Class Notes
Please Submit Your Class Note to: Amanda.Schwartz@utoledo.edu
’60’s
*Dr. James A. Young (MA ’66) presented “The Only Losers Were the Workers: The Agony and the Redemption of Cold War Combatants in the Electrical Industry” at the Joint Conference of the Labor and Working-Class History Association and the Working-Class Studies Association at Georgetown University. Young is a professor emeritus of history at Edinboro University and is retired from professional staff work at the Service Employees International Union. He also belongs to the National Writers Union. Young anticipates the publication of his manuscript “Workin’ for the General: The Electrical Workers’ Fight for Industrial Democracy at BE, 1937-1970” late in 2015.
Rev. Henry “Hank” Harris (Ed ’67, Law ’70) retired as the pastor from St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Massillon, Ohio. Harris had been the leader of the parish for 26 years.
Dr. Homer Wesley Brown (A/S ’65) practiced 40 years as a pediatrician in Bowling Green, Ohio, Mentor, Ohio and other various locations. Brown is now hospitalized in a Veterans Administration medical center in Cleveland, Ohio with ALS. He enjoyed his time at UT and worked in the University bookstore for four years. He earned his medical degree at the University of Cincinnati.
’70’s
| Sister Leanne Kerschner (MEd ’79, MBA ’81) celebrated her Golden Jubilee in July at St. Mary Church in Tiffin, Ohio. The Golden Jubilee is the 50th anniversary of when a sister entered or professed vows in her religious community. Sister Kerschner is now assistant finance director for Health Partners of Western Ohio in Lima, Ohio. |  |
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Dora Lopez (UTCTC ’76, A/S ’90, MEd ’95) was recently named as the executive director of the Sofia Quintero Art and Cultural Center (SQACC). The SQACC provides interest, awareness, and education about Latino art, heritage, and culture through events and programs in Toledo. |
Douglas Berry (Law ’78) has been recognized by his peers as one of the top lawyers in Washington state and named to the 2015 Super Lawyers list. Berry is an attorney in the Seattle office of Miller Nash Graham & Dunn in the franchise/dealership field.
| *Larry R. Cook (A/S ’78, MA ’79) is the 2015 recipient of the Book of Golden Deeds award from the Fremont Exchange Club. The award recognizes dedicated volunteers in the Fremont, Ohio area. Cook has been a volunteer at the Hayes Presidential Center for more than 30 years. He has assisted with the manuscripts division, helped patrons, conducted tours, performed research, written descriptions and processed some of the sites most important papers. |  |
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Paul A. Logan (Law ’79) was ordained as a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Logan is an attorney with Powell Trachtman Logan Carrle & Lombardo P.C. and a professor in the College of Engineering at Drexel University. |
’80’s
Dr. Thomas Steinemann (MED ’85) is the recipient of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 2015 Secretariat Award, which recognizes special contributions to the Academy and to ophthalmology. Steinemann was also awarded the 2014-2015 Teacher of the Year award by the Cleveland Clinic Cole Eye Institute.
| **Dr. John K. Estell (Eng ’84) was elected as a member of the ABET Computing Accreditation Commission Executive Committee for the 2016-2017 accreditation cycle. ABET currently accredits approximately 3,400 programs at nearly 700 colleges and universities in 28 countries. Estell is professor of computer engineering and computer science in the electrical and computer engineering and computer science department at Ohio Northern University. |  |
**Thomas Reinehr (Eng ’85) was promoted to principal fellow of The Raytheon Company, Space and Airborne Systems in El Segundo, Calif. The Raytheon Company builds radars and other sensors for aircraft, spacecraft and ships.
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Terry Flood (Eng ’87) received the Crystal Crucible Award from the Ohio Water Environment Association. The award recognizes individuals for outstanding achievement and professionalism in laboratory analysis. Flood is a chemist at Lucas County’s Water Resource Recovery Facility, which treats 22 million gallons of water per day. |
Gary D. Benz (Law ’84) was named as senior vice president, Strategy at FirstEnergy Corp., headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Benz will lead the ongoing refinement of FirstEnergy’s corporate strategy and long-term business forecast, monitor strategy implementation and oversee development of new business opportunities.
| *Sharon Speyer (Law ’85) was appointed as Chair of the UT Board of Trustees. Speyer joined the board in 2009. She is the president of the Northwest Ohio Region for Huntington National Bank, a subsidiary of Huntington Bancshares. She has also served on the Alumni Association’s Board of Trustees. |  |
Scott McClure (MA ’88) was named as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference commissioner. McClure will be the conference’s first full-time commissioner.
