2010 Spring Edition by The University of Toledo Alumni Association

Toledo

Spring 2010

Volume 57, Number 3

Volume 57, Number 3 Spring 2010 Executive Editor Cynthia Nowak ’78, ’80 cynthia.nowak@utoledo.edu Associate Editor Vicki L. Kroll ’88 Contributing Writers Christopher Ankney ’08 Kim Goodin ’89 Paul Helgren Matt Lockwood Jeffrey Romagni Jon Strunk ’04, ’09 Graphic Designer Erin Lanham Principal Photographer Daniel Miller ’99 Creative Director Michelle Hoch-Henningsen Toledo Alumni is published three times a year in Fall, Winter and Spring by The University of Toledo Alumni Association and the Office of University Communications. Vice President, External Affairs/ Interim Vice President, Equity and Diversity/Publisher Lawrence J. Burns

contents cover story Chapter and diverse features star-struck

16 8 30 10 26 42 36

true Blue whither, media? diverse service art in the family let it snowboard others

3 6 34 45

traditional & un research class notes book reviews

Associate Vice President, Alumni/Publisher Dan Saevig ’84, ’89 Office of Alumni Relations Staff Ansley Abrams-Frederick ’92 Sue Fandrey Amanda Schwartz Marcus Sneed ’07 Dianne Wisniewski Advertising Jack Hemple (419.450.7568) Send Change Of Address Information To: Toledo Alumni, Office of Alumni Relations, Driscoll Alumni Center, Mail Stop 301 The University of Toledo Toledo, OH 43606-3395 Telephone 419.530.ALUM (2586) or 800.235.6766 Fax 419.530.4994

The University of Toledo is committed to a policy of equal opportunity in education, employment, memberships and contracts, and no differentiation will be made based on race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status or the presence of a disability. The University of Toledo will take affirmative action as required by federal or state law.

RECYCLED PAPER

fore words

Dear Friends, Each year as spring arrives, it brings a renewed, energetic outlook on life. We hope that this new season finds you and your families well and making plans for a delightful summer. Your University of Toledo has just finished another engaging academic year with important milestones accomplished, including:

The University of Toledo Alumni Association Officers and Trustees President Walter “Chip” Carstensen ’72, ’74 First Vice President Constance D. Zouhary ’81 Second Vice President Don Warner ’76

•

The opening of the Minority Business Incubator

•

Dedication of the Scott Park Campus of Energy and Innovation

•

Dedication of the Veterans Plaza

Secretary David D. Dobrzykowski ’95, ’99

•

Savage & Associates Complex for Learning and Engagement dedicated for the College of Business Administration

Treasurer Terri Lee ’92

• The eighth straight semester of enrollment growth Also, your University of Toledo Lady Rocket swimmers won their first Mid-American Conference championship. The Lady Rocket basketball team won their division, and the football team has just finished a very productive spring season. This issue of your Toledo Alumni Magazine is dedicated to diversity. As one of our core values, diversity adds strength to our University. You can see that strength in our diverse campus environment and in our commitment to support our diverse population. It’s an essential part of what makes UT great. We recently created a group known as the Culture Ambassadors, which is made up of students, faculty, staff and administrators. Our ambassadors are actively working on programs that will continually improve the environment in which we work and learn. We started by taking a “climate survey” and are now building programs that will address areas poised for improvement. It is our goal to have the most welcoming environment that celebrates each individual’s uniqueness while educating all of us about our different cultures and backgrounds. It is our responsibility to prepare students for a “real-world” experience after graduation. We live in an increasingly diverse world and it is imperative that our educational environment reflects the world of today and tomorrow. That in itself makes diversity a key ingredient to a relevant metropolitan university like your University of Toledo. I hope you enjoy this issue, and please let us know your thoughts about how we can continue to improve our University and make each and every one of you proud that you are a member of our Rocket nation. You can take our online readers’ survey at vovici.com/wsb.dll/s/15b20g44808. Have a great spring and an even better summer!

Dr. Shanda Gore Lawrence J. Burns Assistant Vice President for Equity and Diversity Vice President for External Affairs Interim Vice President for Equity and Diversity

Past President Jon R. Dvorak MD ’80, ’83, ’86 Executive Director Dan Saevig ’84, ’89 One-Year Trustees Pete Casey ’67, ’73 Jeff Joyce ’85 Rick Longenecker ’86, ’88 Jonathan Mondelli ’06 Mark Urrutia ’88 Gene Zmuda ’81, ’84 Two-Year Trustees Bernie Albert ’68 Marie Latham Bush PhD ’83, ’00 Elizabeth Davis ’97, ’06 Dana Fitzsimmons ’76 Elizabeth Grothaus ’93, ’98 Philip Miller ’71, ’88 Tamara Norris ’87, ’06 Sharon Speyer ’85 Three-Year Trustees Bernard Barrow Sr. ’70, ’72 Catherine Martineau ’77, ’81 Jay Pearson ’91 Tamara Talmage ’99 Tom Wakefield ’75, ’78 Joe Zavac ’89, ’92 Student Representative David Hale (appointed by Student Alumni Association) On the cover: “We are UT.” Some of the UT Culture Ambassadors whose volunteer efforts enrich diversity: Robert Spangler, Linda Amrou, William Pierce, Aaron Baker, Morris Jenkins, Amelia Acuna, Drew Scales, Kara Mominee, Barbara Kopp Miller. Photo by Daniel Miller

More of our Culture Ambassadors, with group founder Lawrence J. Burns, center. Shanda Gore, Brian Fink, Tracee Ellis, Robert Salem, Esther Fabian, Wafaa Hanna.

Toledo: traditional & un

Mr. Chairman, tear down this wall

Professors and students mingle it up.

A $3 million UT lab renovation is open for business and collaborations. The fifteen-thousand-square-foot lab, designed to improve coordination and cooperation between researchers, will ultimately be home to eight professors and about thirty students and staff in the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Department Chair Akira Takashima PhD says the layout of the renovations is just as important as the new equipment and facilities: “Traditionally, individual professors have pursued research projects independently in their own laboratories. The new space has an ‘open lab’ concept where multiple professors with overlapping research interests share a large laboratory, as well as many research instruments and equipment.”

It’s hoped the design will promote“accidental collaboration” — those casual conversations between researchers that have formed the basis for countless scientific breakthroughs.“Scientific progress is not something you can plan. You may be wrestling with a challenge for years and suddenly one conversation with a colleague will enable you to see that challenge in a unique way,” Takashima notes. The renovations, which began a year ago, are the first phase of an effort to modernize and open up laboratories across Health Science Campus to promote research collaborations. — Jon Strunk, University Communications

Biomedical engineering graduates first PhD Archana Bhat PhD will always be Number One — the first graduate, that is, of UT’s joint doctoral program between the colleges of Engineering and Medicine. The doctor of philosophy in biomedical engineering she earned was originally conceived for students with master’s degrees in engineering or in science fields, and centers on core course requirements in mathematics, engineering and the biomedical sciences. The curriculum also contains an entrepreneurship component and offers a PhD program for medical students interested in pursuing careers as physician-scientists. www.toledoalumni.org

For her PhD, Bhat elected to follow the entrepreneurial option, completing two business courses and developing a business plan to commercialize her research on developing artificial bones. “It gives me great pride to be the first graduate of the program,” Bhat says. “Coming from an engineering background would have made grasping the biological techniques difficult. However, the faculty and staff made learning easier.” Bhat accepted employment as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California. Nagi Naganathan PhD, dean of the College of Engineering, notes that Bhat’s research on artificial bone development will be continued by another program student, Hoangha Dao, assisted by a National Science Foundation doctoral fellowship. — Jeffrey Romagni, University Communications

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Toledo: traditional & un

2010 Toledo football preview It’s a Friday in February and all is quiet in The University of Toledo football office. The assistant football coaches who have been working practically nonstop since late July are enjoying a rare day off. Head Coach Tim Beckman is in his office, though. He considered taking the day off, too, but changed his mind. Too much to do. The 2010 season is still months away, but Beckman is fired up like it’s game day. Beckman exudes positivity under normal circumstances, but recent developments have him bursting with anticipation. The Rockets’ 2010 recruiting class was universally hailed as the best in the Mid-American Conference. Eight of those new recruits were among his players who can now train on a football field in the off-season, thanks to the new Fetterman Training Center. To top it off, ESPN announced that Toledo’s home opener on Sept. 3 against Pac-10 power Arizona would be televised as its Friday night game during College Football Kickoff Week. “I can’t wait to get out there and start practicing, start preparing our team for the fall,” says Beckman.

Beckman is especially excited about the Fetterman Training Center, a state-of-the-art indoor practice facility already hailed by many observers to be among the finest in the country. He feels it will help his players gain a competitive edge in the years to come. “There are so many things you just can’t practice very effectively on a basketball court. Throwing, kicking, running at full speed,” says Beckman, entering his second season as head coach.“It’s going to make a huge difference in our program.” Any edge the Rockets can find next season will be helpful as they once again face a daunting schedule. In addition to hosting Arizona and Wyoming (Homecoming on Oct. 2), UT also travels to Purdue and Boise State, a likely top 10 team. Three of the Rockets’ Mid-American Conference opponents are coming off bowl seasons, including Bowling Green, which will be invading the Glass Bowl on Nov. 17. Have a football question for the coach? Send it to askthecoach@utoledo.edu. — Paul Helgren

Talk to the Rocket Rocket Wireless can take what you talk, with Verizon, Sprint and AT&T available. Most have family plans to fit all needs; deals starting at $30 a month; payroll deduction for UT employees; smart phones and easy-use models; and no sales tax, one-year contracts, no termination fees for switching over your old plan when you keep your carrier. UT alumni, students and employees can start saving by checking out rocketwireless.utoledo.edu, then calling Rocket Wireless (owned and operated by UT Auxiliary Services): 419.530.7998.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Better all the time online

Toledo Alumni Magazine is upgrading its online version, with more interactivity, additional photos and videos. It’s a work in progress that will expand with each issue, so visit our site at toledoalumni.org/magazine

Homecoming is October 2.

Event updates at www.toledoalumni.org.

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Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

UT research on the edge

Super elastic metal’s fantastic If Superman was “the Man of Steel,” Mohammad Elahinia PhD, assistant professor of mechanical, industrial and manufacturing engineering, might be “the Man of Nitinol.” That’s the metal alloy used in many medical devices for two reasons: its elasticity and its ability to be shaped, deformed, then easily returned to its original shape. Elahinia is the principal UT investigator on a grant to create a nitinol commercialization accelerator for the next generation of biomedical devices, which can include applications to help treat atrial fibrillation, spine deformities or spines ravaged by osteoporosis, and drop-foot syndrome, a condition that interferes with the ability to walk. In the future, the potential uses of the versatile alloy could make it even more of a “super” medical star.

Slipping some replica skin No more lab animals used in allergen testing? PETA would be pleased. Critter-free testing might be one consequence of skin-replica research headed by Akira Takashima MD PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. Funded in part by a grant from the National Institutes of Health, the project’s threedimensional skin — composed of cells in a matrix of collagen — would display a visual signal when exposed to chemicals that create an allergic or toxic effect. If the replica skin shows a fluorescent glow, it’s a safe bet that the offending chemical would adversely affect the real thing. The animals now used to test cosmetics, creams, shampoos and other chemical products of everyday life likely wouldn’t complain of unemployment.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Grey matter makeover “Cogito, ergo sum” — “I think, therefore I am.” The Philosophy 101 chestnut takes on new meaning when applied to the cognitive abilities of aging brains. Cognitive impairment is one of the primary reasons older adults seek supplemental living arrangements, notes Sudershan Pasupuleti PhD, associate professor of social work and Hartford Geriatric Faculty Scholar, who’s conducting integrated research on the “rebound” capacity of the aging brain. In partnership with software developer Posit Science Corp. and local senior facilities, Pasupuleti is examining whether a series of computerized stimulation exercises can improve cognitive functioning. With cognitive ability the key to independent living and quality of life, even slight improvements in older adults can decrease reliance on family support, health-care resources and mental health services. “Dignus cognitu” — “worth knowing!”

Abuse that haunts the body As if victims of childhood abuse haven’t suffered enough, a study led by Gretchen Tietjen MD, director of the Headache Treatment and Research Program at UTMC, shows how the past’s psychic scars might become tomorrow‘s physical pain. In short, abused children can grow into adults who suffer from migraines and other forms of chronic pain, including fibromyalgia, endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome and arthritis, possibly due to brain-altering effects of physical and emotional abuse. The study shows that a permanent alteration of the body’s stress response can result, creating a predisposition to many medical and psychiatric conditions in adulthood. One such condition — depression — is commonly associated with abuse, but “the child abuse-adult pain relationship is not fully mediated by depression,” Tietjen says.

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Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Nothing Intimidating About Astrophysics Most of us are familiar with at least the rudiments of space. We know itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a long way to Mars and even further to Alpha Centauri, our nearest neighboring star. A hundred billion stars make up the pinwheel form of our own Milky Way galaxy in a universe estimated to hold a hundred billion more galaxies.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

www.toledoalumni.org

“Space is big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big Even professional space gazers aren’t immune to mind boggle when the numbers play out, admits Rupali Chandar PhD, assistant professor of astronomy. “Maybe we astronomers get used to being unable to grasp the immense size of the universe,” she says. Surprisingly, the field isn’t large; one source estimates the number of professional astronomers as “not much larger than the population of a small town.” The number of disciplines within the branch of astronomy known as astrophysics is smaller still, but impressive — thermodynamics, particle physics and relativity (general and special) among them. As Chandar explains, “What we do here may not be rocket science in that we don’t build rockets, but what we do is take elements that you might apply to rocket science — mathematics, physics and sometimes engineering — and instead apply them to understanding our universe. “One of the hard things about studying the universe is that you don’t have a controlled laboratory. Our lab is the stars, galaxies and planets for which we take measurements and observe.” From the metaphoric spitting distance of nearby celestial objects to fuzzy white blobs barely visible in the most powerful telescopes, it’s not a peaceful universe. Both Chandar and J.D. Smith PhD, assistant professor of astronomy, study a neighboring galaxy — the everphotogenic Whirlpool Galaxy (a.k.a. M51; see left). While the glorious object may appear placid, it’s in reality an agent of violent destruction. Pointing to M51’s companion galaxy, Smith says, “Eventually it will be consumed by the larger spiral, a pretty standard part of galactic evolution that’s only recently been accepted as scientific fact.” As understanding of galactic evolution improves, he continues, scientists realize how such cannibalism and other acts of atrocity between galaxies are crucial to build up the gas, stars and black holes at the center of spiral galaxies. Dozens of smaller neighboring galaxies, he notes, are literally being ripped apart by our Milky Way spiral’s flyby gravitational pull, letting loose the “star stuff” that makes up the whole shebang, from hydrogen and helium to the fur on a kitten and the bones in our bodies. Is that why the study of things so remote is so important? Absolutely, says Karen Bjorkman PhD, chair of the Department of Astronomy: “It is the universe we live in, right? We all came from the results of stars that burned fuel and created heavy elements.

it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” — Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

“Astronomy touches everything you do, starting with matters as simple as day and night, or the phases of the sun. That’s how astronomy got its start, because it was very important for people who were growing crops for survival to understand when to plant, when to reap.” Today, the science still serves human needs. “Part of what drives astronomy is technology, so the better the technology, the better our ability to probe and the farther we can probe,” Chandar notes. “When you’re doing basic research, you’re learning things that aren’t directly applicable right now, but ten or fifteen years from now, they often are. My first graduate project was working with a group of computer scientists on a way to automatically classify objects in space. They wrote a program for me that used a decision-tree algorithm. Later, they adapted that same code to the medical field, where it could be used to help detect breast cancer.” Smith provides another such application when he describes the age-old problem of the Earth’s atmosphere blurring stars under observation (the “twinkle twinkle” effect): “We’ve been able to take an element of light as it comes through a telescope, figure out exactly how the Earth’s atmosphere is distorting it, then make small, rapid adjustments to the shape of telescope’s mirror to compensate. Thanks to that new technology, laser eye surgery can be personalized to the shape of each individual eye to provide the most precise vision correction possible.” And there’s no danger of ennui; take the matter of dark energy, the hypothetical stuff scientists are using to explain the mounting and startling evidence that the universe’s expansion is accelerating. “That was very surprising,” Smith says. “Everyone thought that the movement of galaxies would naturally slow down. We’re still dealing with this profound discovery. We’re calling it dark energy, which sounds very mysterious but doesn’t really tell us much. What is it? Where does it come from?” Bjorkman adds, “It amazes me whenever I think about how we dare to ask these questions; it amazes me even more when we can begin to answer some of them. As creatures who live on this rock, orbiting this insignificant star, it’s something we can stand up and be proud of.”

