Miamian – Fall/Winter 2018

miami an The Magazine of Miami University

RUNS IN THE FAMILY

Deland McCullough ’96 went searching for his biological parents.

He found them where he never would have expected.

Fall/Winter 2018

IN THIS ISSUE:

Earthly Outerwear Golden Year Preemie Parents

HEARTFELT HARMONY Kim Krebs McAninch ’86 is exhilarated by the visual dance between figurative and abstract. “Head & Heart 1” is an 18"x18" acrylic, pastel, ink, pencil on paper. Describing her new series, created in two residencies on Cape Cod, Kim says, “I am using my unique voice, striving for harmony of color and rhythm in each composition, offered from my head and heart.” She welcomes visitors to view her art online at www.kimmcaninchfineart.com and at her studio in Pittsburgh’s Shadyside neighborhood.

Staff Editor Donna Boen ’83 MTSC ’96 Miamian@MiamiOH.edu

Vol. 37, No. 1

miamian

Senior Designer Belinda Rutherford

The Magazine of Miami University

Photographers Jeff Sabo Scott Kissell

STORIES

Web Developer Nicki Russell ’17

18 Shedding Layers

Developing technology NASA used for space shuttles, two alumni create thinner, warmer, and more versatile outerwear. And they did it as undergrads.

Copy Editor Lucy Baker Design Consultant Lilly Pereira www.aldeia.design University Advancement 513-529-4029 Senior Vice President for University Advancement Tom Herbert herbertw@MiamiOH.edu Alumni Relations 513-529-5957 Executive Director of the Alumni Association Kim Tavares MBA ’12 kim.tavares@MiamiOH.edu

22 Golden Days

Miami’s Hamilton campus and Luxembourg center celebrate 50 impactful years … and counting.

24 Runs in the Family Outerwear refit (see page 18)

2 F rom the Hub

16 M y Story

3 B ack & Forth

32 Love & Honor

Advancing Global Understanding

Pieces of past lives (see page 48)

Send address changes to: Alumni Records Office Advancement Services Miami University 926 Chestnut Lane Oxford, Ohio 45056 alumnirecords@MiamiOH.edu 513-529-5127 Fax: 513-529-1466

To and From the Editor

6 A long Slant Walk

Campus News Highlights

10 Such a Life

C’est Magnifique!

12 I nquiry + Innovation A Better Flu Test

ON THE COVER

Adopted as a newborn, Miami Hall-of-Famer Deland McCullough ’96 finally knows where his athletic prowess comes from. See page 24.

Illustration created by Jonathan Bartlett.

When Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough ’96, adopted as a baby, finds his biological parents, everyone marvels at the outcome.

IN EACH ISSUE

Office of Development 513-529-1230 Senior Associate Vice President for University Advancement Brad Bundy Hon ’13 brad.bundy@MiamiOH.edu MiamiOH.edu/alumni

Fall/Winter 2018

Opus Web paper features FSC® certifications and is Lacey Act compliant; 100% of the electricity used to manufacture Opus Web is generated with Green-e® certified renewable energy.

14 M edia Matters

New Works by Alumni

Offering Hope to Families with Preemies

Helping Students with Disabilities

34 Class Notes Notes, News, and Weddings

46 F arewells 48 D ays of Old

An Anthropology Class Digs for Insights at McGuffey Museum

Miamian is published three times a year by the University Advancement Division of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056. Copyright © 2018, Miami University. All rights are reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Miamian is produced by University Communications and Marketing, 301 S. Campus Ave., Room 22 Campus Avenue Building, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056, 513-529-7592; Fax: 513-529-1950; Miamian@MiamiOH.edu.

from the hub

Advancing Global Understanding

By President Greg Crawford

Renate and I recently returned from a week in

Luxembourg to mark the 50th anniversary of the Miami University Dolibois European Center, affectionately known as MUDEC. We were joined by more than 700 Miamians, including many dedicated alumni who cherish the memories of their study in this beautiful country in the heart of Western Europe. Some were members of that inaugural class in the fall of 1968!

We are grateful to our hosts and collaborators in Luxembourg for their friendship and partnership. It was a remarkable celebration of Miami — our values and purpose, our dedication to international study and travel, and our commitment to diverse educational experiences for our students.

The entire week confirmed the value of international education and why Miami puts so much emphasis on the benefits of studying abroad.

This is an unsurpassed way for students to learn about themselves, to learn about the “ Travel is fatal to world, and to learn about their own place in a world that is changing rapidly. prejudice, bigotry, As I listened to our alumni describe their and narrowexperiences in Luxembourg — transformative, eye-opening, life-changing — it mindedness.” reinforced what we already know, that we — M AR K T WAI N need these kinds of opportunities for our students even more today, as the world grows more connected and divisions challenge our shared success.

Mark Twain once wrote, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” This applies directly to the experiences of studying abroad.

Higher education is far more than facts and skills; how you learn, why you learn, and where you learn can make a tremendous difference. Even with the same syllabus, taking a course in Differdange opens dimensions of understanding distinct from learning the same facts and skills in Oxford.

Students learn about the globally competitive

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world they will enter in their career and life and recognize that the competition can elevate everyone.

With its rich combination of cultures, three official languages, and pivotal role in the European Union, Luxembourg offers a case study in how international diversity generates creativity and innovation. Not coincidentally, Luxembourg also has one of the world’s highest standards of living.

Students who live and study in different countries and cultures are better prepared to engage that world, and recruiters know it: A recent survey showed that 41 percent of CEOs would consider a higher starting salary for a graduate who has studied abroad.

During the past five decades, more than 10,000 Miami students have studied in Luxembourg, helping us support an immersive experience where nearly half of our students study abroad, one of the highest You are invited to write to rates in the country.

President Greg Crawford The commemorative at president@MiamiOH.edu.

Follow him on Twitter coin struck to celebrate @PresGreg.

MUDEC’s anniversary reads: “To Advance Global Peace and Understanding.” Study abroad is vital for achieving that goal. Real knowledge and experience replace abstract stereotypes. Collaboration replaces zero-sum competition. Friendship replaces fear. I cannot imagine a more perfect place than Luxembourg for a student to live and study. In Luxembourg, a student can experience all the benefits of study abroad in one magnificent place. We are proud of this partnership’s rich past and excited about the way it continues to enrich a Miami education — and the world around us.

back & forth

Tigerland an inspiration Editor’s note: The East High 19681969 basketball and baseball teams are the heart of Wil Haygood’s new book, Tigerland, featured in the Summer 2018 Miamian cover story’s “A Season of Glory.

I taught physical education and history at East High School 1968-1969 as a first-year teacher. Needless to say, my contact with the boys sports teams was constant.

The thrill and excitement of East High’s basketball team winning the Ohio AAA Basketball Championship still stays with me.

That year at East was explosive. So much, so fast, so new to all. I am so very excited about Wil Haygood’s new book, Tigerland.

I have a badge with a picture of the winning Tigers basketball team that I have kept for 50 years.

Congratulations on an outstanding story. It is one for the ages.

—Gerri Bain ’67 London, Ohio I just finished reading my Miamian on this dreary Saturday morning

and was so excited to read about Tigerland. This is my 30th year teaching math at Lorain City Schools. Lorain is a district of poor minority students, and we have worked diligently to effect change, often unsuccessfully.

We do have some notable exceptions. I’ve been part of the Early College Academy and adjunct faculty with Lorain County Community College for the last 15 years. This past year, several of my CCP students scored 30+ on their math ACT, and just this summer a CCP student earned our first 36 composite. Our football and basketball teams have been advancing to regionals, and last year our basketball team made it to the Final Four.

Tigerland seems like it would be a perfect book to motivate and challenge our CCP students and student-athletes.

—Stacey Vore ’89 LaGrange, Ohio Editor’s note: Tigerland is on The Washington Post’s list of 50 notable works of nonfiction in 2018.

Ah, yes, I remember it well I enjoyed Steve Gertz’s recollection of our Miami days (“Heartfelt Memories,” Summer 2018 Miamian), but his recall of graduation ceremonies is misplaced.

Commencement exercises for the Class of 1967 were held in the morning and the afternoon of April 19, 1967, at Withrow Court, not at Miami Field football stadium as Steve suggests.

—Bill Wendling ’67 Bradenton, Fla. I came onto campus as a freshman as Steve Gertz was graduating. I

remember the protests and school shutdown, but mostly I remember the good friends that I had and the hard studying the first several years. I remember High Street, Boar’s Head, and Al and Larry’s for drinking. I remember starting school wanting to major in architecture, almost flunking a five-hour calculus course, changing majors so I wouldn’t flunk out, and becoming a textile design major.

Many good memories, a few not so good ones, and graduating five years later and headed on a bus to NYC to become a designer in the Big Apple. My days at Miami were the best, and I shall remember them to my last breath.

—Jim Putnam ’72 Denville, N.J. Different kind of Miami Merger As an adoptee, I just had the most enjoyable past couple of months reuniting with both sides of my birth family. And it turns out that on my birth dad’s side, we share Miami University!

I graduated in 1996, and my birth father, Jeff Burt, and his wife, Cheryl Maskulka Burt, were a Miami Merger from the classes of ’78 and ’80 respectively. In addition, Jeff’s sister, Jodi Burt Lacroix, attended Miami for one year in 1977. And so, of course, since Jeff still lives in the area, the itinerary for our first full day of knowing each other had to include a road trip back to Oxford, Ohio.

Jeff, Jodi, and I made a pilgrimage, while Cheryl stayed behind to prep for their oldest daughter’s wedding (one of my two new younger sisters). We ate at Bagel & Deli and took a picture under the Upham Arch to commemorate a

Send letters to: Donna Boen Miamian editor 301 S. Campus Ave., Room 22 Campus Avenue Building, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 Miamian@MiamiOH.edu; or fax to 513-529-1950.

Include your name, class year, home address, and phone number.

Letters are edited for space and clarity.

Opinions expressed are those of the letter writers and not Miami University or Miamian magazine.

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back & forth

“ Whenever I return to Miami, I order a traditional toasted roll — no ice cream or peanut butter, please.”

Miami Merger of a different kind.

Then the rest of the weekend was spent getting to know my new family thanks to a generous wedding invitation from my sister, Andrea, and her soon-to-be-husband, Zach.

(We’d only connected a few weeks prior, and they included my husband and me in the festivities like we’d been family all along.)

I hadn’t been to Oxford in almost 20 years, although I do stay connected to my Miami roots out in San Francisco, hosting a Design Thinking workshop each January when Dr. Jim Friedman’s creative problem-solving students visit the Bay Area. To get the chance to return to campus and share an afternoon reminiscing (and laughing a lot) with my birth father and aunt was a truly special experience.

The whole weekend was all more than I could have ever hoped for, and I was so happy that Miami got to play a part in the reunion as well.

We all recently heard of another fascinating adoption reunion with Miami ties, and we’re thrilled to now have a story of our own.

—Tracy DeLuca ’96 San Francisco, Calif.

Editor’s note: The other adoption reunion story Tracy’s referring to is this issue’s cover story. See “Runs in the Family” on page 24.

