2011 spring edition

The University of

ToledoSpring 2011

ALUMNI MAGAZINE

Art in the heart

Prestige: Ranked 18th in the nation for graduate engineering programs by The Princeton Review.

Impressive facilities: A 40-acre, multi-building complex with computing facilities ranked among the best in the state.

Quality students: More than 2,700 quality undergraduates and 350 graduate students; for example, the fall 2010 engineering freshman class had an average GPA of 3.7 and an average ACT score of 26.2.

Quality faculty: More than 100 faculty and staff members who receive more than $10 million in annual research funding from local, state and national sources.

Innovative training: An entrepreneurship focus for incoming freshmen, a capstone course that challenges seniors to design and produce solutions for real-life clients, and one of only 8 engineering colleges nationwide with mandatory co-op programs.

Outreach: Hosting hundreds of community events and speakers and offering an “Introduction to Engineering” course at area high schools for college credit.

Praise and acclaim: Commended for its co-op program, alumni/industry involvement, effective advisory councils, and student communication skills. Accredited by ABET.

Learn more by calling 419.530.8000 or visiting eng.utoledo.edu

The University of Toledo College of Engineering Offers

Nitschke Hall, home of the UT College of Engineering

eng.utoledo.edu

RECYCLED PAPER

Toledo

Volume 58, Number 3

Spring 2011

Executive Editor Cynthia Nowak ’78, ’80

Associate Editor Vicki L. Kroll ’88

Contributing Writers Chris Ankney ’08 Paul Helgren Jon Strunk ’04, ’09 Jim Winkler ’86 Deanna Woolf ’05, ’10

Graphic Designer Amanda Russell ’09

Principal Photographer Daniel Miller ’99

Videographer Chris Ankney ’08

Art 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/Publisher Lawrence J. Burns

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 2801 W. Bancroft St. Toledo, OH 43606-3395 Telephone 419.530.ALUM (2586) or 800.235.6766 Fax 419.530.4994

Spring 2011 Volume 58, Number 3

contentscover storyart of the heart 16

featuresvenerable Block 10chemical attraction 14pin money 38 law amid lawlessness 42

others

traditional & un 3research 9class notes 38book reviews 50

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.

mailto:jhemple%40bex.net?subject=

419.530.ALUM

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2011 3 www.toledoalumni.org

The University of Toledo Alumni Association Officers and Trustees

President Constance D. Zouhary ’81

First Vice President Don Warner ’76

Second Vice President Paul Toth ’88, ’01

Secretary David D. Dobrzykowski ’95, ’99

Treasurer Terri Lee ’92

Past President Walter “Chip” Carstensen ’72, ’74

Executive Director Dan Saevig ’84, ’89

One-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

Two-Year Trustees Laurie L. Adams ’86 Jean Austin ’92, ’99, ’03, ’05 Bernard G. Barrow Sr. ’70, ’72 Mike Malone ’79 Catherine Martineau ’77, ’81 Jay Pearson ’91 John M. Rudley PhD ’70 Tamara Talmage ’99 Thomas Wakefield MD ’75, ’78 Joe Zavac ’89, ’92

Three-Year Trustees Angelita Cruz Bridges ’97, ’97, ’00 Robert Buchman ’06 Stu Cubbon ’81, ’98 Brad Kozar ’80

Student Alumni Association Heather Griffin

On the cover: Going to the art of the matter

The Toledo Rockets put an exclamation mark on their historic post-season run, defeating USC, 76-68, to win the WNIT Championship in front of a sold-out crowd in Savage Arena on April 2. Naama Shafir led the Rockets, scoring 40 points. The game saw several lead changes. Southern California was up by seven points early in the first half, but the Rockets battled back and finished the first 20 minutes with a 35-32 lead. It was all Shafir and the regular-season Mid-American Conference Champions in the second half. The junior hit shots in the lane, from the perimeter and at the free-throw line to keep Toledo in front of USC. The crowd erupted when senior Melissa Goodall hit a three-point shot to put the Rockets up by 14, their biggest lead of the game, 67-53, with about three minutes left to play. But USC would not go away. Southern Cal cut Toledo’s lead to four points, 70-66, with 36 seconds left in the contest. Shafir put the Rockets up by six points and then eight points, sinking four free-throws to make it 76-68, with 4 seconds left. It was a new career high for Shafir, who scored 40 points. She was named the most valuable player of the tournament. Toledo became the first MAC team to win a post-season national basketball tournament championship. “This is just the most amazing thing that I’ve ever been a part of,” Coach Tricia Cullop told the crowd after the game. “Words cannot describe what I’m feeling and what I hope you’re feeling. You’re our sixth man; you’re amazing. “It’s almost like you guys and your big hearts willed us to win. Thanks for coming out and being part of something special.” A total of 7,301 fans packed Savage Arena to set new UT and MAC attendance records for a women’s basketball game. With an 18-game home winning streak, the Rockets finished their landmark season 29-8 and 14-2 in the MAC. — Vicki L. Kroll

rockets win WNIT Championship

Toledo: traditional & un

www.toledoalumni.org


4 Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2011 www.toledoalumni.org

• Christin Chadwick, Softball (1989-92). A two-time All-Mid-American Conference pitcher who earned All-Mideast Region honors in 1992, she twice snagged second-team Academic All-America and Academic All-MAC honors. A two-time member of the MAC Championship teams, she was on the 1989 College World Series team. On UT’s career list, she ranks first in wins (72),

second in winning percentage (65.5), second in game appearances (131), third in ERA (1.38), third in innings pitched (773), fourth in strikeouts (399) and fifth in starts (91). In the MAC record book, Chadwick ranks third in career wins, fifth in career innings pitched and ninth in career shutouts. Her 25 wins in 1992 is the eighth-largest total in MAC history.

• Shauna Cottrell, Women’s Soccer (1996-2000). A two-time All-MAC honoree, she also made third-team Great Lakes Region and All-Ohio first-team. Her team honors include Team MVP and Offensive MVP, Defensive MVP and Most Improved Player. She tied for the team lead with seven goals in 1998, while leading the team in shots on goal. After graduation,

Cottrell played soccer in Iceland for one summer and later became an assistant coach at Dayton, helping the Flyers advance to the Sweet 16. Since then, Cottrell has worked as a teacher in Sweden, her native Canada and Singapore, where she lives today.

• David Keller, Wrestling (1966-69). Captain of the 1969 MAC Championship team, Keller is the only Rocket to be named to the National Wrestling Coaches East-West All-Star meet, where he defeated 1972 Olympian Sergio Gonzales. An NCAA semifinalist and NCAA Coaches Association All-American, he was individual MAC Tournament champion as

a senior, fourth as a sophomore and runner-up as a freshman. Twice the National YMCA Champion, he also was Ohio and Michigan AAU Greco-Roman Champion. He is the only wrestler in school history to win the Midlands Open Tournament.

UT announces 2011 class for Varsity T Hall of Fame

• Lance Moore, Football (2001-04). Although he was a starter for only two seasons, Moore broke just about every receiving mark in the UT record books. He earned first-team All-MAC honors both years, and garnered All-American honors by SportsIllustrated.com as a senior. As a junior, Moore shattered the UT record for receptions with 103,

and also set marks for receiving yards (1,194) and touchdown receptions (9). His biggest game came in a 35-31 win over No. 9 Pittsburgh in which he set the school mark (since broken by his brother, Nick) with 15 receptions, including the game-winner in the corner of the end zone in the waning moments of the contest. As a senior, Moore caught 90 passes for 1,189 yards, setting the school mark for TD receptions with 15, including three scores in Toledo’s 35-27 win over Miami in the 2004 MAC Championship Game. He also caught six passes as a freshman and 23 as a sophomore. Moore also was an excellent student, earning Academic All-America honors as a senior. After graduation, he was signed as a free agent by the Cleveland Browns, but eventually caught on with the New Orleans Saints, where he had a breakout season in 2008, racking up 79 receptions for 928 yards and 10 touchdowns. His playing time was limited due to injuries in 2009, but he returned to the lineup in time to play in the Saints’ Super Bowl victory, making one of the great plays in Super Bowl history to score on a two-point conversion.

• Greg Morton, Men’s Tennis/Men’s Basketball (1967-71). He was a three-time MAC champion, winning the league title at No. 4 singles as a sophomore in 1969, at No. 2 singles as a junior in 1970, and No. 1 singles as a senior in 1971. The Rockets won the MAC Championship title in all three of those seasons. In the 1971 season, Morton became the first

Rocket tennis player to go undefeated in singles play, besting players from major conferences, including the Big Eight and the Big Ten. Morton also played basketball at UT, earning a letter as a walk-on in the 1970-71 season. Morton and his wife, Beverly, are lifelong teachers who both retired last June.

Seven former student-athletes were inducted into The University of Toledo Varsity T Hall of Fame in February. They are:


SportsIllustrated.com


Flowing steel, glowing glass. Three UT alumni — Tom Lingeman (Ed ’72, MEd ’79), UT professor of art; Jason Arbogast (A/S ’99); and local artist Mary Ellen Graham (Ed ’81, MLS ’00) — pooled their talents to create an eleven-foot-high sculpture (background) now installed in the lobby of Ohio State University’s JamesCare Comprehensive Breast Center. The intricate work of stainless steel and glass welcomes patients and staff with highly crafted, organic forms that seem to flow freely from top to bottom. Lingeman forged the ribbons of steel held together by Arbogast’s welds, while Graham hand-blew the earth-toned glass groupings that punctuate the metal. Their aim was to create a visual respite in which visitors and staff can lose themselves during a difficult time — hard materials, they note, have rarely looked so soft.

Student champion finds rewards in service

• Clarence Russell, Men’s Track and Field (1993-97). He was a six-time MAC champion in the long jump and triple jump, setting league records in indoor long jump and indoor triple jump. He earned All-America honors in the long jump in 1997, and was the UT record holder in the long jump and triple jump. He won MAC titles in the long jump in the indoor and outdoor events, and the indoor triple jump. He was a member of Team USA for Pan Am Games in 1993.

• Paul Sehzue, Men’s Track and Field/Football (1996-2000). A three-time MAC Champion and multi-record holder, he qualified for the 2000 Olympics for Liberia, the home country of his father. He also was on the UT football team, playing safety and special teams in 21 games. Sehzue was the Indoor MAC Champion in the 60-meter hurdles (1999) and 55-meter hurdles (1998), as well as the Outdoor MAC Champion in the 110-meter high hurdles (1998). He also was a two-time

All-Ohio Champion in the 55-meter hurdles (1998, 1999). While at Toledo, Sehzue set school records in the 55-meter hurdles (7.37), 60-meter hurdles (7.81) and 110-meter high hurdles (13.85). After graduating from UT with a bachelor’s degree in individualized studies, he’s pursuing master’s degrees from Ohio University in education with a coaching emphasis and from Toledo in liberal studies. He is in his first year as a graduate assistant coach for the women’s track and field team at UT.

Also presented during the banquet were the Distinguished Service Award, given posthumously to former Head Athletic Trainer Dave Huffstetler and Bob Standriff, longtime UT athletics supporter.

— Paul Helgren, sports information

Jessica Kelley, a UT senior majoring in geography and planning, has spent much of her college career performing community service.

In recognition of her work, she was named the 2010 annual UT

Jefferson Awards for Public Service “Champion” winner. “I was really surprised,” Kelley says. “Recognition is not at all why I volunteer, but I am so thankful to be acknowledged and grateful to Father [James] Bacik [pastor of Corpus Christi University Parish] for nominating me.”

To list all of the events, clubs, organizations and activities in which she has participated in would fill the page, though a few include Campus HEAT, Habitat for Humanity, Josina Lott, and the Spirit of America Foundation. She has had

leadership roles in most of the organizations and has mobilized other students on campus.

“I believe we are all called to serve one another; it is like we owe it to each other,” she offers. “I feel I’ve gained more by volunteering than the people I have helped.”

Bacik says he nominated her because she has “impacted the community greatly, she has a commitment to helping those less fortunate, and a deep respect for the dignity and worth of every individual person.”

He adds, “The Jefferson Awards recognizes people who perform extraordinary acts of volunteer public service within their communities. Jessica Kelley is indeed an impressive representative of the high ideals of the Jefferson Awards.”

As UT’s annual honoree, Kelley has the opportunity to attend a national Jefferson Awards seminar this June in Washington, D.C.

— Sarah Ritenour, University Communications

Jessica Kelley, left, and Jaime Schuette take a break from mission work in Jamaica to play with local children.