Breaking (and rehabbing) news Take a tally: Where do you get your news? Print, TV, online papers, political blogs, Twitter feeds — a lengthier list every month, right? Given the pace of technological advances, imagine the possible news venues you’ll see by New Year’s — or by 2020. Four UT alums who make their living on the daily news did some imagining and reflecting on the morphing animal that’s news, and what surprising shapes it could take by the time you next blink.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

www.toledoalumni.org

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Traditional journalism: an overflowing cup N

ewsman Dan Bradley (Univ Coll ’74) has been in the news biz for more than thirty-five years — longer if you count his stint as a Toledo Times paper carrier. He’s now vice president and general manager of Columbus NBC affiliate WCMH-TV and nbc4i.com, its associated Web site.

Populist press meets pop press: Is there room for old-school journalism? “I think there’s opportunity for traditional journalists to present content somewhere between the old approach of NBC Evening News and The Daily Show. “Nowadays everybody’s a publisher, everybody’s a broadcaster. Here in my office I have a webcam, an Internet connection and editing on my laptop. I could put together my own mini-newscast and get my own little micro-following. Some of these micro-followings [Huffington and Political.com] have exploded to become larger than the readership of many local newspapers. “As traditional journalists, we have to accept that there are people reading our content and giving it as much credibility as that of the proverbial blogger sitting in his basement in his PJs.”

Why is the older form still needed? “Demagogues find it easier when the public accepts versions of the truth they want to hear rather than actively researching the facts. Where’s the double-sourcing? Where’s the documentation? [The public] takes it at face value. It does pose

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

threats to democracy and makes traditional journalism all the more important.”

How should journalism market itself? “What we stress in traditional news media is: We know you’re going to get your information from a lot of sources, but when you need to know it’s accurate, it’s balanced, make sure you come by us. “First and foremost, you have to be entertaining. That doesn’t necessarily make it bad. Say what you will about Jon Stewart, he imparts a lot more factual information than you might find in a book by a recent vice-presidential candidate, and he’s highly entertaining.”

What will news media of the future look like, and how will it be funded? “It’s a mistake for people just entering the field to think they’ll be delivering their stories via a single platform. The future is platform-agnostic — it’s irrelevant how somebody gets your story. As a journalist, you need to develop the skills, and they’re all going to be digital: Know how to shoot, do PhotoShop with both stills and video, understand the proper placement of a microphone and the framing of the camera, know how to write, how to do research, how to adequately source and correctly identify material in your story. “I don’t think our glass is half-empty. I think it’s just short of overflowing. We have yet to understand the vast capabilities of journalism in the digital world. It’s these new opportunities that are going to keep free television viable and connected to the community. “It’s much like the opportunity the Internet presented to newspapers back in the late 1980s, but too many papers looked at it as a threat. As a result, the Internet got away from them. Our company [Media General] was one of the few papers that made itself available over Prodigy in the very early days of the Internet. We didn’t know what the hell we were doing, but we didn’t want to run away from it.” — interview by Cynthia Nowak

www.toledoalumni.org

Survival for some, not for all — and that’s fine

“Readers and viewers are specializing, too. They want to hear about and read things they already know. There doesn’t seem to be as much interest in ‘Tell me something I don’t know’ or ‘Tell me something I need to know about.’”

Is the media still a public watchdog? “I hope so, because I think that’s one of the best roles and one of the most important. The media’s role, as I see it, is to explain events, entertain people and tell stories … In order to tell stories, you have to be where people are doing things. That’s not going to change.”

Is the concept of daily newspapers being ‘tweeted’ into obscurity? “I don’t think there’s any great leap to say that’s a distinct possibility, in terms of a daily paper in every city. You already have examples of that type of experimentation. At some point, you’ll probably have a product that may be delivered on a less frequent basis than daily in far more places.

on’t let the slight drawl and unassuming manner fool you — UT alumnus and former Collegian editor-in-chief Andy Curliss’ (A/S ’07) investigative reporting work with The News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C., has spurred federal and state investigations, led to firings, resignations and governmental reforms, and earned several national awards.

How is media defined in 2010? “It’s changing, for sure. What do people really consider to be the media? Is it Rush Limbaugh? Fox News and MSNBC and talk radio? People view media on a much wider scale than just the paper that shows up on their doorsteps. You have this cornucopia of information that floods into peoples’ homes and offices all day long and they don’t really distinguish them.

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“I’m not one of those people who think the newspaper has to be around forever. I think journalism will be around forever. You have to have someone trained to ferret out information, talk to people about it, check it and double check it, then present it in a way that’s compelling and helps others understand the world better. That’s pretty hard to do in — what’s the character count for Twitter? “The bottom line is, the human being still wants to know what’s going on in the world. People want to hear a story. “We’re not in a defensive crouch, waiting for the curtains to close. Newspapers still generate the vast majority of content that shows up in the discussion of the day. Newspapers are out there fighting. Some of them aren’t going to make it. That’s all right — it’s life. But many will, and will be made stronger.”

— interview by Kim Goodin

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Small-town newspaper holds ground

international stories, but we have a dialogue with our readers and a strong tie to the local community that some of the larger papers don’t have.”

But you’re owned by Gannett. “We are owned by Gannett, but I don’t feel like I work for a corporation. The tools on our site, the forums, the ability to post comments, they give people a voice they didn’t have before. That’s a powerful change. It allows us to communicate more directly with our readers and, to some extent, lets them have a say in what we cover and how we cover it. For Twitter, it’s been really great. We get a lot more story tips from readers via Twitter than I ever would have expected.”

Is it scary that the public can somewhat control the news?

hen Erin Wasinger (A/S ‘05) started working at The Oshkosh Northwestern in Wisconsin four years ago, twitter was just a series of metaphoric and literal bird chirps. Now Wasinger serves as the content manager for the paper and its website (Thenorthwestern.com) plus Twitter, blogs, message boards, article comments and a plethora of other social media.

“The danger is when people take as the absolute truth something said by someone with a blog and an agenda. There’s a lack of credibility I’m afraid some are willing to overlook. That’s where journalists — good, professional journalists — can play a role: We have a responsibility and the training and, quite frankly, our jobs and our reputations are on the line every time we put our bylines on an article. I don’t feel [members of the public] control the news, but it’s obvious anyone online can get their message out a lot louder than they would have ever been able to get a few years ago.”

There are rumblings of how the Internet is going to kill print journalism. Are you worried?

What do the shifting responsibilities of the reader mean for the future of newspapers?

“There is always a concern, but in the overall scheme of things I don’t have that doom and gloom outlook. Our emphasis of what we put on the web and where on the web has definitely changed. Even since I’ve been out of school the shift has been dramatic. But for a small paper, the Internet isn’t going to be the death of us. There is only one place you can go for Oshkosh news, and that’s our paper and our website. We are still a place you can go after an earthquake in Haiti or other national and

“Even our general manager will say, ‘I have no idea what we’re going to look like in five years.’ And I’m not sure what USA Today will look like in that time. But like I said before, we benefit from covering a very specific group of people. I think we also benefit from having a tie to the corporate world because we’re able to embrace some of these new tools and technologies quicker than we would if we were family-owned.”

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

— interview by Christopher Ankney

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News hybrid still

struggling to bloom think there have to be some partnerships, those who have a level of credibility and journalistic integrity, with those who know how to package and distribute to a new generation of news consumer. So if I can make it look hot and distribute it quickly but have that level of journalistic integrity, that’s when we’ll have a new standard.

eff Johnson is a triple threat — BET journalist, political commentator and author (Everything I’m Not Made Me Everything I Am). The former leader of UT’s Black Student Union returned to campus and shared some insights.

The blurred line between journalism and entertainment? “I think it’s a double-edge sword. The blurring has lessened the integrity of news. I don’t think opinion is bad; opinion can be very entertaining, with folks like Bill Maher who have some level of integrity to bank. But the growth of blogs and Internet sites have created a space where it’s OK to not work as hard. I think that’s damaging to what we’re calling news. I almost wish there were a different classification for what some of the sites are. “We have to accept the reality of a generation that wants to consume news differently. What I would like to see more of is a fusion of old-school integrity with new-school distribution. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with getting my news through Twitter or Facebook or downloads through my phone. I want to work on daily news video updates twice a day downloaded directly into people’s cell phones, but I don’t think there’s any cross-industry mandate that says,‘Here is the threshold of what is news, and here is the threshold of what’s somebody’s opinion.’” Who is ultimately going to decide this? “The public is, and that’s the scary part. I think there have to be those of us in the industry — I

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“So often the general public doesn’t have an appetite for long-form journalism, especially text. 60 Minutes was — is — that premiere news show that can’t get the ratings because it’s stale. But when was the last time they had a fact wrong? I hope that people like Bryant Gumbel, who’s trying to take some old-school integrity with new-school presentation and doing it for sports, will have long-running and very well-received productions. “Those of us who are going to make it will be those who maintain a level of integrity, because we don’t want to do this for the sprint but for the marathon.”

Are people hungry for stories, for good journalism? Is that the same thing? “It’s not the same thing. People are hungry for stories, [but] I don’t think a lot of people know what good journalism is. The younger the demographic, the less they know what it is. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want good stories or that they don’t want real information. What’s interesting is the younger the demographic, the less they trust institutions, so their biggest fear — and why I think they embrace the blogosphere — is being told what to think. They’d rather swim through all this stuff in order to decide for themselves.”

What will it take to create a solid new model? “I don’t know if it’s going to take some enlightened consumers who received bad information — I hope that’s not what it’s going to take, some tragedy induced by irresponsible journalism. “As a professional, you ask yourself whether you want to be McDonald’s or Morton’s Steak House. There are those who want to be able to sell burgers and fries in volume, get them out quickly. There are those who want to be able to sell the consumer the quality meal they’ll remember. That’s the difference.” — interview by Cynthia Nowak

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

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Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

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CONNECTIONS Diverse by design

Overheard in conversation between several UT students: “She’s always talking about her boyfriend, but I think she’s a lesbian. She dresses in lumberjack clothes.” Whatever the desire to embrace it, diversity is still a work in progress, its very definition amorphous. Are we seeking diversity of race, gender, country of origin, sexual identity? Vegan or carnivore, Red or Blue — or maybe Pink (as opposed to Harry Connick Jr.)? For higher education, with its role in shaping society, the questions attached to diversity are more fraught. The UT Office of Equity and Diversity, headed by Lawrence J. Burns, vice president, external affairs, was created precisely to address the subject, beginning with a desire for belonging that’s universally recognized. “All our initiatives have at heart plans to create a welcoming culture of diversity that will launch students into successful academic and professional lives,” Burns says. That culture remains a work in progress, with goals and successes outlined and updated at www.utoledo.edu/diversity/. Some notable entries, though, are already shaping up to be front-runners. Read on!

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Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Front-runners in UT diversity initiatives Diversity: it’s good business Economy-pumping partnerships Gary Johnson, owner of American Flooring Installers LLC and president of the Northwest Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was excited when Burns contacted him about getting involved in UT’s efforts. Immediately receptive, Johnson joined the MBE/EDGE Subcommittee of the President’s Council on Diversity, bringing a business perspective to the conversation. Such connections benefit the entire region, he says: “UT has been an active partner in a lot of the projects the various chambers are working on. One of the big ones is the contractor assistance program that will allow small contractors to have the funding and bonding they need to successfully bid for jobs.” He adds, “First and foremost, we want to make sure that whoever’s doing the work is qualified. The program would fall apart if we didn’t put that first.” One plan under discussion, he says, calls for UT, the city and the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority to organize monetary assistance: “The money won’t be paid directly to the contractors but will pay for the materials they need. The contractors will have

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

the money to meet payrolls on a biweekly basis, then receive the rest after the project is completed and everybody’s happy.” Johnson counts himself as passionate about the efforts: “It’s something I’ve been waiting a long time to see happen. I feel that The University of Toledo is leading the way right now in northwest Ohio. If we can show this program as a shining example of what can be, then we can move forward working with other entities.” He shines in his own way, as mentor for two UT minority students. “I chose to do that because I’m part African American and part Hispanic,” he says. And he’s a chapter adviser for Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, of which he says, “It’s amazing to watch the evolution from carefree sophomore to a senior putting away childish things and taking on adult responsibility.”

Another member of MBE/Edge is Vince Wiggins (Bus ’93). Now a board member of the African American Board of Commerce, Wiggins has felt the pulse of local business for a long time. Some years back, he and other diversityminded businesspeople looked at UT and liked what they saw.

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“We saw them as a great asset, with a very open-minded president. We saw many other things the University was doing as far as partnerships — the regional growth partnership and other economic development entities in Toledo,” he says. When he approached UT to discuss the value of increasing support for minority businesses, he adds, “It just so happened that Chuck Lehnert [UT vice president for facilities and construction] had been thinking about this for years, so the timing was right.” Creating a collaborative atmosphere will mean tearing down old silos, he says: “We want to identify ways that minority business development organizations can work together. Establishing common ground means understanding that we’re all in this together.” The question is one of more than equal opportunity; it’s a business imperative, he says.

“It’s one of the most exciting and creative things I’ve seen happening in Toledo.”

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He offers kudos to the UT Minority Business Incubator: “Not only does it make physical space available at a lower rate, but [businesses] have access to other companies in the same space they can partner with, access to University professors and students. “It’s one of the most exciting and creative things I’ve seen happening in Toledo. A program like this changes people’s perceptions of Toledo. In the minority community, you have a lot of talented young people leave because the community isn’t viewed as progressive. Other cities have long had such programs, but now the University is helping Toledo become the city it can be.”