A quarter for your thoughts While I was watching an episode of The Big Bang Theory, my attention was drawn to the bookcase behind the actors. I was overjoyed to see a copy of Mathematical Methods for Physicists by MU’s noted physics professor George Arfken.

Earning a BS in physics from MU in 1974, I remember fondly Dr.

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Arfken’s unorthodox lecture style with chalk (What’s that?) in one hand and an eraser in the other.

By erasing the formulas moments after it was written on the board, he kept his students alert and awake to his every breath and move.

While Mathematical Methods for Physicists had gone through numerous printings before I arrived at MU, Dr. Arfken offered a 25¢ prize for anyone who could identify a previously unidentified typographical error in the text. I was lucky enough to identify one such error. The following class after I alerted him to the error, I received a quarter taped to a 3x5 card with a personal note of thanks. I only wish I had kept it.

—Stephen Hurrell ’74 Knoxville, Tenn.

Toasted roll tradition continues Whenever I return to Miami, I order a traditional toasted roll — no ice cream or peanut butter, please. This afternoon Deantray flawlessly prepared two perfect toasted rolls for me.

As I began eating the first, all my memories of being a Miami student hit me. I was overcome with a sense of both joy and gratitude for what Miami has meant to me.

I gave my second to a young couple who are both juniors but had never had a toasted roll before!

They told me they enjoyed it very much. However, the greatest joy was the feeling I felt passing along a Miami tradition.

—Peter Newman ’77 Oakwood, Ohio International influence I recently had the opportunity to go to my freshman roommate’s

wedding in China and jumped at the chance.

Freshman year was full of awkward interactions, shattered notions, and a time of growth for many of us. Walking into Dennison Hall, I was disappointed to be entering a space with an international roommate. I heard horror stories of how so many students didn’t get along, and I had the notion my experience would be the same.

As I opened the door, Shenyu was there to greet me and eager to learn who I was and about American culture. My disappointment was turned around almost instantly, except for the spoiled milk and dirty clothes scattered across our seemingly dim cement block room.

Every night Shenyu and I spent countless hours sharing culture and language and talking through our stressors of Miami life. It was eye-opening to see so many similarities between our drastically different experiences growing up, and it helped me mature not only as a student, but as a person. I’ve never laughed harder than when Shenyu would come in and yell what he had seen or experienced throughout the day.

One day he ran in and said, “Jake, I see panda!” After looking at the picture, I laughed. “Oh, a raccoon.

The Trash Panda.”

There were many misunderstandings on both sides, but that is how we grew, hooked-on-phonics style.

Shenyu shaped my experience at Miami more than I could ever imagine. Being his roommate encouraged me to become a resident assistant, join CABO (ChinaAmerica Business Organization), and be the emcee for the Chinese New Year Celebration.

back & forth

This August I attended Shenyu’s wedding in Taiyuan, China, and I had an unforgettable experience learning about Chinese culture, meeting family and friends, and celebrating the union of two of my best friends.

Life-defining experiences come at the most unexpected times, and having an international roommate was one of my most influential experiences at Miami. I would encourage all students to have an open mind, explore, and experience all of the cultures that Miami represents.

My deepest friendships have been made at Miami, and most are represented by cultures from around the world. To Shenyu, I thank you for being my best friend at Miami. Congratulations to you and Jian. I look forward to continued adventures. Cheers!

—Jacob Rosebrock ’16 Cleveland, Ohio

ACCOLADES The Spring 2018 Miamian earned Bronze for Best Cover (magazine, tabloid, or brochure) in the 2018 Pride of CASE V competition. Miami’s university advancement division and university communications and marketing combined to win 14 awards in the competition.

Advancement’s 18 of the Last 9 program and #MoveInMiami campaign both took home Gold in Platinum Categories, while #MoveInMiami also received a Platinum Bronze honor.

Platinum Categories recognize the bestof-the-best programs and practices in educational advancement.

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

Bits and Pieces Watching students in Jeb Card’s anthropology class meticulously

sift through dirt in McGuffey House’s backyard got me to thinking.

If Miami students 200 years from now start digging in our yards, eager to find shards of insights into our way of life, what will they discover?

“Nothing,” said my photographer, Jeff. He feels certain of that.

Really? Nothing? Not even a singed Samsung Galaxy smartphone?

Are we that much more fastidious than our great-great-grandparents?

You haven’t seen my office refrigerator. Talk about something in desperate need of scientific study.

Pondering that backyard question in a booth at Mac ’n’ Joe’s, Beth, my former copy editor and forever friend, paused, her turkey gobbler midway to her mouth. “I suppose they’d have to go to the city dump,” she said, pink sauce dripping from the back end of her sub.

“I wonder why they threw their dishes in the yard,” I asked her, explaining that the students found fragments of pottery.

“I suppose they were already broken, and they were discarding them,” Beth suggested. She went on to wonder how much they threw away in their outhouses. The mention of outhouses made her think of an article she just read about waterless toilets, and our conversation changed directions. Weird lunchtime conversation, huh?

In the office a few days later, I continued the discussion with Susan, a colleague in the news area. When I said I’d hate to bring back the outhouse era, not that I have firsthand experience, thank goodness, she indicated that wouldn’t be necessary, at least for the sake of future archaeologists. Debris from our recycle bins should provide plenty of fruitful fodder.

She’s seen more than her fair share of discarded cereal boxes and unwashed cat food tins while walking the family dog. Four-legged Martha is a darn good archaeologist herself, a half-eaten chicken leg and a paper plate with shrimp and hot sauce among her most treasured finds to date.

Susan’s got a point. With that many McDonald’s sandwich wrappers blowin’ in the wind, a few are bound to end up in the weeds for posterity to puzzle over.

I might start putting explanatory Post-it Notes on my recyclables.

That way, if quizzical Miami students from the Class of 2218 dig up a Dollar Tree ad underneath my Hydrangeas, they won’t conclude that money grew on trees in the 21st century. Hmmm … think they’ll know what a dollar is? —Donna Boen ’83 MTSC ’96

Documenting the soil and analyzing artifacts, students in Jeb Card’s anthropology class discover that field archaeology is quite different from classroom theory.

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Stanley Cup Dazzles Mitch Korn (left) and John Walton ’96 walk the Stanley Cup through Goggin and a crowd eager to take selfies with the National Hockey League’s top honor. The two also escorted the cup to the president’s house and Uptown to several locations, including Mac ’n’ Joe’s.

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Pro hockey’s Stanley Cup attracted crowds on campus and off when former Miami assistant hockey coach and Goggin manager Mitch Korn brought it to Oxford Sept. 5.

Korn, Miami’s goaltending coach 1981-1988 and manager of Goggin Arena until 2005, was the Washington Capitals’ director of goaltending during its 2017-2018 championship run. Each member of the winning team is allowed one day with the cup.

Now director of goaltending for the New York Islanders, Korn has been called the goalie guru, the goalie wizard, and the goalie whisperer. In 1980, Miami hired him to coach the goalies at hockey camp. Within the year, he was running

Goggin’s programming at night, and Miami’s broomball craze was born.

“I did my thing here as a hockey guy. Our first NHL player was a goalie. But I am the proudest of what we built at Goggin,” he said.

Accompanying Korn and the cup on the visit was John Walton ’96, who covered the Capitals’ title run as Washington’s radio broadcaster. He honed his skills as an undergraduate, serving as sports director of student radio station WMSR. Talking about the Caps’ championship win, Walton said, “It was overwhelming, from a Washington standpoint and from a personal standpoint. There are a lot of broadcasters that never get that chance to make that call.”

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To Advance the Mission

I’M GLAD YOU ASKED

President lays out strategy for Miami’s sustainable future

In honor of Miami’s Luxembourg center’s 50th anniversary, we asked:

A new strategic planning process started

What’s the No. 1 lesson you learned studying abroad?

this fall by President Greg Crawford will focus on enhancing Miami’s historic core strengths while investing in academic innovations to sustain the university’s future.

In his annual address Oct. 4, the president called for a five-year plan to be created this academic year, approved by the trustees, and launched in fall 2019.

A committee chaired by Julia Guichard, professor and chair of the department of theatre, and Bob Applebaum, professor of sociology and gerontology and director of the Ohio Long-Term Care Research Project, will outline priorities in six key areas — academic excellence; excellence in research and scholarship; transformational student experience; diversity, inclusion, and community; financial and resource sustainability; and Miami as a national university.

Crawford emphasized that the university is operating from a position of strength, thanks to prudent decisions made during the past decade.

He also said that it is imperative for all members of the Miami community to think differently, working across traditional disciplinary boundaries and preparing students for leadership in

I learned about the power of forgiveness — how it can transcend life and reconcile communities.

Beckman Scholar Krystina Hird (right), who is also a Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation Scholar, discusses findings with mentor Carole Dabney-Smith, professor of chemistry and biochemistry. The San Antonio senior biochemistry major came here, in part, because of opportunities for undergraduate research, one of Miami’s strengths.

an increasingly global and interconnected world.

“We will imagine and invent a new future together,” he said. “It must be bold.

It must be creative. It must be transformative. Our new plan will not be chiseled in stone — change comes too fast. It will be flexible, agile, and responsive to new opportunities and challenges.”

To read the president’s full address, go to the following pdf: miamioh.edu/ annual-address-2018.

— Lulu Abdun, a senior from Memphis majoring in psychology and black world studies, in Rwanda in fall 2017

Ecuador allowed me to refocus my priorities and recapture wonderful curiosity of childhood.

— Emily Tatum, a senior from Carmel, Ind., triple majoring in political science, international studies, and Latin American studies, in Ecuador in fall 2017

Emily at the equator a little north of Quito.

“ If you can’t communicate with somebody, it’s very easy to dislike them. We look down on things we don’t understand.”

Live in the moment, and feel every moment for what it’s worth.

— Ice-T, rapper and actor on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, who discussed “Race in America: Bridging the Gap” as the first of Miami’s Lecture Series speakers for 2018-2019

— Brian Velasquez, a junior from Youngstown, Ohio, in Italy in summer 2017

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NOTEWORTHY

Designing and implementing a communitydriven solar-powered water pumping system in rural Kabingo, Uganda, has earned Miami’s Engineers Without Borders student-led organization a $10,000 Engineering Education Award from the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Their project will bring clean drinking water to a community of 3,000. With the award money, the team of undergraduate students plans to cover infrastructure costs for the water-pumping system they designed.

The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma has received an Honoring Nations Award, with the distinction of honors, from the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development. The award recognizes the tribe’s cultural heritage and language revitalization program, which has resulted in the first generation in nearly 100 years learning to speak the Myaamia language. It was one of six award winners selected from applicants representing 51 tribes and four tribal consortia.

David Seidl is the new vice president for information technology and chief information officer.

He comes from the University of Notre Dame, where he was senior director of campus technology services since 2013 and director of information security 2010-2013. He has an extensive background in technology services in both public and private institutions.

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RISING RANKS

50

#3

Forbes ranks Miami among top 50 public colleges in U.S.

in undergraduate teaching nationwide, 2019 U.S. News & World Report

In the Pink The Belk Greenhouse, attached to Boyd Hall on Western campus, is glowing pink.

