple) Breece, BSHEC ’43 Hester Miriam (Hartman) Coward, AB ’43 Evelyn K. (Kipnis) Lowell, BSCOM ’46 Marjorie W. (Wisse) Stowe, AB ’47 Julia C. (Utrecht) Bernard, AB ’48 Norman Atkin, BA ’49 Robert L. Quigley, BSCE ’49 Richard Frank Yoo, BFA ’49, MFA ’50
Adam Bors, AB ’57, MA ’60, PHD ’67
Garry O. Parsons, BSIT ’62, MED ’68
Pete Lahanas, BSCOM ’57,
Ronald Joe Starr, BSCE ’62
Janet A. (Ruff) Muck, BFA ’57
Edwin A. Whitfield, MED ’62
Linda G. (Given) Stevenson, AA ’57
Joan G. (Parlet) Brown, BSED ’63
Donald F. Stevison, BS ’57
Carolyn V. (Greene) Cook, BS ’63
Constance (Cairns) Bainbridge,
James J. Gibbs, BBA ’63 Gary C. Hicks, BSED ’63
BSED ’58 Brian G. Dailey, BSCOM ’58
Thomas E. Keating, BBA ’63
Nara D. (Chambers) Driscoll,
James A. Pontuti, BS ’63 Carl C. Winchell, MFA ’63
BFA ’58 James E. Ibaugh, BSCOM ’58
John H. Dickey, AB ’64
Phyllis (Blauser) Wells, BSED ’58,
Fred P. List, BSED ’64 J. Michael Lowe, BFA ’64
MED ’62 William E. West, BSED ’58
David L. Blackburn, BS ’65
1950s
C. Duane Baker, BSED ’59
Baldwin M. Domingo, BSED ’65
David G. Budd, AB ’59
Mary Lou (Harget) Gilbert, BSED ’65
Verne A. Sechler, BSEE ’50
Sandra L. (Hout) Fankhauser,
Dee Ann (Moore) Simon, BFA ’65
John T. Stephens, BSCOM ’50 Mary Jane (Basilone) Chapman, BSHEC ’51
R.W. Anderson, BBA ’66
AB ’59 Richard L. Graves, BSED ’59 Marilyn J. (Marsh) Heiger, AB ’59
Robert J. Lawton, BSAGR ’51
William Nevits, BSEE ’59
Julia W. (Wherry) Dunlope,
Maryanne (Patterson) Raphael,
BSED ’52 Patricia (Dunn) Huber, AB ’52 Alvin P. Lehnerd, BSEE ’52
AB ’59
BSED ’66 Michael Lee Freedman, BFA ’66, MA ’69 Kathleen (Bickford) Gierhart,
Joan F. (Merhar) Schulick, BSHEC ’59
BFA ’66 Georgia A. (Campana) Schuff,
Richard L. Mathews, BSCOM ’52 Richard E. Vantine, AB ’52
Candace Merry (Witus) Doherty,
BA ’66
1960s
Paula K. (Gordon) Tucker, BSED ’66,
Richard P. Blood, BA ’60
Gary A. Bates, BSED ’67
Raymon B. Fogg, BSCE ’53
Virgil L. Frost, AB ’60
Donald R. Davie, BSED ’67
Stewart R. Jaffy, AB ’53
Kemil Pepin, AB ’60
John V. Hauserman, BBA ’67,
Robert I. Jones, BSED ’53
William M. Prati, BSME ’60
Frances J. (Sirkin) Lowenstein,
William M. Ranson, BSME ’60
Daniel J. Pintaric, BBA ’67
Robert R. Williams, BSAGR ’52 Ross E. Duncan, BSED ’53
BSED ’54
MED ’74
BBA ’70
Robert W. Reynolds, BSME ’60
R. Larry Robinson, BSME ’67
Audrey B. (Becker) Wiles, BFA ’54
Thomas C. Schmidt, BSJ ’60
John J. Schroeder, BSED ’67
Robert E. Emmons, BSCE ’55
Annamarie M. Tomaro, BSED ’60,
Jerry W. Selck, BSIT ’67
Delores Juanita (Porter) Hughes, BSED ’55 Jeanne M. (Higby) Stapp, BSED ’55 Charles C. Scott, MFA ’56
William K. Friend, BBA ’68
MED ’69 Gary L. Wade, BSED ’60
Margaret J. Keiber, BSED ’68
David L. Bolender, BSED ’61,