For the second year in a row, Head Football Coach Tim Beckman and his staff have signed one of the top classes in the Mid-American Conference. Rivals.com and Scout.com rank Toledo’s 2011 recruiting class as No. 1 in the MAC, echoing Rival’s ranking for the 2010 class. The Rockets added nineteen signees to a group of eight players (now enrolled at UT) who joined the program in January, bringing the total number of new players to twenty-seven. Fourteen of the new players are ranked as either three-star or four-star recruits. The new players who were ranked as four-star recruits by at least one recruiting service coming out of high school include three transfer students: running back Josh Haden (Boston College), safety Vladimir Emilien (Michi-gan) and safety Jordan Haden (Florida). The fourth is defensive end Andre Sturdivant, a signee from Glenville High School in Cleveland. “I think the word is getting out about all the great things that are happening in our program,” says Beckman, who led the Rockets to an 8-5 record and an appearance in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in 2010. “The winning tradition is back at Toledo, and a lot of young men want to become a part of that. This year’s recruiting class is a very talented and committed group. They will be a major part of the Rocket family for the next four or five years.” Locally, UT signed three student-athletes: Kyle Cameron, a center from Toledo Central Catholic; Gabe Gilbert, a linebacker from Clyde High School; and Eddie “Cheatham” Norrils, a defensive back from Toledo St. John’s who was named The Blade Player of the Year in northwest Ohio. Norrils joins Rockets Eric Page (Springfield High School) and Isaiah Ballard (Toledo Rogers) as The Blade Player of the Year selections. “We really put a lot of emphasis on recruiting in our own backyard, not only in northwest Ohio but in the five-hour radius around Toledo that we call ‘Rocket Nation,’” Beck-man says. “Locally, we really want the best players from northwest Ohio to stay at home and play at Toledo. Our coaching staff is working very hard to make that happen. In the last two days of recruiting, each of our seven assistants visited eight schools in the area, so we visited a total of a hundred-twelve schools in Ohio in those last two days.”

Beckman noted that sixteen of the new players attended a Rocket football summer camp, either at the Glass Bowl or at one of the satellite camps that the Toledo coaches conducted around the state: “That shows you how impor-tant those high school camps are. High school recruits are getting a chance to become familiar with our coaching staff and we get a chance to see a lot of young football talent from around the state.” Eight of UT’s new players previously signed letters of intent and are enrolled in school: linebacker Jordan Barnes, defensive back Vladimir Emlien, defensive lineman Keenan Gibbs, defensive back Jordan Haden, cornerback John James, tight end Colby Kratch, defensive lineman Phil Lewis and cornerback Keith Suggs. Gibbs, James and Suggs will have freshman eligibility in 2011. Barnes, Kratch and Lewis are junior college transfers; Barnes will be eligible as a sopho-more in 2011, while Kratch and Lewis will be juniors. Emlien (Michigan) and Haden (Florida) are transfers who will have to sit out a year before becoming eligible to play in 2012. For the most current synopsis of the Rockets’ 2011 recruiting class, go to utrockets.com.

— Paul Helgren

rockets’ 2011 football recruiting class rated No. 1 in MAC

Call it the metaphoric wave of a checkered flag. The boards of UT, the UT Foundation and the UT Alumni Association approved the new capital campaign that has its eyes on the unfolding century’s challenges and opportunities. Alumni and friends can be part of the race in its early stages, as volunteer positions abound nationwide. Much more to come; check utoledo.edu/foundation for the latest.

Capital Campaign at starting line


Rivals.com

Scout.com

Scout.com

http://utrockets.com/

http://utoledo.edu/foundation

http://utoledo.edu/foundation


UT research on the edge

Arsenic and old life?

NASA’s December announcement of a bacterium whose molecular DNA structure is based on arsenic instead

of phosphorus seemed to rewrite the definition of life. Detractors spoke out immediately, but in the January issue of the journal Biochemistry, Ronald Viola PhD,

UT Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry — together with Dan Tawfik PhD of Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science — called for open-mindedness.

Despite their own skepticism over NASA’s data, the pair urged new research into the place of arsenic — whose

chemical structure is similar to that of phosphorus — in biochemistry. The evolution of new protein functions often

begins with the willingness of an organism to build on a different compound. Could that compound be arsenic?

Time may tell; meantime, life goes on.

Farm field of screams When it comes to occupational hearing loss, farmers are right up there with airline mechanics, construction workers and guitar gods of rock‘n’roll. Tractors, combines, conveyors and grain dryers take their toll on the ears of agricultural workers. Sheryl Milz PhD, UT associate professor of public health and preventive medicine, developed a project to quantify the levels of occupational and non-occupational noise exposure for three farming families in northwest Ohio. During three farming seasons, participating adults and children carried dosimeters and mini-microphones to record noise levels that were compared with standards set by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Milz is expanding her research, working with a team of UT faculty to evaluate exposures to biosolids — dust, ammonia and aerosols among them — applied to farm fields.

1Fall in foal-iageAs a symbol of American freedom, the wild horses of the West are hard to beat. They’re also hard to sustain, as their numbers strain the resources of the land where they roam. Birth control has been tried before, but success was elusive. Now a team led by John Turner PhD, UT professor of physiology and pharmacology, has developed a vaccine — PZP by name — that prevents a mare’s egg from connecting with a sperm cell, blocking fertilization. Time-release polymers create a series of internal booster shots that prove effective for two to three years. The vaccine is administered to wild mares during periodic roundups by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. Still in research are zoo applications, since the vaccine works on seventy other species. Sounds like a galloping success.

2

3

What shape is your inhalant?

With every breath, our lungs are filtering those byproducts of industrialized civilization: particulate matter. Ashok Kumar PhD, UT professor of chemical engineering, is researching the shape and size of those particulates to

predict their damage to the human body. Since evidence exists tying more severe effects to particulates from transport traffic and other combustion sources, the

research setting was the interior of buses operated by the Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority (TARTA) and

fueled by both biodiesel and ultra-low-sulfur diesel. Twelve distinct particulate shapes were found inside the buses; the

shape distribution was essentially the same for both fuel sources, but the size distribution was quite different. As

well, particulates inside the biodiesel-fueled vehicles were distinct from those in the ambient air. Mark the research

team as on the bus for further study. 4


Chips off BloCk health sCienCe Building

By Jim Winkler


Lurley Archambeau MD (A/S ’67, MED ’72) was in his second year of medical studies when he participated in the structure’s groundbreaking in a cornfield off Arlington Avenue on Sept.

10, 1970. After the event, Archambeau, then class president, joined Block, then chair of the Board of Trustees, along with President Glidden L. Brooks, School of Medicine Dean Robert G. Page and Ohio Gov. James A. Rhodes for the obligatory photo. “I still laugh at the picture,” he says. “The pants I wore were so short, it looks like I’m wearing clamdiggers. “I really felt a little out of place with all the power there,” recalls Archambeau, now a psychiatrist in Maumee. “The governor, Jim Rhodes, was legendary by then. And anybody who knew Toledo knew the strength and connection with Columbus that Paul Block Jr. had and the indispensable role he played in bringing the medical school to Toledo. I had the feeling, ‘What the heck am I doing here?’ But I still think about that day when I’m on Health Science Campus, the honor of it all and the sense of impending history. That day I thought about all the education that would occur on the grounds.”

feature

In this groundbreaking moment are, left to right, Paul Block Jr., Gov. James Rhodes, MCO President Glidden Brooks, School of Medicine Dean Bob Page, and Archambeau. Photo by Dick Greene, courtesy of The Toledo Blade.

“i still laugh at the picture. the pants i wore were so short, it looks like i’m wearing clamdiggers.”

l ater it served as the foundation for the fledgling MediCal College of ohio. the riCh history of the paul BloCk Jr. health sCienCe Building on ut’s health sCienCe CaMpus translates into stories

alternately touChing, telling, odd and draMatiC — inCluding the tale of a MaJor flood — froM soMe of its erstWhile residents.

Charles huggins, winner of the 1966 nobel prize in Medicine for his work on

hormonal factors in prostate cancer growth, was the speaker at the dedication of the $11.4 million building on oct. 12, 1973.

“during dedication ceremonies, a beautiful luncheon was attended by most of the dignitaries and the entrée was Cornish hen,” longtime faculty member Kenneth Kropp MD remembers. “another very fancy banquet occurred that night and obviously the arrangement of food at these two events was not coordinated. the entrée that evening was also Cornish hen, and dr. huggins got up to make a little speech and said that he ‘didn’t realize that toledo was the Cornish hen capital of the world.’”

it started as a vision of renoWned arChiteCt Minouri yaMasaki.



When flood waters from torrential rains swept over the basements of the Health Science and Health Education buildings

and the MCO Hospital on Sept. 3, 1981, knocking out power and damaging mechanical equipment, researchers worried that refrigerated specimens, samples and compounds used in research might be lost. Technician Matt Fernstrom was among the employees who came back to the campus to help. He spent the evening lugging 55-pound blocks of dry ice up several flights of stairs for the refrigerators and freezers. With damages estimated at $2 million, MCO classes were temporarily moved to UT’s Snyder Memorial Building.

1970 group photo of the Biochemistry Department featuring Mrs. Bready, third from left second row, and Dr. Manning, who’s standing next to her.

When the Department of Pharmacology moved in 1973 from its first home at the Toledo Hospital Institute for Medical Research to the new Health

Science Building, faculty and staff members hoped that their delicate instruments and glassware — packed and transported by burly movers — would arrive safely. “When we began unpacking boxes, we were astonished to see everything was in perfect condition until one of the techs found a box with nothing but broken glassware in it,” says Keith K. Schlender MD, a longtime faculty member who after retiring from MCO became dean of the graduate school at Lourdes College in Sylvania. “Each lab had broken glassware containers. The movers had very carefully individually wrapped and boxed all of the contents of the broken glassware containers.”

researchers worried that refrigerated specimens,

samples and compounds used in research might be lost.

College of Medicine students begin their careers by entering a room full of cadavers to dissect them, a process that allows them to

gain an appreciation for the wonders of the human body in a way no virtual image can match.

“My first memories of the gross anatomy lab in the building were related to the major headaches i would have after going home,” says Christopher Lynn MD (MED ’83), a College of Medicine faculty member.

“Whether this was the formaldehyde or the fact that we spent a significant amount of time standing and dissecting delicate muscles and nerves is still not clear in my mind. in retrospect, i would like to have actually spent some time back in the gross anatomy lab after i had started practicing clinical medicine. as a medical student, it is often difficult to decide what is important and what is not. from the practicing clinician’s standpoint, it is easier to decide what might be pertinent to clinical practice and what is not.”



To conduct research, scientists need lab equipment — test tubes and beakers — to be sparkling clean. That was the job of Dorothy

Bready, who made sure equipment was properly cleaned and sterilized before use in experiments in the Department of Biochemistry and Cancer Biology. The use of glassware in science has declined, but Bready, who died in 1991, is still remembered. The room now housing autoclaves and washers is called Mrs. Bready’s Washroom. A small gold plaque at the entrance commemorates her work.

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“paul loved this building. he often stopped by my lab for

a cup of tea and a chat.”

The first thing visitors see when they enter the building is a handsome oil portrait (below) of Paul Block Jr., who died in 1987. MCO renamed

the Health Science Building in his honor in 1995. Maurice Manning PhD, professor of biochemistry and cancer biology, was a close friend of Block, with whom he’d discuss science, politics and world affairs. “Paul loved this building,” recalls Manning. “He often stopped by my lab for a cup of tea and a chat. Our mutual love of chemistry — its foundations and its joys — were at the core of our friendship.” Manning says he was initially reluctant to join MCO because his research program at Canada’s McGill University was well-established and because MCO back then lacked graduate students. However, when he found out that Block —board chair at the time — held a PhD in organic chemistry from Columbia University and that the first building on campus was to house basic science departments, he had no qualms accepting MCO’s offer.

the lab of Paul Brand MD was the day home for daddles, a beloved and pampered pet duck of Brand’s

lab technician, Rachel Stansbury, who had rescued the bird. in a mischievous mood, Brand one day taped a recipe for roast peking duck on the box where daddles stayed. daddles let it roll off his back, but stansbury didn’t. later, Murray Saffran PhD, professor and chair of biochemistry, visited the lab — walking out with a waddling gait.

Manning in his lab


“I think that as the emphasis on preserving the environment becomes stronger, the role of polymers will become even more important.” That’s Saleh Jabarin PhD, Distinguished University Professor of Chemistry and director of the Polymer Institute.

The institute, founded in 1989, is in an excellent position to benefit from upticks in the plastics industry; one of the Polymer Institute’s foundations is the international consortium of companies supporting basic research into the polyester materials so deeply woven into civilization.

That support helps fund the five to ten UT graduate students per year whose research in the institute’s well-equipped lab delves into the structure and behavior of polyesters. The students produce a research thesis on some aspect of polymers.

Nothing

intimidating about

the Polymer Institu

te

Plastics are green. Who knew?


The funded students aren’t the only ones who profit from the courses taught by the Polymer Institute staff. “An undergraduate or graduate student coming into the Department of Chemical Engineering can choose the polymer option,” Jabarin explains. “Half of the chemists and half the chemical engineers who will graduate with those degrees will be involved in polymer-related activities. So the field is very relevant.”

At this point, a scientific distinction probably needs to be made. Plastics are of course ubiquitous in modern life, from fabrics and packaging (those billions of PVC bottles and jars, to cite just one example) to electronic and medical devices. However, while all plastics are polymers, not all polymers are plastic. Polymers need to be processed in some way to become the useful plastics of our age.

Tar is a natural polymer; so is tree resin. Most polymers that are processed into plastics, though, are derived from petroleum or natural gas — which brings sustainability into the conversation.

Maria Coleman PhD, professor of chemical and environmental engineering, explains the mechanics

— and the economics — of petroleum-based polymers. “The chemicals spun off from petroleum are what we call platform chemicals,” she says.

“They’re like the most generic piece in a LEGOs set, the one that you add things to make something else. They’re the basis for a wide array of products that include polymers.”

The process of conversion is where polymer’s green quotient shoots upward, Jabarin says. “Consider a glass bottle versus a plastic container. The polyester bottle has less of a carbon footprint.