Johnson and Wiggins share an office at the UT Minority Business Incubator, one of the early initiatives of UT’s Office of Institutional Diversity. The very first business to take up residence there is owned by Oona Temple. Temple is owner and president of Cosine Technical Group LLC; Yolanda Durden (MPA ’94) is a recruiting specialist at the placement search firm that supplies the energy industry with engineering, technical and administrative contractors. Things can get a little cramped on the days when both women are working in their office at the incubator, they agree, but they don’t plan to move any time soon. “I heard about the incubator through the Minority Contractors Business Assistance Program at the Chamber of Commerce,” Temple explains. “What we found attractive were the resources the University offered: the research possibilities and the student interns. We’ve had a student whose academic specialty is human resources make recommendations. We’ve also had help designing our website, business cards and brochures. At the same time, we can mentor our students.” Of the incubator’s location adjacent to the UT Scott Park Campus for Energy and Innovation, Durden says, “I think it’s especially good for students, especially minority students, to see us working here, to think about the possibilities for becoming businesspeople.”

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Temple recalls another educational moment when “as a new tenant I met Governor [Ted] Strickland at a reception given by the Clean Energy Incubator and gave him my ’elevator pitch’”

“We’ve never worked with startup companies before, but we find that they do have the same issues that many of our family businesses do.”

diverse: different generations, industries, geographies, sizes, gender, roles people play in family business.”

Closer to home, Temple notes, is their ready access to the UT Center for Family and Privately-Held Business: “I’m in an affinity group with similar businesswomen. I’ve already learned a great deal about issues that I hadn’t had to consider before, but now they’re essential to how the company is run.”

The groups are self-moderated by a leader and co-leader, both trained by the center. During the confidential sessions, any and all topics can be on the table, she says: “It’s very empowering for family businesspeople, but it goes beyond that to become a true peer mentoring group. Some people become board members of each other’s businesses, some do business together.”

When Temple cites the UT Center for Family and Privately-Held Business as a major asset for local companies, she’s one of many entrepreneurs who tap into its diverse possibilities.

The center now hosts seven regular affinity groups, two women’s groups and one for working couples. A one-of-a-kind program, it’s still evolving, with large-scale forums that tap into University-wide experts, as well as monthly mini-forums on specific issues.

All Minority Business Incubator businesspeople automatically become members of the center, explains Debbe Skutch, the center’s director. The affinity groups Temple mentioned — actually roundtable advisory gatherings — have been wildly popular from their inception as a way of connecting people in similar business roles, such as next-generation owners or couples who work together.

“The affinity groups have brought more diversity into the center,” Skutch says. “And since the center expanded to include privately held business, it’s really opened the door for us to impact a lot more businesses without losing what we’ve already been doing so well.

“About three years ago, that model had worn out its usefulness,” Skutch says. “Many of the original participants wanted to expand the experience and meet new business owners. We restructured the affinity groups so that they’re now much more

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

“We’ve never worked with startup companies before, but we find that they do have the same issues that many of our family businesses do.” The biggest challenge, she says, is explaining affinity groups to someone who hasn’t participated. “But those who have keep coming to them — it’s a powerful experience.”

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Diversity: it’s good education Students There’s no looking back; it’s a global society, says Hussein Awada, a UT senior studying finance in the College of Business Administration. His academic focus and his financial service representative job at Fifth Third Bank tend to color his perceptions about diversity, says the lifelong Toledoan: “My experience and passions for economics and technology give me a strong business perspective, but I’m very interested in politics as well, so I see the human side of globalism and diversity.” Without understanding diversity, in fact, “finance in the twenty-first century would be ineffective,” he says. He rates UT as extremely diverse, with students from countries worldwide: “In the College of Business, these individuals give the classroom an international perspective that better equips students for the global business world.” More give-and-take outside the classroom is much on the mind of Rui (Ray) Li, a citizen of China and a UT accounting major in his junior year. He’s also president of the International Students Association and a resident adviser at Horton International House. “The University has about fourteen hundred international students, five percent of the total enrollment,” he points out, adding that more recognition of those students’ unique needs and gifts would strengthen UT’s diversity efforts. “There

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are limited programs to help international students in their first year, given how hard it is for many of them to adapt to a new country,” he says. Some international students, he adds, deal with the situation by focusing solely on their studies or relying on others from their own cultures. “I appreciate the mentors and role models provided by the staff members of Student Affairs,” he says. “But more collaboration between them and the Office of International Student Services can mean using the treasure of culture we bring to educate the students here, to educate the community and to bring the rest of the world to others.”

The UT Guarantee, a scholarship program for academically qualified students from Ohio and Michigan urban centers, permits those who meet both academic and need criteria to receive a UT Blue and Gold Scholarship to cover full tuition and general fee charges after the Pell and any State of Ohio grants. Thanks in part to the scholarships, UT has experienced dramatic growth in diversity within the freshman class over the last four years. The number of African-American students has more than doubled; Hispanic percentages of increase are comparable. In the first cohort of Blue and Gold Scholars, approximately sixty-six percent were students of color.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

“When you meet people with different ideas, you end up questioning what you believe. People are afraid of that; they believe they’ve put a lot of thought into their ideas.”

Blue and Gold Scholar Valencia Miller is from Columbus. A freshman in the nursing program from Columbus, she and her best friend decided to attend UT together. Diversity, she says, can mean all kinds of things: “It can be having different experiences in events and places to visit. It seems like in Columbus there’s more to do. Of course, I had a car and a job there, so I have to learn to take public transportation. But I went to the [Toledo] Museum [of Art] and I really liked it. I have to go back.” Campus society, though, is diversity’s most visible form: “I walk around and see people who seem like they come from all over,” she says. “Sometimes it looks like people are sticking with the people they know, but others reach out and have conversations with you so you can make new friends.” Is she open to meeting new people? “Yes, I am — but I keep in touch with old friends every day through social media!”

author, he says, is the late “Poet Laureate of Skid Row,” Charles Bukowski.) “To me, diversity means a lot more than race,” says the freshman. “I think people look at diversity as just white and black; I know that’s not it. I think some people are scared of diversity. If you meet different people, you’re going to challenge yourself. If you’re an Orthodox Jew, maybe, and you meet a Southern evangelical Baptist, you’re probably going to have battles. That’s a good thing, good to be challenged.” That’s what it comes down to sometimes, he adds: “When you meet people with different ideas, you end up questioning what you believe. People are afraid of that; they believe they’ve put a lot of thought into their ideas.” Does he see any way to enrich the diversity at UT? “I don’t know, it seems pretty diverse here, but maybe more foreign language classes could be offered. Diversity isn’t something you can force.”

Blue and Gold Scholar Sam Fetters from Cincinnati is studying English. (His favorite

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

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Diversity: it’s good campus culture The UT Culture Ambassadors, some of whom appear on this issue’s cover, are considering hearts and minds. Founder Lawrence J. Burns says that the ambassadors will “strive to make the culture at UT the best environment possible for personal and professional growth.” The group pinpoints UT’s overall work environment, which represents the frontlines of a positive campus culture; the UT community’s recent participation in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2009 Great Colleges to Work For Survey gave the group a baseline. Paula Ballmer, senior recruiter for the UT College of Nursing, was already a longtime proponent of campus diversity when she was tapped as a culture ambassador. “Early on, nursing wanted to embrace diversity and have more students of color,” she says. As one of the original members of the former MCO’s Multicultural Affairs Advisory Committee, she worried about how she as a Caucasian woman would be perceived by students being recruited. “I was told, ‘Paula, they want to see your passion and they want to see that you care.’“ She’s had many years to apply that passion. “I’ve had the privilege to meet all kinds of people,” she says of her position, a job made easier because of the nursing faculty’s commitment to diversity across curricula. A concerted effort, she notes,

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enhances the assets of students who become engaged members in diversity: “I’ve been told by students from small towns, ‘There wasn’t one African American in my high school class’ or ‘I’ve never interacted with someone with a different religious background.’ Coming here is eye-opening, but they embrace the experience.” In reality, she says, “Diversity is everyone’s responsibility, every UT worker: faculty, administration and staff. We can’t live in little corners.” Shumiala Kinnear (Ed ’02, MEd ’09), assistant director of annual giving, is newer to the scene but no less enthusiastic. “When I heard about the Culture Ambassadors initiative, my expectation was that it would be one of the centerpieces for developing personal engagement for everyone at UT,” she says. “It can be the start of people feeling figuratively embraced by an institution of diversity.” She takes her ambassadorial role seriously, saying, “I’m acting on behalf of the institution whether I’m at work or in my personal life. We’ll be making efforts to reach out to all groups on campus to promote an understanding that we are all playing that role no matter what we do.” Though she admits that she may field some negative reactions, she adds, “Nothing comes without debate. With a brand-new initiative like this, there’s always room for improvements, so we hope people will tell us how to make it better for the University.”

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Diversity

under discussion

Programs, initiatives, curricula and committees are helping UT weave diversity into campus culture. Earlier this year, participants in various efforts, including the Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Diversity Council, met to review the Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s successes and challenges. Highlights follow; the entire roundtable can be viewed online at youtube.com/utoledo. Check Alumni Magazine playlist.

Participants Jim Ferris PhD

Joan Griffith MD

UT vice president for external affairs and interim vice president for equity and diversity

Charlene Gilbert

Mark A. Urrutia

Isabel Escobar PhD

Shanda Gore PhD

Charles Beatty-Medina PhD

UT associate professor of history

Lawrence J. Burns

UT associate professor of chemical and environmental engineering

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Ability Center Endowed Chair in Disability Studies at UT UT director, Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women UT assistant vice president for equity and diversity

UT associate professor, chief of Division of General Pediatrics principal, Skyway Financial Group

Kevin West

UT senior director, faculty labor relations and Office of Institutional Diversity

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Welcoming, genuinely diverse Burns: “We think that the best days of our University are ahead of us as relates to being a diverse, welcoming place where people want to work, study and spend a lot of time. That’s what we’re hoping to achieve over time.” West: “Most state institutions have addressed the global diversity issue. Their campuses, though, don’t usually reflect that diversity. When you look at UT … you will see a fuller experience than some of those other universities because we are an urban metropolitan institution, in the students we admit and in the kinds of opportunities there are for success. For me, that makes our graduates better prepared for the world.”

Natural world points the way Ferris: “I found myself thinking about biodiversity. We have learned to recognize that when species go extinct, it’s a great loss to us because we lose the accumulated genetic knowledge. We don’t get to be enriched by it any more. Not just tolerating but valuing diversity seems intimately bound up in that idea. There’s an incredible knowledge and richness and … a sustaining kind of growth that comes when we have diversity in all of its many facets.”

Opening door to community Gore: “One area where UT is doing a great job is outreach to the community. Look at the diversity that surrounds the University and how we pull that in. Right now we have a minority business incubator — it started as a thought … that took a number of individuals to come together outside the University … They came to the table as small business owners [saying], ‘We value that, we know we need this, we see UT as a way to contribute toward that.’ I have to say that if it wasn’t for that community outreach we’re doing, perhaps it would not happen. You have to have the support of senior administrators, but you need the community asking what they can do.” Urrutia: “I learn better if I try something and make a mistake. To have people who are willing to help you through that process — I remember once referring to someone by saying they’re disabled. Someone else took me aside and said that what you’re saying is that there’s something wrong with that person; a better way to say it might be ‘a person with disabilities.’ I had never thought

about that … It‘s those kinds of experiences that make you think and learn.” Gilbert: “Diversity is part of the human experience. Institutions of higher education represent opportunities for thinking outside the box; for some people, they represent the only opportunity to interact and meet and work and play with people from all over the community, the state and the world. Those experiences help make a university a place for connections, for learning about new cultures and new ideas that will be taken into students’ own communities, which may have been homogenous, and touch more lives. We don’t want anyone to miss out on that.”

Creating a culture West: “[When training] new employees, we start with the mission statement, the core values and the definition of diversity. The beginning of that definition is the EEO terminology that everyone is used to seeing: age, gender, sexual orientation. But the next part is ‘We value personal uniqueness.’ That’s a pretty progressive statement.” Beatty-Medina: “From my perspective, higher education not only has a role, but a mandate to involve itself in discussions of diversity in the wider community. UT has a unique position in civic life — open to all members of the community and created, in part, to serve them. At the same time, it is not part of the city’s or region’s political machinery. Hence its voice can be independent of specific political parties and interests. We’ve worked to see the community’s diversity reflected in the University.” Burns: “All great institutions are places that are diverse, have strong cultures where people feel they can be unique, grow and fulfill their dreams. If you look at any great company, that’s the culture you will find. UT is progressing that way; [alumni] should be proud of that.”

Honing the edge Griffith: “Until you have achieved perfection, you must continue to change. With diversity, until we’ve achieved that perfection, examining our commitment must be constant and automatic. We can always do better. It takes time to implement, and our community is dynamic, with new students and new faculty adding a dimension that could temporarily offset our progress or enhance it. We’re not a static entity, and thank goodness for that.”

At left, Burns, Gore, Escobar, Ferris. Below, Urrutia, West.

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Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

DIVERSE SERVIC E ALUMNI PASSI ONATE PEOPLE WITH STRONG B ELIEFS DIVERSE SERVICE ALUMN I IT’S ABOUT EQ UALITY DIVERSE SERVICE ALUMNI THE GR EATEST JOB IN Diverse-Service A L U M N I by Cynthia Nowak

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

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Keeping the outdoors g r e at G

o ahead — call Catherine (Kanary) Schrein (Ed ’68, MEd ’76) a tree-hugger; she’ll take it as a compliment. After all, as manager of the Environmental Education Center for Somerset County, N.J., her office is set in five hundred acres of trees, potentially embraceable. But her schedule’s far too crammed to include time for encircling leafy neighbors. Besides overseeing more than four hundred educational programs, she’s on the advisory board of the state’s Environmental Education Alliance and works closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service because of the center’s proximity to the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. What’s the Great Swamp? You’re not the only one who had to ask. “Honestly, I lived in New Jersey for many years before I knew where the Great Swamp was,” Schrein confesses. She now knows the area and its tangled history by heart: Originally ceded by the Delaware tribe for thirty pounds in cash and assorted kettles and cutlasses, the area south of Parsippany and east of Elizabeth was haphazardly drained for farmland and harvested for wood before 20th-century activists galvanized Congress into establishing a federal refuge in 1960, naming it a National Natural Landmark six years later. In 1968, the Great Swamp’s eastern half — Schrein’s purview — became a designated Wilderness Area.

the educational programs that keep the Great Swamp cherishable for residents and visitors. “We have more than four hundred programs a year, and they’re not all for little kids,” Schrein explains. “We even have something for infants, a ‘mommy or daddy and me’ program that gets them into the great outdoors. Of course, they’re not necessarily learning anything specific, but by the time they’re two, we’re telling them age-appropriate stories based on what we’ve talked about: the animals who live outside, the leaves on the trees. “We start very basic, but it’s all about developing a love for their environment.” Mobile school programs bring in older kids. Adults can breathe fresh air with themed trips: viewing flora and fauna from canoe or kayak, for instance. Schrein’s own enviro-moment came fairly late in her career, following high-power years in corporate real estate marketing and relocation services. “Honestly, I never intended to go in this direction, but I have no regrets,” she says. “I think I’m making a much better, stronger contribution to society and the environment. I feel greater personal fulfillment, too.” Tree-hugger or not, she appreciates the species: “We need the passionate people who believe so strongly that they help drive the issues. Without that passion, I think environmentalism will fall flat.”