Ron L. McDermott, BSED ’68 Charlotte (Pincelli) Agnone,
MED ’69
Glen F. Thaler, BSED ’56
Peter C. Bunnell, MFA ’61
Ronald K. Tompkins, AB ’56
Marz J. Garcia, BSCOM ’61
Gary L. Aiken, BSED ’69
Sarah T. (Turpin) Wilson, AB ’56
Edwin D. Kuehn, BS ’61
Richard L. Barton, MA ’69
Dorothy L. (Higginbotham) Arold,
Jerry P. Rhinehalt, BSCOM ’61
Jerry L. McClellan, BBA ’69
Thomas B. Weihe, BSED ’61
Kenneth E. Reed, BSCHE ’69
Lauren J. Bainbridge, BFA ’57
Gloria A. (Croy) Brumbaugh, BS ’62
Margaret D. (Duncan) Stumpf,
Frank Richard Bonifield, BSED ’57
Lawrence E. Kunkle, BS ’62
BFA ’57
SPRING 2022
BSED ’69
MED ’69
1970s Marcia T. (Tardiff) Day, BSHEC ’70 Stephen R. Kremer, BSEE ’70 Donald E. Rist, BFA ’70 Joyce E. (Alsip) Antonelli, BSHEC ’71 Alfred J. DeFranco, BBA ’71 Thomas A. Harkins, BSC ’71 James R. Korner, BMUS ’71 Robert J. Randall, AB ’71 William R. Ruffin, BSJ ’71 Michael P. Whalen, BSED ’71 Cheryl C. Carr, BSED ’72 James S. Lane, BSED ’72, MED ’76 Jo Ann (Knox) Lavrich, BSED ’72 Sharon S. (Young) Lee, MA ’72, MA ’73 Alan C. More, MA ’72 James Moy, PHD ’72 Mabel (Chin) Moy, PHD ’72 Edward O. Nyhus, MA ’72 Betty J. (Settles) Wiechert, BSED ’72 Mary K. Pringle, BFA ’73 Richard V. Procopio, MFA ’73 Linda Strempel-Weimer, BBA ’73 Howard M. Allison, BGS ’74 Kimberle (Moon) McKee, BMUS ’74, MM ’76
1980s
2000s
Lilian (Fisher) Winnenberg, MED ’80
Erick Edward Eberhard, AAS ’03
Steven P. Geroski, BS ’81
Kimberlee G. McEowen, AIS ’04
Ronald W. Jones, PHD ’81
Judith A. Aycock, AAS ’05
Deborah Lynn Willis, BSED ’81,
Daniel John Martino, BFA ’05
BA ’99 William H. Foughty, BSEE ’82 Charlotte Eliza Kasl, PHD ’82
2010s
Anthony A. Laudano, BBA ’82
Jason Michael Mueller, MSRSS ’10
Thomas A. Leip, MSA ’82
Kevin Matthew Stock, MFA ’10
James Moore, BBA ’82
Zach Lee Hollingsworth, MBA ’16
Kathleen M. Sheridan, BSED ’82
Taylor Christine Strauss, BBA ’17
Carl Henderson Tyrie, PHD ’82
Jeremy Lynn Neuenschwander,
John M. Delcos, MSA ’83 Jeffrey Wayne Stout, MAIA ’83, PHD ’88 Sandra S. (Pratt) Brenner, AAS ’84,
Peter M. Horgan, BGS ’75 Sharon E. (Abel) McGuire, BBA ’75 Raymond J. Mizik, BGS ’75 Robbin M. Rittner-Heir, BSJ ’75 Robert A. Brown, PHD ’76 Jennifer Dusic, BFA ’77 John B. Hitchcock, MA ’77 Carolyn L. (Perry) Sample, BSHSS ’77 Keith A. Weiss, AB ’77 Robert A. Williams, BGS ’77 Catherine S. (Swardson) Malloy, BBA ’78
2020s Torian Bailey, BBA ’21 Steven Jamail Jessie, BSA ’21
BSN ’88 Louis Philip Flum, BBA ’84 Patrick David Kissell, BGS ’84 Lisa Lyn Schaffner, BSC ’84
Faculty/Staff
Ruth C. (Christ) Sullivan, PHD ’84
Wayne Barry Adams, BSJ ’74,
C. Wayne Dunlap, MBA ’86
MAIA ’83, Circleville, Ohio, former
August Kiger Graumlich, BSC ’86
director of alumni relations, Oct. 8.