“At first, you think, ‘OK, plastic comes from fossil fuel, glass from sand.’ But the energy needed to convert sand into something else is much higher. Cradle to grave, polymer comes out ahead.”

Notes Coleman, “If we’re going to move from a petroleum-based economy to a renewable-based economy, though, we have to start paying attention to producing things along with fuel.”

Currently, only five percent of every barrel of crude oil is converted to chemicals; the rest is burned as some sort of fuel. Out of that five percent, one percent is used to make polymers. Given humanity’s slow weaning from petroleum fuels, the global interest in biomass conversion is easy to understand. Bio-polymer research is a critical part of the effort.

“Research into bio-polymers is focusing on changing biomass into chemicals that can be converted into

polymers” Jabarin says. “Polyethylene, for instance, is usually made from ethylene gasoline derived from natural gas. Now in Brazil, you’ll find huge farms of sugar cane. That biomass is made into methanol, then into ethylene and finally into polyethylene.”

The Polymer Institute is home to its own conversion research, shared by the departments of Chemical Engineering and Chemistry.

As Coleman explains, it’ll likely be a chutes-and-ladders route before polymers are completely derived from non-petroleum sources. “Those food storage bags you can reuse a few times — they’re made of traditional polymers, but there’s now a bio-derived alternative called polylactic acid. Its properties aren’t ideal, which limits its application. Processing techniques allow it to be combined with traditional polymers to produce a material that’s both bio- and petroleum-based. That’s a first step toward being wholly bio-derived.”

Such processing is at the heart of a unique collaborative opportunity for the Polymer Institute and researchers in biomass conversion and green chemistry who are working to convert biomass into both fuels and platform chemicals, then applying green chemistry to make those chemicals into materials that can be processed into components needed by industry.

It’s a holistic, eminently sustainable approach, Coleman says — but there are some critical prerequisites. “You need the researchers working in polymer processing and in development, working with the chemical and the biomass researchers.

“That’s not easy to find in one place — but we’re all here at UT.”

As industry develops stronger, lighter plastics for everything from auto fenders to aerospace components, Jabarin sees a vivid future for the institute housed in North Engineering. He adds,

“There’s a lot of misinformation about plastics, but believe me, no one in the industry is trying to avoid the truth; they’re looking for it.”

Nothing

intimidating about

the Polymer Institu

te

Plastics are green. Who knew?

“Consider a glass bottle versus a plastic container. The polyester bottle has less of a carbon footprint.”

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Art in the heart


What defines an artist? Talent, sure — or artistic medium, mastery of technique and number of entries in the exhibition catalogue. An artist’s passion can’t be quantified, but it touches the essence of what drives people to create art. The artists in these profiles have a sizzling passion for what they do that may singe your fingers as you turn the pages. Call their energy the Rocket fuel that powers the leap from craftsmanship into artistry.

By Cynthia Nowak, Chris Ankney, Vicki L. Kroll and Deanna Woolf



You might say that Dave Wisniewski (A/S ’98) found his art when he lost his sight. “When I was diagnosed with

diabetic retinopathy in 1987, I thought it was pretty much over for me,” says the legally blind painter known for his Wild West character studies of outlaws and lawmen, wilderness men and ranching women. “I was a street artist before then, doing a lot of very controlled airbrush work.”

He impressed the rehabilitation experts who supervised his subsequent occupational testing: “They said that I obviously didn’t let much get in my way, so what did I want to do?

“I told them, ‘Well, I think I’m still an artist.’”

Their initial skepticism turned to enthusiastic support once Wisniewski met with Diana Attie, UT professor of art. “She looked at my work and said, ‘Definitely! It’s a no-brainer that you should study art. You have a foot in it already.’”

He credits Attie and fellow UT art professors Tom Lingeman and Linda Ames-Bell — “the three wise men” — with teaching him to adapt his abilities. “There are a lot of tools — tricks, almost — that you use: seeing the dark under the light, the science of the shadow. All I had to learn was to use the sight I had. I’d had cameras and all sorts of crazy setups to help me, but they told me to put it all aside and concentrate on what I could see.”

‘When I was diagnosed with diabetic retinopathy in 1987, I thought it was pretty much over for me.’


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Old WestRather than a sketch, he prefers to begin with a texture in which he’ll begin to see points. “Then I get out the big brush, sometimes not even thinking — maybe that looks like a hat there, maybe a nose. I let the painting move me through it. I use a lot of light against shadow, more so than line. The light designs the piece for me.”

His characters’ eyes are often indistinct, he notes, but their gaze drills the viewer like a Colt six-shooter. Although they’re imbued with a naïve quality, the artist says of his banditos and gunslingers, “You wouldn’t want to mess with them.”

Fearsome or otherwise, “the cowboy artist” creations sell briskly, many from The American Gallery in Sylvania, which often exhibits his work. Toledoan Wisniewski is modest about his following: “The subject itself is doing the heavy lifting, because people love to see the Old West.” It’s more his own enthusiasm than a marketing strategy that keeps him planning future subjects: gold miners, cardsharps, Indians, even the clapboard Western towns themselves.

He sometimes catches the creak of time’s wingèd buckboard, he admits. “I have some eye issues as I get older, sometimes I see double. I want to accomplish as much as I can while I have this level of eyesight.”

It’s inevitable that he sometimes walks the “what if?” path. “I try not to go there, but I would never have discovered the scale, the — I don’t know. I’m just happy I was able to continue. I would have ended up miserable not being able to create.”

Luckily for both lovers of art and for the characters themselves, Dave Wisniewski plans to keep the latter’s rowdy company for a long time, no matter how high-maintenance they may be: “My pieces don’t just hang on the wall and blend in. They talk. They demand some attention — especially the ones with the guns!”

— C.N.


Concentrate he did, refining his art and graduating summa cum laude. “It was probably the most wonderful experience of my life, going back to school and being in that element of exploring how to get things done, so I gave it my most,” he says. (See his work at www.davewisniewski.com.)

He still gives his all to the faces — stoic, glowering, determined — that dominate his work, many of them straight from the dusty streets, parched fields and smoky saloons of the American West.

“If they look hardened, it took some hardness to get out to the frontier,” Wisniewski says.

“They had the courage to take off from their old lives and not know what was going to happen next week or even the next few minutes.

“All these characters were living right on the edge; you have to admire them, the good guys and the bad guys.”

Corralling them onto canvas means getting in close: “I have about eighteen inches of space where I can see pretty good — after that, I have to stand back forty to fifty feet with binoculars to see what you might be seeing at ten feet.”



www.davewisniewski.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZ9VEIsyX4g&annotation_id=annotation_863793&feature=iv


Statistics on men’s health can leave out real-people stories: a 40-something father who won’t be there to move his kids into college, the 65-year-old who’d hoped to finally

take that European retirement vacation with his wife.

“We have to save them, not just for their sakes but for their roles as husbands, fathers, grandfathers. There’s no reason for them to die seven years sooner than their spouses, and when you lose the guidance of a father or the love of a grandfather, it impacts future generations.”

That’s Joe Blumberg (Eng ’64), co-founder and executive director of Men’s Health & Wellness Center Inc., headquartered in Atlanta. (Online at menshealthandwellness.org.) With classes, events, speakers and resources, the center works to educate

physicians, wives, girlfriends and the millions Blumberg calls “stoic men not aware of their medical conditions or the latest trends in their numbers.”

The numbers he means are the vital ones: blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol (HDL and LDL) and the PSA (prostate-specific antigen) levels that can indicate prostate cancer. It was Blumberg’s own PSA numbers that became his call to arms: Because the elevated reading fell within guidelines for acceptable levels, “my doctor told me I had nothing to worry about, that I could check it again in a year,” he says.

At a routine checkup six months later, his PSA test and subsequent biopsy indicated aggressive prostate cancer.

Blumberg, whose prostate was later removed, doesn’t blame the physician: “He was dealing with a standard no longer appropriate to today’s knowledge base.” It’s now recommended that a rapidly doubling PSA level like his means immediate referral to a urologist.

“The experience gave me insight into how we need to educate men to take responsibility for their health care and talk about their issues,” Blumberg says.

In fact, his urologist, Nikhil Shah MD, had long wanted to make such education his mission. Knowing Blumberg’s

‘This is a mission as well as a job.’

male wellnessextensive management experience — including his longstanding role as founder/CEO of market research company Specifics Inc. — he proposed the center that’s now in its fourth year.

Coupled with its quarterly newsletter Male Call, the center continues to extend its reach; for instance, results of an ongoing men’s health/well-being survey (take it online) will be shared with researchers and policymakers.

The position is a demanding one for Blumberg, who credits his wife Cathleen with “support and much patience.” (They have four grown children.)

He adds, “This is a mission as well as a job. We attempt to save lives and we’ve been successful. We’ve gotten men into treatment, helped them find coverage if they didn’t have it and improved their lives through support for their conditions.”

He recalls the center’s most recent health expo, where two men attending the hospital-based event had their readings taken:

“They weren’t allowed to leave until they went to ER.”

Thinking back on his earlier career, he notes, “I’ve helped companies grow from millions into billions of dollars. That’s been a wonderful journey, but when we did that, nobody ever cried, nobody ever threw their arms around me and said, ‘Thank you so much!’”

Remembering the center-sponsored “Run-4-Dad,” he says, “I saw participants crying into their cell phones, telling their ill fathers, ‘Dad I’m doing this for you, hang in there!’

“You can’t measure that in dollars and cents.”

— C.N.

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http://www.menshealthandwellness.org/


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For someone with so many old-fangled enthusiasms, Tamilyn Shean races along at a very twenty-first-century pace.

“I always have projects going,” she says. “There is one dilemma: so little time! I’ve tried to figure out some dimensional shift or maybe something in quantum physics, but there are still only twenty-four hours in a day.”

Between work that includes tutoring, party planning and being a mom in small-town Elmore, Ohio, Shean works toward her UT degree in English education and plays violin and viola da gamba with Twisted Strands, a Celtic/American folk group. The orchestra veteran also draws music from the bass, guitar, cello, recorder, dulcimer and Native American flute.

“I fell in love with the bass as a kindergartner when our music teacher brought in Rosie, his treasured bass,” she says. Waiting after class, she begged to be allowed to pluck one string or hold the bow — a boon granted by the surprised but delighted teacher.

Later, when offered the violin as an instrument suitable for a young lady, young Tamilyn dug in her heels: “The violin is like a toy; I wanted to play the bass!”

The same determination marks her other areas of expertise: fine-dessert baking, calligraphy, beadwork, knitting, spinning (the woolly variety, not the aerobic), embroidery, even reading tea leaves.

Queried about creative anachronisms, she points first to her parents — her mother launched her ability to play organ, her father taught her to sew.

Family extended outward like circles on a pond, she adds. “We lived in an older area of Norwalk [Ohio] and all of our neighbors were elderly, or at least the age of my grandparents at that time. And the first books I remember making an impact on me were the Little House on the Prairie novels.

“Everyone who knows me will tell you I live in my own little world; it’s a beautiful, fairy-tale world. But

it’s not overly dreamy. It helps me keep a positive outlook; in any situation I can pull out the good.”

She’s paraphrasing Gandhi, she says, when she adds, “If everyone in the world would work at a spinning wheel for one hour a day, we would surely achieve peace.

“I think the same is true with music; it’s about reconnecting with an inner calm, tapping into something that brings peace amid chaos. Stop, take a breath, listen to music or play an instrument.”

Her educator’s background shows in her alertness to teachable moments — in music, certainly. “Not every kid who plays a musical instrument does better academically, but maybe they end up as better human beings,” she believes.

But she’s thinking of life’s epic musical score when she adds, “We’re all works of art in progress.”

— C.N.

‘I fell in love with the bass as a kindergartner when our music teacher brought in Rosie, his treasured bass.’

Arcane


Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2011 23 www.toledoalumni.org Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2011 23 www.toledoalumni.org

Shean, at left, with Twisted Strands members David Mitten and Renee Schreiner. Photo by John Knueve




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Women students were rare in college engineering programs of the 1970s, but Diane (Graalman) Throop (Eng ’75, MBA ’86)

didn’t find her exotic status at UT altogether irksome.

“It was nice in a way,” she recalls. “I can remember walking down the hall and out of every door, guys were appearing, asking, ‘Who the heck is that?’ The only women who walked through were staff, or students cutting through to get to the College of Education, and no one made it as far as the old civil engineering wing.”

Throop, now working in Cincinnati as director of engineering for the International Masonry Institute (IMI), says she never felt singled out for a hard time: “I know some of the other women did feel like fish out of water — not being harassed, but out of their element.

“I can’t say engineering is ever easy for anybody, but when I started taking classes, it immediately felt like home.”

A career as an architect was her initial idea; structural engineering seemed the logical route. Once there, though, she stayed, over time constructing a notable reputation in masonry. Though not an architect, she learned to use creativity as well as mathematics and logic to address architectural challenges.

“I worked primarily in industrial and commercial buildings, and it’s very rewarding to be the person who designs the bones, because without that, a structure literally doesn’t stand up,” she says.

“In a really good construction system, the engineer and the architect work closely together to come up with solutions to make the building both beautiful and structurally sound. A lot of that flows around masonry, which might be why I was drawn to it. What I find incredibly attractive about masonry is the unique beauty it gives to architecture and structure.”

