Class Notes/Obits

Please submit your class notes to: Amanda.schwartz@utoledo.edu

’50’s

*Robert O. Fountain (Bus ’59), was honored with the 12th Man Award for his continued commitment to the University of Toledo’s student-athletes and to the UT Athletics Department. He has been affiliated with UT Athletics and the Downtown Coaches Association (DCA) for many years. In 1995-96, Bob was recognized by his peers as the “National Athletic Fundraiser of the Year.” He retired from the University in 1996, but to this day he still assists the DCA with their various fundraising efforts.

’60’s

Larry Rochelle (Ed ’62, Ed Spec ’80), has published “Killing Karaoke,” his 15th thriller in the Palmer Morel Mysteries series. In this book, Palmer Morel needs a hide out to escape from a murder plot. He finds a good place to hide out at the Old-Time Saloon.

James E. Rapp (Eng ’64, MEng ’69), published his book, “A Scientist in the Shadow of God: His Journey of a Lifetime,” in May 2014. The book describes how God used a spirit-filled scientist and his invention to spread the gospel message around the world. His experiences demonstrate how a layperson can minister salvation, healing and deliverance just by being in the right place at the right time. By skillfully embedding biblical teachings into the manuscript, Rapp shows how the scriptures can be used in a natural way to respond to the needs of others.

Rapp served with men’s ministries and on mission boards and taught adult Sunday school classes in local churches. He received extensive Biblical training by attending several international conferences in the U.S. and Singapore. He has served as an associate member of International Charismatic Bible Ministries based at Oral Roberts University. His name is on 32 U.S. patents resulting from many years of research on ceramic materials. These patents produced two businesses and resulted in his selection as a 1998 Distinguished Alumnus of the College of Engineering at UT.

*Sharon Osterud Richards (Ed ’63), was inducted into the Alaska Women’s Hall of Fame in 2012 for her work in establishing a YWCA in Anchorage, Alaska. She was the president of the organizing board then become the first executive director. She grew the organization for the next 14 years from a staff of one to a staff of 14 operating out of their own building. She retired in 2002.

**Francis K. Holtzman (Bus ’65), retired from McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) and moved to Mission Viejo, Calif.

’70’s

Ronald L. Roberts (Bus ’73), developed a product that he believes can reduce concussions in contact sports. He has patented a protective skullcap that uses a thin, waffle-shaped gel liner to absorb and disperse the shock that comes from a blow to the head. The caps, which look like normal skullcaps many football players already wear, are meant to be worn under a standard football helmet or other helmet. Roberts was a member of the defense on UT’s undefeated 1969, 1970 and 1971 football teams. He never suffered a concussion himself, but became increasingly interested as his son began playing football.

Jan Mrozinski Crooker (Ed ’71), had a one-woman show, “Images of Summer Light,” at Bishop’s Stock Gallery in Snow Hill, Md. in July 2014. Her paintings in the show all reflect light we experience during long, lazy summer days.

**David A. Brunkhorst (Eng ’70), was appointed by Gov. John Kasich to the recreation and resources commission for a term lasting through January 31, 2018. Brunkhorst is a resident of Oak Harbor, Ohio.

**Michael S. Hanley (Bus ’77), announced his retirement from Ernst & Young in July 2014, culminating his 36-year career serving global automotive clients. During his tenure at Ernst & Young, he was responsible for managing the firm’s global automotive center in Detroit and for developing the firm’s automotive industry strategy initiatives worldwide. He also served as the senior advisory partner for three component suppliers and two vehicle manufacturers and as the global client service partner for several component suppliers.

Louise A. Jackson (Law ’76), a member of Eastman & Smith LTD, has been elected to serve a three-year term as District 4 representative on the Board of Governors of the Ohio State Bar Association. District 4 includes 1,203 members in Lucas, Ottawa and Sandusky counties.

**Dr. Thomas Wakefield (A/S ’75, MED ’78), head of vascular surgery at The University of Michigan Medical Center, has been appointed as a director of The University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center. The Frankel Cardiovascular Center combines advanced patient care, ground-breaking research, educational opportunities and a culture of collaboration and respect. He is also the 2014-15 president of the University of Toledo Alumni Association.

**Deborah Vargo (UTCTC ’77, NRS ’84, NRSG ’94), has been hired as dean of Madonna University’s College of Nursing and Health. Vargo previously worked as director of the master of science in nursing program and associate professor of Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio.

**Dr. Robert Nielson (A/S ’77), has been named New York State 2014 Family Doctor of the Year. The award, from the New York State Academy of Family Physicians, recognized Nielson’s outstanding contributions as a partner in his patients’ care.