Today, her work — “it’s personnel, it’s program design, it’s the physical plant, for three” as she says — underpins www.toledoalumni.org

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

ou can still count on raising some eyebrows if not hackles by attempting a conversational gambit on the subject of gay rights, but negative reactions have never stopped Michelle Stecker PhD (PhD ’00, Law ’07) from raising the issue. For her, gay rights is a simple matter of justice — irony, please, on the simple. As founder of Equality Toledo, for instance, she focused her efforts on relationship rights for committed, unmarried couples. During a subsequent fellowship with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in Toledo and Washington, D.C., she saw the body politic at work. “It took a year,” she says, “but we passed legislation for recognition rights, helping write the legislation, working with local politicians. “The new law gave gay and lesbian couples in the Toledo area the ability to have a card that proves your relationship, so you can show it at the emergency room or to your employer when it comes to health benefits. With the card, you are a legal entity.” Now teaching history, law and women’s and gender studies at the College of New Jersey, she’s the longtime (and more recent civil union) partner of Carol Bresnahan, former faculty and administrator at UT. In a curious twist, Stecker says, “We’d won the right to domestic partner health benefits, but then Carol and I found we could not prove through the apparatus UT had at the

time that we were indeed a family, even though we’d been living as a family for eight years.” Today, more than eighty individuals benefit from UT’s policy on domestic partners. It’s all of a piece for Stecker, a twenty-year ordained minister of word and sacrament in the Presbyterian Church USA. During her first ministry in Findlay, Ohio, she says, “I saw people in desperate need of food and housing, and became an advocate in domestic violence cases.” The lifelong scrapper for the underdog adds, “There’s a current of bootstrap thinking that says people can overcome the odds and make it through their own efforts. For many, that’s not an American Dream, it’s an impossible dream.” National recognition of gay marriage rights, though, remains her main goal. She points out, “Legally, it’s a nightmare now. As soon as [Carol and I] cross the Delaware River into Pennsylvania, we have no rights; we are strangers [to each other] under the law.” But the outcome for her isn’t in doubt: “The gains we’ve made are breathtaking, and young people are so supportive. They’ve always lived in a world where their friends, neighbors, ministers, teachers are gay or lesbian, in a media world with Ellen DeGeneres and Will & Grace. “It’s a paradigm shift for some, but people need to move with us. It’s about equality.”

‘Separate but equal’ n o t an acc e p tabl e o p ti o n Photo by Don Hamerman

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

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From firefighter t o p h y sician T

he Haitian earthquake of January had hit the previous evening; garbled reports coming out were beginning to reveal the extent of the nation’s devastation. Thousands of miles away, David Miramontes MD (MED ’96) expertly negotiates Toledo streets in an emergency response van. He keeps up a lively conversation with one ear tuned to his phone. “It’s all Haiti now,” he says. “I have a conference call in an hour to discuss our response.” “Our” in this case means the U.S. Public Health Service. He works for them as commander of the Ohio 1 Disaster Medical Assistance Team. But he’s also medical director for the Toledo Fire Department (TFD), and attending physician and faculty director of the Emergency Medicine Residency Program at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center. Uniting his diverse career is Miramontes’ enthusiasm for emergency medicine, a passion that sparked early for the California native. “I started out in high school in the Fire Explorer Program with a volunteer fire department in California,” he says. “Before enrolling at UT, I was an RN — actually, a nurse-educator at UC Davis. I came here for my medical education because I have a family and this is the most family-friendly school in the area for non-traditional students like me.”

for the fire department. “That was my extended family: thirty-eight brothers and sisters,” he says. “If my dog got out, there’d be five guys out looking for him. If I was gone, my fire family made sure my teenagers were staying out of trouble.” Today, he makes sure that emergency medicine residents receive similar, broadening experiences. As the medical eyes and ears of the TFD chief, Miramontes has a lot to see and hear, given that an estimated eighty percent of fire runs are responding to medical issues. “I ride with them, because you have to be out there to understand,” he says. “Sometimes I pick up system problems I never would just by doing chart reviews: They don’t have the right equipment, or one of my protocols is faulty.” His federal duties as a “disaster doc” range over an equally wide field: He’s been deployed post-hurricanes, post-9/11, and did “pre-deployment” at a UN conference and the 2002 Olympics. He won’t be going to Haiti, he says — at least not immediately — because he’s already scheduled for a vaccination mission in the Caribbean. So how to accurately label his diverse professional missions? That’s easy — collectively, Miramontes calls them “the greatest job in the world.”

He and his family made their home in Toledo’s Washington Township, where he also served as medic

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Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Over the rainbow and behind the mask with ...

BLUE CREW If you’ve never had your hand pumped, your Homecoming beads flung or your exuberant Rocket cheers led by one of those Harpo-wigged purveyors of UT pride — friend, it’s time to expand your horizons. If, on the other hand, you’ve ever wondered what fuels the apparent wild beings under the masks who’ve become an indispensable part of every UT game, this article is for you as well.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

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Rules of secrecy being what they are, certain rituals like initiation or even suiting up aren’t open to outsiders. However, some little-known facts can be shared. For instance, all Blue Crew members are students. They may act crazy, but there’s no drinking or other substance use: Those are rules. Blue Crew members are volunteers: They don’t get paid, they don’t get special scholarships. Coming up on its tenth anniversary, Blue Crew was founded on Sept. 2, 2000 by Jason Rodriguez (Eng ’03) (Blue Crew name “Tigger”) and Donovan Nichols (A/S ’04, MEd ’06) (“Hollywood”) as a spirit-boosting organization based on an idea from then-speaker of Student Government Senate Chad Worthington. Ten members is a full cohort; new members are added only when current members have fulfilled their duties. And what are those duties? Says Kris Keating (you’ll meet him on the following pages), “Blue Crew represents the pride inside every Toledo Rocket. They’re dedicated to instituting, reviving and maintaining The University of Toledo’s traditions. Each member is hidden under an assumed identity and name, revealed only at the end of the season of their graduating year or after they have faithfully served in the position for four full semesters.” He neglects to mention the fun factor. Every Crew member interviewed recalls the pure adrenaline rush of their center-stage position at UT events. Brian Weinblatt (you’ll meet him as well) puts it this way: “I remember in 2001 when we played Navy in the Glass Bowl and set a MAC attendance record. To see more than thirty thousand screaming Rocket Fans — that was amazing: the Rocket Fanatic shirts on, painted faces, spirit towels waving. There was a bit of an

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‘Ah-ha!’ moment then; I really felt we were accomplishing our goals of broad, deep spirit among the students.” Members acquire new skills: learning to eat, for one, while wearing the de rigueur custom-made, full-face mask. Ernesto Hernandez (yes, he’ll be there, too) remembers, “Sometimes I carried a whole pocket of straws. If we went to the president’s tailgate where there was free food and drink, we would take a straw and sort of slip it under the mask. My favorite method was to slide the food up from the chin, because I have a bigger nose and there was more of a gap. But I still had spaghetti sauce or mustard stains.” Many BC members, he adds, buy an extra “eating” mask. From an early calendar entirely devoted to sports events, Blue Crew is now likely to be shaking their hair during many campus activities, and they support community events that include the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. They’ve grown to include an alumni group of almost forty: guiding angels who assist active members with matters of tradition, finance and marketing. “Our alumni have the utmost respect for this organization and want to see it continue to thrive many years from now,” says C.J. Murawski (“Maverick”), president of the Blue Crew Alumni Board. “With so many established alumni we have an opportunity to help our active members achieve goals that we never could when the group originated.” Pretty full plate to juggle while running, jumping and cheering. But as Hernandez points out, it’s not selfreferential: “Blue Crew is here not only to instill spirit and tradition but help the student body take ownership of their university. Through repetition, it sinks in: We are UT.”

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Where are they now? Unmasking Blue Crew alumni

Tyler Reed (“Deo”) Financial sales consultant with National City, Cincinnati Scouted by Blue Crew “because I have a very loud voice,” Tyler is actually a soft-spoken family man with a baby on the way. “I got married in July 2009, and now we’re expecting Tyler, wife Brittany — life just hit me in the face,” says the former Rockets’ walk-on who’s also an assistant football coach for the local Kentucky high school near his home. One of the Crew’s longest-serving members, he practically carried on single-handedly, say other BC alumni, when active membership plummeted. And his alternate moniker? It’s pronounced DEE-o, he says, not DAY-o: “During our initiation we sing the UT fight song as a group. At the end you spell out T-O-L-E-D-O — I did TOLDEO. The group asked me to try one more time. I was really excited, pumped up and I yelled, ‘T-O-L-D-E-O!’ When they were coming up with nicknames, it was Deo that stuck.”

Brian Weinblatt

(A/S ’02, MLS ’04) (“Legal Eagle”) Director of development for Fischler School of Education and Human Services at Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale One of the Blue Crew’s founding members, he remembers the original blueprint as “part spirit organization, part secret society.” It grew from there, he says: “Blue Crew’s first-ever appearance was in September 2000 at the UT versus Penn State game in Happy Valley. There were four of us, traveling with an alumni bus trip. The Penn State fans were laughing at us as we went in, like ‘Who do you think you are?’ UT won 24-6. I remember jumping over the wall at the end of the game to pat Chester Taylor on the back, running back up into the stands and going crazy. Nobody was laughing at us when we left the stadium.” Brian, a six-year veteran of UT’s Office of Alumni Relations, is finishing his PhD in higher education administration. He’s still Blue Crew at heart, though: “The fire burns within all Rockets; we just work to ignite the flame.” Photo by Marla (Auslander) Oxenhandler (A/S ’78)

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

www.toledoalumni.org

Kris Keating (A/S ’05) (“Beats”)

Marketing communications specialist for HCR ManorCare, Toledo Some Blue Crew alumni say that putting on the mask released inhibitions. That, Kris admits, isn’t his experience; he was born in high gear: “I was called Beats because I tend to have a little more energy and make my own music, my own beats. In a down time I’d be tapping on something.” At ManorCare, a joke about his motivational proclivities turned into the reality of costumed hero Captain Spirit, promoter of company events. “Every once in a while I stand outside the offices as Captain Spirit and greet people, bring a smile to their faces,” he says. Volunteering with the company’s nonprofit foundation and UT’s communications alumni affiliate helps keep Kris on his beat. But once Blue Crew, always Blue Crew, he notes, and he’s planning for legacy members. Daughter Charlotte already wears her UT gear and knows her chants, says Kris; he and wife Kathryn (Sterling) (Bus ’05) are expecting another baby this fall.

Ernesto Hernandez (“Tweek”)

Completing his criminal justice degree at UT Talk about a career switch: In 2005, Ernesto changed his major from computer networking technology to law enforcement. That was also the year he became an auxiliary police officer for the Ohio village of Pemberville. But it’s hardly surprising, he says: “Anyone who knows me could not picture me sitting all day behind a computer.” As in his Blue Crew days, he prefers to be where the action is. “That’s where my nickname came from,” he explains. “I really put all my energy into every part, from putting on the mask to greeting people and asking if they were going to the game. The group noticed; they said, ‘He’s really tweeking out on this.’” With hopes for a permanent job in law enforcement, he’s applied at the UT Police Force: “It would be great to walk the hallowed halls again and get paid for it.” For him, Blue Crew remains “S and A: spirit and altruism.”

www.toledoalumni.org

Matthew (Eng ’04)

(“Trunk Monkey”) &

Jessica (Deuschle) McClure (A/S ’05) (“Baby Doll”)

Matt’s a senior engineer at Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station; Jess works with her father at the family greenhouse in Pemberville, Ohio Married now for two years, they met at UT. “Matt was in Blue Crew and I had no idea until I got in,” Jess says. “During initiation when everyone takes off his mask, they all started laughing at my reaction.” They began dating soon afterward; so far, they’re the only married BC couple. They keep tabs on the organization through the alumni group, marveling at BC’s expanded range. “They show up for Dance Marathon, convocation, for the president’s state of the university speech,” Matt notes. Meantime, life is full. Matt oversees nuclear safety systems, and Jess, who says that she “quit her job working for ‘The Man,’” was soon heading to Belgium on an agricultural trip through the UT Urban Affairs Center. “I always planned to get away from farming, but now I love it,” she says of her father’s ag-supplier business. And they confess to sometimes dressing their two dogs as Blue Crew facsimiles.

Elyse Bernstein (A/S ’09)

(“Miss Sunshine”) Serving with the Peace Corps in Nicaragua

It’s a long way from UT to León in Nicaragua’s high desert, where Elyse teaches elementary-schoolers about how the planet’s environment affects their lives, but the experience is something she knew she wanted. She still does, in spite of the surprises: “You think you’re going to be saving the world, living in a hut in the jungle. I live in a city, with running water and electricity, and I’m not saving the world every day, but I’m doing small things.” Elyse’s blonde-blue-eyed looks are a revelation to many Nicaraguans. “My first day, all six hundred kids crowded around me at recess to talk with me,” she says. In a way, it reminds her of Blue Crew days, when “we looked different and people immediately noticed it.” What she notices most is the generosity of Nicaraguans. “It’s a very poor country, but people were so worried about Haiti [earthquake victims], they were organizing sugar donations.” Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

class notes

Editor’s Note: Class notes submitted by alumni are not verified by the editors. While we welcome alumni news, Toledo Alumni Magazine is not responsible for information contained in class notes.

40s

John Weaver (Eng ’43), whose co-directorship of the South Licking Watershed Conservancy District was one part of his service to the centralOhio district that spanned more than 40 years, retired in December.

50s

Arthur Jibilian (Bus ’51), Fremont, a Master Mason and the subject of a 2009 Toledo Alumni Magazine feature about his service in WWII, was presented with the Rufus Putnam Distinguished Service Award by the Grand Lodge of Ohio. Mel Bielawski (Bus ’56), Alexandra, Va., had his book, Diagnosis: Alzheimer’s — My Travels with Frances, published by AuthorHouse.com. The book, also available at Amazon.com, chronicles the experiences of Mel and his wife, Frances, prior to and after her diagnosis.