Fallen from prominence during the glass-box era, structural masonry is back in a big way, she says — even in quake-prone regions. “There’s an inherent redundancy to reinforced masonry that lets it withstand earthquakes and high winds,” she explains. Today’s structural software options permit engineers to use reinforced masonry in creative, cost-effective and sustainable ways, she adds: “Structural masonry is all about options and it doesn’t get any better than that for a creative engineer.”

Throop helps write national codes and standards, chairing various professional groups that include the Masonry Standards Joint Committee — which writes the national masonry building code and specification (TMS 402/ACI 530/ASCE5) — and international standards arbiter ASTM Committee C15 on Manufactured Masonry Units, among others. Both ASTM and The Masonry Society have awarded her the title of Fellow.

The most bewitching attraction, though, remains where masonry meets mortar. “As engineers, we learn more all the time,” she notes. “There’s an innate drive to understand buildings, how they react with the environment, how to make them more cost-effective, yes — but balance that with beauty.” — C.N.

Masonry

Faith Blackwell Photography, LLC

‘The only women who walked through were staff, or students.’



The party’s getting hot. Guests flirt, gamble, whisper reputation-devastating gossip over the insistent glissando of a crazed pianist. A glum fellow is

juggling, oblivious to the man in chains hanging behind him. Someone even brought along a horse.

You can attend the shindig yourself; it’s always on view in the Grand Lobby of Toledo’s historic Valentine Theatre. The wall-sized mural “Backstage at the Valentine” is the work of Paul Geiger (A/S ’76), who over the course of many months filled the canvas — the city’s largest public painting — with dozens of Valentine-playing luminaries circa 1885 to 1917. (See the mural and its history at valentinetheatre.com/mural/index.html.)

Quite an accomplishment for someone who says, “I didn’t have any high school art, and I started at UT as an English major. But I took a drawing class with Diana Attie [professor of art], and there was no turning back.”

He takes pains to credit Attie and fellow professor Peter Elloian, who taught printmaking. “As with all great teachers, it’s not so much the information they impart, but the passion they exhibit for what they do. It’s very contagious.”

Geiger laughs as he mentions how years later he assisted in Attie’s anatomy class, “clandestinely learning what I didn’t get in graduate school at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.”

He adds, “It was very special to me that both she and Peter were here for the mural’s unveiling.”

Painting isn’t Geiger’s only medium. As director of regional printmaking collaborative Tholepin Press and Studios in downtown Toledo, his love of lithography and intaglio is evident as he shows off the classic presses on the floor. “Works of art in themselves,” he says, running his hand over the solid-oak chassis of a vintage model. ‘I didn’t have any

high school art, and I started at UT as an English major.’


http://valentinetheatre.com/mural/index.html

http://valentinetheatre.com/mural/index.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rt1b13ce_Ec&annotation_id=annotation_464117&feature=iv


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“I’m very proud of the facility and the opportunities that we afford area printmakers and artists in general. It’s the finest work space, outside of a university setting, anywhere in the region,” says Geiger, who started the studio in 1991 with his friend Michael Eberly (Ed ’75).

Geiger is equally at home with drawing — which he teaches, along with printmaking

— and illustration. An interior wall, whether private or public, can sing to him like a Siren.

“I love to take a flat wall and combine the magical illusion of space with a richness, like the great Venetian painters,” he says.

Such effort won’t end with the Valentine mural. “I love to raise the bar, increase the degree of difficulty, making it as hard on myself as I possibly can,” he admits. “I keep learning by striving for things that I believe are just out of reach — sometimes even well out of reach!

“In a way, doing commissions [like the mural] is art made to order. I have to find a way to make it my own so it will challenge me creatively, make me grow as an artist. Everything I’ve been doing so far has been geared toward paying the bills, making a living, surviving.”

After a long pause, he says wonderingly, “Now I feel like I’m just getting started!”

— C.N.

Incidentally, the juggler is W.C. Fields, the pianist is Jan Paderewski, Will Rogers is leading in the horse, and the guy in chains? Harry Houdini, of course.


mural




Marcie Booth (A/S ’06) never knows whom she’ll meet at work. Maybe a Beatle, Quincy Jones, Seal, Mavis Staples…

She is the operations and project manager at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. “Not too many people have jobs where they have those oh-my-gosh moments, being introduced to Ringo Starr or Dave Matthews,” Booth says. “I get those moments pretty often, which is lucky for me.”

She recalls her first such moment: “The week the museum opened, I gave a tour to Diane Warren. She walked up to me and said, ‘Do you work here? I’m in the museum; my name is Diane Warren.’ My jaw just dropped: Oh my god, you’ve written every love song that I’ve liked since I was fourteen. So it was cool walking her through the museum and talking about the exhibits.”

Booth has been at the museum since its 2008 opening. The four-floor facility celebrates the legacy of recorded music.

After graduating from UT, the Brookfield, Ohio, native headed west to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. Booth reached out to the L.A. Chi Omega alumni group and landed a part-time job with AEG Sales and Marketing as an account executive selling tickets for the Los Angeles Kings hockey team. After graduating in 2008, she saw an AEG listing for a coordinator at the museum.

“The museum wasn’t even open. The first time I went there, it was a construction site — I wore a hard hat,” she says.

Since being there at the ground level, she’s helped shape the institution. Booth has worked on the

music’s museum

‘The week the museum opened, I gave a tour to Diane Warren.’

Songwriters Hall of Fame Gallery and an exhibit, “Hip-Hop: A Cultural Odyssey.” And she oversaw the 2010 opening of the Ray Charles Memorial Library, located a couple miles from the museum.

“It’s actually Ray Charles’ old offices. Everything is the same since he died in 2004,” Booth says. “That was a fun project for me because I learned so much. I was working with people who knew Mr. Charles.”

The Grammy Museum (grammymuseum.org/) is all about education.

“We do all kinds of things with children, from backstage passes where they meet the Jonas Brothers to learning about music genres they might never have heard of. It’s so cool to see kids [of] four or five come

on a Saturday and dance around to music by Daniel Ho or Ziggy Marley, or have high school kids learn there’s more to the music business than being a Drake or Nicki Minaj or a Justin Timberlake or Christina Aguilera — there’s the managers, the producers, the engineers, the songwriters — all these people that make the music happen.”

Booth recently learned she’s included in Who’s Who in Black Los Angeles.

“That was a shock to me because I started as a little part-timer who worked for the [Los Angeles] Kings. It was a cool moment to say, wow, I’ve really come this far and to see other people are recognizing my hard work and dedication to the museum.” — Vicki L. Kroll

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Booth with Quincy Jones


http://grammymuseum.org/


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Today, with at least twenty rotating varietals, Blackberry continues to make up 25 percent of the sales from Brandeberry Winery, whose ten-acre vineyard and accompanying tasting room is located between Dayton and Springfield, Ohio.

Though Brandeberry personally prefers the drier, more full-bodied qualities of his red wines, the majority of his current stock is made up of award-winning whites featuring locally grown grapes, and a collection of sweet cherry wines that range from the light and fruity to the light and fruity.

“I like the ‘Caberlot.’ But the rest of them pay the bills,” he says, referencing a semi-dry mixture of merlot and cabernet sauvignon grown near Lake Erie. It, like much of the Brandeberry Winery experience, is a perfected blend of grapes, sugar, grapes, art, grapes and science.

“The wine maker’s job is to make sure the yeast are happy so they do their job right,” he says. “And you need both science and art for that. If you approach it from just the art point of view and you ignore the science, you’re hard-pressed to make good wine.”

Since Brandeberry understands how to combine the two, the only thing hard-pressed at his winery are the grapes.

— Chris Ankney

vineyardJim Brandeberry (Eng ’61) is the perfect blend.

His customers call him Lil’ Olde Winemaker because the retired UT-graduate-turned-Wright-

State-University-engineering-dean-turned-winemaker has been building up a reputation in central Ohio for his unique mixture of talents. Brandeberry embodies a fusion of science and art that makes crafting the world’s most delicate drink seem effortless — or maybe that’s just his modesty at work.

“There is a bit of art to it,” Brandeberry says of his process of mixing grapes and berries and sugars to create a new wine. “But really — if it tastes good and you like it, it’s done.”

He tends to credit the science more than the art in his work, however. And the engineering background, he says, gives him the ability to understand the importance of science in winemaking. How much oxygen will leak into the barrels? How much CO

2

will leak out? How does the temperature of a room determine the speed with which the yeast will consume the sugar?

“But you know, engineering is also a bit of art,” he says, finessing the blend. “It’s the art of looking at the resources you have available and solving problems. There are many ways you can do it, but picking out the best way to do it — that is engineering, and winemaking is sort of the same.”

His best-selling wine, Blackberry, is a testament to this philosophy.

Brandeberry never intended to make a blackberry-based wine. A few years ago, with hopes of starting work on a new red blend, he called in an order to a grape provider. They didn’t have anything he needed in the time frame he needed it — except blackberry.

A short while later, Brandeberry had on hand the equivalent of six hundred gallons, waiting to be turned into something salable. Using his combination of art and science, and his wife as a backup taste tester, he had bottles on the shelves in time for the busy season — and he sold out.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QipXchyGOIE


‘There is a bit of art to it, but really — if it tastes good and you like it, it’s done.’





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Maybe you haven’t noticed, but inanimate objects are doing a lot of talking. A GPS tells you to turn up ahead. An escalator asks you

to hold the handrail. An amusement park ride warns to keep your hands and legs inside.

Sara Weaver (A/S ’87) is one of the professionals who gives a voice to these objects, making seemingly mundane scripts come alive. And it all stems from her love of theatre.

“I was born a performer. I was always dancing and singing around the house,” says Weaver, who was born in Toledo. At 16, Weaver enrolled at UT in the theatre program. “I got a great foundation from instructors like Chuck Vicinus and Bill Smith,” she says.

After graduation, Weaver went to New York City and got a job touring Europe with West Side Story.

“Before the tour was over, I had played almost every female role, including Maria,” she remembers.

After graduation, Weaver went to New York City and got a job touring Europe with West Side Story.

Once she returned to New York, Weaver did background vocals with recording artists, sang in Village venues, crooned with party orchestras (“We did Donald Trump and Marla Maples’s wedding”), and performed the lead in the premiere of Superbia (written by Jonathan Larson, of Rent fame).

Then one day, voiceover work fell into her lap. “I was working with another singer who had been doing transit work, and she suggested me for the company’s Dallas buses. I spoke with them, and they hired me on the spot,” she explains.

Since then, Weaver (whose website is www.saraweaver.com) has voiced airport moving walkways, medical animations, video games, driving courses, casino gaming machines, and TV and radio commercials. What she loves most about voiceover work, she says, is the combination of creative and technical: “I record myself, so I’m a voiceover artist and an audio engineer at the same time, which includes any mixing, editing and post-production work the client requires. It’s also challenging to maintain enthusiasm during a six-hour session or to sound like you know what you’re talking about when you don’t. Training in acting allows you to do that.”

These days, when she’s not recording, you can find Weaver at dance classes or enjoying the outdoors in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., with dogs Junior and Moxie. “Out of the many friends I’ve made in show business over the years, only a few are still in it,” she says. “The mere fact I’m still involved in performing — even if I’m just sitting in front of my computer with a mic — I feel really lucky.”

— Deanna Woolf

voice


http://www.saraweaver.com

http://www.saraweaver.com


More than mere water and pigment flow through the studies of artist Aaron Bivins (A/S ’77); magic might be part of his

technique. Take his still-life pieces, anything but still: Bivins’ pots of carmine geraniums seemingly twist to follow a June-afternoon sun. And those cheek-popping, blissing-out jazz musicians he often limns — you can almost hear the notes, feel the spraying saliva.

It’s illusion, of course; Bivins is that good. A bouquet of award ribbons attests to the fact — more to the point, so does a lifetime of practice.

“When we were kids, one of my older sisters would draw cartoons from the various comic strips, and I would do the same sitting on the couch right beside her,” he says. “She eventually quit and I kept on.”

Today, though he works in oil and acrylic, watercolor is his painterly milieu of choice, not least for its demanding nature. “It’s a challenging medium because of the transparency,” he explains. “Basically, you’re painting with water. In the beginning I taught myself with books.” That was augmented by what he learned from local watercolorist Walter Chapman and from his own experimentation. “Let’s just say I kept painting and making mistakes over thirty-plus years,” he laughs.

Taking a cue from the musicians he loves to paint, “I look on myself — and this is top-secret stuff — as a kind of jazz painter. I have a pretty impressionistic, hot-licks style, leaving a lot to the viewer to finish.”

Pointing to a portrait of Dizzy Gillespie in full “bullfroggish” mode, Bivins says, “His cheeks look painful! But he knew exactly what he was doing to get the notes he wanted. This particular painting captures that.

watercolor

“If you want your paintings to look spontaneous, you have to paint them that way, another artist once said. I like to give that impression with a lot of color and movement.”

Practiced he may be — studied, never.

“Probably every piece I do surprises me. I never have the slightest idea how it’s

going to turn out. I’m just there, hanging on for the ride. I’ll start off with large brushes, just put in values and shapes, whittle away at it as if I were a sculptor, molding as I go.”

His from-photographs portraits of the famed include Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou and NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett. Angelou and Jarrett now own theirs, the latter having told Bivins, “That looks more like me than I look like me.”