That’s because the greenhouse has been outfitted with new energy efficient LEDs that are essential to plant biologist Rob Baker’s research.

Plants primarily absorb light energy in red and blue wavelengths, said the assistant professor of biology, who researches the evolution and development of plants.

So, the lights emit primarily red and blue wavelengths. The result is shockingly pink.

Baker is experimenting with different Brassica rapa plants, such as cabbages, bok choy, and turnips. With the new lights, he can extend day length and

increase the amount of light energy the plants receive.

He can also manipulate the ratio of red:blue light and other aspects of the light environment to test the effects of these abiotic inputs on plant growth.

His research focuses on genetic sequencing to understand the relationship among various crop types.

He investigates the genetic basis of the correlation between plant structure and function — for instance how leaf shape influences water-use efficiency and photosynthesis. Understanding these developmental and genetic mechanisms will inform crop breeding efforts aimed at improving agricultural sustainability.

Western’s Belk Greenhouse is seeing pink these days.

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A New Welcome: Anyone coming into Oxford from the south on U.S. 27 or State Route 73 is now greeted by classic, red-brick gateways. Both were finished this fall, with the Patterson-Chestnut entrance also including a monument (seen above) “punctuating” an island that travels the length of Patterson between Chestnut and Spring. A major component of the island is safety, said senior project manager Ted Christian ’90 MArch ’09, explaining that it slows down traffic and provides several well-marked pedestrian crossings. The project also provided an opportunity, he said, to “complete a vision that’s been a long time coming for the university, which is gateways at both of the major entrances.”

Cooking It Up Right Miami dining is among the top 25 Best College Dining Halls, according to College Consensus, which analyzes data from over a dozen college ranking publishers and combines that with thousands of student reviews from other sources.

With over 20,000 students and faculty to feed in 11 locations, Miami has developed “one of the best college food experiences in America,” giving the students just about any kind of dining experience they could want, stated the College Consensus editors.

Miami touts its commitment to locally sourced products and vendors, which at times can account for 25 percent of the annual budget.

Providing everything from honey and ice cream to all-natural beef and chicken, some of the multigenerational family farms used by Miami are only a few short miles from the Oxford campus.

“We cook in the moment, and I don’t think a lot of people understand that. It’s made fresh every day,” said Geno Svec, senior director of food and beverage.

SERIOUS GAMING “Brukel,” an interactive game created by Bob De Schutter, the C. Michael Armstrong Assistant Professor of Applied Game Design, won runner-up for best digital game in game development at the International Academic Conference on Meaningful Play. “Brukel” recreates the narrative of an elderly World War II survivor, based on experiences of De Schutter’s Belgian grandmother, born in the Brukel farmhouse seen here. The game intends to sensitize players about war’s impact on innocent bystanders.

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such a life

C’EST MAGNIFIQUE! No book could ever hope to capture the magnificence of seeing the Hercules Room at the Palace of Versailles in person. Standing in awe of The Apotheosis of Hercules, the largest ceiling painted on canvas in Europe, are (l-r) Leanne Stahulak, Ashley Mickens, and Siyu “Snow” Duan, who are studying at the Miami University Dolibois European Center this semester. “Paris is like a dream,” Ashley said.

“There’s so much history and beauty around every corner, and I couldn’t believe I was standing in the middle of it all.” Many MUDEC students spend their weekends traveling. With Luxembourg only a three-hour train ride, or less, to five countries, the students eagerly immerse themselves in other cultures.

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inquiry + innovation

Nothing to Sneeze At Microbiologist seeking faster flu test

By Heather Beattey Johnston

Some years, as much as 20 percent of the U.S. population becomes infected with the influenza virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For most people, the flu amounts to little more than an unpleasant inconvenience.

But some cases can be severe, and even mild ones can be life-threatening for young children, the elderly, and those with certain medical conditions. For these vulnerable patients, early treatment is critical.

Yet, to be treated, the flu must first be diagnosed.

Doing that is not as easy as many clinicians would like.

Although there are two kinds of diagnostic tests that can be used while a patient is in the doctor’s office, these tests don’t catch every case. A third is more accurate, but requires processing and analysis in a lab, making it more expensive and time-consuming.

The net effect is that critical treatment may be delayed, if it happens at all.

A sturdier diagnostic tool Xiao-Wen Cheng is seeking a better way. The associate professor of microbiology is working on an innovation that doesn’t require extracting viral RNA. This is more diagnostically reliable than detecting the antibodies a patient has developed in response to a viral infection — the method used in currently available rapid influenza diagnostic tests — because patients in the early stages of infection may not yet have developed antibodies. Cheng’s method is also cheaper and faster.

The key to his innovation is an engineered enzyme known as RTAKAS-mix, initially inspired by an

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enzyme produced by a group of German scientists.

Although capable of detecting certain viruses, that enzyme was not robust, so its usefulness in practical applications was limited.

To benefit clinicians and patients, Cheng knew a viral diagnostic enzyme would have to be sturdy enough to withstand harsh conditions. Diagnostic test kits have to be shipped from the manufacturer to doctors’ offices. “They’re transported by truck across the country all year,” he said. “It can be more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit inside a truck in the summer, and the test kit has to be able to survive that.”

Because the enzyme originally created by the Germans was not as robust, Cheng and his team put the enzyme through a series of mutations, finally developing the stable, long-lived RTAKAS-mix, which can withstand temperatures up to 54°C (129°F) for at least two days.

inquiry + innovation

To benefit clinicians and patients, microbiology associate professor XiaoWen Cheng knew a viral diagnostic enzyme would have to be sturdy enough to withstand harsh conditions.

A simple infected/not infected outcome Once his lab had an optimized enzyme, Cheng needed a path to commercialization, so he applied and was accepted to I-Corps@Ohio, a program that uses methodologies pioneered by the National Science Foundation in its Innovation Corps (I-Corps) program. As its website explains, I-Corps@Ohio is “a statewide grant-funded program to assist faculty and graduate students from Ohio universities and colleges to validate the market potential of their technologies and launch startup companies.”

In addition to Cheng, who serves as the project’s principal investigator, the I-Corps@Ohio project team includes Michael Nau, a senior microbiology major and management minor who is the entrepreneurial lead; Hui Shang, a graduate student in the cell, molecular, and structural biology program who serves as the co-entrepreneurial lead; and Dan Rose, an angel

investor, entrepreneur, and I-Corps@Ohio instructor who is the entrepreneurial mentor.

Nau and Shang interviewed more than 100 potential customers — nurses, doctors, veterinarians, and other clinicians — to learn about their day-to-day practices and what they need from a viral diagnostic tool. Some interviews were via phone or email, but many were in person, with Cheng driving Nau and Shang to hospitals and doctors’ offices all over Columbus.

One insight from the interviews surprised Cheng: When it comes to the flu, clinicians don’t care about viral load or how many copies of the flu virus are circulating in a patient’s body. Cheng’s test is so sensitive it can detect the presence of a single virus particle in a sample, and that’s all that’s needed for the flu — a simple infected/not infected diagnosis is enough to make appropriate treatment decisions.

But Cheng’s test can also determine viral load, and he learned from the interviews with clinicians that viral load is important to treatment decisions for certain other infections, including HIV. Cheng has already used RTAKAS-mix to detect FIV, a feline virus similar to HIV that causes an AIDS-like disease in cats. Now he’s heading back to the lab to see if he can apply his solution to develop a direct-detection test for HIV — and HIV viral load — that doctors can use in their offices while patients wait.

At the same time, Cheng and his team are looking for an investor to form a company to manufacture and market a flu test kit using RTAKAS-mix. “The company will probably operate for a short time before it is bought by a larger company. That’s the business model, to attract investment through acquisition.”

Being involved in the new startup company will provide Nau and Shang with valuable experience. Even negotiating their eventual exit from the company will become part of a roadmap they can use to navigate future entrepreneurial ventures.

That’s important because commercialization of biomedical innovations is as critical to improving the lives of Ohio’s citizens and ensuring the vibrancy of its economy as the scientific discoveries behind those innovations. As Cheng puts it, “If technology stays in the lab, it creates no value.”

Commercialization of biomedical innovations is critical to improving lives. As Miami microbiologist Xiao-Wen Cheng puts it, “If technology stays in the lab, it creates no value.”

Heather Beattey Johnston is associate director of research communications in Miami’s Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship.

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media matters

Take a Hike And make it a kid’s adventure. Jeff Alt ’96 MS ’97 shares how. “ I wanted to create something that would help kids discover how fun it is to be outdoors and do it in a way that gives a sense of adventure, a cross between National Treasure and Indiana Jones,” said Jeff Alt ’96 MS ’97, author of The Adventures of Bubba Jones series.

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If you want your kids to join you on hikes — and we’re talking big ones like trails at Acadia National Park — start them young, psych them up, and let them lead.

These are tips from Jeff Alt ’96 MS ’97, whose own family — wife Beth MA ’97, Madison, 14, and William, 11 — loves throwing on packs and lacing up their boots.

Might surprise you to know that Alt encourages his kids to bring along their smartphones.

“When Lewis and Clark went West, they had the most technologically advanced equipment available to them,” said the author of the award-winning national park youth series The Adventures of Bubba Jones.

Before you pull up stakes and move your tent away from his, know that he wants youthful adventurers to use their technology as tools, not toys. That might mean posting one Instagram a day about their trip or downloading a bird identification app.

Alt started his first book, the nonfiction A Walk For Sunshine, while working on his master’s. That’s

also when he met his wife, a hotel beach dweller at the time. But he converted her. Married on the Oxford campus in Sesquicentennial, they wore backpacks out of the chapel, trailing energy bars behind them.

A speech language pathologist, as well as author, he works part time for Mason City Schools. He writes young adult fiction to counter other books’ violent themes that he feels are desensitizing children.

In Alt’s series, for ages 8 and up, Tommy “Bubba Jones” and sister Jenny “Hug-a-Bug” inherit time travel skills and solve mysteries while learning about U.S. National Parks.

“My idea is if the kids read the books, they can become more of the trip planner, just like a family at Kings Island, with the kid saying, ‘Mom, can we go ride the Beast?’ Let them pick the activity in the park, and then they are going to be highly motivated to do it.”

media matters

Amazing Ants: Simple Sidewalk Science W. Barkley Butler ’64 Royal Fireworks Press Using ants as an interesting and convenient introduction to science for young people, Barkley Butler offers instructions and explanations as he guides readers through the process of developing a series of experiments.

The Poetry of Ralph L. Kinsey: A Rediscovery Jim Meador ’70 CreateSpace This collection reissues the poetry of Ralph L. Kinsey (19121982), a noted American poet whose work has been neglected since his death. It contains all the poetry in his four books, produced between 1954 and 1965, along with five poems published in newspapers and periodicals.

Renaissance Olympian Robert Oberst ’72 Global Future Press In this second book in a series, the story picks up after Gene Oberst returns from the Chariots of Fire Olympics in Paris and travels to Louisiana for his first coaching position. After climbing the coaching ladder and living in

eight cities in a dozen years, Gene finds serenity as a popular history professor and artist. The series’ first book, Gene ‘Kentuck’ Oberst — Olympian, coincided with the 2016 Rio Olympics.