Mason W. Chambers, AB ’87 Kathleen T. Durning, MA ’87
Jerome L. Axelrod, Bala Cynwyd,
Marcia A. Lee, MA ’88
Pennsylvania, professor emeritus
Gary G. Nakamoto, BGS ’88
of osteopathic medicine, May 1, 2020.
Walter O. Scholl, PHD ’74 Clark W. Fuller, MA ’75
AA ’18
Carol (Ayer) Mugglin, BSRS ’83
1990s
John F. “Jack” Blazyk, Boise,
Marcus S.G. Dahn, MAIA ’90, PHD ’95
Idaho, professor emeritus of
Anthony S. Zalba, AB ’90
biochemistry and former associate
Charles E. McMahon, BGS ’91
dean for research and grants in the
Niels Christian Petersen, BBA ’91
Heritage College of Osteopathic
Julia Annette Sutherland, BSED ’91
Medicine, Sept. 13.
Daniel C. Brouwer, BSC ’92 Charles Fondale, MSPE ’92
Robert C. Brown, Concord, North
Carl Robert Smith, BSSE ’92
Carolina, former football coach,
Lore M. (Lahey) Sullivan, BSED ’92
May 30.
Robert Lewis Farmer, BSS ’93 Eric Andrew Wrage, AB ’94
Edith C. Chalfant, Sebring,
Gloria J. Ferguson, BSN ’97
Florida, retired administrative
Clinton Allen Rice, BBA ’98,
assistant, July 8.
MBA ’99
In memoriam
52 53
Osie Mae Follrod, Pomeroy, Ohio,
David C. Klingaman, Athens,
Gary V. Pfeiffer, Athens, Ohio,
retired administrative assistant,
Ohio, professor emeritus of
professor emeritus of chemistry,
Sept. 17.
economics, Aug. 22.
Sept. 8.
William F. Forsyth, The Plains,
John Largent, New Plymouth,
Damon Phillips, Glouster, Ohio,
Ohio, retired plumber, June 4.
Ohio, former bus driver, Sept. 28.
retired store clerk, June 8.
Dorinda “Sue” (Davis)
Corinne Louise “Corie”
William S. Romoser, Worthington,
French, Fostoria, Ohio, former
McCament, MS ’04, Albany, Ohio,
Ohio, professor emeritus of medical
administrative assistant, Oct. 1.
assistant director of prospect
entomology, May 5.
research and management, July 19. Gursel A. Suer, Athens, Ohio,
Ismail A. Ghazalah, Athens, Ohio, professor emeritus of economics,
Charles W. McClain, New
professor of industrial and systems
Aug. 27.
Marshfield, Ohio, retired building
engineering, July 14.
maintenance specialist, Jan. 27. David E. Sutherland, The Plains,
Reid D. Huntley, Columbus, Ohio, professor emeritus of American
Peggy Anne McQuade,
Ohio, former associate professor
literature, July 23.
Nelsonville, Ohio, retired financial
of sociology and anthropology,
aid specialist, June 28.
June 14.
Ohio, professor emeritus of
Wilma Lee Midkiff, Albany, Ohio,
William M. Voss, Dallas, Texas,
history, May 26.
retired food services employee,
professor emeritus of accounting,
June 1.
May 20.
Zanesville, Ohio, professor
Stephen R. Perry, Albany, Ohio,
—Includes individuals who passed away
emeritus of history at Zanesville
former custodial worker, July 27.
between May 1, 2021, and Oct. 31, 2021.
William P. Kaldis, Columbus,
Michael J. Kline, MA ’67,
Campus, June 3.
Information provided by the University’s Office of Advancement Services.
“I can’t imagine a better legacy … than helping preserve this space and the activities it promises.” —Don Adleta, BFA ’75
TURN AN ASSET INTO INCOME Establishing a charitable remainder trust offers you flexibility in financial and estate planning, an increased annual income, and attractive tax advantages while supporting Ohio University. Don Adleta used a charitable remainder trust to help sustain OHIO’s Don E. Adleta TypeShop and Bindery. Read more about the TypeShop on page 12 and at ohiotoday.org. Contact Kelli Kotowski, Assistant Vice President of Gift Planning, at 740.597.1819 or kotowskk@ohio.edu to learn more.
SPRING 2022
MISSION STATEMENT Ohio Today informs, celebrates, and engages alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends of Ohio University.