Freshly retired from UPS in January, the former UT linebacker (“That’s one of the earlier chapters in my book”) and Toledo teacher is figuratively sharpening his brushes. “I like to think people enjoy what I do, and there’s plenty more to come.” — C.N.

‘I never have the slightest idea how it’s going to turn out. I’m just there, hanging on for the ride.’

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tA8EBxeF__w&annotation_id=annotation_491621&feature=iv

Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2011 35 www.toledoalumni.org Toledo Alumni Magazine | Spring 2011 35 www.toledoalumni.org




Robotic killing machines. A witch with a Medusa complex. The cannibal-mutant who entertains guests in an abandoned mineshaft. Lino Stavole

(A/S ’96) and his wife Nicoletta (Gianakos) (A/S ’97) keep some odd company. Luckily, the creepy canaille never stay for dinner — though they are the couple’s bread and butter.

In case you haven’t guessed, the Stavoles (who met as UT students) are part of the Hollywood film industry. After years spent working for studios, Lino is concentrating on The Creature Co. (creaturecompany.com/nindex.html), his special-effects-makeup-and-props firm. Nicoletta’s formal acting career is temporarily on hold while their two children are young; in the meantime, she’s Lino’s right hand in the SFX (special effects) biz — an industry that changes faster than an alien shapeshifter.

Despite the volatility, they’re where they want to be. “When we were talking about getting married, I said that the one thing she had to know was that I expected to end up in California,” Lino recalls. “Nicoletta said,

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‘Hey, I’m not going to marry you unless we end up in California!’” Within five years of their 1996 marriage, the California dream had morphed into reality.

They were primed for their competitive careers, Nicoletta says. “We knew we would face a lot of work, but what I didn’t anticipate was how the [West Coast] environment would affect me as far as how beautiful it is.”

They live about an hour from L.A., with a studio where Lino crafts his latest molds, models and miniatures. Audiences worldwide have seen examples of his dark artistry in The Chronicles of Narnia, Drag Me to Hell, Grindhouse, Transformers, The Mist — “all these crazy and wonderful movies I’ve worked on,” he says.

Lino’s also an innovator in emerging technologies for the makeup effects industry: 3D scanning, rapid manufacturing technologies and digital modeling. Time-gulper that his field is, he says, “I don’t know what I would have done without Nicoletta putting a watchful eye on managing the business.”

Nicoletta’s return to acting is on their long-term planners. In the meantime, she says, “I’ve directed theatre for our church and done some acting, but our focus is our kids. At the same time, I’m helping Lino with accounting and actually puppeteering with him.” (As in this commercial for the Colorado state lottery: adsoftheworld.com/media/tv/colorado_lottery_holiday_scratch_reindeer.)

They both credit their Midwestern values with keeping them from Hollywood’s notorious side — as Nicoletta says, “what people are willing to do, even to get a job as an extra.”

Still, every opportunity comes toting a challenge, as when Lino reveals, “I applied to a company that would mean going to New Zealand for three years to work on The Hobbit. I don’t know what that means for all of us.”

Says Nicoletta firmly, “Whatever it turns out to be, we know we’ll be doing it together, as a family. That’s the bottom line.” — C.N.

‘All these crazy and wonderful movies I’ve worked on.’

Hollywood mystique


http://creaturecompany.com/nindex.html

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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.

1960sJames R. Cannaley (Bus ’69), president/CEO of tube fabrication business Woodsage Industries in Springfield Twp., was among four graduates of Maumee High School to receive the school’s first Distinguished Alumnus Award. He and his wife, Linda, established a college scholarship fund at the school for students in need.

John Passante (Bus ’69) was appointed president of TV production company Brenton Productions of Swansea, Mass., with whom he’s been executive vice president since 2009. The 40-year veteran of the auto aftermarket continues as president of human resource consultants The Organizational Development Group Inc.

1970sPhyllis Anderson (Ed ’71, MEd ’76) was named acting assistant dean, business and computer information systems division of Delaware

County Community College in Pennsylvania. A former full-time faculty member of the college, she retired from teaching after 23 years.

William J. Bingle (Law ’71), Toledo attorney, was named treasurer of the boards of trustees of Legal Aid of Western Ohio Inc. and Advocates for Basic Legal Equality Inc.

Alfred A. Baker (Univ Coll ’73), Sylvania, was elected to the board of directors of Fifth Third Bank. The retired Owens-Illinois vice president and

director has nearly 40 years of executive, managerial and board experience, including the UT president’s athletics advisory board and the Medical Advisory Council.

Deborah (Resnick) Schwartz PhD (Ed ’73, MA ’74) was named dean of the graduate school at Lourdes College, Sylvania.

David Sleet PhD (PhD ’73), associate director for science with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, received the highest honor given by the Society for Public Health Education, its Distinguished Fellow Award, recognizing his contributions to the organization and to advancing the research and practice of health education.

Dan Bradley (Univ Coll ’74) was named president and market leader for Ohio and Rhode Island by information provider Media General. He’s

been vice president and general manager of the company’s NBC affiliate in Columbus since 2009.

Ted Wymyslo MD (A/S ’75) was picked by Ohio Gov. John Kasich to be director of the Ohio Department of Health. Previously, he was director of the Family Practice Residency Program at Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton.

Joseph A. Humpolick (Law ’77) ran his first New York City Marathon in November with a time of 6:42:10. The attorney with the Ashtabula County (Ohio) Public Defender’s Office says he’s ready for his next race; the NYC run was his 16th marathon overall.

Jim Gauntner (MEng ’78), Westlake, Ohio, was inducted into the Benedictine High School Hall of Honors in March. The retired NASA senior engineer maintains a busy schedule of volunteer work that was noted when newspaper West Shore Sun chose him as Person of the Week.

Marc Kantrowitz (Law ’78), associate justice of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, began contributing a column, Law ‘n’ History, for Lawyers Weekly.

Richard M. Markoff PhD (PhD ’78), retired executive vice president of Simon Youth Foundation, was named a visiting senior adviser in the chancellor’s office at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. His primary duty will be to provide leadership for The Talent Alliance, a coalition of community partners in the region.

Hooked. Kim (Cooke) Oeken (Bus ’92) is one employer who welcomes the sounds of a strike. As general manager of Lex Lanes in Lexington, Ohio, she also likes to hear spares, splits and even gutter balls — they all mean that business is rolling along at the bowling venue that’s been in her family for three generations. “I like the variety,” says the former finance department manager for Snap-on Business Solutions. “I have a variety of responsibilities and get to meet new people all the time, an aspect of the job I really like. You never know who’s going to walk in the door.” She made the switch when a company relocation required a grueling daily commute. Her father Bob Cooke and grandmother Betty Cooke, who own and direct Lex and Luray Lanes — their bowling center in Ashland — were also ready for a managerial change. Not that the transition to the business begun by her grandparents was without bumps. “I’ve always been on the finance side, working with the books, dealing with auditors,” she says. “Now here’s a whole business — much more than the back office.” When she’s not dealing with upkeep, restocking supplies or planning innovations like the center’s new surround-sound system, she’s enjoying the business’ success: “Overall, bowling may be down, but we’re busy. We have birthday parties, company parties, graduation parties, post-prom get-togethers, church parties at 3 a.m.” And a weekend waiting list. How about her own score on the alleys? Kim, who has a husband and two kids under age seven, protests, “I haven’t bowled regularly since junior high and now I don’t have time. Maybe this summer!”



Honors for super volunteer. Barbara (Stedman) Zeller (Bus ’52), who has previously been lauded for her public service work, received the prestigious Commanders Award for Public Service from the U.S. Department of the Army, presented by Col. Jeff Johnson at the Irwin Army Community Hospital where she has volunteered for many years. She and her husband, retired Army brigadier general Phillip J. Zeller (Ed ’52), at right, live in Junction City, Kan.

Jim Nowak (A/S ’78) co-produced an interactive training program, “In Pursuit of Ethics,” that won the National Special Projects Award from the

Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB), representing 122 U.S. and Canadian BBB chapters. The program also earned a national Telly Award and a Communicator Award of Distinction. Online at bbb.org/toledo/in-pursuit-of-ethics

John H. Blanchard (MBA ’79) joined the faculty of the University of Alaska Southeast at their School of Management in Juneau, teaching accounting.

1980sThomas Bunch (Law ’80), municipal court judge in Chillicothe, announced his retirement at the completion of his current term. First elected to the bench in 1993, he was twice re-elected.

Kevin Greer (Law ’80), judge in Highland County (Ohio) Common Pleas Court since 1997, was part of the inaugural class of the

Fairfield Local High School Athletic Hall of Fame in February, honoring his records in basketball, baseball and golf.

Tim Dishong (Ed ’81, MEd ’88), Swanton, retired in May as head wrestling coach for Springfield High School, where he was also a teacher with a career spanning 30 years, all but two with the Holland school.

Sheldon Katz (Bus ’81), financial adviser with Edward Jones in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, became a limited partner in The Jones Financial Cos., holding company for the St. Louis-based financial services firm.

Gary M. Sartain (Bus ’81) was promoted to partner with CPA and business advisory firm Weber • O’Brien Ltd., Sylvania,

where he’s worked since 2005, directing the firm’s not-for-profit and governmental services practices.

Jean Ann (Schmidt) Sieler (UTCTC ’81, Univ Coll ’83, Law ’86), attorney with Robison, Curphey & O’Connell LLC in Toledo, was inducted as president

of the Lucas County Bar in January. She became president of Blissfield (Mich.) Rotary in September.

Jeff Mielcarek (Bus ’85), baseball coach at Central Catholic High School, was inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball

Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame in January. He’s guided the Toledo team to four district finals and two regional finals.

Alec Thornton (Law ’85), Willard, Ohio, joined Fifth Third Bank as a senior wealth management adviser in the private bank,

with his offices in Toledo and Findlay. He has more than 25 years of experience as an attorney and financial services provider as well as serving on a number of community boards.

Patricia A. Wise (Law ’85), Toledo lawyer, was named to the board of Advocates for Basic Legal Equality Inc.

Joanne M. Cafiero PhD (MEd ’86, Ed Spec ’88, PhD ’95), Rockville, Md., traveled to several

cities in Australia to provide training and workshops hosted by the Australian Group for Severe Communication Impairments. She also presented research in Spain and Italy at the International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. Her book, Meaningful Exchanges for People with Autism, was published in Italian.

Kim Bowen MD (MED ’87), part of the medical staff of Medina (Ohio) Hospital, was named 2010 Humanitarian Physician of the Year by fellow

medical staffers who honored his assistance in founding and supporting the Medina Health Ministry for underserved individuals.

Viki Christopoulos MD (A/S ’88, A/S ’88, MED ’92) opened an ophthalmology practice in McKeesport, Pa., with a clinic and an optical dispensary called Eyepolis.

Mike Holman (A/S ’89) was named general manager of WFIN, WKXA-FM and 106.3 The Fox in Findlay and Ottawa, Ohio. The longtime broadcast and marketing exec most recently was president and general manager of WUAR and UpperArlingtonRadio.com in Columbus.


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class notes


Our man on Long Island. Retirement for John Leschik (Eng ’66) includes some of the usual golden-years activities: home upkeep, the seasonal escape from snowy New York to balmy Florida. But several months a year he’s talking up UT with high school students and their parents. As the University’s college fair rep for Long Island — an initiative of the UT Alumni Association’s New York City chapter — he’s become a major ambassador. “I emphasize the academic quality and the affordability,” says the College of Engineering grad. “I put together a pitch for football, too, especially after last season.” He’s been pleased to encounter more high school students with very specific goals — often a good match with UT. “They’ve done their homework,” he says. “One student was interested in actuarial science, which stumped me at first. It’s using math and statistical methods to assess risk in insurance and finance — and UT does offer it.” Spring and fall are his busy seasons for college fairs, so he’s primed: “It’s my way of giving back to the place that gave me such a good foundation for my career.”

Mark E. Mercer (A/S ’89, UTCTC ’94, Law ’02), Sylvania, part of the environmental practice group at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick LLP, was named a

partner in the law firm that has offices in Ohio, Florida and South Carolina. He chairs the company’s community-support program, Leadership Shumaker Toledo.

1990sTodd Audet (Eng ’90) was appointed deputy director of the Ohio Department of Transportation district 2 office in Bowling Green. He remains an officer of the Ohio Air National Guard and director of its Division of Engineering Support.

Rick L. Meyer (Eng ’90) joined Classic Turning Inc., a specialty machining and metal finishing company in Jackson, Mich.,

as customer service manager.

Marja Soikkeli-Dooner RN (A/S ’90, MLS ’96) joined the Wildwood Medical Center in Toledo as vice president, patient care services/chief nursing officer. Previously she was an administrator with University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland.

G.K. Ananthasuresh PhD (Eng ’91), professor of mechanical engineering at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India,

was awarded the 2010 Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize in Engineering Sciences. The award, given by the Indian Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, recognized his contributions in developing new theories and design techniques in the emerging field of compliant micro-mechanisms, and in bio-design.

Michael R. Crist (Univ Coll ’91) was named corporate vice president of human resources for Colorado Energy

Management in Boulder.

Patrick McLain (UTCTC ’91), who lives in Kona, Hawaii, added to his TV/film industry experience by working on the set of the new Hawaii Five-O. Previously he’d appeared in three episodes of Lost.