60s

Thomas J. Cooney PhD (Ed ’60), author and founding editor of the Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, was inducted into the Clay High School (Toledo) Hall of Fame. Retired from the University of Georgia since 1999 as professor emeritus, he’s still writing and was lead author on a book for math teachers presented at the 2009 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Rev. Dick Blank (A/S ’61), North Olmsted, Mich., is leader, composer and sax player on a new CD, Fixed on You, that combines jazz with praise. Listen to clips at myspace.com/jazzpraiseministry. Walt Lange (Ed ’61, MEd ’65, Ed Spec ’77), superannuate faculty in the UT Department of Mathematics, owns the Lange Tree Farm in Fulton County, named 2010 Ohio Tree Farm of the Year by the Ohio Tree Farm Committee, which also named Walt and his wife, Donna, 2010 Tree Farmers of the Year. Wilbert “Skeeter” McClure PhD (Ed ’61), who won a gold medal in boxing at the 1960 Olympics, was the guest motivational speaker at a special service held at Warren AME Church in Toledo. Now living near Boston, the former associate professor at Northeastern University

and chair of the Massachusetts Boxing Commission is an adjunct faculty member at Bentley College. Jim Hutchinson (Ed ’62), Brooklyn, Mich., wrote in asking about the status of the Homecoming bonfires and was pleased to hear that they’re still part of the yearly festivities. A former Theta Chi who attended the fires with his girlfriend-now-wife, Carol (who was also a UT student), he remembers the fun. Larry Rochelle (Ed ’62, Ed Spec ’80) has another Palmer Morel mystery novel under his belt: Locks, which sets the tennis pro’s sleuthing in Charleston, S.C. Larry Arnold (Bus ’63) and his wife, Joyce, Canton, Ohio, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in November. They have two children and six grandsons. Stephen C. Goldman (A/S ’65), after 37 years as a high school science teacher and secondary school administrator, took on a new career with the New Jersey Department of Education, working as the state’s science assessment coordinator overseeing grades 4 and 8. Dee Talmage (MEd ’65) was elected chair of the board of trustees for Owens Community College, Perryburg. The retired educator was appointed to the board in 2002.

70s

Patricia C. (Toney) Myers (Ed ’70) and her husband, Larry, celebrated their 41st wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day. They live on a 21-acre Tennessee farm, close to family, where Patti keeps horses and works as an artist. She’s also vice president of the Murfreesboro Rutherford Art League. Larry McDougle EdD (EdD ’71), who retired as president of Northwest State Community College, Archbold, became interim president of Owens Community College in January. A former dean at UTCTC, he also taught graduate education courses at UT. Linda BrownEwing (A/S ’72) was promoted to senior vice president for community affairs with Fifth Third Bank, which she joined in 1984. Among her community service, she’s on the boards of United Way of Greater Toledo and Lutheran Social Services. Daniel Wiersma (Eng ’73), Oro Valley, Ariz., retired from Sony Electronics and started a consulting company, MyGrayMatters, to assist clients with customer service and building loyalty.

The Blade and The University of Toledo Medical Center present the 18th Annual UT Alumni Association Outdoor Juried Art Fair

Art on the Mall SUNDAY, JULY 25, 2010 10 A.M. UNTIL 5 P.M.

FREE ADMISSION original art, jazz, food and children’s area On the Main Campus of The University of Toledo

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

www.toledoalumni.org

Curtis Black PhD (Pharm ’74), UT professor of pharmacy practice, received the 2010 American Pharmacists Association Merit Award at its annual convention in March. Nicholas C. Conrad (A/S ’74, MA ’76), Sylvania, was named vice president, finance, and treasurer by Maumee-based The Andersons Inc., with whom he’s been since 1984, most recently as assistant treasurer. He serves on the UT Foundation board of trustees. Tim E. Eckstein DO (A/S ’74), medical director of Covenant Occupational Health in Bay City, Mich., and assistant clinical professor at the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, was elected president of the American Osteopathic College of Occupational and Preventive Medicine, after serving in other college positions, including treasurer and secretary. Sue E. (Odell) Mendizza (MA ’75) was appointed associate dean of instruction and student services for Santa Ana College School of Continuing Education. With 30 years’ experience in community colleges, she also served as associate professor and faculty coordinator for the California school. Michelle Janney PhD, RN (UTCTC ’76, A/S ’80, PhD ’93), senior vice president at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, is the first to hold the Wood-Prince Family Chief Nurse Executive position — the hospital’s first endowed executive seat — founded by a local family in recognition of a new nursing endowment. Carol Seubert Marx (A/S ’76), who has a private law practice in Lancaster, Ohio, was re-elected to a three-year term on the www.toledoalumni.org

board of trustees of the Fairfield Medical Center, serving as vicechair. Her site is carolmarxlaw.com. T. Christopher Crossen (MBA ’78) joined recovery strategist Receivables Management Inc. as sales manager, working from their Southfield, Mich., offices. He’s been in financial services for more than 20 years Larry Owen (Pharm ’78) was named director of pharmacy for Southeastern Regional Medical Center in Cambridge, Ohio. Stephen Brewer MD (MED ’79), is medical director of Medical Canyon Ranch in Tucson, part of a residence community and resort spa. Mary Ann Myers MD (A/S ’79, Res ’91), Glandorf, Ohio, opened a Lima multidisciplinary clinic to treat Parkinson’s disease and MS.

80s

Jon Dvorak MD (A/S ’80, MED ’83), who works with Perrysburg Pediatrics and ProMedica Physicians Group, was named to the America’s Top Pediatricians list by the Consumers’ Research Council of America, a Washington, D.C.-based independent organization. He is past president of the UT Alumni Association.

Jeanne Davis and daughter

All-American lives in baseball tribute

“Baseball is America’s greatest game,” wrote Eugene “Red” Davis (Ed ’40) in 1956 to a student-athlete. It was an opinion from which Davis never wavered. It’s a fitting tribute, then, every time Monroe High School’s baseball team takes to Red Davis Field, named for the man who coached three sports at the Michigan school. Red, who died in 1993, also taught physical education at Monroe and served as director of athletics, notes his widow, Jeanne (Ed ’64), who met her future husband when they were both University students.“I saw the tall redhead and thought, ‘He’s the one,’” recalls the retired teacher. Red would be pleased, she says, with the major upgrades to the field — new dugouts, a press box and 125 box seats behind home plate — but modest about having the facility named after him. Red Davis Field honors the man who continues to be remembered for his athletic prowess (an All-American QB, he earned eight varsity letters in football, basketball and his beloved baseball, captaining the team), his popularity with his high school players for whom he set high standards, and perhaps most of all, his innate sense of right and wrong. His daughter, Diane Pursley, says,“Years ago, when the teams did away games, some restaurants wouldn’t serve the minority players. My father would say, ‘Back in the bus, guys — we’re leaving!’”

John Elchert (Ed ’80) who’s been a newspaper publisher since 1994, took over the job at The Daily Times in Farmington, N.M., after working at papers in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio. Brian Joyce (Pharm ’80), a Walgreens pharmacy supervisor for northwest Pennsylvania and northeast Ohio, was appointed to the Ohio Board of Pharmacy. Susan J. Sadler (Law ’80), a managing member of the Bloomfield Hills, Mich., law firm of Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler PLC, was included in 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Mark Schimmel (Eng ’80), general manager of nuclear engineering for utilities provider Xcel Energy, was named site vice president at Prairie Island nuclear plant in Red Wing, Minn. Sally Martin Stewart (MEd ’80), a Michigan artist who lives in the Lansing area, had an exhibition of mixed media at the Shiawasswee Arts Center in Owosso. Kevin Greenfield (Law ’81), Perrysburg, a partner in the law firm of Shareholder, Franklin & Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

class notes

Resolution Experts of Michigan, earned certification for the Michigan Agricultural Mediation Program, part of a federal dispute resolution process run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Have snow? Will travel!

Keith Wilkowski (Law ’82) joined the Toledo law firm of Marshall & Melhorn LLC to head its new advanced energy and green initiatives practice group. Maynard “Mike” A. Buck III (Law ’83), a partner at business law firm Benesch and chair of its labor and employment practice group in Cleveland, was appointed to the board of directors of The Center for Community Solutions, a nonprofit advocate for policy and system reform.

Situation wanted: Enthusiastic, topnotch graphic designer desires employment in chosen field. Mountains and snow mandatory. Tall order, but Andy Shaffer (Bus ’03) is living it in Salt Lake City, where by day he handles design for the local school district.“That means I’m also art director, media buyer, web developer, illustrator, photographer, project manager, Internet marketing director and communication specialist, as well as assisting forty schools with their design needs,” he notes. At times, he says, the pace of work goes beyond hectic, especially since on his own time he maintains a freelance agency (www.andyshaffer.com) with clients that include Owens-Illinois and the Valle Nevado Ski Resort in Chile. Yes, there’s that mention of snow again. As one more claim on his time, Shaffer teaches snowboarding at Brighton Ski Resort in the Wasatch Mountains, about thirty minutes from downtown Salt Lake City, where he makes his home. He finds the packed schedule exhilarating; he picked Utah after scoping other possible relocation areas — Colorado, Oregon, Washington — with an eye on the powder. Denver, for instance, was kicked from the shortlist when Andy realized

“You’ve got a two- to two-and-a-half-hour drive to ski resorts and when it dumps, everybody’s on the road.” He got hooked on snow sports in high school, he explains.“But even as a kid I was always the last one still outside playing in the snow at night.” Luckily for his finances, just two weeks before his move to Utah, Salt Lake City schools offered the design job.“I was prepared for job-search for a few months, to work in a restaurant to get by,” he says. Add to his life plenty of extracurriculars like indoor soccer, bowling nights and adult kickball and the picture’s rosy — but there’s still Utah’s conservative reputation. Or maybe not.“Downtown we have the Utah Jazz, lots of art and theatre,”Andy says. “The alcohol laws might be a little weird, but the nightlife doesn’t suffer from them at all. The urban culture isn’t as conservative as it can be outside the city. “I’m a very independent thinker and I fit in perfectly when I got here. Even the school district, which is quite conservative, made me feel very welcome.” It’s the closest thing to paradise Shaffer’s found so far. But don’t expect him to send postcards; Utah is a hidden gem that he’d prefer stays hidden: “Let more people go to Colorado.”

Greenfield, and director of the Ohio Harness Horseman’s Association, was appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland to the Ohio Standardbred Development Commission.

a Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for Social Innovation. His regular column on nonprofit business practices appears in the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

Barry VanderKelen PhD (A/S ’81), executive director of the San Luis Obispo County (Calif.) Community Foundation, was named

Brian D. Winters (MA ’81, MA ’89), an attorney in the Milwaukee office of national firm Quarles & Brady LLP, was named

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

by Wisconsin Super Lawyers magazine as one of the state’s top attorneys for 2009. Tom Molitierno (Law ’82) expanded his Fayette, Ohio, legal practice with the addition of his daughter-in-law, Diane. Phillip Schaedler (Law ’82), an attorney with Professional

E. Edwin Conaway Jr. MD (MED ’83) was appointed vice president of medical affairs by Southeastern Med, headquartered in Cambridge, Ohio. He will continue his private practice in family medicine. Janelle K. O’Connell PhD (PhD ’84), department head and director of admissions for the physical therapy doctoral program at Hardin-Simmons University, Abilene, Texas, was awarded the 2009 William Gould Memorial Outstanding Physical Therapy Faculty Award by the Texas Physical Therapy Association. David R. Younker (Eng ’84) was promoted to vice president of engineering for international glass manufacturing company Guardian Industries Corp., headquartered in Auburn Hills, Mich. Kevin Dick (Bus ’85) was hired as vice president of investment services for The Old Fort Banking Co., headquartered in the Ohio village and with offices throughout the state. Wallace E. Dixon Jr. PhD (A/S ’85), Johnson City, Tenn., chair of the Department of Psychology at East Tennessee State University, had his book, Parenting with Reason: Evidence Based Approaches to Parenting Dilemmas, published by Taylor & Francis in the UK. He serves as rural health coordinator for the Tennessee Psychological Association and was named to a three-year term on both the American Psychological Association’s commission on accreditation and the board of directors of the Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology. Shelley Helberg (MEd ’85) joined the David S. Stone Hebrew Academy in Sylvania as kindergarten Judaic studies teacher. www.toledoalumni.org

Lynn B. Jacobs (Law ’85), who retired from the Lucas County Prosecutor’s Office, civil and juvenile division, as assistant prosecutor, was appointed to the Lucas County Children Services board of trustees. Ann M. Wolfe MD (Pharm ’85, MED ’97) joined the West Toledo Internal Medicine Association as a partner. She and her husband, Todd R. Miller (A/S ’89), who’s a division manager with international containment/filtration company BakerCorp, have two children: twins Tessa and Nicholas. Neema Bell (Law ’86), a partner at the Toledo office of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, was selected as an honoree of the 2010 YMCA Milestones: A Tribute to Women, a leadership recognition award ceremony in its 15th year. John Bodart (Eng ’86), a 20-year veteran of Cooper Tire & Rubber, was named vice president of the company’s North American manufacturing operations. Dan Fausey (Bus ’86) opened his own business, CompuPro Consulting, in Minster, Ohio, focusing on technological and business analysis as well as home-network support. David J. Tigges (A/S ’86) was elected managing shareholder and CEO of the McNair Law Firm of Columbia, S.C. Robin L. Whitney (Eng ’86) accepted the commissioner of engineering services position with the city of Toledo. David Burkholder (MEd ’87), principal of Wauseon Elementary School, was named Wauseon Citizen of the Year by the city’s Chamber of Commerce. Randy Richardson (MEd ’87) was hired as assistant superintendent of Penta Career Center, Perrysburg. Dawn Wetmore (NRSG ’88) was named to serve as dean of the new School of Nursing at Owens Community College, Perrysburg. She’s previously been dean of health sciences and director of nursing at Monroe County Community College in Michigan. Rochelle (Goldstein) Barchick (Ed ’89) joined the teaching staff of Gan Yeladim Preschool, part of the Toledo Board of Jewish Education. The veteran Ohio teacher in the Toledo and Kettering public systems and her husband, Joe (Bus ’86), have two children.

www.toledoalumni.org

Christopher L. Mapes (Law ’89), executive vice president of water heating equipment manufacturer A. O. Smith Corp. and president of its electrical products unit, was elected to the board of directors of Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. of Cleveland. Natoya J. Walker Minor (A/S ’89), acting director for Cleveland’s Office of Equal Opportunity, was named president of the Black Professionals Association Charitable Foundation.

90s

Bryan Autullo (UTCTC ’90, UTCTC ’96, Eng ’01) is one the founders (and project manager) of a new architectural firm, Adrian Design Group, which has already designed restorations of downtown buildings in the Michigan city. Karen Rhoda PhD (MA ’90, PhD ’99), formerly associate dean for the UT Division of Distance Learning, joined Walsh College in Troy, Mich., as dean of the Division of Online Learning. She also co-authored The Administration of Distance Learning in Higher Education: Benefits for a Changing Society, slated for summer publication by Jones and Bartlett.

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Allene “Lena” (Garnett) Carlile (Ed ’91, MEd ’95), a financial professional with AXA Advisors in Troy, Mich., earned a master‘s degree in finance from Walsh College of Accountancy and Business Administration. Troy Greeley (Bus ’91), financial advisor with Wells Fargo, was elected to the Ottawa Hills School Board. Brian Jones (UTCTC ’91), Glandorf, Ohio, started his own business, Action Extermination, offering pest control services throughout northwest Ohio. Susan Kajfasz (A/S ’91, NRSG ’95) was named dean of the new Allied Health, Nursing and Science Division at Terra Community College, Fremont, where she’d previously been head of the Nursing Department. Tony Borgerding (Bus ’92) is a senior manager at Cincinnati accounting firm Franz CPAs Inc. and treasurer for the village of Mariemont. Ann Deck (A/S ’92), Waltham, Mass., partnered with national credit card equipment distributor MSI (Merchant Services Inc.) to launch a new sales division, MSI-Merchant Services Boston. She will recruit and train sales representatives.