My Pashtun Rabbi David Eden ’74 BookBaby A narrative of identity, religion, brotherhood, renewal, and trust, David Eden’s is a tale of his life-changing experience as an American Jew hired to be the “journalism expert” at United Arab Emirates University during the beginning of a worldwide financial collapse and another war in Gaza.

How Christmas Got Its Colors Jim Melko ’80 MEd ’81 CreateSpace A 2018 Purple Dragonfly Book Award Winner, for grade levels 4-6, this story tells how the colors of red and green, disgraced in the Garden of Eden, save the Baby Jesus and become symbols of the joy of Christmas.

One Person, No Vote Carol Anderson ’81 MA ’82 Bloomsbury Publishing Focusing on the aftermath of the 2013 Supreme Court’s Shelby ruling, which allowed districts with a demonstrated history of

racial discrimination to change voting requirements without approval from the Department of Justice, Carol Anderson follows the story of government-dictated racial discrimination as more and more states adopt voter suppression laws. She explains how voter suppression works and explores the resistance.

The Dogs of Detroit Brad Felver ’04 University of Pittsburgh Press Winner of the 2018 Drue Heinz Literature Prize for short fiction, these 14 stories focus on grief and its many permutations. This grief alternately devolves into violence, silence, solitude, and utter isolation. Many of the stories use grief as a prism to explore the beguiling bonds within families.

Dare To Move Garrett Wood ’13 Merrimack Media Based on true events, this coming-of-age novel with Sex and the City elements follows Nicole Winston, 22, a feisty go-getter millennial navigating a male-dominated industry, hustling to pursue her dream job in fitness, and never relenting until she has it all: true love, job love, and self-love.

KUDOS Walking with Miss Millie Tamara Bundy MAT ’09 Nancy Paulsen Books

Tamara Bundy’s debut novel, Walking with Miss Millie, received the 2018 Ohioana Book Award in middle grade/young adult literature and the Ohioana Readers’ Choice Award, chosen by readers from an online poll of all 30 Ohioana Book Award finalists.

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my story

Reece, Nick, and Jenn from a few years ago.

MY STORY is a place for you to share reminiscences and observations about everyday happenings.

Submit your essay for consideration to: Donna Boen, Miamian editor, “My Story,” 301 S. Campus Ave., Room 22 Campus Avenue Building, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or Miamian@ MiamiOH.edu. Please limit your essay to 900 words and include your name, class year, address, and phone number.

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For Graham

By Jennifer Reece Hall ’94 and Nick Hall

As the days turned into weeks after I gave birth to my twins, I felt like I was barely making it. Reece and Graham had arrived on Thanksgiving Day at just 25 weeks, nearly four months early. I didn’t know anyone who’d had a micro-preemie, much less two. And Nick and I were living in Manhattan Beach, Calif., at that time instead of Ohio where we’d had a strong local support system, so there was no one to organize hot meal drop-offs or help us stay on top of day-to-day responsibilities. And yet, as we looked around the neonatal intensive care unit, we saw so many other families who had it much worse.

my story

Nick: Jennifer and I were married in 1995. We spent the first several years of our marriage getting to know each other. We enjoyed nights on the town, traveling, and just being together. We always thought when we were ready to start our family, it would come easily.

Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way for us.

After six years of hope and frustration, the typical infertility procedures had proven unsuccessful. Still determined, we met a caring, compassionate doctor, Dr. Arthur Wisot, and after our first round of IVF, we learned we were finally pregnant!

With the first ultrasound, the doctor was confident that we had one baby, but he thought there might be another. The next ultrasound confirmed it. We were expecting twins!

Everything was progressing nicely until about 22 weeks when Jenn developed preeclampsia and was put on immediate bed rest. She did everything she could, but with her escalating blood pressure, the neonatologist said we had to deliver immediately.

Reece and Graham were delivered Nov. 23, 2006, by emergency C-section.

After Jenn’s discharge from the hospital, she remained on bed rest for six weeks. I spent day and night at the NICU and took Jenn back and forth, as she was only allowed to be there for brief periods.

Jenn: I was eating peanut butter and jelly every day for lunch because it was easy and because I felt guilty deriving pleasure from food and taking the time to prepare it. I wanted to be at the hospital every minute. I alternated between the same two maternity outfits because I didn’t think about my clothes, until months later when one of the nurses told me it was time to change.

Graham had an incredibly difficult journey, but he was so strong and was such a fighter. Still, our intuition told us his time with us would be brief. He lived for only 45 days.

Nick: When we look back, Graham had only one truly good day. It was the one and only day that Jenn was able to hold him. He was still on a ventilator at the time. Jenn and I remember our nurse telling us at least three times that day, “Graham definitely knows that his mom held him today. He definitely knows.” It turned out to be just days before we had to say goodbye.

Jenn: Going home with Reece after four long months didn’t mean our struggles were over. Reece was taking 10 medications a day and was on oxygen around the clock. Doctors said she would probably never walk, talk, or even know who Nick and I were.

Nick: Fortunately, the doctors were wrong. Reece, who was 1 pound, 9 ounces at birth, is now a healthy 12-year-old. She’s a happy child and loves life and loves us. The things that matter most we feel incredibly grateful for.

Jenn: While in the NICU, we saw how much other families were overwhelmed, not knowing what was happening to their babies, uncertain of their needs, unsure what they could do to help and what the future held. We saw relationships crumble and parents stop showing up.

There were single moms, people without health care, and families without any resources at all. So if Nick and I were barely making it with well-paying, flexible jobs, good health care, and a strong loving network, how were all these other parents enduring?

For the first two years of Reece’s life, we continued to live in survival mode until the day we finally felt strong enough to do something for other families.

Nick and I founded Graham’s Foundation in 2009.

While Reece napped, we’d go to my mother’s basement and put together care packages with donated preemie hats, snacks, and disposable cameras. We wanted to give new parents the powerful comfort that comes from knowing they are cared for and that they aren’t facing the world of prematurity alone.

In 2018, our packages contain custom-designed educational and practical gifts chosen by a team of experts and families to make the NICU feel more like home. Corporate and private supporters have given us resources to create programs, such as peer mentorship that connects families to experienced parents who have faced similar challenges, and advocacy to bring family-centered care and parent support programs to NICUs. But our core mission hasn’t changed.

About one in 10 babies is born too soon in the U.S., and millions more are born prematurely around the globe. If our long-term goals are realized, Graham’s Foundation will eventually be giving those millions of families with preemies what Nick and I wanted most at the start of our journey … hope.

Jenn and I remember our nurse telling us at least three times that day, “Graham definitely knows that his mom held him today.”

Jenn, Nick, and Reece live in Maumee, Ohio. To request a care package, download My Preemie App, or read more about the foundation’s services, visit GrahamsFoundation.org.

To find out how to become an NICU ambassador at your hospital for Graham’s Foundation, email linda@ grahamsfoundation.org.

Fall/Winter 2018

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SHEDDING

LAYERS DOWN-TO-EARTH ALUMS USE NASA TECHNOLOGY TO BUILD A BETTER JACKET

BY ALICIA AUHAGEN ’16 PHOTO COURTESY OF OROS 18

miamian magazine

Michael Markesbery ’15 stares at the cement floor of the glass conference room in his downtown Cincinnati office, right leg crossed over left. A deep sigh escapes his lips and fills the space with deeper silence.

One rolling chair away, Rithvik Venna ’15 concentrates his gaze on the frosted table in front of him. The question suspended in the air is one Markesbery “semi-hates.” What does being an entrepreneur mean to you?

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It’s a question he and fellow OROS co-founder Venna have heard before. Since the launch of their apparel company in 2013 while undergrads, they’ve captured the attention of the business community and consumers. It’s no wonder. They’ve raised $7 million from investors, won Forbes 30 Under 30 in Retail & Ecommerce, and patented NASA-inspired technology.

Venna looks up from the table. He shrugs and delivers an unexpected answer. “Being an entrepreneur means nothing, actually.”

The two agree that the word entrepreneurship is used so much it’s lost its meaning. A quick scroll through LinkedIn yields numerous articles, videos, and discussions on the topic. But what is it really? Is it a brick and mortar business? Is it a mindset?

Entrepreneurship’s true impact may take cues from the scientific method.

Rithvik Venna ’15 (left) and Michael Markesbery ’15 founded OROS, their apparel company, while undergrads at Miami.

I. QUESTION

A research study begins with a question.

A hypothesis is formed and then tested. If it’s wrong, the researcher pivots and tries something else based on what was learned.

Markesbery and Venna’s question was twofold. What if they didn’t need to transform into human-shaped marshmallows to stay warm while outdoor adventuring?

What if outerwear wasn’t necessary at all?

On the heels of a summer backpacking trip up one of the tallest mountains in the Swiss Alps, Markesbery eagerly searched for an answer when he returned to Oxford for his junior year.

Aerogel, a porous, ultralight solid material used in NASA space shuttles, presented an attractive solution. There was just one problem — aerogel is incredibly brittle.

II. HYPOTHESIS

While pre-med zoology majors at Miami, Markesbery and Venna made aerogel their senior-year project. Markesbery, who had just won the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation grant, applied the funds to researching how to make aerogel more pliable.

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A discovery in the lab led them to prototype a jacket that could withstand subfreezing temperatures using flexible aerogel foam (called SOLARCORE) and breathable fabrics.

After two successful Kickstarter campaigns, Markesbery and Venna realized they might have an answer to their question: Bring SOLARCORE directly to consumers.

III. TEST

OROS has been in business for five years, but Markesbery admits there’s a lot he and Venna don’t know at the age of 25. Their strategy is to surround themselves with

a board of mentors, including several Miami alumni.

Through the influence of these advisers, they determined what values would guide OROS and how to build a team and culture grounded in those tenets. The strength of their team, the co-founders believe, is one of the main reasons for their success.

In the last year, OROS has accomplished a lot. Their team increased to 12 employees and will grow to 30 by the end of 2019.

They’ve launched a new product line and ecommerce experience. They’ve secured $5 million in seed funding.

When your head’s down and you’re working, Markesbery said, you’re not thinking

WHAT IF WE DIDN’T NEED TO TRANSFORM INTO HUMAN-SHAPED MARSHMALLOWS TO STAY WARM WHILE OUTDOOR ADVENTURING? WHAT IF OUTERWEAR WASN’T NECESSARY AT ALL?

about being an entrepreneur. “It’s about doing, more than it is talking about it.”

But for all they’ve done, OROS is nowhere near finished.

IV. REFLECT

Markesbery and Venna make their challenge clear: Keep rising. “There’s this constant gap between where the company is and where you want it to be. And those that succeed have the inexhaustible will it takes to accept that fact and keep going,” Markesbery said.

On the table are two of his favorite products, a gray OROS quarter zip sweatshirt

and a blue Orion parka — the “warmest jacket in the world.”