Sr. Emma (Sungaei) Kim (A/S ’92), Sister of Notre Dame, was elected a general assistant to the Roman Catholic order’s new general superior, transferring from South Korea to Rome for the assignment.

Sandra E. Laughlin (Bus ’93, MSA ’94) was appointed to the newly created position of chief risk officer at the parent company

of First National Community Bank, based in Dunmore, Pa.

Michael R. Goulding (Law ’95) was selected by the judges of the Toledo Municipal Court to serve as its presiding and administrative judge. At home, he and his wife Amy (McQuillen) (A/S ’89) welcomed their third child Peter Michael in June 2010.

Bret J. Clark (Bus ’96) was promoted to partner with Weber • O’Brien Ltd., Sylvania-based CPA and business advisory firm.

Myron Duhart (Law ’96), who has a law practice in Toledo, was named by then-Gov. Ted Strickland to fill a vacant seat on Lucas County Common Pleas Court, the appointment running through 2012.

Krista Dobbie MD (MED ’98) is medical director for the Sentara Medical Group Palliative Care Program and a palliative care practitioner at Virginia Beach (Va.) General Hospital.

Robbin Miller RN (NRSG ’99), a registered nurse in the UTMC emergency room, was awarded a $1,000 tuition scholarship from

the Paralegal Association of Northwest Ohio (PANO) toward the UT Paralegal Nurse Certificate Program. She plans to specialize in medical malpractice and personal injury litigation.

Jennifer A. Watkins (Bus ’99, Law ’03) was named a partner with Michigan corporate law firm Warner Norcross & Judd LLP, head-

quartered in Grand Rapids. She concentrates her practice in employee benefits law.

2000sCurtis L. Fisher (Law ’01) was elected to membership in the professional limited liability law practice company of Bass, Berry &

Sims PLC in Nashville, Tenn.

Colleen (Britt) Scott (A/S ’01) was hired as vice president of marketing by Home Savings, a community bank headquartered in Youngstown,

with branches throughout eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.

Jeremy J. Zeisloft (MBA ’01), vice president at Fifth Third Bank, was promoted to relationship manager with the northwest Ohio’s Commercial Banking Group.

Jonathan E. Striggow (Bus ’03, A/S ’04) relocated after accepting a position with global food company Kerry Group, working as a production supervisor at one of the Ireland-based firm’s Minnesota plants. Previously he was assistant plant manager with LaMar Foods, Perrysburg.



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class notes


Jeff Crowther (Law ’81) makes his daily commute in the mountains north of Kandahar, Afghanistan. That’s Taliban territory — just down the road, in fact, from the home village of Mullah Omar. An employee of the U.S. State Department, Crowther’s a senior rule-of-law adviser embedded with a multinational force of Australians, Dutch and Americans. “People often forget that the Afghan conflict is a NATO operation,” Jeff notes. Via e-mail and Skype, he shares the passion he’s developed for a mission as rewarding as it is dangerous.

What’s the idea behind your posting?

“I am part of a provincial reconstruction team, a mix of civilian and military. We all have areas of subject matter expertise — governance, agriculture, USAID officers bringing school and hospital projects, advisers in health and business. “The international community is helping to establish a representative form of government, which was validated by elections last year. The Taliban and other warlords are challenging that government through armed conflict. As the NATO forces clear out an area once occupied by insurgent forces, we come in behind

Q&a: restoring rule of law to afghanistan

them to reconstruct civil governance and public services. We mentor Afghans in their efforts to re-establish civil society.”

Which local groups do you principally work with?

“I work in the rural areas of Afghanistan, far removed from their central government. I mentor and advise police, prosecutors

and judges as well as the administrative branches of those institutions — not only in the performance of their duties, but also in their efforts to obtain proper funding from the central government. My work ranges from many conversations over tea on ideas they wish to discuss to capital projects such as the construction of courthouses, prisons and police stations. I observe trials and monitor prison populations.”

What got you interested in such hazardous work?

“Unfortunately, while living in Denmark, my wife and I divorced. Upon returning to the United States at age 57, I took stock of where I was and asked: What do you want to do with the rest of your life, Jeffrey? What really moves your soul? “I looked at all the things I had done in my life: Vietnam veteran, criminal justice and law, international experience in cross-cultural training, martial arts — and it all pointed to this type of work. It was a perfect fit, for I truly love what I do.”

How did you prepare? “Before Afghanistan, I was posted in Iraq’s tribal regions north of Baghdad. The truth is, I’ve been preparing myself for this work all my life. It feels more like a calling than a job. Like my life converged on this one point. “I read many books about the people, especially the Pastun and their code of honor known as Pastunwali, one part of which is the council, called jirga.

“Yours is not the only court operating in the area. There is constant dispute resolution taking place in the old-fashioned way just three or four miles outside town where the tribal elders are getting together. Part of what I am presently doing is an effort to connect the informal to the formal.”

And the danger factor? “I don’t go anywhere without at least four heavily-armed individuals. In Iraq there was a price on the head of anyone who does this kind of work. We all know it. There are wonderful young men and women put their lives on the line to keep us safe. I’ve already attended three military memorial ceremonies in three months, not for soldiers from my team, but they were working in the same area I do. “They put their lives on the line so I can go talk to a judge for two hours.”

How long is your posting? “I plan on being here for two years, then re-evaluate. At the end of two years, you’re pretty well burned out. But at the end of the day, if I have gotten someone to feel that one of us cares about them, about how they do things, and can be seen helping them to that end, that alone is a big success. Because when extremists say Americans don’t like you, they can answer, ‘Look, this person spent two years away from his family, he was here, we talked, he got the money we were due from the government — they do care, because I know one who does.’”

Crowther with judges: Malauwi [The Honorable] Hamidullah, Malauwi Mohammad Saliman, Maulawi Dad Mohammad, Malauwi Mohammad Jan


class notes


Jason E. Thuener (A/S ’08), a third-year student at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine, received the 2011 Leadership Award from the American Medical Association Foundation in February, one of two dozen medical students nationwide to receive such recognition for non-clinical leadership skills in advocacy, community service and education. Among his many service projects are coaching for the Special Olympics, a medical mission to Jamaica and acting as director for Student-to-Student, a community education program.

Michael D. Adelman DO (Law ’04) was chosen as president of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in January after serving as interim for nine months. The school’s vice president for academic affairs and dean since 2002, he was also elected president of the state’s Society of Osteopathic Medicine.

Matthew Gilbert (Eng ’04), an installation engineer for FANUC Robotics in Rochester Hills, Mich., received an Outstanding Alumnus Award from Penta Career Center, Perrysburg, where he completed a technical training program.

Charles E. Washam (MBA ’04), business instructor at Louisiana State University at Alexandria, is working toward his doctoral degree from Grenoble Ecole de Management in France.

Laura Abu-Absi (A/S ’05) became a policy analyst with the County Commissioners Association of Ohio, Columbus.

Michael Grandillo PhD (PhD ’06), vice president for development and public affairs at Tiffin University, wrote a book about the Ohio school, Onward to the Dawn: A History of Tiffin University, based in part on the doctoral dissertation he wrote while at UT.

Alex J. Adams PharmD (Pharm ’07, PharmD ’09), director of pharmacy programs for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores in Alexandria, Va., was co-author (together with three UT faculty members) of an article, “The Mandatory Residency Dilemma: Parallels to Historical Transitions in Pharmacy Education,” that was published in Annals of Pharmacotherapy.

Andrew Hawkins (Bus ’09), who played wide receiver with the Rockets, was offered a two-year contract with the NFL’s St. Louis Rams.

Aaron J. Opelt (Bus ’10) joined Crown Battery Manufacturing Company Inc. as a sales and marketing rep. Prior to his employment, he began an internship with the Fremont-based company in 2010.

Nima Shamsaei PhD (PhD ’10), an engineer with Chrysler Group LLC, was presented with the Henry O. Fuchs Student Award at the fall SAE Fatigue Design & Evaluation Committee meeting in Auburn Hills, Mich., organized by global engineering group SAE International.

Amy Tremonti (Law ’10) was hired as assistant general counsel for New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council in New York City.

Marriages & UnionsJulie E. Kemerer (A/S ’03) & Todd J. Altenburger (Eng ’04). She works in human resources for the National Women’s Law Center in Washington, D.C.; he’s a sales manager for General Electric in Baltimore.

Ryan Comisford (Eng ’04) & Jenny Waddell. He’s employed by Boeing. Heath, Ohio.

Jennifer K. Wolters (Bus ’05) & Brian Erhart. She’s a logistics specialist with K&M Tire in Delphos, Ohio.

Colleen Gorey (Eng ’06, MEng ’08) & Justin Brazeau. She’s a doctoral student in the UT Department of Bioengineering.

Stephanie L. Groenke DPT (HHS ’07, DPT ’10) & Joshua Bailey (Bus ’07). She’s a physical therapist with Peoplefirst Rehabilitation, he works for Chase Bank. Columbus.

Nicholas Pottkotter RN (Pharm ’07, NRSG ’10) & Tiffany Beach RN (NRSG ’10). They’re both RNs at UTMC.

Dustin J. Sommer (Bus ’07, MSA ’08) & Lisa S. Johnson RN (NRS ’10). He’s a CPA with Weber • O’Brien Ltd., she’s an RN at St. Luke’s Hospital. Sylvania.

Allison M. Wash PharmD (Pharm ’07, PharmD ’09) & Tyler G. Campbell PharmD (Pharm ’07, PharmD ’09). Santa Fe, N.M., where she’s a manager with Smith’s Pharmacy and he’s with the Indian Health Services at Santa Fe Indian Hospital.

Brandon A. Brydges (Eng ’08) & Sarah Christensen. He’s an engineer with Zimmer Inc. in Warsaw, Ind.

Cody Conaway (Bus ’08) & Megan Walling (Pharm ’10). He’s working for DNC Hydraulics, she’s pursuing her doctorate in pharmacy at UT. Findlay.

Andrea Pilon (Eng ’08, MEng ’10) & James Artman (ANRS ’08). She works for the USDA; he’s with Washington Hospital Center.

Tara Bojarski (HHS ’09) & Mathew Wick (HHS ’09). Sylvania.

Jason at center, with Richard Hubbard MD of Pfizer Inc. and Cecil Wilson MD, AMA president.

Life of service. Outside, the January temperatures in Carthagena, Ohio, were glacial, but all was candle-lit warmth inside the chapel of a former Roman Catholic seminary where a celebrated liturgy marked the ordination to the diaconate of Joseph Grilliot (A/S ’04), a Missionary of the Precious Blood. Grilliot, who earned a master’s of divinity from the Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago, completed his incorporation into the ministry-based religious community in 2009. His first such ministry as a deacon is St. Agnes Parish in inner-city Los Angeles. “I’m thankful for many graced learnings at CTU that built on my solid UT education,” he says. “Now I’m ready and excited to live with the Latino and immigrant communities as we work together.”

Deacon Joe Grilliot CPPS with his family: parents John and Louise, sisters Lisa, Carrie and Susan.


class notes


BirthsTina Shook (A/S ’00) and her husband, Ryan Ruffing, Attica, Ohio, welcomed their daughter Ellery Mae in March 2010.

Dawn Zientaek MD (MED ’00) and Will Collier MD (MED ’00), Delaware, Ohio, celebrated the birth of their second child Paxton John in December.

Kyle Gee (Law ’08) and his wife Kristen welcomed the birth of daughter Mazie Ruth in January. She joins big sister Brooklyn and the family in York, Pa.

Kate J. (Jennings) Wilks MD (MED ’08) and her husband Joseph welcomed Isaac David to their Morgantown, W.V., family in November.

A well-furnished life If attorney Joe Rosa (Eng ’82) says he’s bringing his skills to the table, he may well mean the table itself. The corporate-lawyer-turned-private-practitioner in Kansas City, Mo., owns a sideline business in studio furniture, one example of which appears in this photo. “Furniture was a hobby for years,” says the former

managing attorney for Kansas City Power & Light. Several things propelled his pastime into production: years serving on the board of the Arts Incubator of Kansas City, an in-depth entrepreneurship program he took at the KC-based Kauffman Foundation, and the timing. “At the same time I was making my decision to leave corporate practice, I was finishing up my military career,” says Rosa, who had a long stint with the U.S Air Force Reserves that included service in Iraq. “The idea was to have more time for family.” The reality has been less than leisurely, he says, between his legal practice and the furniture business. “One thing I’ve learned is that sometimes the business of art swallows up the art. But that’s true for running a legal practice as well! And there’s my teenage son, who’s had a landscaping business since he was twelve, set up as a limited-liability company. I help with that, too.” In short, never a dull moment, he concludes. “I may have extra time now since retiring from the military, but it’ll easily be filled with law or furniture — or something else I don’t know about yet.”



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in memoriam


1920s & 30s**Louis C. Ravin MD, Toledo, att. 1928-1931, Dec. 28 at 98. He was a member of the Presidents Club and Heritage Oaks Society, and with his wife Sophie established an endowed fund for campus beautification; the Ravin Plaza on Main Campus honors them. He served as a clinical associate in the MCO Division of Ophthalmology.**Carl R. Schmuhl, Bryan, Ohio, att. 1931-1934, Nov. 13 at 97. Phi Kappa Psi, Varsity T Club member. Lettered in Rockets basketball 1933, 1934. **John Grigsby (Bus ’36), Toledo, Jan. 13 at 96. Former editor-in-chief of Campus Collegian.*Martha M. (Marsh) Linker, Chatham, Ill., att. 1937-1941, Jan. 12 at 91. Selma (Jones) Patterson (A/S ’37), Sun City West, Ariz., Nov. 1 at 95. Tau Delta Sigma member. Donald Haven (Bus ’38), Middleton, Wis., July 15 at 96. Harriet (Pilliod) Slagowski (Ed ’39), Denver, Dec. 3 at 93.