’80’s

**David O. Bisbee (Bus ’82), opened Lakemore Tax and Accounting in Lakemore, Ohio in July 2014. The business offers tax and accounting assistance for individuals and small businesses.

Patricia Gory (Bus ’85), is now director of marketing at Visiting Angels Living Assistance Services in Toledo. Visiting Angels provides top-quality, in-home, elder care service for loved ones.

Dr. Joel Hellman (RES ’87), a cardiologist, has joined SwedishAmerican Health System and Midwest Heart Specialists in Rockford, Ill. He will see patients at the SwedishAmerican Renaissance Pavilion in Rockford.

John W. Henry (A/S ’86), is the co-owner of a new cigar store in Waterville, Ohio, Third Street Cigar. It is a retail store and two-story smoking lounge where Toledo history mixes with blues music and the rich smell of tobacco.

Harold “Hal” Miller (MBA ’89), has moved into a new role as executive advisor to the chief executive officer of Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. He previously served as the president of the international tire division. Miller will assist the company in the process to determine the future ownership of the Cooper Chenghsan (Shandong) Tire Company Ltd. joint venture, as well as continuing to support international segment growth plans and helping to assure and orderly transition in leadership.

Susan M. Watkins (HS ’89), has been named program director for therapy services at Baton Rouge Medical & Therapy Services in Lima, Ohio. She will be responsible for managing all aspects of therapy services at Baton Rouge. Watkins has more than 29 years of physical therapy experience.

Christopher Deeter (Bus ’84, MBA ’85), has been recognized as the American Municipal Power, Inc. “AMP DNA Award” recipient. Deeter is assistant vice president of finance and member credit compliance, and has been with the Columbus-based organization since 2003.

William T. Garbe (Bus ’86), is the new director of client relations of The Trust Company of Toledo. He joins The Trust Company following 11 years with Fifth Third Bank. In his new role, he will be responsible for upholding client service standards and developing new relationships.

’90’s

Kerry Trautman (A/S ’98) had her poetry book, “To Have Hoped,” published. Trautman is active in the Northwest Ohio poetry community and participates in readings and events in the area. Her poetry and short fiction has appeared in journals and anthologies such as “Mourning Sickness”and “Journey to Crone.”

Mary K. Siefke (MBA /99), joined the Toledo Museum of Art staff as chief financial officer. She is active in the community, serving as treasurer for the First Presbyterian Church of Maumee and has been a member of the Parks and Recreation Committee for Perrysburg Parks. Siefke had been with ProMedica Health System since 2002.

Lynnette Werning (A/S ’92), was welcomed as a member in the worldwide collaborative network of boutique PR firms, PR Boutiques International. Her company, Blue Water Communications, brings extensive expertise to the collaborative in the museum and performing arts sector.

Dr. G. R. Jarrod Tudor (A/S ’93, Law ’95), was named as the interim dean and chief administrative officer of Kent State University at Geauga, located in Burton, Ohio, and the Kent State University Regional Academic Center in Twinsburg, Ohio. Tudor has taught courses at Kent State in the departments of paralegal studies, higher education administration, justice studies, political science, finance, history and journalism for 18 years. He has been a member of faculty senate and served on the executive committee for three years. For several years he served as grievance chair for the full-time, non-tenure track chapter of the American Association of University Professors. His one-year appointment began on July 1, 2014.

Vikram Shrivastava (MEng ’97), was awarded the highest post-license certification available in the water resources engineering profession, Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer. He is employed by Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, in their Fairfax, Va. office as a department manager.

Eric Mueller (Ed ’92), recently moved his family from Austin, Texas to Indianapolis, Ind. to become the CEO for Community Rehabilitation Hospital. The hospital is custom-built to enhance patient outcomes and provide the rehab team with access to the best tools in the area.

Wendy Miller (A/S ’92, MA ’96, PhD ’98), is now end user support manager at The Andersons, Inc. in Toledo. The Andersons is a Toledo-owned company that has four retail stores and also works with grain, ethanol, plant nutrient, rail and turf industries.

’00’s

Rahul Parab (MEng ’03), was awarded the highest post-license certification available in the water resources engineering profession, Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer. He is employed by Dewberry, a privately held professional services firm, in their New York City office as a project manager.

Brian Wiggins (Bus ’05), an Ohio attorney and partner at Wiggins & Hall Law Group, LLC, located in Dayton, Ohio, became licensed to practice in Florida. At the firm, he represents clients in estate and probate matters, including those involving business succession planning and elder law.