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Marta J. Hoffman (Univ Coll ’88, Law ’92) was appointed by the American Health Lawyers Association to serve as a vice chair of the national organization’s Hospital and Health Systems Practice Group. Hoffman is a healthcare attorney with Plunkett Cooney, a firm out of Bloomfield Hills, Mich. |
Jeffrey K. Haidet (Law ’85) is the co-CEO of the world’s largest law firm now that Dentons US and McKenna Long combined in July 2015. Dentons will serve clients from more than 125 locations across 50-plus countries. It will boast approximately 6,600 lawyers and professionals worldwide, with more than 1,100 of them based in the United States.
’90’s
| Michael Voss (Ed ’92) is the new technology director for the New Albany-Plain Local School District, located in New Albany, Ohio. |  |
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*Dr. Greg Rawski (MBA ’99, PhD ’05) has been named the dean of the Schroeder Family School of Business at the University of Evansville, located in Evansville, Ind. Prior to accepting this position, he served as the business school’s associate dean. |
’00’s
| Nick Miller (Ed ’05) is now the assistant principal at Dover Intermediate School, located in Westlake, Ohio. |  |
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Travis L. Rhoades, PE (Eng ’04) has been named 2015 Young Engineer of the Year by the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers. Rhoades is a structural engineer with The Mannik & Smith Group, located in Maumee, Ohio. He was recognized for this statewide award based on his community and professional work, as well as his commitment to the engineering profession. |
Dr. Anne Marteel-Parrish (PhD ’03) is the recipient of the Centennial Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Iota Sigma Pi, the National honor Society for Women in Chemistry, recognizes and celebrates accomplished women in the field. Marteel-Parrish teaches specialty courses such as fundamentals of materials science, and green and sustainable chemistry.
| *Philip Sanford (MBA ’08) was awarded The Alumni Impact Award at the 2015 Seton Hall “Many Are One” Alumni Awards Gala. This award is presented to an alumnus or alumna whose extraordinary contributions of time, talent or treasure have greatly advanced the mission of the University. |  |
Anthony Hall (Bus ’06, Law ’11) is a pre-litigation attorney in the new Toledo office of Kisling, Nestico & Redick. The firm focuses on representing plaintiffs in person injury lawsuits resulting from work injuries and motor vehicle accidents as well as medical malpractice and dangerous drugs and devices.
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*Dr. Joshua M. Paiz (A/S ’09, MA ’11) has been awarded his PhD in English/second language studies from Purdue University and will be joining the faculty of New York University Shanghai. |
| Dr. Kurt Stewart (MED ’07) placed second in the world at the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons Top Gun Competition for most skilled surgeon at their 2015 annual meeting. Stewart is completing his post graduate advanced surgical training at the Minnesota Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery, located in Crosby, Minn. |  |
’10’s
*Derek Batt (Bus ’15) was recently hired at Assured Neace Lukens as a commercial lines agent. Assured Neace Lukens specializes in commercial property and casualty insurance, employee benefits, risk management and personal insurance coverage.
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Dr. Quratulain Chaudhry (RES ’13) has joined Borgess Internal Medicine at its new location at the Borgess Medical Center, located in Kalamazoo, Mich. Chaudhry specializes in women’s health. |
*Tyler Kinner (NSM ’14) is among the first 36 Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellows. The competitive program recruits both recent graduates and career changers with strong backgrounds in STEM fields and prepares them specifically to teach in high-need secondary schools.
Faculty, staff & friends
Births and Marriages
Nicole Zgela (Pharm ’06, PharmD ’08) and Andrew Hamons announced their engagement and are planning a September 12, 2015 wedding in Marblehead, Ohio.
| Brandi Rice (Ed ’09) and Michael Ottenbacher (HSHS ’09) were married on August 15, 2015. Rice is employed at Furry Elementary School in Sandusky, Ohio and Ottenbacher is employed at Ventra and Plumbrook Properties in Sandusky. |  |
*Paige Alexandria Stiriz (Bus ’14) and *Ryan Douglas Johnston (NSM ’14) exchanged wedding vows on June 20, 2015 in Toledo. Stiriz is an account representative at Rolled Alloys in Temperance, Mich. and Johnston is a third year medical student at UT.
Joshua Adam Schardt (HSHS ’10) and Erin Catherine Frazer were married on June 13, 2015 at Daniel Chapel on the campus of Furman University in Greenville, S.C.