1940sRichard A. Flowers, Temperance, Mich., att. 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Jan. 12 at 81. UT Band member. Herbert L. Schmidlin (Eng ’40), Appleton, Wis., Jan. 3 at 98. *Pauline K. (York) Blatt (Ed ’41), Midland, Mich., Nov. 22 at 90. Zeta Tau Alpha member. William R. Kennedy (Bus ’41, Law ’51), Toledo, Nov. 15 at 91. **Robert J. Brotje Jr. (Bus ’42), Toledo, Nov. 10 at 90. A member of the Presidents Club and the Brunner Society who served on the UT Alumni Foundation board in the 1980s, he was honored with the Gold T Award in 1990 and was named 1982 Pacemaker of the Year by the College of Business Administration.*Suzanne (Seeger) Donnell (A/S ’42), Escondido, Calif., Oct. 7 at 89.Harold F. Sheats (A/S ’42), Maumee, Nov. 27 at 90.**Barbara W. States (A/S ’43), Sylvania, Jan. 15 at 88. Presidents Club member. She and her husband Louis founded the Christopher States Scholarship for broadcast majors in memory of their son. Chi Omega member.*Emma L. (Kern) Bippus (Ed ’45), Toledo, Feb. 11 at 97. Presidents Club member. Wilma M. (Racker) Luetke (Bus ’45), Holland, Feb. 17 at 87. Alpha Omicron Pi member.William V. Boice, Dayton, att. 1947-1949, Jan. 27 at 82. Alpha Tau Omega member. **Milton W. Bennett Jr. (Ed ’48), Perrysburg, Dec. 13 at 85. Arlington Bancroft Society member.Edward J. Erskine (Ed ’48), Troy, Mich., Dec. 17 at 90.

Newell E. Kaufman (A/S ’48), Ottawa Hills, Jan. 23 at 85. Business advertising manager for the Campus Collegian and Blockhouse. Member of Alpha Tau Omega and ARX (Blue Key).Jacques D. Rietzke (A/S ’48, MA ’66), Toledo, Jan. 17 at 86. Ruth (Halak) Stasiak (A/S ’48), Sylvania, Jan. 9 at 84. Robert F. Comte Sr. (Bus ’49), Perrysburg, Jan. 6 at 85.Garry Schuster, Tamarac, Fla., att. 1949-1952, Feb. 13 at 80. John “Jack” Schwan (Ed ’49), Beverly Hills, Fla., Dec. 28 at 84.Ellen R. (Renz) Sell (A/S ’49), Toledo, Jan. 3 at 83. Delta Delta Delta member.Richard C. Van Hoesen (Bus ’49), Acton, Calif., Dec. 26 at 85.

1950s*Mary A. Powers (Bus ’50), Toledo, Jan. 4 at 85. Alpha Gamma Delta member.James Verner Jr. (A/S ’51, MBA ’52), Toledo, Jan. 3 at 82. James H. Aufderheide (Eng ’52), Sylvania, Dec. 15 at 80. Frank J. Beakas (Eng ’52), Toledo, Dec. 1 at 82.**Donald R. Fraser (A/S ’52), Fort Myers, Fla., Dec. 28 at 83. Taught patent and intellectual property law at UT in the 1960s. Kenneth C. Hackett (Pharm ’52), Cottonwood, Ariz., Sept. 19 at 82. **Alfred A. Hahn Jr. (Eng ’52), Toledo, Nov. 16 at 86. His architectural firm handled many University Hall renovations.Hazel (Murphy) Minke (Ed ’52), Grand Rapids, Mich., Oct. 29 at 80. Robert H. Schultz (Ed ’52, MEd ’58), Maumee, Dec. 6 at 81.Diana J. (Stereff) Griffin (Ed ’53), Sylvania Twp., March 5 at 78. **James R. Schultz (Eng ’53), Kalamazoo, Mich., Nov. 2 at 87.Clare E. (Connor) Carroll (Ed ’54), Toledo, Dec. 30 at 100.**Morton S. DeGroff (Eng ’54), Stryker, Ohio, Jan. 18 at 83. On UT golf team. Rev. LeRoy K. Jordan (A/S ’54), Atlanta, Feb. 26 at 83. O. Devere Line (Bus ’54, MBA ’65), Findlay, Jan. 27 at 79. Former president of Sigma Phi Epsilon and his junior class. Joanne (Saxer) Loss (Ed ’54), St. Louis, Mo., Nov. 19 at 78. Pi Beta Phi member.Jean F. (Kohl) Miller (Ed ’54), Toledo, March 3 at 78. Kappa Delta member. Howard R. Minke (Eng ’54), Grand Rapids, Mich., Oct. 13 at 81. Robert W. Breese (Eng ’55), Maumee, Jan. 12 at 78. Mark H. Forsthoefel (MA ’55), Plymouth, Mich., Sept. 1 at 82. John W. Macksey (Bus ’55), Toledo, Feb. 22 at 78. Nancy L. Rudes (Ed ’55), Toledo, Nov. 24 at 81. Chi Omega member.

*Philip A. Flis (Bus ’57), Sylvania, March 1 at 81. Collegian editor, Blue Key member. **Baxter J. Bell Sr. (Eng ’58), Toledo, Jan. 11 at 75. Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Downtown Coaches Association member.Urban C. Huth (Bus ’58), Sylvania, Dec. 30 at 93.Thomas A. Markwood, Toledo, att. 1958-1964, Nov. 26 at 71. William Patrick (Bus ’58), Toledo, Dec. 12 at 75. Lawrence A. Pioch (Bus ’58), Toledo, Dec. 17 at 75. Jean A. (Tallman) McFarland (Ed ’59), Toledo, Feb. 5 at 74.

1960sMichael R. Hart (Ed ’60), Jackson, Mich., Dec. 8 at 81. Alpha Sigma Phi member.Cornelia D. Price, Toledo, att. 1960s, 1970s, Dec. 19 at 86. Nancy L. (Sprague) Blattner (Ed ’61), Toledo, Feb. 2 at 71. Powell J. Kingsley Sr. (Ed ’63, MEd ’70), Milford, Mich., Jan. 24 at 69. Theta Chi past president, Blue Key member. Robert J. Lanz (MEng ’63), Sylvania, Jan. 15 at 79.Benjamin F. Myers Jr. (Ed ’63), Interlochen, Mich., Feb. 2 at 71. *Maryann M. (Dickey) McCormick (MA ’64), Pinehurst, N.C., Feb. 14 at 74. Chi Omega member. Sarah C. (Copeland) Harris (MEd ’65), Toledo, Nov. 5 at 81. Phi Delta Kappa member.Edward W. Sanders Jr. (Pharm ’66), Erie, Mich., Jan. 10 at 68.Richard C. Hinds, Toledo, att. 1967-1972, Nov. 22 at 62. **Edward G. Johnson Jr. EdD (EdD ’67), Boonville, Mo., Oct. 18 at 88.Kenneth M. Brown (Ed ’68), Oregon, Feb. 28 at 83. Rev. John T. Burkett (MEd ’68), Toledo, Feb. 11 at 85. Thomas C. Jankowski (UTCTC ’68), Erie, Mich., Feb. 8 at 63.Mark W. Knerr (MEd ’68), Whitehouse, Dec. 17 at 83. Donald H. Reighard (Ed ’68), Swanton, Dec. 13 at 92.Bob E. Rose, Montpelier, Ohio, att. 1968-1975, Feb. 12 at 60. Lettered in Rockets football 1969, 1970, 1971; first-team all-MAC honors. Inducted into Varsity T Hall of Fame in 2005. James Schrinel (Bus ’69), Citrus Heights, Calif., May 3, 2010 at 64.

1970sJames E. Bartsch, Toledo, att. 1970-1976, Feb. 18 at 58. Benjamin A. Duckworth (MBA ’70), Livonia, Mich., Jan. 8 at 71. Timothy A. Leonard (A/S ’70, MA ’73), Sylvania, Nov. 24 at 62.

Linda L. (Lytle) Rawlins (Ed ’70, MEd ’86), Tecumseh, Mich., Dec. 9 at 62. Elizabeth Duffey-Parker (UTCTC ’71), Ottawa Hills, Nov. 17 at 60.George P. Hotz (Bus ’71), Papillion, Neb., Nov. 7 at 63.**James Konicki (UTCTC ’71), Toledo, Feb. 17 at 60. Natasha “Nancy” Sahadi (Ed ’71, MEd ’78), New York, Nov. 28 at 61.John N. Williams (A/S ’71), Santa Maria, Calif., Nov. 30 at 61.Vincent A. Wuwert (UTCTC ’71), Toledo, Feb. 10 at 65. Nancy J. (Richards) Bedsole (Ed ’72, MEd ’87, Ed Spec ’90), Waterville, Jan. 14 at 60. Randy V. Florence (UTCTC ’72), Toledo, Dec. 20 at 59.Timothy Mix (Bus ’72), Northwood, March 5 at 67. Jerry L. Oberhaus (MEd ’72, Ed Spec ’78), Gibsonburg, Dec. 20 at 66. Catherine R. Schoenfelt (Ed ’72, MEd ’91), Holland, Nov. 13 at 59.Jeffrey S. Woodard Sr., Toledo, att. 1972-1974, Jan. 28 at 56. Dale A. Bugbee (Univ Coll ’73), Sylvania, Jan. 21 at 75. Richard A. Farquharson (UTCTC ’73, Eng ’82), Rossford, Nov. 29 at 58. On Rockets football team in 1971.John T. Landwehr (Law ’73), Perrysburg, Feb. 25 at 67.Vanessa L. (Jones) Mays, Toledo, att. 1973-1975, Jan. 12 at 56. Gerald A. Mazuchowski (Ed ’73), Toledo, March 2 at 59. David A. Ankney (UTCTC ’74), Montpelier, Va., Nov. 29 at 56.Vivian A. Boyd (Ed ’74, MEd ’81), Toledo, Feb. 9 at 58. Marjorie A. (Hughes) Brenizer (Ed ’74, MEd ’82, Ed Spec ’88), Holland, Feb. 8 at 58. Phi Delta Kappa member. Max H. Luce (Bus ’74), Temperance, Mich., Jan. 18 at 76. Janet L. (Bauer) McCarren (Ed ’76), Toledo, Dec. 27 at 80.Kathleen A. Stockwell (Ed ’76, MEd ’81), Toledo, Jan. 15 at 58. Robert L. Johnson (A/S ’77), Toledo, Nov. 2 at 56.Venita “Darlene” (Mann) Moore EdD (A/S ’77, MEd ’98, EdD ’06), Toledo, March 2 at 55. Michael Plotka (Eng ’77), Independence, Ky., Jan. 16 at 63. Charlotte A. (Martin) Wheatley (UTCTC ’77), Toledo, Nov. 27 at 80.Thelma (Parker) Saggese (MEd ’78), Toledo, Dec. 27 at 92. Delta Kappa Gamma member. Robin S. Connor (UTCTC ’79), Toledo, Dec. 6 at 59.Mariann R. Forman (A/S ’79), Toledo, March 7 at 55. Neil H. Light (Law ’79), Toledo, Feb. 8 at 57. Sara M. “Sally” McGrath EdD (EdD ’79), Spring Township, Pa., Nov. 6 at 70.



John P. Purifie (Ed ’79), Toledo, Dec. 8 at 54.Thomas D. Renard (Bus ’79, MBA ’91), Waterville, March 3 at 76.