Zachary D. Prendergast (Law ’06), joined the firm of Roetzel & Andress, LPA as an associate. He will work in the Cincinnati office and practice in the business litigation group.

Kristen Miller (Law ’09), has been promoted to registrar of Adrian College, located in Adrian, Mich. She previously served the college as assistant registrar. Adrian College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college offering degrees in 40 academic majors and programs.

**Wonna Paul Sehzue (Univ Coll ’04), has been hired as the head track and field coach of the boys team at Golden Gate High School in Naples, Fla. He was a three-time Mid-American Conference hurdles champion and school record holder at UT. Competing for Liberia, Sehzue reached the quarterfinals in the 110-meter hurdles at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

’10’s

*Matt Rubin (LLSS ’11, MBA ’13) and Breanne Rubin (Democko) (A/S ’09, Law /12), were featured on an episode of “House Hunters” that aired July 22, 2014 on HGTV. Television cameras followed the recently married couple around the Toledo area as they searched for their first home. Matt wanted to live downtown and Bre wanted a home in the Toledo suburbs. After weighing their options on national TV, they chose a loft in downtown Toledo’s warehouse district.

Matt has been reappointed by Gov. John Kasich to the Ohio Commission on Service and Volunteerism until April 21, 2017.

Dr. Raji Jacob (RES ’10), has joined Perry Memorial Hospital in Princeton, Ill. as a new physician. She is board certified in nephrology and internal medicine. Jacob is employed with the Illinois Kidney Disease and Hypertension Center in Peoria.

Sarah Matter (MEd ’11), has been named the head of materials management at Fisher-Titus Medical Center, located in Norwalk, Ohio. Matter has been employed at Fisher-Titus since 2008 and has served as supply specialist, supply chain analyst and most recently as assistant director of materials management.

**Andrew Black (A/S ’10), had his doctoral dissertation published on OhioLink. Black has his master of arts in media and communication from Bowling Green State University and his thesis title is “DTV Implementation: A Case Study of Angola, Indiana.”

Markus Rasmus (MBA ’12), has been named commercial real estate relationship manager at Fifth Third Bank in Northwestern Ohio. He will be responsible for developing new and maintaining existing relationships with commercial real estate developers and investors.

Dr. Karen LaSalle (MED ’10), has joined New Beginnings Pediatrics in Norwalk, Ohio and will also join the medical staff at the Fisher-Titus Medical Center in Norwalk and the Bellevue, Ohio hospital.

*John Luckoski (MLS ’13), entered a video contest for The Khan Academy, a nonprofit organization that offers free educational videos online, and won. He not only won the video contest, he also won a separate, but related, writing contest. The contests were part of an initiative to provide free, online resources for students preparing for the revised Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) that will be administered in 2015.

Faculty, staff & friends

Brian A. Patrick, a professor in the communications department at UT, published his latest book, “Zombology: Zombies and the Decline of the West (and Guns).” The book talks about how the zombie phenomenon represents a disturbance in the western collective unconscious caused by mass anxiety over the widely perceived decline of western civilization.

Births and Marriages

Megan Michelle Schmidt (MEd ’11) and Derek Rafael Wiesenberg will exchange vows on October 4 at St. Joan of Arc in Toledo. Megan works as an art teacher at Community Middle School in Princeton, Ind.

Mike Hentges (Bus ’93) and his wife, Jo (Dioletti), celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary in June 2014. They renewed their vows surrounded by their children, grandchildren and friends at St. Ignatius Catholic Church in Oregon, Ohio.

**Dr. Nancy E. Collins (A/S ’69, MS ’74) welcomed her newest grandson, Nathanael Heffner Napier, into the world on July 4, 2014.

David Woolford (Bus ’64) and Susan (Steele) (Ed ’64) celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary in May 2014. They have been blessed with three children and nine grandchildren.

Kassi Kadesch (Ed ’12), married Jared Easley in August 2014 at the United Methodist Church in Paulding, Ohio.

*Mark Fox (A/S ’99, MS ’04, Law ’07) and Sheri Copanic were married on May 25, 2014 in Portland, Maine. They took a train ride on the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad following the ceremony and held their reception at the Westin Portland Harborview. They celebrated with friends and family on June 14, 2014 at the William and Carol Koester Alumni Pavilion on UT’s Main Campus. Mark works at UT as a patent technology associate in the technology transfer department and Sheri works at Health Care REIT at their corporate headquarters in Toledo. (photo courtesy of Kurt Nielsen Photography)

Faculty, staff & friends

**George Robinson

**Virginia Northup, Toledo at 101.

Rose T. Biscard, Toledo at 89. She was a 26-year member of the Satellites Auxiliary who volunteered in the hospital gift shop.