Winning team: Ealey, WGTE program producer Ray Miller, Langenderfer and Choma with lady Emmy.

Victorious. The remarkable story of Rockets quarterback

Chuck Ealey (Bus ’72) scored two more touchdowns, thanks to Andy Langenderfer (UTCTC ’89, Eng ’93) and Matt Choma (A/S ’97, Eng ’97, MEng ’03). Their documentary, Undefeated: The Chuck Ealey Story, which aired last summer on WGTE-TV, won a regional Emmy Award in the category of sports: one-time special. Two months after accepting the award in Cleveland, the two producers (both professional engineers in their full-time lives) shared in a Crystal Award from the Toledo chapter of the Association for Women in Communications, and netted the Best of Show honors, which will earn them a shot at the national Clarion Awards. If the documentary’s title continues to be prophetic, Undefeated will continue to be exactly that.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Paralegal Studies Pre-req: Bachelor’s or master’s degree Certificate Requirements: 10 classes

(30 credit hours), can be completed in only two semesters

Program type:

on-campus classes

Combination of online and

Great for people who: • Have no law background, but want to learn more about the legal profession • Want to expand on their legal undergraduate degree or pre-law major • Are interested in assisting attorneys and preparing materials for trials • Seek to build their career flexibility and marketability • Want a combination of online and on-campus courses in a two-for-one deal

Online Programs Spotlight

class notes

To learn more, visit utoledo.edu/hshs/paralegal or contact Kathleen Reed, program director at kreed@utnet.utoledo.edu. and development became an independent training consultant (FLM Development Solutions), was certified as a global career development facilitator and as an instructor in that area. Dwayne Shepherd (Univ Coll ’92), administrator of Riverside Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Newcomerstown, was named to the board of the Community Mental Healthcare in northeast Ohio.

When Melissa Hasenmeier (HHS ’05, ODT ’08) married Jason Gibboney in September, the celebration also served as a reunion for several graduates of UT’s occupational therapy doctoral program. From left to right, bridesmaid Gina Kubec (ODT ’08), Joseph Gross (HHS ’05, ODT ’08), bride Melissa, bridesmaid Andrea Sensel (ODT ’08) and bridesmaid Lindsey Brown (HHS ’05, ODT ’08). Jason and Melissa live in Huron, Ohio. Agnes I. Caldwell PhD (A/S ’92, MA ’94) was promoted to vice president and dean of academic affairs at Adrian College in Michigan. The 12-year Adrian veteran who served six months as interim vp and dean is a faculty

development specialist who twice received the college’s Outstanding Service Learning Award. Crystal Dixon (MEd ’92) published her first novel, Destiny’s Time, with Tate Publishing. She also works as a motivational speaker and business consultant. Frederick L. McQueen (Univ Coll ’92), Hamilton, Ohio, who after years in organizational training

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Randy Groff (UTCTC ’93) joined Garmann/Miller ArchitectsEngineers in Minster, Ohio, as a Revit specialist and building information modeling manager. Brad D. Lookingbill PhD (MA ’93, PhD ’95), who teaches history at Columbia College in Missouri, was awarded the Eugene Asher Distinguished Teaching Prize, a national award given through the American Historical Association, at the association’s annual meeting in January. Maj. Ted S. Liszeski (Univ Coll ’94), an Air National Guard medical service corps officer serving with the 180th Medical Group in Toledo, took part in a 4,000-participants federal emergency response exercise at Camp Atterbury, Ind.

Kimberlie England (Bus ’95), principal and communication solutions national practice leader with human resources consulting company Findley Davies, received a 20 Under 40 Award in the fall, a program recognizing outstanding community contributions of northwest Ohioans under age 40. Andrew Krueger MD (MED ’95) joined Pisgah Urology on the campus of Transylvania Regional Hospital in Brevard, N.C. I. Elena Ybarra (Ed ’95) joined Leipsic (Ohio) High School as a Spanish teacher. Jason R. Bartschy (Bus ’96) was promoted to officer in the commercial banking division of Fifth Third Bank, working at the bank’s One SeaGate office. Bret J. Clark (Bus ’96) was promoted to partner at Toledo CPA firm Weber•O’Brien Ltd. Charles Huh MD (MED ’96) is co-owner of a private outpatient endoscopy center, Gastroenterology Consultants of Northern Virginia PLC, in Fairfax.

www.toledoalumni.org

David J. Mack (A/S ’96, Law ’00) was elected a partner with Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, where he’s a member of the Toledo law firm’s financial institutions practice group. Maj. Kathleen F. Stierwalt (NRS ’96, NRSG ’09) received the U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal and will be promoted to lieutenant colonel in September. Dave Wright (Univ Coll ’96) joined Coldwell Banker Plus One in St. Marys, Ohio, as a sales associate. He recently passed the Ohio real estate license exam. Pamela Crabtree (Univ Coll ’97, MA ’04) retired in March as business service officer at the UT Urban Affairs Center. She plans to further promote Yell & Tell: Stop Child Abuse Now Inc., the nonprofit (yelltell.org) she founded in 2003. Angelita Cruz-Bridges (UTCTC ’97, A/S ’97, Law ’00), director of operations with the Lucas County Auditor’s Office, was appointed by Gov. Ted Strickland to the Ohio Ethics Commission. Julie Hoffman (A/S ’97, Law ’01), an attorney in private practice, was named to board of Sylvania Schools. www.toledoalumni.org

Abir Kahaleh PhD (MPharm ’97) was promoted to associate professor of pharmacy practice at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she’s also director of experiential education. Kaye Lee (NRSG ’97), a certified nurse practitioner, joined Lima Memorial Professional Corp.

by peers as a 2010 Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star in labor and employment law. Justin Syroka (Ed ’98), assistant principal at Wyandot Run Elementary School near Columbus, was hired as principal of Cheshire Elementary School, scheduled to open for the 2010-11 school year.

William Connelly Jr. (Law ’99) was elected to the Toledo Municipal Court in November. He’d been with the Wood County prosecutor’s office. Stephen S. Keller (Law ’99), with Weber & Sterling LLC in Maumee, was noted as a 2010 Rising Star for estate planning and probate by Ohio Super Lawyers magazine,

Tracy R. (Sweebe) Henderly (Bus ’98) was promoted to director of finance for the YMCA/JCC of Greater Toledo, where she’s worked for more than 10 years. Mandy Klass MD (A/S ’98, MED ’01) joined northwest Ohio senior living provider The Meadows of Ottawa-Glandorf as medical director. Julie A. (Brousil) Murphy PharmD (Pharm ’98, PharmD ’01), an associate professor of pharmacy practice at the St. Louis College of Pharmacy, was promoted to associate director of the division and was named 2009 Pharmacist of the Year by the Missouri Society of Health-System Pharmacists. During that busy year, she and her husband, Steven, also welcomed their first child, Mary Anne. Hans A. Nilges (A/S ’98, Law ’01) was named partner at the law firm of Morrow & Meyer LLC, North Canton, Ohio, where he was also named city law director. Cincinnati Magazine covered his recognition

Photo courtesy of NASA

Sky’s no limit

Nancy Rabel Hall (MEng ’01), project scientist and manager for the shear history extensional rheology experiment at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, was presented with a Silver Snoopy award in the fall. Hall, shown here with Jih-Fen Lei, director of research and technology at the center, and astronauts Kevin Ford and Jose Hernandez, was honored for taking space flight hardware through a series of challenging paces. The Silver Snoopy, presented to fewer than 1 percent of space program workers, recognizes outstanding contributions to the safety and success of human spaceflight.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

class notes

as chosen by legal peers and independent research.

Law up close. Tarik Kadri (Bus ’03, Law ’09) is focused

on establishing himself as a successful attorney. He’s not at all fazed by having to use either high-magnification glasses or special computer software to achieve that focus; the macular degeneration that limits his vision has been a lifelong companion.“At least I was born this way; it’s normal for me,” he says philosophically.“If I were sixty years old before I started to lose my vision, then it would really be depressing.”Working toward the future is more to his taste; in the downtown Toledo offices he shares with his aunt, attorney Cherrefe Kadri, he talks about the nuts and bolts of a law practice.“I was nervous the first time I handled Juvenile Court defenses, but after two or three times it was almost fun, applying the principles I learned in school. It went well.” Mentors like his aunt help: “She’s an awesome lady. A great, patient teacher. And other lawyers in the building are open with their advice.”The office location allows him to walk — he doesn’t drive — to all the courts, where all the secretaries know him from his law student days when he was assisting at his aunt’s office.“They’re the important ones, the ones who file your papers,” he grins. He knows that challenges will remain, but notes,“There’s a lot more technology out there now. In some ways I’m being a pioneer.” Contact him at Tarikkadri@gmail.com.

Amanda M. (Teuscher) Leffler (A/S ’99) was named a partner in law firm Brouse McDowell, working in its Akron office. She was recognized last year as a “30 for the Future” young professional by the Greater Akron Chamber of Commerce, and as a 2010 Ohio Super Lawyer Rising Star by Law & Politics magazine.

00s

Jeff Davis (Bus ’00) owns and operates Haulin-N-Such, a hauling and light moving service company, with his father, Steve, in the Akron area. Alex J. Gerken (Bus ’00) was promoted to senior vice president for business banking at Fifth Third Bank, which he joined in 2001. He serves on a number of community boards, including the Toledo Area Small Business Association and the Urban League. Amy Krusinski Sinbondit (A/S ’00), who teaches ceramics at the Cleveland Institute of Art, received an Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council that led to a solo exhibition at the Zanesville Museum of Art. Rhett C. Smith PhD (A/S ’00), assistant professor of chemistry at Clemson University, S.C., received $598,000 in a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award to study a new class of conductive materials. The NSF awards support early career development activities of teacher-scholars. William E. Walston MD (Res ’00) opened Indian Lake Family Medicine in the village of Russells Point, Ohio. Almasa (Hadziahmetovic) Bass PharmD (Pharm ’01), who earned her pharmacy doctorate at Ohio State University and completed a fellowship in clinical research and drug development at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, published two review manuscripts, one in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy and one in Heart Failure Reviews. Troy A. Greeley (Bus ’01), a financial consultant with Wells Fargo Advisors LLC, was elected to the Ottawa Hills school board. John T. Lovas OD (A/S ’01) joined the Perrysburg practice of Brodie Optometry and was elected as governor of the Toledo Area Optometric Society.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

Anthony F. Pizon MD (MED ’01), professor of health policy and management at Emory University, received the Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from Westminster College in Pennsylvania, where he completed his undergraduate degree. He’s also an ER physician at UPMC Presbyterian Hospital and the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Aaron Thrush (Eng ’01), a transportation engineer with The Mannik & Smith Group in Maumee, was named Young Engineer of the Year by the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers. Jeremy J. Zeisloft (MBA ’01) was promoted to vice president in the business banking group at Fifth Third Bank, where he continues as a manager. He’s been with the bank since 2003. John Betori (Univ Coll ’02) was named director of safety and chief of police for Owens Community College, Perrysburg. Amanda (Everhart) Geletka (Bus ’02), a client executive with Brooks Insurance Agency, was recognized by Toledo’s 20 Under 40 Leadership Awards program. She sits on the boards of Mobile Meals, Uptown Association and Leadership Toledo Alumni. Michael Pepera (Eng ’02), a process engineer in the energy and chemical group of global engineering and construction firm CH2M HILL, was named a New Faces of Engineering finalist by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, one of 13 honorees in the national “best of the best” program. Capt. Philip S. Raumberger (Eng ’02) was named Major General Henry R. Del Mar Junior Officer of the Year for the U.S. Army’s Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command. The veteran of two Iraq tours also received the Army Commendation Medal. John P. Wisniewski PhD (MS ’02, PhD ’05), a National Science Foundation astronomy and astrophysics postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Washington — Seattle, was awarded the 2009 Chretien International Research Award by the American Astronomical Society for collaborative work with Japanese astronomers searching for other planetary systems.

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Frank Dobnikar (Bus ’03), Toledo, co-owner of financial planning and investment firm S&D Capital, earned Certified Financial Planner designation. Alonzo L. Grant III MD (MED ’03) joined the medical staff of UPMC Bedford Memorial in Everett, Pa., practicing with Bedford OB/ GYN Associates. Danielle L. Procopio (HHS ’03) is community relations director for SouthernCare Hospice at their Youngstown office. She’s also an associate for Health Promotion Consulting Services in Toledo. Bnan Razoky MD (Res ’03) joined the medical staff of St. Mary Mercy Hospital in Livonia, Mich. Stefanie Stark (HHS ’03), a licensed social worker who’s employed by Lucas County Children’s Services, was named to the board of Planned Pethood of Northwest Ohio. Aaron Cromly (MHHS ’04) was named Counselor of the Year by the Ohio Counseling Association. The counselor at a Toledo hospital also gives national presentations on integrated mental health services. Alex Senchenkov MD (Res ’04) was appointed to the staff of Canonsburg General Hospital near Pittsburgh. Melinda Slusser (Law ’04) was hired as superintendent of the Ottawa County (Ohio) Board of Developmental Disabilities, a position she held on an interim basis for two months. Derek J. DuBose (A/S ’05) moved to Columbus after accepting a position with Denison University as associate director of alumni relations. Jennifer D. Peshke (HS ’05, Law ’05) of the Vero Beach, Fla., law firm of Stewart, Evans, Stewart & Emmons PA, was appointed counsel for the Indian River County Florida Hospital District, which oversees the county’s public health needs. Mary Ann Wasserman (Univ Coll ’05), Toledo, published a book, Mikey’s Cupcake Afternoon, a nonfiction study of squirrel behavior. Alison Winans (HS ’05) had her office hours expanded by Mercy Willard Hospital, for whom she works as a certified physician assistant in the rural Ohio communities of New Washington and Shiloh. Melinda Fritz MD (MED ’06) joined the staff of Henry County

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Hospital, Napoleon. She and her husband, Kevin, have three children. Ashley L. Sheroian (A/S ’06) joined national law firm Baker & Hostetler LLP as an associate in their Columbus office. Robert D. Smith Jr. (Law ’06) was sworn in as an officer of the Dearborn (Mich.) Police Department. Capt. Justin J. Shedron (A/S ’07), a former Marine, is a UH60 Blackhawk pilot in the Ohio National Guard, assigned to the 1st Battalion of the 137th Aviation Regiment stationed in Balad, Iraq. After his return, he plans to begin graduate studies. Airman Eric T. Siebert (Bus ’07) completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Jacob Eilerman (A/S ’08, A/S ’08), Coldwater, Ohio, was hired by Celina Insurance Group as an actuarial analyst trainee. He’s working on his master’s degree in actuarial science at Ball State University. Ehab A. Eltahawy MD (MPH ’08), assistant professor of cardiovascular medicine at UT’s College of Medicine, joined the staff of Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk, seeing patients at the UT offices maintained at the Snyder/ White Heart and Vascular Center. David Hunter (MEd ’08) was hired as an intervention specialist for Perrysburg High School. Airman Brian S. Moore (A/S ’08, HSHSA ’08) graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Anas Balaa MD (Res ’09) joined Memorial Hospital in Fremont. He’s board certified in internal medicine with certification in pulmonary disease, and completed a sleep disorder fellowship at UTMC. Kristin Cavanagh (A/S ’09) was hired by Cleveland-area managed IT service provider Datacore Consulting as marketing manager. Ashley V. Myers (Law ’09) joined the Columbia, S.C., office of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA as an associate, focusing on bankruptcy and creditors’ rights. Miyuki P. Oshima (Law ’09) joined the Detroit law offices of Honigman, Miller, Schwartz and Cohn LLP. Victor Plotnikov PhD (PhD ’09) received a Best Student Paper Award at the 2009 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Photovoltaic Specialists Conference.