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*Dylan Orwig (Eng ’13) and Katherine Smith are engaged and planning a wedding for October 3, 3015. Orwig is an assistant superintendent at The Lathrop Company in Maumee, Ohio and Smith is a residential youth care worker at Lutheran Home Services in Whitehouse, Ohio. |
| Amber Christine Marsh (HSHS ’11) and Gregory John Allred were married on August 15, 2015 at Maumee Bay State Park lodge in Oregon, Ohio. Marsh is a recreation therapist at the Ohio Hospital for Psychiatry in Columbus, Ohio and Allred is a registered nurse at Mount Carmel. |  |
Paul Meyer (Bus ’59) and Joyce (Miller) Meyer celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 11, 2015.
Emilie Johanna Brasher (MSA ’11) and Ross Perry Reyome will be married on September 12, 2015 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Hudson, Ohio.
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Nick Wilson (Bus ’07) and Missy Shevlin are engaged to be married on May 21, 2016 at the Liberty Hotel in Boston, Mass. |
| Kendra Danielle Hudson (Ed ’11) and Matthew Thomas Lindsey are planning a wedding for October 3, 2015 in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. Hudson is a paralegal for the State of Ohio Chiropractic Board and Lindsey is employed by Kroger. |  |
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Benjamin Lee Daniel (Eng ’02) and Brianne Nicole Stang were married on August 22, 2015 at St. Paul United Church of Christ in Bellevue, Ohio. Daniel is a software engineer at Owens Illinois in Toledo and Stang is an operations manager at Flat Rock Homes in Flat Rock, Ohio. |
Faculty, staff & friends
*Howard Schultz (att. 1960), Toledo at 92.
Vicky (Stoll) Naugle, Toledo at 60. She worked at the University for 20 years. Naugle joined the MCO staff in 1994 and worked in the Kobacker Center and was a telephone operator in Service Excellence when she retired in 2014.
Shirley Zawodni, Sylvania, Ohio at 82. She was a former UT employee.
*David J. Fickel (Law ’78), Swanton, Ohio at 61. He retired in 2014 as administrator and clerk in charge of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Toledo. Since 1994, Fickel lectured about bankruptcy-related subjects at UT as a visiting lecturer.
Dr. Joseph I. Shaffer, Toledo at 87. Shaffer joined the UT Psychology Department as an assistant professor in 1966. His early research interests included sleep and stress. The Philadelphia native was well-known for advancing the diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders. In 1985, he founded the Sleep Network Inc., a national consortium of sleep centers. He was president of the Sleep Network and director of the Regional Center for Sleep medicine in Toledo. In 2005, he became an adjunct professor in the MUO Department of Medicine and a professor three years later.
Sue A. Wuest (A/S ’86), Toledo at 58. Wuest was the assistant director of the UT Jack Ford Urban Affairs Center. She had worked at the University since 1991 and was a former member of the Toledo Planning Commission.
Dr. Joseph R. Stevens, Sylvania, Ohio at 92. He was a clinical associate in surgery at MCO in 1970, became a clinical assistant professor in 1975, and a clinical associate professor in 1986. Stevens was a volunteer faculty member until 2003.
Wampa J. Bitz, Holland, Ohio at 87. She was a custodian at UT for 21 years before her retirement.
Dick Meyers, Toledo at 75. Meyers was an architect who had the vision to cultivate beauty on the University’s campuses. As a co-founder of the Collaborative Inc., a Toledo-based design firm, he had a hand in more than 30 landscape design and planning projects on UT campuses. He recently cited his most notable achievement as Centennial Mall, which was a parking lot before he helped design the green space. Meyers also did the planning for the landscape surrounding the Law Center, the site planning for the Student Recreation Center and the expansion of the Student Union. He also worked on many projects on the Health Science Campus, including the original site and landscape design for the Eleanor N. Dana Cancer Center and the Bryant Academic Commons. He also served the University for the past 10 years as a volunteer. He was one of the original members of the President’s Commission on the River, the organization that started the habitat restoration efforts for the 3,700 feet of the Ottawa River running through Main Campus. Meyers also worked on the renovation project around Savage Arena and designed the first river outlook.
Dr. Earl Matthews (PhD ’78), Pemberville, Ohio at 87. He was hired to teach general studies in 1967 and one year later became an instructor in industrial engineering. In 1969, Matthews was named director of the referral service network Office of the State Technical Services Program at the University. Later that year, he was also named assistant to the dean of adult and continuing education. In 1970, he added another title: assistant to the dean of industrial education.