The Orion has been to Nepal and the Siberian tundra, keeping adventurers warm with nothing but a T-shirt underneath. The quarter zip was named to the Runner’s World Gear of the Year list in 2017.

Markesbery leaps enthusiastically from the chair with a friendly warning.

He’ll “geek out on product all day.” Both items are surprisingly heavy-duty while feeling as light as a raincoat.

Despite all they’ve built in the past five years, Markesbery and Venna still seem in awe of where their original question has led them.

“I’m not special,” Venna said. “I’m not smarter than most people. I’m definitely not harder working than a lot of people.

But I think you’ll find that you can push yourself way harder than you think you can, and that’s probably the one thing that really surprised me the most about all this.”

The exposed brick open office with the bar and ping pong table don’t make a business. Two founders with an idea aren’t a label. The North Star of it all is a team of like-minded spirits and one insatiable need: to solve a problem.

SOLARCORE

HOW IT WORKS Ever own a goose down coat where the feathers begin to poke through the fabric? This is the degradation of the jacket over time. Goose down is actually quite warm — it’s the tightly interwoven fibers of the fabrics that cut a coat’s breathability down to nothing and make the wearer start to sweat.

SOLARCORE eliminates this problem.

• I t’s a flexible foam material.

• I t retains body heat.

• I t’s used only in certain parts of an OROS jacket to maximize warmth without causing overheating.

• I t’s paired with breathable fabrics to aid dexterity.

For more on SOLARCORE, visit orosapparel.com.

Alicia Auhagen ’16 is a writer/editor for Miami’s university marketing and creative services office.

New way of teaching gives students freedom to “screw things up:” http://tinyurl.com/grade-free-thinking.

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50 YEARS

MIAMI UNIVERSITY DOLIBOIS EUROPEAN CENTER & MIAMI HAMILTON

GOLDEN DAYS Nervous yet excited, 41 undergraduates left New York Harbor on Aug. 12, 1968, bound for Miami’s new European Study Center in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. A month later, classes also started on Miami’s Hamilton campus, with everyone walking on planks in the mud to get to their unfinished classrooms. Although 4,239 miles separate them, Miami Hamilton and MUDEC share similar traits — providing small classes and top faculty in a diverse environment. Each celebrated its Golden Anniversary this fall.

Check out Miami Hamilton’s history and see photos from its Sept. 15 celebration at miamioh. edu/regionals/muh-50/.

To enjoy all the photos from Luxembourg’s 50th, go to: miamialum.smugmug.com/ MUDEC-50th-Anniversary. More than 700 alumni went over from the U.S. for the Oct. 7-11 festivities.

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Happy Anniversary!

Winter/Spring 2017

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Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough ’96 went searching for his biological parents. He found them where he never would have expected.

STO RY BY SA RAH S PAIN I L LUST RAT ION BY J O NAT H AN BARTLE TT PH OTOS COURT ESY O F DELAN D Mc C ULLO U GH

RUNS IN THE FAMILY C

arol Briggs placed her newborn son on the bed and removed all of his clothes. She tried to find herself in his face, searching his mouth, his nose, his eyes. “Not yet,” she thought. She saw only his father. She looked him up and down, making a mental note of each of his 10 tiny toes, chubby legs, puffy belly, and two little arms reaching up at her.

“In my mind,” Briggs says, “that was probably going to be the last time I ever saw him.”

It was Dec. 1, 1972, and a big snowstorm had hit the greater Pittsburgh area that week. Briggs had gone sledding with some of the other girls the night before, dragging a cardboard box up and down a big hill that emptied out right at the Zoar Home for Mothers, Babies and Convalescents in Allison Park, Pa. She woke up in labor around 2 a.m., and just 32 minutes later, she was a mother. She named her baby Jon Kenneth Briggs.

Her parents and older brother drove the hour from her hometown of Youngstown,

Ohio, to be with her at the hospital. After cleaning out her room at the maternity home and signing some papers, she was back in Ohio the next day, ready to resume her life as a 16-year-old high schooler and National Honor Society member.

No one outside of her immediate family and her cousin Robin knew about the baby.

Only when she was preparing to sign the adoption papers did Briggs consider sharing the news with the father, a teenage fling who had gone off to college before she discovered she was pregnant. She ultimately decided against it.

“He was a kid too,” she says. “He was off at college on a scholarship. I think I may have felt that I kind of got myself in this, I’m gonna do what I need to do to work my way through it.”

With her parents’ blessing, Briggs had decided that when the child was born, she would put him up for adoption.

“My mother was still cleaning up my room for me once a week,” she says. “I wasn’t in a position to be anybody’s mother.

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I thought this was best for him, that I allow him to be placed with some family that would be able to give him all the great things that I had coming up because I had a mother and a father. I just didn’t want him to get cheated out of anything.”

In her last interaction with the adoption agency, Briggs was told that baby Jon had been placed with a doctor and his wife in Columbus, Ohio.

IN EARLY 2017, now-Kansas City Chiefs running backs coach Deland McCullough signed on to coach the running backs at USC, having spent the previous six years in the same position at Indiana University.

A few months before making the move to Southern California, he and his wife, Darnell, welcomed their fourth son into the world. For the fourth time, the couple provided doctors with Darnell’s medical history but couldn’t do the same for Deland’s side of the family. At 44 years old, McCullough knew nothing about where he came from.

Growing up in Youngstown, his adoptive mother, Adelle Comer, could tell him only that he was adopted at a very young age and that she had no information about his birth parents. For a long time, that was enough.

McCullough wasn’t interested in finding them anyway. There was enough trouble in Youngstown those days, and he didn’t want to burden anyone who might have bigger things to worry about.

Things changed when he had his first child, and as his family grew, so too did his desire to know of his past. He wanted to know who gave him his deep voice and his muscular build and to whom he owed his pensive nature and quiet intensity. He wondered where son Dason got his height and which grandfather or uncle his bespectacled son, Daeh, might favor. He was so hungry for information that he never questioned whether the search might lead him to answers he couldn’t handle.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen,” McCullough says. “I didn’t know how people would receive things one way or another. I didn’t have a plan. I just knew I wanted to find out.”

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Deland McCullough ’96 with adoptive mom, Adelle Comer.

New laws in Ohio and Pennsylvania had called for the unsealing of adoption records, giving McCullough new hope that he might find his birth parents. In November 2017, more than a year after filling out the requisite paperwork and years after his search began, he finally received his adoption files in the mail. For the first time, he saw his original birth certificate, complete with his name, Jon Kenneth Briggs, and the name of his mother, Carol Denise Briggs.

There was no information about his father.

ADELLE COMER WAS living in a three-bedroom house on a cul-de-sac in Youngstown with her husband, popular local radio host A.C. McCullough, and their young son, Damon, when she got the call. It was a social worker reaching out to see whether she and A.C. would come see an infant at an adoption agency in Pennsylvania. Not long after the tragic death of their second son, Alex, who died of an intestinal birth defect after just 28 days, the young couple had started serving as foster parents, and they were looking to adopt. In January 1973, they met 6-week-old baby Jon. “He was asleep in a bassinet,” Comer says.

“And she put him in my arms, and when he woke up, his eyes were looking straight at me. It was instant connection. Love.

Mother-son.”

By March of that year, Jon Kenneth Briggs had been renamed Deland Scott

McCullough, and he was living at home with his new parents, Adelle and A.C. “We were still in love, a good couple,” Comer says. “We went to church, partied, went to cookouts. We were working together and doing this together and wanting to make a home for our children. We knew that God’s hand was in it. Deland came so fast to us. We knew that it was meant to be. Both of us.”

But things changed quickly. Comer’s father had a stroke, and though A.C. wanted to put him in a nursing home, Comer brought her dad to live with the family in Youngstown. Their marriage deteriorated, and when Deland was just 2 years old, A.C. moved out.

“They went through a lot of hurt and disappointment, but they took it,” Comer says of her sons. “I said, ‘God gives you an example of what to be and what not to be.

You have to make the choice.’ And that’s all I had to say, and they got it.”

When Deland was in elementary school, Comer came home to find that he had cut three gashes into the couch for which she had just finished two years of layaway payments. Kids at school had been teasing him about being adopted, and he accused Comer of loving him less than her birth son, Damon. She explained that she loved the two boys differently, one because he had been in her belly and the other because she had chosen him. After that, Deland McCullough rarely spoke of his adoption.

He got good at pretending to be whole.

“The void was there,” he says. “I wish that it wasn’t, but I think I did a good job of hiding it.”

After the divorce, Comer had relationships with a few other men, some of whom were combative and abusive. “Some men don’t understand what respect is,” she says.

“I’ve got two sons, and I’m not gonna allow my children to grow up with this type of lifestyle, this drama.”

Damon sometimes tried to physically defend her, but then he left for college, and Deland felt too small, physically and emotionally, to step in. His response to the violence was to try to tune it out, become emotionless, put blinders on, and dream of a way out of the house and out of Youngstown.

Comer acknowledges that she contributed to the chaos in her own way as well.

“Biggest drama queen in the world, OK?” she says. “They called me Ma Barker because I’d shoot you and ask questions later.”

Comer took Deland with her to therapy for a while, hoping to make things at home a little less turbulent. New boyfriends came and went, but she mostly settled into life as a single mom, taking on multiple jobs to support her sons, including as a switchboard operator at the Cuyahoga County Department of Human Services, a waitress, a social worker, and a short-order cook at the local bowling alley. She did her best to raise the boys on her own, but they moved a lot, and she struggled to pay the bills, sometimes having to choose between electricity and a working phone.

But Comer stressed the importance of an education, insisting that she see the boys’ homework to make sure they were taking it seriously. She taught them the value of a dollar and the importance of faith, demanding that they use a portion of their monthly child support for Sunday school and tithes at church. And she was always shuttling them to activities, from the theater program at the Youngstown Playhouse to football, basketball, and track practices.

Deland was a bit of a late bloomer in terms of talent, but the passion for football was always there. Early on in pee wee, he heard his name over the loudspeaker and a light went off in his head. He fell in love with the game and started carrying a football with him everywhere he went, even to bed.

“It was an escape,” he says. “When I was out there practicing, you didn’t think about the electric is off, you know? You didn’t even think about anything like that. You were just out there balling, doing your thing, and competing and bonding with your friends.”

Comer was a one-woman cheer squad, bringing multiple signs to Deland’s games and running up and down the sideline rooting him on. One night when her ride didn’t show up, she took her son’s moped to the game. He looked up in the stands and saw her, still wearing his moped helmet, hollering and screaming for him: “D-MACK! D-MACK!”

He was so hungry for information that he never questioned whether the search might lead him to answers he couldn’t handle.

As a junior defensive back, Deland saw himself playing football at a small school or enlisting in the Navy, but an opportunity to show his talent at the running back position his senior year drew the eye of college recruiters. Suddenly, he was being pursued by the likes of Jim Tressel, then the head coach at Youngstown State; Bob Stoops, then the defensive backs coach at Kansas State; and Sherman Smith, then the running backs coach at Miami University.