1980sWil Clay, Toledo, att. 1980s, Jan. 13 at 72.Lt. Col. Grant E. Gabriel (Bus ’80, Law ’83), Holland, Feb. 2 at 51. Ruth M. (Ralston) Johanssen (MEd ’80), Columbus, Jan. 2 at 87. Alberto Leonardi (A/S ’80), Toledo, Nov. 9 at 72.Peggy M. Harris (UTCTC ’81), Toledo, Jan. 19 at 73. Robert A. Huebner (MBA ’81), Toledo, Jan. 16 at 56. **Gladys Rust RN (UTCTC ’81, A/S ’86), North Port, Fla., Jan. 19 at 66. Mary F. (Sabbagh) Taylor (UTCTC ’81, Ed ’89), Bloomdale, Ohio, Jan. 11 at 70. Thomas H. Thebes (MBA ’81), Toledo, Dec. 10 at 81. Rena J. (Thayer) Frantz (UTCTC ’82, A/S ’84), Grand Rapids, Nov. 11 at 78.Nancy J. (Fahringer) Hayes (UTCTC ’82), Waterville, Nov. 5 at 62.Randall J. Hoch (Eng ’82), Bottineau, N.D., Dec. 11 at 52. Lettered in UT wrestling.Marc A. Quinn, Rocky River, att. 1983-1985, Dec. 24 at 45.Barbara Seymour (UTCTC ’83, A/S ’86), Gahanna, Ohio, Nov. 22 at 74. Sharon A. Deak (UTCTC ’84), Oregon, Dec. 28 at 49. Jeffrey A. Hess (Bus ’84), Neptune Beach., Fla., Nov. 30 at 49.Joseph H. Loeffler (A/S ’84, Law ’87), Sylvania, Jan. 30 at 49.Randi L. O’Lone (A/S ’84), Jackson, Mich., Jan. 13 at 57. Linda M. (Lahrman) Simmons (Ed ’84, MEd ’91), Nov. 14 at 62.Michael W. Rickard (Ed ’85), Toledo, Dec. 27 at 60.Debra A. Leshinski (Bus ’87), Toledo, Feb. 11 at 47. *Richard A. Mosiniak (Bus ’87), Swanton, Dec. 26 at 54.*Sarah M. (Kohl) Strasbourg (MEd ’87), Toledo, Feb. 26 at 53. Sheila R. (Bailar) Schlievert (UTCTC ’88), Curtice, Feb. 19 at 63. Sandra L. Abell-Lemmon (UTCTC ’89, Univ Coll ’92), Toledo, Jan. 14 at 67. Joyce G. (Weatherly) Dollimore (UTCTC ’89), Toledo, Dec. 24 at 82.Marcella “Marci” (Colton) Dvorak (MEd ’89), Ottawa Hills, Jan. 31 at 57. Instructor in UT Department of Social Work since 1996. *Frances “Dee” (Stallkamp) Fleeman (Ed Spec ’89), Fort Wayne, Ind., Feb. 19 at 72. Jonathan C. Jones (UTCTC ’89), Torrance, Calif., Dec. 3 at 47.

1990sLinda M. (Gardner) Cherry (MEd ’90), Oak Harbor, Nov. 8 at 61.Michelle L. Sharif-Anderson (A/S ’92), Toledo, Nov. 13 at 42.Velda J. Jackson (UTCTC ’93, Univ Coll ’96), Toledo, Jan. 16 at 54.Jeffrey V. McFellin, Toledo, att. 1993 to 1998, Dec. 3 at 36. Student manager for Rockets men’s basketball team. Sue E. (Wiggins) Jakeway (MEd ’94), Sylvania, Nov. 29 at 71.James A. Hustwick (Univ Coll ’96, MEd ’99), Toledo, Jan. 7 at 59.Melody (Schneider) Connolly (Univ Coll ’97), Maumee, Feb. 25 at 58.Zaneta (Michelle) Lampkin (UTCTC ’97), Toledo, Feb. 20 at 37. Barbara J. (Young) Saggese (UTCTC ’97), Toledo, Nov. 17 at 66. David W. Woods (Ed ’97), Perrysburg, Nov. 8 at 47.

2000sTina M. (Wheelock) Murphy, Toledo, att. 2001-2009, Feb. 24 at 48. Jennifer M. (Brickner) Sugg (Ed ’01), Toledo, Dec. 6 at 31. Cherie L. (Kadas) Moore, Toledo, att. 2003-2006, Feb. 21 at 48. Krista M. (Knox) Mullen (Ed ’03), Toledo, Dec. 3 at 30.Barbara R. (Baranowski) Newland (Univ Coll ’06), Tiffin, Jan. 4 at 64.Maxx V. Parker, Toledo, att. 2006-2008, Jan. 17 at 22. William L. Carswell (AHHS ’07, HHS ’09), Toledo, Dec. 11 at 53. Tiffany F. (Moore) Inderbitzin (Univ Coll ’09), Perrysburg, Jan. 4 at 34.

Faculty, Staff & FriendsRobert C. Bobo MD, Sylvania, longtime associate professor in the College of Medicine and volunteer professor in clinical pediatrics, Jan. 25 at 68. Marios Boucouras MD, Naples, Fla., clinical assistant professor in MCO Department of Surgery’s Division of Orthopedics from 1970 to 1987, Dec. 20 at 89.John T. “Jack” Cairns, Toledo, Jan. 23 at 81. After a newspaper career, he joined MCO from 1984 to 1994 as a communication specialist in the Executive Office of Communications.Robert F. Cavalear, Perrysburg, who served on the board of the UT Foundation from 1994 to 2000,

Dec. 4 at 85. He established a UT scholarship in his name. Marty L. Clark (A/S ’60), Toledo, a 30-year public information veteran at UT, Dec. 15 at 73. He joined the Office of Public Information in 1967, handling duties that ranged from writing and reporting to media relations and taking on the editorship of UTimes, the internal news publication, receiving recognition for the last with a WIC Crystal Award in 1996. He retired in 1997. Inez K. Cox, Toledo, UT Bookstore cashier from 1962 to her 1980 retirement, Dec. 24 at 90.Perry Edmond, Toledo, UT custodial worker from 1970 until his 1988 retirement, Jan. 18 at 88. Candy A. Elton-Sherman (Univ Coll ’95), Whitehouse, who worked at UT from 1990 to 2009, Dec. 4 at 61. Hired as an accounting clerk, she was later an executive secretary in University Development, which became Institutional Advancement and where she subsequently worked as a budget analyst.Carol A. (Pollauf) Favorite, Toledo, clerical specialist for Residence Life in Carter Hall since 2008, Feb. 24 at 57.Donald J. Fritz, Toledo, UT mechanic from 1981 until his retirement, Feb. 5 at 76. Carol Ann Gall, Toledo, who worked from 1980 to 1997 in Central/Mail Services, Dec. 28 at 73. Phyllis J. Gross, Toledo, MCO Quality Assessment Department secretary from 1984 until her 1994 retirement, Nov. 12 at 85.L. Ilean (Myles) Hufford, Toledo, secretary for the first MCO dean, Dec. 12 at 78.David M. Huffstetler, Toledo, who worked in Athletics for more than 20 years, Jan. 2 at 69. He joined the staff in 1984 and retired as head athletic trainer in 2008. Last fall, the training room in the Larimer Athletic Complex was named in his honor; in February he posthumously received the UT Varsity T Club’s Distinguished Service Award.Richard M. Krill PhD, Toledo, who joined the UT faculty in 1968, retiring in 1999 as professor emeritus of classics and humanities, Jan. 15 at 72. Chair of the Foreign Languages Department and Faculty Senate member, Krill also served on the College of Arts and Sciences Council, the University Policy Council and the Center for International Studies Committee. Integral in establishing UT’s annual Foreign Language Day, also lecturer and clinical associate in the MCO Department of Anatomy from 1969 to 1988. Rev. Lyman W. Liggins, Columbus, civic leader who served on the UT Board of Trustees, Nov. 20 at 89. In 1978, he was appointed to fill an unexpired term on the UT Board of Trustees, the next year starting a full nine-year

term, serving as vice chair and member of several committees. He also served on the UT Foundation Board from 1990 to 1994.Ruby C. Lindley, Toledo, MCO custodian who retired in 2000, Dec. 9 at 73.Donald F. Loeffler MD, Catawba Island, Ohio, longtime volunteer MCO faculty, Jan. 11 at 86. He was a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Radiology from 1982 until he retired from practice in 2004.Michael Manheim PhD, Strafford, Vt., professor emeritus of English, Jan. 5 at 82. He joined UT in 1961, reaching professor in 1967. Serving as associate dean for humanities in the College of Arts and Sciences for several years, he was twice named chair of English, and led the Master of Liberal Studies Program from 1984 until his 1987 retirement. He received the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1974, an Outstanding Merit Award in 1986, and an Outstanding Research Award in 1987. His University service included Faculty Senate, the College of Arts and Sciences Council, and the UT chapter of Phi Kappa Phi.Dulce (DiDio) McClean, Toledo, who retired as supervisor of the Latin American section of cataloguing at Carlson Library in 1989, March 2 at 84. She joined UT in 1969 as assistant cataloguer, foreign languages/instructor of library administration. Following promotion to associate professor in 1978 she was also assistant to the director for research. Ernesto E. Moreno PhD, Toledo, who taught Spanish in the Department of Foreign Languages from 1965 until his 1982 retirement as professor emeritus, Nov. 29 at 95. As associate professor, the native of Cuba was instrumental in the implementation of an interdisciplinary curriculum in Latin American studies, as well as organizing an annual exchange student program with Centro Universitario de Toledo in Toledo, Spain. He also helped build Carlson Library’s Spanish collection.Phyllis A. Murrell, Toledo, who worked in the UT Admission Office and Placement Office from 1968 to 1972, Dec. 7 at 82.Bogdan C. Novak PhD, Sylvania Twp., professor emeritus of history whose internationally recognized work in Slavic and Slovene history included three decades of teaching at UT, Feb. 1 at 91. He joined UT in 1961, reaching professor in 1969. He received the Outstanding Teacher Award in 1964. He retired in 1989.Carl Nowak, Toledo, UT food service for a number of years, Feb. 10 at 62.Gertrude J. “Trudy” Okapal, Toledo, clerical worker in Audio-Visual Services from 1968 to her 1982 retirement, Feb. 25 at 89.


in memoriam


Amos C. Patterson EdD, Metamora, Ohio, who directed many of UT’s efforts in educational media and technology from 1974 to his 1999 retirement, Feb. 13 at 68. An adviser to graduate education students, the associate professor was named Adviser of the Year in 1993 and Outstanding Teacher in 1980. He served as chair of the Department of Educational Media and Technology, director of off-campus education and director of University College’s division of individualized and special programs. In 1997 he was made a University College Fellow. Kevin J. Rees, Toledo, perioperative technician in UTMC Pre-Op Department from 1980 to 2008, Dec. 11 at 50.Marian Rejent MD, Toledo, clinical professor of pediatrics who helped

establish programs for children with disabilities, Feb. 27 at 90. She was director of pediatrics at Maumee Valley Hospital in 1968 when she joined the MCO Department of Pediatrics, becoming a faculty member and acting as chair of pediatrics until 1974. She also was an adjunct professor of public health at UT and established a medical student award fund in her name. Mark C. Schaffer, Toledo, who served on the foundation boards of MUO (2006-2007) and UT (2007-2009), Feb. 16 at 69. Homer F. “Fritz” Schroeder MD, Greensboro, N.C., MCO clinical faculty member in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology from 1970 to 1990, Dec. 19 at 90.Lyman F. Spitzer, Perrysburg, who taught in the College of Law during the mid-1970s, Jan. 10 at 61.

**Bonnie A. (Bright) Taylor (Univ Coll ’76), Sylvania Twp., Jan. 17 at 65. She worked as a histotechnician at MCO. Gertrude A. “Trudy” Thomas (Ed ’35), Maumee, who worked at UT for more than three decades, Nov. 7 at 98. In the 1930s, she was hired as a clerical assistant in the Dean of Administration Office. Following several promotions, she joined the Registrar’s Office in 1951, retiring in 1971 as associate registrar.William N. Thomas Jr. (MEd ’84), Toledo, UTCTC faculty, Jan. 13 at 64. He began in 1975 as an instructor in basic technical and general education, moving to technical science and mathematics and acting chair. In 1990 he was named associate professor and coordinator of developmental mathematics.

Joanne A. Trudeau, Fort Wayne, Ind., public health instructor for several years, Dec. 6 at 83.Susan Villegas, Toledo, MCO Medical Intensive Care Unit nurse from 1979 to her 1995 retirement, Feb. 22 at 59.M. Craig Warren MD, Springboro, Ohio, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine from 2009 to 2010, Jan. 29 at 34.Betty E. Werner RN, Monroe, Mich., who taught nursing at MCO until her retirement in 1989, Dec. 30 at 82.Robert G. Wingerter, Perrysburg, who served on the MCO Board of Trustees in 1970, Jan. 3 at 94.Joyce A. Zang, Southern Pines, N.C., former Satellites Auxiliary president, Feb. 26 at 75.

* Alumni Association member** Lifetime member

arab americans in toledo(The University of Toledo Press, 2010) Edited by Samir Abu-Absi PhD, UT professor emeritus of English

If only baklava and The Beruit come to mind when you think of Toledo’s Arab-American community, allow this book to enlighten you with its diverse interviews, personal essays, historical accounts and

reflections. There are stories you know — those of Jamie Farr and Danny Thomas — but many you don’t: how

“Little Syria” and other Arab neighborhoods formed and flourished, the history (and split) of two Eastern Orthodox churches, the names and stories of several local Arab families, and how the iconic mosque at the I-75/475 junction came to be. Through the various scholars, artists, students and professionals who contribute, you can’t help but appreciate the bravery and determination of the families who emigrated here, as well as the dedication of their descendants to keep cultural traditions and history alive.

— Deanna Woolf

Bibliofilesfrom institutions to independence: A History of People with Disabilities in Northwest Ohio

(The University of Toledo Press, 2010) Edited by Barbara L. Floyd (A/S ’80, MA ’82, MPA ’89), director, Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections

Floyd and four co-authors have crafted a solid and sometimes heartbreaking history of fellow northwest Ohioans and how their disabilities intersected

with popular attitudes of the times. Depending on the century and even the decade, people with disabilities could be encouraged, empowered, marginalized or abused by the institutions created to assist them — sadly, the luck of the draw was often at play. However, heroes get their due, including members of the Toledo Rotary and their Crippled Children’s Movement, and the Toledo Society for the Blind. The most human of the many stories told in the book is that of Alva Bunker, the poverty-plagued boy born with no hands and only one displaced foot; when he came to the attention of Rotarians in 1917, he sparked a quiet revolution.

— C.N.


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2011 spring edition

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