Lifelong, Transformational Learning for You, Your Business, Your World The University of Toledo College of Business Administration vigorously pursues its vision to be Northwest Ohio’s premier learning partner and business resource. The progressive programs now offered in the new Savage & Associates Complex for Business Learning & Engagement, your portal to UT’s expertise include: MBA & Executive MBA programs which are the largest and most preferred in Northwest Ohio. We have more students, more specializations and more flexibility than any other MBA program in this region. UT’s EMBA program is an intensive business and leadership development experience designed to allow the busiest professionals to earn their MBA in 15 months while still working in their demanding field. Executive Center for Global Competitiveness offers clients consultative services, executive leadership, management development, process improvement and innovative business ideas, all while serving as the principal point of company contact. Partnership projects formed with local, regional and global businesses are designed to successfully impact performance, talent management and ROI. To learn more, visit utoledo.edu/business Member, Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) Recognized in Princeton Review Best 301 Business Schools, 2009-2010 Ranked Excellent Business School by Eduniversal Palmes 2009

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

class notes

David Puskar (Law ’09) joined the law firm of Braun Kendrick Finkbeiner, Saginaw, Mich., as an associate. Amber Wagner (Law ’09) is employed at the law offices of Davies & Ruck PPL in Pemberville, Ohio.

Marriages & Unions Kimberly Cromwell (Ed ’95) & Jeff Berkes. She’s director of organizational development for Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus.

Marcia S. Omlor (Eng ’95) & Bryan Cunningham. She’s a mechanical engineer for General Electric Aviation. Salem, Mass. Mandy Frankart (Ed ’97) & Greg Polachek. She’s a music teacher with Willard (Ohio) City Schools. Erin M. Peto (Ed ’98) & Hayden Howell Jr. She’s an ER technician. Stockbridge, Ga. Brian M. Harmych (A/S ’03) & Katherine Gleason. He’s finishing his residency in otolaryngology at University Hospital, Cincinnati.

Parris D. Babcock (HHS ’04) & Michael A. Herstek (Bus ’05). She’s director of recruitment at ITT Technical Institute, Maumee; he’s an executive recruiter for ITS Technologies, Holland. Maurice J. Elum (Eng ’04) & Kara Marianetti. He’s a chemical engineer with DanChem Technologies. Roanoke, Va. Chelsea A. Kehnast (A/S ’04) & Matthew Koester (Bus ’08). She’s a guidance counselor, he’s a project manager. Defiance, Ohio. Megan S. Moser (HS ’04) & Brian Miller MD. She’s a physician assistant at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in cardiothoracic surgery. Molly Currence (Univ Coll ’05) & Ian G. Rockwood (A/S ’06, MA ’08). She’s a nuclear medicine technologist with Pontiac Hospital, he’s manager of processing sales for Midwest Tapes. Ann Arbor, Mich. Jill E. Gephart (Ed ’06) & Jeffrey Gerweck. She’s a social studies teacher with Milan (Mich.) Middle School. Morgan J. Little (Bus ’06) & Jennifer Widman. Wauseon, Ohio.

Craig M. Monnin (Bus ’03) & Cameo Francis. He’s a financial analyst with Emerson Climate Technologies, Sidney, Ohio.

Sarah Marihugh (HHS ’06) & Ted Stover. She’s an RN with Fulton County Health Center. Napoleon, Ohio.

Kara M. Schafer (A/S ’03) & Jeremy Morris. She’s a private-practice pediatric dentist in Huntington, W.Va., and on the staff of Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Columbus.

Brian T. Riethman (Bus ’06) & Ashley Geis.

Tony Spacek (Eng ’03) & Amanda Lucius (MEd ’07). He’s a transportation engineer, she’s a special-ed teacher. Charlotte, N.C.

Sean T. Ankrom (A/S ’07) & Jolie L. Steele (A/S ’09, Ed ’09). She’s a Spanish teacher in Dayton, he’s a medical student at Wright State University. Alison T. Chudyk MD (MED ’07) & Justin C. Greiwe MD (MED ’09). They’re both completing

Renaissance man. She could be a lovely sprig of the Medici family — except for the pacifier. To the artist who captured The Duchess of Toledo on canvas, she’s as timeless as a Petrarchian sonnet and as immediate as the family photo album. The duchess painted by Toledo artist David J. Eichenberg (A/S ’97) in the style of Renaissance master Piero della Francesca is his daughter, Eden, in infancy. And you might fairly claim that she’s on her way to immortality, as her likeness was one of forty-nine works chosen (from more than three thousand) to represent contemporary portraiture in America in the 2009 Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, on display until August at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Eichenberg, the only Ohio artist in the exhibit, says,“I try to have fun with my pieces. There’s always something hidden: inanimate objects, each one telling a little story.” Thus the background of sister city Toledo, Spain, the kittens on Eden’s clothes, the pacifiers that are part of the portrait’s ornate frame. Though he started out as a sculptor, Eichenberg’s been concentrating on painting since 2002. (See the Duchess at his professional site: davideichenberg.com) In April, he made the 2010 shortlist for the BP Portrait Awards, partnered with National Portrait Gallery in London. His blog for the National Portrait Gallery is at portraitcompetition.si.edu/artist/splash.html; the exhibit in its entirety can be viewed at portraitcompetition.si.edu/index.html. See an interview with the artist at: youtube.com/utoledo. Check Alumni Magazine playlist.

What in the world are you doing? Your UT Alumni Association is interested in what you’ve been up to since graduation. Information about births, marriages, new jobs and recent promotions, and educational or professional accomplishments is published in Toledo Alumni Magazine. Please complete the information below and attach a brief description of your news. Mail to: The University of Toledo Alumni Association, Driscoll Alumni Center, Toledo, OH 43606-3395. NAME: Last

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Alums can now update, search and network in a flash. Check out the Alumni Online Directory at www.toledoalumni.org.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

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The winner’s tale. Self-belief? Check. Goal-setting? Done. Winning attitude? Absolutely. Yet you can have all the attributes of a successful businessperson and still not make a go of your company. That’s why Toledo entrepreneur Francis I. Dumbuya PhD (PhD ’05) authored a book/CD, How They Got There: Mastering the Winning Strategies of Successful People, that he hopes will stand out in the crowded motivational field by going beyond a one-size-fits-all formula.“You can talk and talk about destiny, but the only one that exists is the one you create — by choice, not by chance,”says the native of Sierra Leone in West Africa who took his bachelor’s degree in economics at SUNY. A longtime careful observer of human nature and the habits of successful people, he vowed at an early age to apply his observations to bettering the lives of others, helping them create their own destinies of success. The strategies now habitual in his own professional life — today he’s founder and CEO of a professional development institute — connect head and heart, he says:“Leaders need to be caring but firm.”(He tends to buy daily breakfast for his staff before the workday commences.) And he’s not afraid to stand some business bromides on their heads.“Instead of the usual advice about not putting all one’s eggs in a single basket, I prefer to do exactly that — but I’ll watch that basket very carefully. The whole point is concentrating our energies in the most important places.”His Web site: howtheygotthere.net. residencies in Cleveland, she in radiology, he in pediatrics. Seth Coles (Eng ’07) & Angela Wolff. Montpelier, Ohio. Tyler Kitchen PharmD (Pharm ’07, PharmD ’09) & Jenna Purdy. He’s a pharmacist with Target. Lauren A. Sells (Ed ’07) & Andrew Diffenderfer. She owns and directs the Step-By-Step Dance Studio of Monclova. Sarah Wehrle (Ed ’07) & Zachary Owen (Eng ’07). Rossford. Brandi Arps (Ed ’08) & Tyler Burgei. She works at JohnsManville in Littleton, Colo. Jase D. Barhorst (Bus ’08) & Jodi DiMasso. He’s an HR representative with MedCorp, Toledo. Sharon K. Stookey (Bus ’08) & Bruce C. Weeks (Bus ’06, MBA ’08). They both work for financial services company ING, Sharon as an operations consultant, Bruce as a QDRO benefit specialist. Jacksonville, Fla.

Births

Stephanie V. (Sabyan) Ridel PhD (A/S ’02) and her husband, Keith MD, announce the birth of their first child, Vanessa Lucia, in April 2009. The family lives in Cincinnati. Ansley AbramsFrederick (A/S ’92) and her husband, Dean Frederick, welcomed their first child, Rylee Kay, who arrived Sept. 19: the day of the UT vs. OSU game. Ansley, UT director of alumni programming, is mum on whether it was planned that way.

Findley davies consultants in human resources

Ashley E. Lill (HHS ’09) & Brian Williams. Huron, Ohio. www.toledoalumni.org

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

class notes

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

www.toledoalumni.org

biblio-files

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Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

in memoriam

20s

30s

40s

Lucille A. (Kazmaier) Williams, Bellevue, Ohio, att. 1928-1930, Nov. 8 at 99.

Kenneth DeRose, Boca Raton, Fla., att. 1930s and 1940s, Jan. 31 at 93. Kenneth E. Wright, Toledo, att. 1930-1932, Feb. 3 at 97. Sara L. (Scarborough) (Duty) Mengel, Bradenton, Fla., att. 1932-1934, Nov. 7 at 94. Delta Delta Delta member. **Alma L. (Eichelman) Schmuhl, Bryan, Ohio, att. 1933-1935, Oct. 29 at 93. *Melvin J. Potts (Bus ’38), Toledo, Feb. 8 at 93. Alumni Association president 1955-1956. *Robert D. Brickett (Eng ’39), Oakland, Md., Dec. 4 at 93.

Jeanne (Michaelis) Ulmer (Ed ’40), Toledo, March 3 at 91. Florence J. (Rahilly) Johnson (Ed ’42), Toledo, Jan. 26 at 89. Theta Psi member. **Richard W. McEwen (Bus ’42), Macon, Ga., Oct. 23 at 89. A Presidents Club member, he and his wife, Martha, established funding for the College of Business Administration’s Information Technology and Technology Management Lab that bears their names. The couple also endowed a fund for information technology. Richard M. Hughes (Bus ’43), Manassas, Va., July 2 at 87. Gerald E. Blanchard MD (A/S ’44), Columbia, S.C., Feb. 16 at 87. **Richard L. Wolkins (Eng ’44), Wyandotte, Mich., March 9 at 88. Phi Kappa Chi member. Helen Flaum (Bus ’45), Toledo, Dec. 10 at 86. John R. “Ray” Hunter, Toledo, att. 1945-1948, Nov. 3 at 87. Carroll H. Simms, Houston, att. 1945-1948, Feb. 1 at 85. **John Takacs, Port Charlotte, Fla., att. 1945-1948, Sept. 3 at 89. Wanita G. (Gafner) Ketel (Ed ’46), Toledo, Jan. 2 at 96. Alpha Gamma Delta member. Rosemary A. (Cannon) Bramson (Ed ’48), Sylvania, Dec. 24 at 82. **John Mell (Bus ’48), Summit, N.J., Feb. 8 at 88. Ernest J. Gable (Bus ’49), Oregon, Jan. 28 at 88. *Jay S. Glassman (Bus ’49), Mason, Ohio, Nov. 14 at 90. Laura (Kaseman) Kirk (Ed ’49), Fort Myers, Fla., Jan. 23 at 82. Suzanne H. (Volker) McCarthy (Ed ’49), San Diego, Calif., Sept. 26 at 81. Pi Beta Phi member. Samuel Q. Smith (A/S ’49), Lancaster, Calif., Dec. 16 at 86.

50s

**Hortense H. (Fatio) Clemons, Toledo, att. 1950s, Jan. 5 at 89. Presidents Club member, co-founder of Frank & Hortense Clemons Scholarship in education. *Lawrence J. Loughlin Jr., Fort Lauderdale, Fla., att. 1950s, Dec. 7 at 77. Past president of Psi Upsilon, Kappa Beta Phi member. John C. Petersen (Eng ’50), Fairfield, Ohio, Feb. 27 at 84. Phyllis J. (Brillhart) Harwick (Ed ’51), Oregon, Jan. 5 at 80. Kappa Delta member. James S. Luginbuhl (Eng ’51), Toledo, Feb. 6 at 85. William R. Mauter (Eng ’51), Temecula, Calif., Jan. 2 at 84. John N. Rabideau (Bus ’51), Pompano Beach, Fla., Aug. 12 at 79. Mary R. (Farmer) Riedmayer (Ed ’51, MEd ’71), Port Royal, S.C., Nov. 22 at 79. Gilbert S. Weithman (Eng ’52), Bonita Springs, Fla., Nov. 21 at 84. James G. Rose, Toledo, att. 1953-1959, Jan. 5 at 74. Sigma Phi Epsilon member. LaVerna “Betty” (Head) Scheffert (Ed ’54, MEd ’60), Toledo, Dec. 21 at 77. Daisy (Treadway) Davis (Ed ’55, MEd ’70), Dayton, Nov. 17 at 88. Alpha Kappa Alpha member. Leonard F. Fikes, Ann Arbor, Mich., att. 1955-1957, Jan. 26 at 73. Catherine M. (Homan) Lucius, Toledo, att. 1955-1957 and in 1960s, Oct. 23 at 78. Edward E. Rohrer III (Pharm ’55), Lancaster, Ohio, Nov. 6 at 79. Carl L. Schwamm (Bus ’55), Blissfield, Mich., Nov. 12 at 80. *Janet L. (Dean) Josenhans (A/S ’56), Berkeley Heights, N.J., Nov. 10 at 76. Theodore N. Nichpor (Bus ’56), Toledo, Nov. 5 at 90. Richard S. Swain (MS ’56), Valencia, Pa., Feb. 10 at 77. Harry L. Thom (Pharm ’56), Parma, Ohio, Dec. 21 at 75. Margaret J. (Willis) Salmon (Ed ’57, MEd ’78), Toledo, Jan. 14 at 81. Delta Sigma Theta member. **Frank R. Thomas, Marblehead, Ohio, att. 1957-1962, Nov. 9 at 87. Jack D. Wines (Bus ’57), Louisville, Ky., Nov. 23 at 77. Carmen A. Anzivino (Pharm ’58), DeLand, Fla., Oct. 4 at 80. Carl A. Sass (Ed ’58, MEd ’62), Maumee, Jan. 3 at 76. **Donald L. Wines (Bus ’58), Toledo, Dec. 3 at 74. Tau Kappa Epsilon member.

60s

Mary E. (Simmers) Schalitz (Ed ’60), Waterville, Jan. 15 at 71. Thomas D. Syperski, Sylvania, att. 1960s & 1970s, Nov. 29 at 65.