DELAND McCULLOUGH LOOKED out the window of his third-period English class at Campbell Memorial High School and saw a tall man emerge from a candy apple red Mercedes-Benz with tan interior and tricked-out gold rims. A few minutes later, he got a pink slip message to leave class and go to the office, where the tall man stuck out his hand and said, with a firm handshake, “I’m Sherman Smith, the running backs coach at Miami University.”

A former star quarterback at Miami, Smith was a second-round draft pick at running back for the Seahawks and went on to play eight years in the NFL. He had a booming voice, thick arms, and broad, square shoulders. He walked and talked and carried himself like a former pro; McCullough was immediately drawn to him.

“It was just something about his personality,” McCullough says. “The way he presented himself. He had things that I hadn’t seen out of a man or mentor. He was on top of his details. He was successful. He had played in the NFL. He got his degree.

I wasn’t around that type of person.

Coach Sherman Smith ’76 watches as Deland signs in 1991 to go to Miami.

“The Mercedes was nice, too, you know?” he said with a laugh. “That was slick.”

As a Youngstown native himself, Smith thought guys from the area were tough, but the coaches told him McCullough was special — a thin kid, but when he couldn’t run around people, he’d go through them. McCullough was serious that day in the office, offering few smiles and answering with a lot of “Yes, sir” and “No, sir,” but he was also intelligent and expressive.

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With biological mom, Carol Briggs.

Smith thought he’d very much like to work with him.

The feeling was mutual. Despite interest from other schools, the decision to attend Miami University was easy for McCullough, especially after the home visit, during which Smith charmed Comer as well.

“Well, Coach Smith was hard not to love,” Comer says, laughing. “I fell in love with him the first time. He was just a gentleman. And he was very attentive and respectful to me.”

Smith drove them to visit the school and was back at Campbell Memorial a few months later for signing day, when McCullough signed his letter of intent to play at Miami. When McCullough arrived on campus, the coaches tried to turn him into a wide receiver, but he pushed for an opportunity to work with Smith and the running backs, accepting a redshirt freshman year to pursue the position he believed he was meant to play.

“I would tell the players, ‘You may not be looking for a father, but I’m going to treat you like you’re my sons,’ ” Smith says.

“And so I just looked at every guy like my son. I just wanted to be a positive role model for Deland and exemplify what I thought my father exemplified for me.”

“He was everything,” McCullough says. “If anything was going on, I was going to talk to Coach Smith. Everybody in that room gravitated towards Coach Smith just because that’s the type of person he was. What he’s about rubs off on you, so I always wanted to be around that.”

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“ If you would have told me to pick who my father was, there’s no way I would have picked him because I might have thought I wasn’t worthy … I felt like my blessings came full circle because I’d always wanted to be somebody like him.”

Smith left Miami University after that season to be the tight ends coach at the University of Illinois, but he and McCullough stayed in touch. He watched from afar as McCullough put together a Hall of Fame career in Oxford, rushing for 36 touchdowns and setting a school record with 4,368 rushing yards. McCullough was surprised when his name wasn’t called in the 1996 draft, but he was invited to a few workouts and ended up signing with the Bengals. He was leading the NFL in preseason rushing before he suffered a season-ending knee injury in Cincinnati’s final exhibition game.

After a few more looks in the NFL, a couple of seasons in Canada, several more knee surgeries, and a brief flirtation with the XFL, McCullough finally accepted in 2001 that his dream of pro football was over.

A few years later, married and the father of one son, McCullough took a job teaching communications and coaching football at Harmony Community School in Cincinnati.

Despite his rising to the ranks of principal and making a good salary, that first taste of coaching gave him the itch to coach full time, and he reached out to his alma mater about an opportunity to join the staff.

Smith had followed a similar path, first teaching and coaching high schoolers, then

working his way up the ranks from Miami University to the University of Illinois, the Houston Oilers, the Washington Redskins, and finally the running backs coach for the Seahawks. He was with Seattle when he got a call from McCullough, asking for advice as he started his new job at Miami University.

By 2014, McCullough was coaching at Indiana University, and the two were reunited on the field, as Smith welcomed McCullough to Seattle for a coaching internship. He saw firsthand that his former player had a real future on the sideline. He had no idea that off the field, McCullough was consumed by the search for his family.

A FEW DAYS before Thanksgiving 2017, Carol Briggs got home from work, sat down on the couch, and opened a Facebook message from an unfamiliar man: “Did you have a baby in 1972 in Allegheny County that you placed for adoption?”

“Luckily, I was already sitting,” she says.

Briggs had thought often of baby Jon. Every year, she wished him a “Happy Birthday” on her Facebook wall, and she regularly searched adoption websites to see if he might be looking for her. Briggs could still hear her mother’s voice, saying

more and more often in the years before she died, “You need to find that boy.” Never married and without any other children, Briggs would joke to her cousin Robin that one day baby Jon might show up at her door and walk in to find her home alone, dancing around the house to Funkadelic.

She called her older brother, who warned her that the message might be from someone trying to bribe or extort her. She responded anyway, and after a few short messages, she agreed to speak to McCullough on the phone that night after he got out of practice. In the hours before the call, she Googled his name and read every article she could find. She stared at his pictures and tried to find herself in his face.

It wasn’t hard to see it now: the mouth, the nose, the eyes.

McCullough called Briggs from a hallway at USC as he awaited the start of a football family dinner.

They spoke as if they’d known each other for years, an easy back and forth as they shared where life had taken them in the 44 years since she’d laid him down on that bed and let him go. She learned that he had never gone to live with a doctor in Columbus, that in fact they had been just a few miles away from each other in Youngstown for all of McCullough’s childhood. She likely shopped at the same grocery store as Adelle Comer, perhaps even passing young McCullough in the aisles. She was certain that her sports-

Deland with Coach Smith during Deland’s visit to Miami in 1990.

fanatic father, now deceased, had read about McCullough’s high school exploits in the paper.

McCullough was overjoyed to find his birth mother, though a mother had never been what he was missing.

“Within probably the first five or six minutes, he says, ‘Who is my father?’ ” Briggs says.

She took a breath. She had probably told only three people the man’s name. After making the decision to not tell the father all those years ago, she had been determined to never let him learn of the baby years later because of careless gossip.

She hesitated but decided McCullough had a right to know.

“Your father’s name is Sherman Smith,” Briggs told him.

McCullough, leaning against a wall in the hallway, felt as though he might pass out.

He started flashing back to all of his memories with Smith and all the times people had joked about him being a carbon copy of his coach. Throughout college, when he returned to coach at Miami University, during his internship with the Seahawks. “ ‘Man, you and Coach Smith look alike.’

‘Man, you all walk alike.’ ‘Y’all this, y’all this,’ ” McCullough says. “There’s no reason to connect those dots because you weren’t even thinking about them. A sense of pride that went through me, like, ‘Wow, that explains these things.’ And then I also start thinking about all the similarities of our path. That just blew me away.”

Not only had he known his father for 28 years, but Smith was also his mentor, the man he had looked up to since he was 16 years old. McCullough thought of a photo of him and Smith at Campbell Memorial High, both beaming as he signed his letter of intent to play at Miami University. The same photo he had pinned to the corkboard that hung in his college dorm room. The same photo that was at that moment sitting in a Ziploc bag in the drawer of his nightside table, a bag that had traveled with him through every job and every move.

“If you would have told me to pick who my father was, there’s no way I would have

With biological dad, Sherman Smith.

picked him because I might have thought I wasn’t worthy for him to be my father,” McCullough says. “I felt like my blessings came full circle because I’d always wanted to be somebody like him.”

“I could hear him take a big breath,” Briggs says. “And I could kind of hear him choke up a little. And finally he says, ‘Well, I’ve known Sherman my whole life.’”

THE NEXT MORNING, McCullough texted Smith asking if they could talk about something important. It was November, and Smith assumed that McCullough had gotten a coaching opportunity he wanted to discuss. Instead, McCullough began by talking about his search for his birth parents, how he had found his biological mother, and she was from Youngstown, just like them.

“Praise the Lord!” Smith recalls saying.

“What a blessing!”

“And then he said, ‘I asked her who my biological father was, and she said you.’ ” Smith was quiet. Sixty-three years old, he had been married to his college sweetheart for 42 years and had reared a grown son and a daughter. He hadn’t heard the name Carol Briggs in more than four decades. He never knew she was pregnant, never knew there was a baby. He knew he couldn’t deny the possibility that he was McCullough’s father,

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but he wanted proof. Even more, he wanted time to think. He asked McCullough if he could call him back later. Stunned and a little hurt, McCullough agreed.

Smith sat in his office. Guilt washed over him. Even though he hadn’t been told about the baby, he couldn’t shake the feeling that he had let Briggs and McCullough down.

He felt awful that he had left Briggs in such a difficult position and regretted all the years he had missed out on being a father to McCullough. He had built a life making a difference in young men’s lives. He had spoken to his athletes and his kids about being responsible, being accountable.

“Being irresponsible is not neutral,” Smith says. “When you’re irresponsible, someone becomes responsible for what you’ve been irresponsible for.”

He thought about what this would say about him as a man and found himself hoping that a paternity test would show that he wasn’t McCullough’s father. It was a thought that brought him only more guilt.

He asked to speak to Briggs.

Briggs cried her way through work the day she was set to talk to Smith. “I hadn’t talked to Sherman in 45 years. And after 45 years, this is probably not the icebreaker conversation that you want to have with the guy that you used to fool around with. ‘Hey,

Deland’s own family.

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we’ve got a 45-year-old son. And how are you?’ So, no, I wasn’t looking forward to that at all. Not at all.”

There was no need to worry. Smith was calm and kind, and the two settled into a nice conversation, catching up for a long time before they even got to talking about McCullough. Smith apologized to her for her having to make such a difficult decision at such a young age, and Briggs explained why she had felt it was best to not tell Smith about the baby. She said that over the years, she just wanted to know that McCullough was OK, and Smith reassured her that her son was a good man.

Briggs hung up full of emotion but relieved that Smith wasn’t angry with her.

Smith hung up feeling much more certain that McCullough was his son.

Smith talked to his wife, Sharon, and his brother, Vincent. He talked to his children, Sherman and Shavonne. He thought about McCullough’s coaching internship a few years earlier, how Seahawks assistant offensive line coach Pat Ruel hadn’t stopped cracking jokes about Smith and his protege acting like a father-son duo.

McCullough sent Smith an old article from his days in the CFL, and Smith couldn’t believe his eyes. “I’m looking at this thing and thinking, ‘I don’t remember taking this picture. I don’t remember doing this article,’ ” Smith says. “I’m looking at Deland, and I’m thinking it’s me. That got me.

“I called my aunt in Youngstown, and I told her about it. And she’d went on YouTube and pulled up some pictures of Deland, and she called me back. She said, ‘Nephew, I can save you the money on the DNA tests.’ ” The more Smith thought about it, the more he realized the story wasn’t about him and his guilt. It was about McCullough and what he had been through. It was about a life without a father, about the years McCullough had spent looking for his birth parents, hoping to fill a void, wanting to know where he’d come from.

“It was said that humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less,” Smith says. “I started thinking about Deland.”