Barbara Jean Huntley, Toledo at 83. She was a library technical assistant at MCO from 1968 until her retirement in 1993.
John H. Keller, Toledo at 71. He was a public address announcer at UT sporting events for a short time.
Anna May Klippel, Worcester, Mass. at 93. She taught chemistry classes at UT in the late 1940s.
Dr. Wendell J. Kollen, Perrysburg, Ohio at 80. Kollen was appointed adjunct research professor of polymer engineering and science in 1987. He continued working in the UT Polymer Institute through the late 1990s. Prior to joining the University, he was a senior physicist at Owens-Illinois Inc.
Violet Ann Pautz, Toledo at 98. She helped to start UT’s electrocardiogram program and served on its advisory board.
Dr. Ursula Ruwe, Lake Mary, Fla. at 89. She was a clinical associate of medicine in 1971 and a clinical associate of family medicine from 1972 to 1978.
30’s
Richard Keller (Bus ’38), Ojai, Calif. at 83.
40’s
Margaret Haughey (Bus ’44), Northridge, Calif. at 91.
**George Gula (Bus ’49), Sylvania, Ohio at 91.
Eugene Kaucki (A/S ’46), McHenry, Ill. at 68.
50’s
Richard Wenzel (Bus ’50), Indianapolis, Ind. at 89.
Donald Higley (Eng ’50), Toledo at 89.
**Joseph McCormick (Pharm ’55), Gaylord, Mich. at 84.
Lloyd Lewis (Ed ’51), Maumee, Ohio at 97.
John McDonald (Eng ’58), Bradenton, Fla. at 82.
June Stalder (Ed ’54), Temperance, Mich. at 83.
Dr. Robert Roberts (A/S ’50), Rehoboth Beach, Del. at 87.
Donald Maher (Bus ’57), Sylvania, Ohio at 55.
James Kritzer (Bus ’54), at 54.
60’s
Beatrice Bruen (MEd ’60), Toledo at 84.
Henry Toney (Eng ’60), Hot Springs Village, Ark. at 87.
Thomas Geiger (A/S ’63), Toledo at 78.
Kenneth Chechak (Ed ’62), Redford, Mich. at 76.
**John Arkebauer (A/S ’60), Sylvania, Ohio at 78.
70’s
Louise Luppens (Ed ’70), Hilliard, Ohio at 91.
*Brian Kest (Ed ’71, MA ’74), Springboro, Ohio at 67.
Lowell Habel (A/S ’79), Irvine, Calif. at 60.
Nathaniel Augustine (A/S ’76), Perrysburg, Ohio at 62.
William Pfau (Law ’78), Canfield, Ohio at 64.
Dr. Katherine Hess (MED ’77), Ashland, Ohio at 63.
Duane Rosenberger (Ed ’76, MEd ’93), Toledo at 73.
Ashley Fox (Pharm ’75), Nixa, Mo. at 71.
Pastor Emma Collins (UTCTC ’77), Toledo at 72.
Stephen Lewandowski (A/S ’74), Williston, Ohio at 66.
Douglas Lewton (A/S ’78, Pharm ’78), Fremont, Ohio at 54.
James Norton (Bus ’74), Maumee, Ohio at 72.
80’s
Donna Cherry (A/S ’88), Albuquerque, N.M. at 87.
Joyce Myers (UTCTC ’81), Liberty Center, Ohio at 82.
Sandra Schwartz (Bus ’82), Toledo at 55.
Deborah Heitkemper (UTCTC ’80), Loveland, Ohio at 59.
90’s
Edward Csizi (UTCTC ’93), Toledo at 54.
Rebecca Hayes (Univ Coll ’99), South Beloit, Ill. at 46.
Sue Clark (UTCTC ’94), Toledo at 66.
Marlene Coulter (UTCTC ’90), Toledo at 75.
Edmund Capas (MA ’92), Cleveland, Ohio at 64.
*Dianna Conley-Bloomfield (Univ Coll ’96), Maumee, Ohio at 52.
Natasha Haese (A/S ’98), Toledo at 43.
00’s
Visalakshi Gembala (Law ’05), Hudson, Ohio at 34.
Jennifer Randolph (Ed ’00), Fremont, Ohio at 44.
*Annual Alumni Association Member
**Lifetime Alumni Association Member