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

**John M. “Jack” Vergiels PhD (Ed ’60, MEd ’61, PhD ’68), Las Vegas, Dec. 16 at 72. Lettered in football in 1959, baseball in 1959 and 1960. Assistant director for transfer students, 1967 to 1968. **John E. Wagoner (Bus ’61, Law ’65), Ottawa Hills, Jan. 4 at 70. Past president, UT Law Alumni. Richard M. Emery (Ed ’62), Seattle, Dec. 2009 at 70. Ellen C. (Danzeisen) Jackson (Ed ’62), Whitehouse, Feb. 17 at 68. **Willie E. Green (Ed ’63, MEd ’74, Ed Spec ’76), Jan. 12 at 74. *Dorothy (Gruenwald) Streib (MBA ’63), Leesburg, Fla., Jan. 15 at 93. Richard Shea (A/S ’63, Law ’72), Whitehouse, Dec. 30 at 68. Mary L. (Roesner) Warrick (Ed ’63), Bryan, Texas, Dec. 2 at 94. Judith A. Martin (Ed ’64), Swanton, Dec. 30 at 68. Zeta Tau Alpha member. Michael S. Gospodarek (Ed ’65), Toledo, Nov. 2 at 66. Robert A. Extejt (Pharm ’66), Maumee, Jan. 27 at 67. Francis R. Granata (Eng ’66), Toledo, Dec. 4 at 67. **Carol L. (Fink) Huffman (UTCTC ’66), Grand Rapids, Ohio, Oct. 20 at 64. Roy G. Pearson, Maumee, att. 1966-1969, Jan. 10 at 83. Robert S. Walker (Ed ’66, MEd ’72), Toledo, Nov. 28 at 65. William D. Bond (Bus ’67, MBA ’68), Omaha, Neb., Nov. 18 at 72. Perry F. Driscoll (A/S ’67, Law ’70), Toledo, Jan. 23 at 65. Phi Kappa Psi member. Vera L. (Borton) Gamble (Ed ’67), Nellysford, Va., Jan. 20 at 96. *Richard L. Kelley (Bus ’67), Vinton, Va., Oct. 14 at 63. Ronald A. Socha (UTCTC ’68), Oregon, Jan. 25 at 62. Charles Whitacre Jr. (MBA ’68), Chambersburg, Pa., Nov. 22 at 89. **William C. Youngs (Ed ’68), Camden, Mich., Jan. 13 at 66. Lois E. Eiseman (MEd ’69), Perrysburg, Nov. 12 at 89. John W. Martin (Law ’69), Bratenahl, Ohio, Nov. 29 at 73. Linda L. (Beaupry) Munger (A/S ’69, MEd ’87), Toledo, Nov. 11 at 62. Mary F. “Fran” (Mitchell) Vilela (Ed ’69), Perrysburg, Feb. 12 at 64.

70s

Elsa (Knight) Bruno (Ed ’70, MEd ’81), Sylvania, Dec. 22 at 74. Ralph K. “Butch” Mericle Jr. (A/S ’70), Perrysburg, Dec. 11 at 69. Edward P. Musielewicz, Toledo, att. 1970s and 1980s, Dec. 15 at 54. William M. Pasztor Jr. (Ed ’70, MEd ’90), Oregon, Feb. 26 at 62. Adjunct instructor at UT. **James W. Miller (UTCTC ’71), Ooltewah, Tenn., Feb. 2 at 78. Ray Tarsha (Ed ’71, MEd ’75), Toledo, Feb. 25 at 60.

Anna M. (Bader) Wilder (Ed ’71), Toledo, Dec. 29 at 88. Donna J. (Margraf) Bradley (Ed ’72), Tiffin, Dec. 29 at 59. James B. Meyers (A/S ’72, MS ’74), Machipongo, Va., Feb. 18 at 60. *Thomas R. Mielke (Bus ’72), Canton, Mich., March 5 at 64. *James W. Millon (A/S ’72, Law ’76), Perrysburg, Feb. 20 at 59. Former president of Theta Chi and Student Government. Raymond H. Saneholtz (Eng ’72, MEng ’76), Dublin, Ohio, Nov. 6 at 59. *Rudolph H. Sattler (A/S ’72), Fremont, Jan. 21 at 64. Barbra L. “Bobbie” Davis (Ed ’73), Toledo, Dec. 8 at 77. George Lazar Jr. (Bus ’73, MBA ’74), Walbridge, Dec. 13 at 60. Deanna (Bolfa) Radeloff (Ed Spec ’73), Perrysburg, Jan. 13 at 69. Alpha Chi Omega member. Doris M. (Peoples) Bryant, Toledo, att. 1974-1976, Dec. 27 at 88. Dominic F. Napolski (UTCTC ’74), Toledo, Feb. 8 at 57. Patricia D. (Mason) Beattie (A/S ’75, MS ’79), Alexandria, Va., Feb. 2 at 73. **Larry N. Hunter (Univ Coll ’75), Sylvania, Dec. 10 at 70. Roger D. Speelman (Bus ’75), Toledo, Feb. 2 at 63. Richard “Doc” Eberlin (Bus ’76), Sylvania, Feb. 21 at 59. Lettered in Rockets football in 1970, 1971, 1972. Gregory W. Grover (Law ’76), Jasper, Mich., Jan. 2 at 64. Norman B. Mielke Sr. (A/S ’76, MA ’79), Perrysburg, Jan. 14 at 83. Lawrence E. Mull (Bus ’76), Toledo, Jan. 2 at 55. Rosemary A. Ruetz (UTCTC ’76, Bus ’88), Toledo, Dec. 12 at 53. Richard Truitt (Law ’76), Toledo, Dec. 11 at 81. George M. Newton (UTCTC ’77, Univ Coll ’82, Univ CollA ’04), Toledo, Nov. 8 at 65. Barbara L. Swayne (MEd ’77), Columbus, Oct. 26 at 63. Delta Sigma Theta member. Mollie D. (Oliver) Kirtz (Univ Coll ’78), Toledo, Feb. 21 at 78. Robert A. North (UTCTC ’78, Univ Coll ’81), Lambertville, Mich., Dec. 27 at 51. Dennis G. Barner (UTCTC ’79), Toledo, Jan. 11 at 57. James F. Mohn (Ed Spec ’79), Toledo, Nov. 20 at 78. Kathleen M. (Szelangowski) Brownfield (Ed ’79), Sylvania, Nov. 3 at 64.

80s

Tina M. (Lewis) Davenport (UTCTC ’80), Toledo, Oct. 24 at 51. Mary E. Porter (UTCTC ’83), Toledo, Jan. 23 at 71. James E. Reed (MBA ’83), Maumee, Nov. 25 at 61. *Richard W. Sansbury Sr. (UTCTC ’83, Ed ’95), Toledo, Jan. 25 at 73. Kurt P. Ardrey (A/S ’84), Toledo, Feb. 3 at 68. www.toledoalumni.org

Lisa G. Baker (Bus ’84), Maumee, Dec. 20 at 49. Sherrie L. Dotson (UTCTC ’84), Toledo, Oct. 22 at 66. Gretchen (Gotthart) Skeldon (Bus ’86), Toledo, Feb. 17 at 47. Delta Delta Delta, Blue Key member. Brian T. Murnen (Eng ’86), Cary, N.C., Jan. 20 at 47. Paulette M. (Mang) Gosset (UTCTC ’87), Medina, Ohio, Feb. 11 at 63. Margaret S. (Balasz) Miller (UTCTC ’87), Tortola, British Virgin Islands, Aug. 16 at 43.

90s

Suellen (Stec) Smith (Ed ’90), Frederick, Md., Jan. 15 at 44. Amanda Vonharling (Eng ’90), Napoleon, Dec. 12 at 41. Anthony J. Mattoni (Ed ’92), Key West, Fla., Nov. 29 at 43. Gaudence Nahigombeye PhD (MEd ’93, PhD ’99), Toledo, Feb. 2 at 54. Wendy E. (Fuller) Oberhouse (UTCTC ’94), Springfield Twp., Oct. 25 at 66. André J. Dupuis (A/S ’95), Toledo, Feb. 3 at 43. Linda G. (Graber) Sterns (MEd ’95), Lambertville, Mich., Feb. 26 at 62. Carl J. Gedert (UTCTC ’96), Toledo, Dec. 13 at 61. Kelleigh C. Flanner (Univ Coll ’97), Bolivar, Ohio, Jan. 12 at 55. Kasey C. Lewis (Eng ’97), Danville, Pa., Nov. 4 at 37.

00s

Sarah M. (Burnard) Heator (HHS ’01), Sylvania, Dec. 26 at 32. Karen E. McIntosh (Ed ’01), Toledo, Jan. 31 at 38. Ryan L. Kloster (HHS ’04), Perrysburg, Dec. 27 at 28. Faith Amuzu, Baltimore, sophomore in the College of Pharmacy, Jan. 8 at 31. The Ghana native was involved in UT Student Government and the African People’s Association. Emily M. Kahle, Kalida, Ohio, sophomore in the College of Business Administration, Nov. 19 at 20.

Faculty, Staff & Friends

Sylvia E. Ardner, Sylvania, mail clerk in UT Central Services from 1977 to 1981, Nov. 5 at 84. Carl L. Armstrong MD, Toledo, clinical assistant professor in MCO/ MUO Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1971 to 2004, Feb. 24 at 81.

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Chester W. Banachowski (Eng ’48), Toledo, a faculty member in UTCTC mechanical engineering technical (MET) program for more than 20 years, Jan. 4 at 86. Hired in 1967 as assistant professor of engineering technology, by 1977 he was an associate professor and coordinator of the MET program. He retired in 1989 as professor emeritus, continuing to teach until 1993. Richard A. Belt, Swanton, maintenance repair journeyman who joined UT in 1984, Nov. 19 at 55. Alice Jane Buencamino MD (Res ’91), Houston, Nov. 15 at 73. From 1991 to 2005 she was clinical instructor, a volunteer faculty appointment in the Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine. Richard E. Boyer PhD, Toledo, who taught history at UT for nearly 30 years, Feb. 22 at 77. He came to UT in 1964 as an assistant professor, reaching professor in 1973. The author of three books on 17th-century British history, he was given a Distinguished Service Award from the Ohio Academy of History in 1998 and was named a UT Outstanding Teacher in 1984. His long service included a place on the Faculty Senate from its 1967 founding to 1993, plus 25 years as the Faculty Senate’s liaison to the Chancellor of OBOR. He also served as AAUP president and on the AAUP Executive Committee. A U.S. Army veteran, he served 20 years on the UT Military Affairs Committee. He retired in 1993 as emeritus. Debra D. Buchman PhD (PhD ’97), Sylvania, professor of nursing and director of the Center for Nursing Research and Evaluation, Jan. 22 at age 58. An instructor in the MCO College of Nursing from 1981 to 1990, she later worked as a quality research analyst in the MCO Hospital and in 1998 was named manager of clinical data in Quality Management. In 2000, she returned to the nursing faculty and became director of the Center for Nursing Research and Evaluation. She received dean’s awards for teaching and research, including work on the effects of violent video games on children. Paul G. Dazley, Toledo, a UT custodial worker from 1980 to 1992, Nov. 9 at 54. He was a volunteer for MCO’s patient program for several years. Juliette Dunning, Toledo, MCO patient care aide from 2001 to 2005, Feb. 5 at 59. Thomas D. Geracioti MD, Perrysburg, clinical associate professor of medicine, Oct. 25 at 76. He began his volunteer affiliation with MCO in 1969. Alan H. Gleason PhD, Sylvania, professor emeritus of economics, Jan. 20 at 92. In 1970, he joined UT as professor and chair of economics, serving as chair until 1977 and retiring in 1984.

Daniel E. Gribble, Perrysburg, Dec. 5 at 62. Hired in 2005 as a custodial worker in Environmental Services at MUO, he later became a hospital aide until 2009. James A. Hampton MD, Waterville, longtime MCO faculty member, Dec. 7 at 61. In 1986, he joined MCO as a researcher in pathophysiology, teaching classes in his specialty in the College of Nursing and Department of Physician Assistant Studies. He became a tenured professor in 2004 and received the College of Nursing’s Prism Award for teaching excellence in 2005. Hampton retired in 2007 after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and was named professor emeritus in 2009. In 2008, students started the annual “Hampton on the Trail” run and walk to raise funds for the James Hampton Scholarship, which benefits students on Health Science Campus who excel in the pathophysiology course and exemplify Hampton’s attributes of character, honesty and integrity. J. William Haskins, Perrysburg, UTCTC faculty member from 1969 to 1986, Feb. 12 at 79. He joined UT as an instructor and reached full professor in 1976; the following year he became chair of the Engineering Technology Department. He also served as coordinator of the Electronics Technology Program, retiring as professor emeritus. Andrew A. High Jr. (MEd ’70), Toledo, Nov. 17 at 78. He worked in the UT Public Relations Office from 1955 to 1960, leaving as assistant director. Karl Kelly, Erie, Mich., lab machinist in the Department of Mechanical Engineering from 1978 to 1988, March 6 at 84. Warren M. Kleinberg MD, Toledo, Nov. 20 at 65. An assistant professor of community medicine and pediatrics at MCO from 1974 to 1982, when he resigned and took a volunteer appointment as clinical assistant professor of pediatrics. He also held the directorship of the Primary Care Clinic and of Ambulatory Pediatrics. Named pediatric professor of the year in 1980 by the Pediatric Housestaff Association, he was promoted to clinical associate professor in 1986. Matilda “Tillie” J. Kuhns, Ottawa Lake, Mich., a licensed practical nurse for the MCO Outpatient Clinic-Pediatrics from 1960 until her 1990 retirement, Nov. 30 at 86. Mary F. (Palmer) Lechman, Sylvania, att. 1955-1957, director of special events at MCO from 1995 until her 2003 retirement, Oct. 24 at 71. She worked 17 years for the Children’s Miracle Network; as director, she launched the annual dance marathon fundraising events at UT and Bowling Green State University

to help pay for children’s medical care. Alpha Chi Omega member. Robert J. Lewandowski, Toledo, stationary engineer for MCO Energy Management from 1978 until his 1997 retirement, Nov. 30 at 72. Joseph R. Mauter, Toledo, who worked in MCO/MUO Document Reproduction from 1998 to 2005, Jan. 20 at 78. Thomas J. O’Grady MD, Sylvania, clinical assistant professor in MCO/MUO Department of Surgery from 1970 to 2006, Feb. 28 at 76. Lawrence B. Raskin, Ottawa Hills, member of the UT Corporation Board of Trustees from 1982 to 1991, Jan. 5 at 86. Presidents Club member. Beverly A. Reynolds, Toledo, MCO Environmental Services worker from 1981 to 1998, Dec. 7 at 72. Susan L. (Dale) Schneider, Toledo, clerical worker in Financial Aid since 1989, Dec. 21 at 67. George L. Willis PhD, Naples, Fla., who joined UT in 1969 as professor of political science, March 6 at 86. Instrumental in developing a graduate program in public administration, he retired in 1983 as emeritus. Gara A. York, Toledo, typist in MCO Medical Records from 1981 until her 2003 retirement, Feb. 7 at 71. * Member of the UT Alumni Association ** Lifetime member

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Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2010

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