Sometime in the weeks between that first phone call and the test results, Smith realized that he was hoping he was McCullough’s father. That, in fact, he would be devastated if the results came back otherwise. When the test came in, it showed a 99.99 percent chance that Smith was, indeed, McCullough’s father. Both were elated.

“I look at it, and I just say it’s a God thing,” Smith says. “It’s grace. It’s undeserved. And that’s what’s made it great for Deland and for all of us, how everyone has embraced this and is excited about our new family.”

McCullough understood why Smith had been so curt at first. McCullough had spent his whole life wondering about his birth parents. Briggs had spent her whole life wondering about her child. Smith had gone from zero to a 45-year-old son in one phone call; he needed time.

A few weeks after the paternity test came back, McCullough had a recruiting trip near Nashville, where Smith and his wife had relocated after his retirement. McCullough made a special trip to see the man he now knew as his father.

“I’m pretty sure he was nervous,” Smith says of that day. “I laugh because I’m looking out the window because I know he’s supposed to be coming. I’m standing there, and I see he parks at the corner down there. And he’s parked there for five minutes. I said, ‘What’s he doing?’ He finally pulls up and gets out the car.”

As McCullough walked up the steps to the house, Smith greeted him with open arms and said, “My son.” It was the first time in McCullough’s life that anyone had called him that.

“For so many years that I was around him, the embrace was, ‘Hey, Coach, how you doing?’ ” Smith says. “But this is, ‘Man, my son.’ Maybe I was doing it for me, to help me really, fully understand.”

“I know he was saying it from a place of ‘I’m proud. This is my son,’ ” McCullough says. “I’d never heard that. I’d never been referred to like that before — period. It really hit me hard emotionally. When I sit here at this point, and I’m looking at the things that I’ve done, I’m happy that I’m able to be somebody that he’s proud of.”

At first, McCullough was concerned that his adoptive mother might be upset by his relationships with his birth parents. But as soon as he heard that Briggs and Comer had hit it off in their first phone call, he knew everything would be fine.

“All I can say is, ‘Are you serious?’

Over and over again. ‘Are you serious?’ ” Comer says of McCullough’s journey leading to Smith. “It’s just a miracle that his birth father’s been in his life since he was 16, 17 years old. That’s my son, and I want nothing but 100 percent best for him. He needed that, and God gave it to him, and it’s in God’s time.”

Both Smith and Briggs are endlessly grateful to Comer for raising McCullough with the wisdom they didn’t yet have.

“She did what I couldn’t do,” Briggs says of Comer. “She was an adult, she was married at the time, so you know she brought him into a family structure. That was what I wanted for him. I wanted him to have what I had, and she gave him that. She gave him all the tools that he needed in growing up to be the successful man that he is right now.”

THIS PAST JUNE, the two Miami University Hall of Famers, Smith and McCullough, were back on campus to witness the verbal commitment of McCullough’s son, Deland McCullough II, to the RedHawks football team. The younger McCullough is a defensive back, just like Smith’s son, Sherman, who played the position at Miami as well.

In July, a huge family reunion in Youngstown brought McCullough, Briggs, Smith, and Comer together for the first time.

All of McCullough’s parents in one place, reflecting on nurture versus nature, what is inherited versus what is taught, and the many different forms of parenthood. It was both the culmination of a journey and the start of something new for the families that the journey had introduced. A man found his parents, a mother found her child, and a father discovered a son he never knew he was missing. There is no jealousy, no resentment and no regret. There is just

Together at last: Deland; adoptive mom, Adelle Comer; birth mom, Carol Briggs; and biological dad, Sherman Smith.

“ When I look at Deland, the type of guy he is, it was a gift to us. And to think — Deland felt we were a gift to him.” gratitude for the winding paths that brought them all together.

“When I look at Deland, the type of guy he is, it was a gift to us,” Smith says. “And to think — Deland felt we were a gift to him.”

“Now I know who I am and where I’m from,” McCullough says. “I got all of the pieces to the story. I got them all now.”

Sarah Spain is the co-host of Spain & Fitz on ESPN Radio, host of the “That’s What She Said” podcast, a SportsCenter reporter, and an espnW columnist since 2010. She was a heptathlete at Cornell and is a lifelong Chicago sports fan. © ESPN. Reprinted c0urtesy of ESPN.com.

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love & honor

Meeting the Challenge Millers ’61 endow center for students with disabilities

By Josh Chapin ’02

“ I could not hear well, and classes were becoming increasingly more challenging.”

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They met at the Beta Bells in 1958 toward the end of their freshman year in Oxford, Scott ’61 majoring in business and Susan ’61 in fine arts. Their first date was a Saturday afternoon football game at old Miami Field.

Following days would find them at Tuffy’s for a toasted roll or a Friday evening out at Mac ’n’ Joe’s.

A native of Dayton, Scott noted Miami was a popular choice for area students, and his first two roommates in Symmes Hall were high school friends of his.

While a high school student in Rochester, N.Y., Susan considered attended Bowling Green State University. A friend who was already a student there arranged a date with a football player for Susan. When asked his thoughts about Bowling Green, he said if he could do it all over again, he would attend Miami

University. “It’s a great school, and I wish I had gone there,” Susan recalled him saying.

“I was awestruck the first time I visited Miami University,” she said. “The Williamsburg-style brick buildings, the luscious landscaping, and the enthusiastic atmosphere were unbelievable.”

Susan describes her first year at Miami as “wonderful.” A lifelong experience with hearing loss, though, became an obstacle for her near the end of her sophomore year.

“I could not hear well, and classes were becoming increasingly more challenging,” she said.

Still, Miami is what brought the Millers together, and they have stayed together for 60 years. Married in 1960, the couple eventually moved to Rochester, Scott

love & honor

joining the Maco Bag Corp., a family company started

by Susan’s father, which now spans four generations.

Through the years, Miami remained close in their thoughts. They also couldn’t forget Susan’s experience as a student battling hearing loss, and they wanted to help others.

Talking with Andrew Zeisler ’88 MEd ’00, director of Miami’s student disability services, gave them the outlet they were searching for. They established an endowment, which is funding the J. Scott and Susan MacDonald Miller Center for Student Disability Services.

“The generous gift that the Millers are making to Miami University will leave a legacy for generations of current and future RedHawks that supports our institutional mission of inclusive excellence while enhancing our ongoing cultural engagement of students with disabilities at Miami,” Zeisler said.

Located in Shriver Center, the Miller Center offers accommodation support services, including assistive technology, captioning and interpreting services, and testing environments. It also displays works by local artists with disabilities.

“I know what a struggle it can be to have some sort of disability and try to go to college,” Susan said.

“We are grateful to be in a position to give back to Miami. Andy was so genuine and honest. You could tell how much the student center for disability meant to him.

“We met with students from the center, and they were amazing. They were so willing to share their frustrations, as well as their hopes for the future and how Miami was meeting their needs.”

Endowing the center is only the latest of many connection between the Millers and Miami. They’ve toured England with the Miami Explorers alumni group and have participated in several Winter Colleges, an annual, three-day event that provides engagement with campus leaders in interesting and warm climates, an experience they recommend to all alumni.

The inaugural Winter College was held in 2004 in Fort Myers, Fla. Featuring presentations by Miami faculty and open to alumni, parents of past and current students, and friends of the university, the program has also been held in California, South Carolina, and Arizona. The next one is March 1-3.

“It’s an excellent way to bring people together,” Scott said. Susan agreed, and she remarked that the couple’s positive interactions with Miami staff

Susan and Scott Miller ’61 at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Miller Center for Student Disability Services in the Shriver Center.

and faculty during those weekends helped fuel their desire to fund the center on the Oxford campus.

“Everybody who we would meet was wonderful,” she said. “We were so impressed. It gave us such a good feeling about Miami, how it is an outstanding institution, and how it continues to exceed our expectations every year.”

Josh Chapin ’02 is manager of editorial services in Miami’s university advancement division.

Winter College 2019 — open to all Miami alumni — is March 1-3 at the Westin Sarasota in Sarasota, Fla. CBS News correspondent Jeff Pegues ’92 is one of this year’s featured speakers. Register online and view the schedule and descriptions at MiamiAlum.org/WinterCollege.

To learn more about how to support Miami, visit GivetoMiamiOH.org/GivetoMU.

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Miami University Libraries, Frank Snyder Collection

class notes

Lovely weather: For a sleigh ride together, which pauses in front of the Miami Steam Laundry.

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class notes

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“Unfortunately, we don’t see as many mentions in Class Notes of graduates from the 1940s as we used to, but, as you know, they’re still out there,” writes Rich Plum ’94.

“My grandfather, Dick Plum, is one of them. Recently, my brother, Dr. Andy Plum ’97, and I traveled to Naples, Fla., to help him celebrate his upcoming 100th birthday (Oct. 18). Each time we visit we still talk fondly of our Miami experiences. He and my late grandmother, Jane Thomas Plum, were a Miami Merger. She attended for two years before leaving to marry upon his graduation in 1940. When I attended freshman orientation in the summer of 1990, it was only weeks after they had been in Oxford for his 50th reunion during Alumni Weekend.”

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Margot Graney Mudd of

Plantation, Fla., visited the National Cryptologic Museum at Fort Meade, Md., this summer where she was accorded the VIP tour of the facility. She was a cryptographer in Washington, D.C., during WWII — a member of the super-secret “codebreaker girls” of Arlington Hall. As their numbers dwindle, their story is finally being revealed.

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Ernest Porter writes, “My

wife, Nancy, and I have lived all around the country, with the last 15 years in Las Vegas. With a bit of luck, we will celebrate our 70th wedding anniversary next spring. While at Miami, I truly enjoyed my fraternity (SAE) and playing varsity basketball. Would enjoy hearing from my fraternity brothers or other friends.”

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The third of a continuing series of national geologic travel guides written by Albert Dickas ’55 MS ’56 of Blacksburg, Va., has been

released by Mountain Press Publishing.

101 American Fossil Sites You’ve Gotta See presents in text and photographic detail at least one family-friendly fossil site in every state and examines the entire 4.6 billion-year paleontologic history of Earth.

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Reunion ¶ Dana Shadrick, Harry Thomalla, Wallace Myles, and John Theis got together at the Pensacola Naval Air Museum in November. All Sig Eps, they have met a number of times at the “fabulous” Alumni Weekend.

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Gathering to celebrate Bob Tasner’s 80th birthday in Carmel recently were Gil Kessler ’62, Bob, Marc Eisner ’60, Norm Schiff ’62, and Terry Saidel ’61.

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Reunion ¶ Marshall Wolf was recognized in the 2018 Best Lawyers in America in Family Law. His Cleveland law firm, Wolf and Akers, also has been recognized again by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers Eighth Edition of Best Law Firms.

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Kelly Stanley of Muncie,

Ind., received the 2018 Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce’s Legacy Award, presented to an individual who has made extraordinary, sustained, and positive contributions to the Muncie-Delaware County community and provided leadership in the development of programs, events, and/or new traditions that promote good will and community pride. Cited were Kelly’s leadership at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and his involvement with local boards.