Ohio University President
Publications Editor
Nico Karagosian
Art Director
Vice President for University Communications and Marketing
Contributors
Printer
Hugh Sherman
Vice President for University Advancement and President and CEO of The Ohio University Foundation
Angela Woodward, BSJ ’98
Sarah McDowell, BFA ’02
Advancement Services
Robin Oliver
The Watkins Printing Co.
Operations Team Laura Bilson, BSVC ’23 Nick Bolin, BSVC ’18, MA ’20 Jalyn Bolyard Eli Burris, BSJ ’16 Champlin Architecture Julie Ciotola, BSJ ’20 Nick Claussen, BSJ ’92 Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01 Sarah Filipiak, BSJ ’01 Pu Ying Huang Daniel King, MA ’15 Carly Keeler Leatherwood, BSJ ’96 Anita Martin, BSJ ’05 Isaac Miller, BSJ ’22 Ohio University Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections Ohio University Press Beth Pratt Mary Reed, BSJ ’90, MA ’93 Jim Sabin, BSJ ’95 Peter Shooner Ben Wirtz Siegel, BSVC ’02 Akbar Sultanov Kirsten Thomas, BSJ ’22
Ohio Today is published two times a year. Its digital companion is ohiotoday.org. 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. Editorial office address: Ohio Today, Ohio University, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701-0869. Send questions, comments, ideas and submissions (such as Class Notes, photos of future Bobcats and information about books by Bobcats) to the above address, via email to ohiotoday@ohio.edu, or call Ohio Today at 740.593.2684. Make address changes at ohio.edu/alumni or by mail via Ohio University, Advancement Services, P.O. Box 869, Athens, OH 45701-0869. Send details for the “In Memoriam” column to the latter or via email to advinfo@ohio.edu. The OHIO switchboard is 740.593.1000. Copyright © 2022 by Ohio University. Ohio University is an equal access, equal opportunity, and affirmative action institution.
Joe Timmerman, BSVC ’23 @OHIOAlumni
Masthead
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LAST WORD Dr. Kitty Consolo, associate professor of health sciences at OHIO’s Zanesville Campus, embodies what she teaches—and has built a legacy in women’s sports. As an undergraduate at Wake Forest University, she competed on the men’s cross-country team, paving the way for a women’s team and motivating her to join an international movement advocating for a women’s marathon at the Olympic Games. In 1984, Consolo competed in the trials for the inaugural women’s Olympic marathon, and, in 2013, she placed eighth in the nation in her age group in the the National Senior Games’ 10K race. She has won more than 440 races—while facing significant health challenges—and uses her experience to inspire OHIO students to live what they are learning. —Kirsten Thomas, BSJ ’22 How has your passion for running merged with your professional life? I love to learn, and I love to get students excited about learning. But I also believe that to be the best learner you must have excellence of mind and body. … If you have a healthy body, you’re going to have a healthy brain and do well in school.
Visit ohiotoday.org for the full Q&A with Consolo, who shares what she’s excited about right now. Hint: The 2023 Senior Games will be held in nearby Pittsburgh. Photo by Rich-Joseph Facun, BSVC ’01
If you could time travel, when and where would you go? I have a photo of me with my mom and dad at the 1984 Olympic marathon trials. I would love to go back to that day at the first-ever women’s Olympic marathon trials, where I stood there on that starting line—one of 300 women in the nation that qualified. … I didn’t make the team, but just to be a part of history and know that we won the right and the opportunity to compete in this marathon—and my mom and dad were both there.
SPRING 2022
Eastern hellbender eggs from a wild nest in Pennsylvania are ready to be counted by Dr. Viorel Popescu, associate professor of conservation biology, and doctoral student Matt Kaunert. The Eastern hellbender, one of North America’s largest salamanders, is a fully aquatic species and an indicator of stream health. Counting eggs and monitoring the success of wild nests are part of an ongoing research program at OHIO aimed at conserving these threatened animals and the streams that they depend on. Photo by Laura Bilson, BSVC ’23
Still more
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P A I D Advancement Services Ohio University P.O. Box 869 1 Ohio University Drive Athens, Ohio 45701-0869
C O LU M B U S , O H I O P E R M I T N O. 4 4 1 6
Mark your calendars, Bobcats! Ohio University will celebrate Homecoming Week 2022 Oct. 3-8 with both in-person and virtual events and activities designed to connect Bobcats to one another and their alma mater. Start making your plans for this annual tradition of Bobcat pride. Event details will be shared through OHIO’s official Homecoming website: ohio.edu/homecoming. Photo by Joe Timmerman, BSVC ’23