**Mary Pat Boatfield (Ed ’74, MEd ’85), Hallsville, Mo. at 64. She was a supervisor and instructor in the division of laboratory animal medicine at MCO from 1978-1985.

Dr. John Boening, Maumee, Ohio at 72. He joined the English department as an instructor in 1969 and was promoted to assistant professor in 1971, associate professor in 1975 and professor in 1980. Boening served as department chair from 1991-1997. He had an international reputation as a comparative literature scholar. He wrote a 10-volume compilation titled “The Reception of Classical German Literature in England, 1760-1860: A Documentary History from Contemporary Periodicals” (1997), and was working on a book on the German poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s art criticism. Boening was on the arts and sciences council, a senior fellow of the UT Humanities Institute and a member of the honor society Phi Kappa Phi. When he retired in 2006, he was named professor emeritus.

Catherine M. Heintschel, Toledo at 68. She was a MCO/MUO employee.

Constance A. Netter (Ed ’50, MEd ’57), Toledo at 85. She was a volunteer with the Satellites Auxiliary who worked in the hospital gift shop. Netter was also a member of Zeta Tau Alpha.

Gloria A. Roach, Toledo at 86. She was a cashier and account clerk in the UT Finance Department from 1972-1983.

**Kenneth Lowell McGill (Eng ’50), Titusville, Fla. at 86. Ken served many roles with the University of Toledo Alumni Association, serving as President of the Alumni Association from 1970-71 and was also awarded the Blue T Award at the Homecoming Gala in 1974. McGill was honored with the 12^th Man Award for his continued commitment to the University of Toledo’s student-athletes and to the UT Athletics Department

30’s

Daniel Gluck (A/S ’35), North Palm Beach, Fla. at 100.

40’s

Frank Nisch (Bus ’48), Sylvania, Ohio at 89.

Donald St. John (Eng ’49), Perrysburg, Ohio at 90.

50’s

Rodger Wadsworth (Bus ’53), Sylvania, Ohio at 84.

*Bert Warrick (Eng ’57, Law ’64), Sylvania, Ohio at 82.

Lewis Whitman (Ed ’52), Allison Park, Pa. at 96.

Constance Netter (Ed ’50, MEd ’57), Toledo at 86.

James Fallon (Eng ’50), Perrysburg, Ohio at 90.

Joanne Alder (Ed ’52), Amarillo, Texas at 82.

LeMarr French (Pharm ’58), Willoughby, Ohio at 83.

**Marilyn Gabriel (Ed ’50, MEd ’74, Ed Spec ’78), Sylvania, Ohio at 85.

Thomas Meeker (Bus ’54, MBA ’60), Kalamazoo, Mich. at 81.

60’s

Donna Michalski (Ed ’68, MA ’70), Mission, Texas at 88.

**David Boost (Ed ’68, MEd ’75), Fredericksburg, Va. at 68.

Karen Jahns (Ed ’61), Toledo at 76.

George Chorba (Ed ’68), Galion, Ohio at 69.

70’s

John Chovan (Eng ’73), North Olmsted, Ohio at 89.

Ralph Behrendt (Bus ’77), Toledo at 63.

Curtis Cotton (Ed ’71, MEd ’74), Toledo at 76.

Nellie Edwards (MEd ’77), Toledo at 70.

Dr. Conrad Pritscher (PhD ’71), Maumee, Ohio at 82.

Lisa Gottschalk (A/S ’77), Toledo at 59.

John Hyma (MBA ’75), Sylvania, Ohio at 81.

Susan Tucker (UTCTC ’79), Toledo at 68.

Leonard Scheuer (UTCTC ’77), Oregon, Ohio at 62.

*Catherine McDonough (MA ’77), Saint Petersburg, Fla. at 79.

Clara Straight (UTCTC ’74), Bowling Green, Ohio at 89.

Frank M. Carrozza (Law ’71), Muskegon, Mich. at 69.

80’s

**Karen Fulton (A/S ’85), Scotts, Mich. at 51.

James Stefango (Eng ’81), Ann Arbor, Mich. at 60.

Franklin Kuhr (Bus ’88), Holland, Ohio at 54.

Linda Turk (Liming) (Ed ’85), Swanton, Ohio at 53.

90’s

Linda Seibert (Pharm ’94), Tipp City, Ohio at 57.

Timothy Meyer (MA ’90), Luckey, Ohio at 63.

00’s

Joseph Evans (HSHS ’00), Toledo at 47.

*Annual Alumni Association Member
**Lifetime Alumni Association Member