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Gerry Ann Schultze Crow

retired from elementary school teaching at Three Rivers School

District in Cleves, Ohio, in 1983. Gerry attended night school for eight years at Miami to become a teacher and help support her family and send her children to college. Widowed in 1998 after 47 years of marriage to husband Donald, she continues to tutor students, perform with the local alumni chorus, and participate in the women’s club, Presbyterian Church, and the senior center in Cleves. In September, Gerry was joined by 120 friends and family to celebrate her 90th birthday.

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Brian Keeley was honored by the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce with the Sand in My Shoes Award. The chamber’s most prestigious accolade, it is presented to outstanding community leaders who have made significant contributions to the South Florida region, demonstrating a love and commitment to Miami as the best possible place in which to live, work, and play. Brian is president and chief executive officer for Baptist Health South Florida, the region’s largest not-for-profit health system.

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James DeWeese has retired

after serving as a Richland County (Ohio) common pleas judge since 1991. “I wanted to do something that would make a difference,” he said.

“I was debating between something medical and law.” Both his wife, Cyndde, whom he met at Miami in German class, and his mother urged him to try law.

SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE Please send news to: Donna Boen, Miamian, 301 S. Campus Ave., Room 22 Campus Avenue Building, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or Miamian@MiamiOH.edu.

Include your name, class year, address, and your phone number.

For more class news, go online to MiamiAlum.org/ Classnotes. For online Miamian, go to MiamiAlum.org/ Miamian.

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Reunion ¶ M. Scott Milinski was installed in the National Academy of Arbitrators at its October 2018 conference in Austin, Texas. The academy’s admission standards are rigorous in keeping with the goal of establishing and fostering the highest standards of integrity and competence

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

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class notes

in labor and employment arbitration.

Scott and his wife, Frances Gdula Milinski ’84, live in Pompano Beach, Fla. ¶ Francine Pegues, owner of Belle Isle Golf Center, is president of the executive committee of Global Ties Detroit, a nonprofit that connects international professionals and emerging leaders with Detroit counterparts.

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Bill Lammers ’70 MBA ’73

recently completed nine years of service on the board of trustees of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, the nation’s largest not-for-profit organization for addiction treatment, advocacy, publishing, graduate education, and addiction research. Bill also has established the William J. Lammers Education Fund for Alcohol and Other Addictions at Miami.

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While back in town for their high school reunion, Bob and Becky Larson Kukla ’72 visited the Oxford campus to reminisce about their time at Miami, living in Flower Hall, and kissing under the Upham Arch. They live in Columbia, S.C.

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In September, Eric Wickman of Fairfax, Va., fulfilled a lifelong dream by completing a motorcycle tour of Historic Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. A highlight was a stop in Miami, Okla., where he visited the Miami Tribe’s lands.

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Rita Dove ’73 Hon. ’88

recently received honorary doctorates from Smith College, where she also gave the 2018 commencement speech, and from Harvard University. ¶ Stephen Spyrison, DDS, who retired in 2016, became a new grandparent of twin boys this August. He’s active in cycling, water polo, and hiking. He’s also the author of Daughter of the Frost:

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Path of the Servant Master and In God’s Grace — A Spiritual Renaissance and gives presentations on mythology, metaphysics, and spirituality.

75

Steve Gillen, an attorney with Wood Herron & Evans in Cincinnati, has been recognized on a list of America’s leading lawyers by Chambers USA. ¶ Russ Reising ’75 MA ’78 is a professor of American culture and Asian studies at the University of Toledo. He has published widely on topics in American literature, popular music, and psychedelics and is the author of four books.

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Douglas Donnell, an attorney

with Mika Meyers, a law firm based in Grand Rapids, was included in the 2018 Michigan Super Lawyers Magazine. ¶ The latest book

by Bradley Gottfried PhD ’76 is The Maps of Fredericksburg: An Atlas of the Fredericksburg Campaign, Including all Cavalry Operations, September 18, 1862 — January 22, 1863. This continues his efforts to illustrate the major campaigns of the Civil War’s Eastern Theater and break down the campaign into 22 map sets, enriched with full-page color maps. ¶ Ronald Kopp, shareholder at Roetzel & Andress law firm in Akron, has been named among 2019 Best Lawyers in America. ¶ Larry Pratt retired to San Diego Nov. 30 after working for the Navy for 50 years, the first 27 in uniform on active duty.

He earned an MS from the University of Southern California and is a graduate of the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School.

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Amelia Bower was included

in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America. She also received Lawyer of the Year honors from Best Lawyers.

Managing partner of Plunkett Cooney’s Chicago office, Amelia is a

member of the firm’s title insurance law practice group. She maintains a multi-state practice in Illinois and Ohio. ¶ George Denman, executive vice president of sales for Graeter’s Ice Cream since 2009, was inducted into the Honorable Order of the Golden Penguins by the National Frozen and Refrigerated Association for his leadership and commitment to the frozen and refrigerated industry. ¶ Douglas Haynam, of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, has accepted appointment to the Ohio State Bar Association’s Commission on Judicial Candidates, which evaluates persons who have announced themselves as candidates for the offices of chief justice and justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Doug is a partner in the environmental practice group in the Toledo office. ¶ Elizabeth Monce Lolli ’77 PhD ’94 is superintendent of the Dayton (Ohio) Public School District. In her 41st year in education, Elizabeth has also served as superintendent in Barberton (Ohio) City Schools and Monroe (Ohio) Local Schools. She has one published book, Nongradedness, Helping it to Happen, and several articles in educational journals. She and husband Eugene ’99 have two grown sons, Matthew and Benjamin. ¶ Mike Watson, who retired as athletic director from Saginaw Valley State University last year, is now AD at Flint Powers Catholic.

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John Kostelnik is treasurer

of the board of directors of the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Foundation, which raises money for the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s Lawyers Giving Back public outreach and pro bono legal service programs. He is a partner with Frantz Ward Attorneys at Law and was included in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America. ¶ Melody

class notes

PATH T E O TH

As a student, you followed that path, and the lifelong impact of your years at Miami is undeniable.

Help us tell the Miami story by encouraging high school seniors you know to apply.

LEARN MORE ABOUT APPLYING TO MIAMI:

MiamiOH.edu/apply Students completing all application requirements by December 1, 2018, will receive priority consideration for admission, merit scholarships, and other competitive admission programs.

Final application deadline for admission is February 1, 2019.

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

Schedule a visit: MiamiOH.edu/visit

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class notes

80

Tom Snyder ’84 (left) of Englewood, Colo., completed the Mount Fuji climb in August with his business partner and friend, Tarun Lamba, CEO of Imperial Auto Industries, an India-based company. Tom runs the company’s U.S. arm.

The climb required 16 hours of hiking with a six-hour group sleep near the top. They started the final ascent at 2 a.m. and witnessed a perfect sunrise at 5:03. The sky was so clear there was a perfect shadow of Fuji-san behind the mountain, a rare occurrence.

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Wachter Sumpter, Mary Ann Lavery, Patsy Keefe Labyk, Julie Moloney Shuffelton, and Karen Busch Tweed

remain lifelong friends and take a trip together each fall. Their latest destination was New York City.

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Reunion ¶ Tamra Gory sent in a picture of Marsha Dicken Schneider ’79, Mary George Lopez ’79, Deborah Edelfelt Likens ’77, Teresa Cecere Cline ’78, Sara Buchsbaum Campbell ’79, and Tamra, who got together in June 2017 for a Miami Girls Mini-Reunion in Venice Beach, Fla. ¶ Dave Knaebel is in his second year as a national program leader of soil biology research for the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ¶ Beth Ann Thompson Phifer of Hilliard, Ohio, founded Flower Girl Greetings (www. flowergirlgreetings.com) in 2012 with her husband and business manager, Dustin. Flower Girl Greetings exists to magnify the beauty of God’s Word with vibrant art cards, devotional writing, and study tools. ¶ Randall Stearnes spoke at the Hydro 2018 conference in Gdansk, Poland, Oct. 15-17. He is retired in Scottsdale, Ariz., after 22 years at Tacoma Public Utilities.

Pam Sawyer Conlin, who was assistant vice president for principal and major gifts at Southern Methodist University, joined Bowling Green State University in October as vice president for university advancement and president of the BGSU Foundation. ¶ Jeff Eckel, chairman, president, and CEO of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 award in the Mid-Atlantic region. ¶ Ceri James Paul of Mason, Ohio, sent in two pictures of the same five people roughly 40 years apart. “We met in the fall of 1976 as roommates/corridor mates in Reid Hall. We recently got together in Siesta Key, Fla., to celebrate our 60th birthdays.” In the photos are Pat Powers, Nancy McKaig Case, Karen O’Connor Kolb, Ceri, and Linda Clark. ¶ Rick Tsoumas is a trustee and board chairman of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Mich. The seventh largest philanthropic foundation in the U.S., it is “guided by the belief that all children should have an equal opportunity to thrive.”

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Frank Braun joined Baldwin Wallace University in June as dean of the business school. He came from Northern Kentucky University, where he was department chair in informatics. At BW, Frank intends to better weave technology into the business school by building a stronger, engaged practice in cybersecurity and risk management. He loves automobiles, and he and his wife live with Bentley and Brock, their rescue boxers. ¶ Named a 2018 Enquirer Woman of the Year, Nancy Eigel-Miller of Mariemont, Ohio, wants to change the conversation about mental health.

After losing her husband to suicide, she founded 1N5 with the mission of

eliminating the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide. Earlier this year, she was honored at the Jefferson Awards and presented the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for Outstanding Public Service Benefiting Local Communities.

82

America’s Top 100 LLC has selected Faruki Ireland Cox Rhinehart & Dusing partner Jeff Cox to be included on its national America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators list. ¶ Vienna, Austria, home to a large population of expatriates, is also host to dignitaries from across the globe, including a large U.S. diplomatic corps.

In 2018, Austria was also home to an “unofficial” U.S. diplomatic group — graduates of Miami University.

Last spring, Vienna’s Tri-Missions boasted four RedHawks among its senior leadership: Acting Ambassador Eugene Young ’84, chargé d’affaires U.S. Mission to Austria; Nan Fife ’82, acting deputy chief of Mission, U.S. Mission to the United Nations Vienna; James Horner ’82, senior facility manager to the Tri-Missions Vienna; and David Caunter ’94, country attaché for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Though they didn’t know each other before, they enjoyed swapping stories of their Oxford days, often over a plate of the local Wiener Schnitzel and a glass of Gruner Veltliner wine. ¶ Dick Maloney has a new book out from Kent State University Press. Classic Bengals: The 50 Greatest Games in Cincinnati Bengals History includes a list of the 50 greatest games by opponent, “near misses” that almost made the list, stats on each game, and a foreword from “Mr. Bengal” Dave Lapham, who has played or broadcast games for the team in 42 of its 50 seasons. Dick, a Cincinnati journalist for over 34 years and a lifelong Bengals fan, is a freelance journalist.

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As a sports editor, he was part of the award-winning sports department at The Community Press newspapers.

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Gail Kist-Kline ’83 MS ’88

PhD ’95 was inaugurated as the fourth president of The Christ College of Nursing and Health Sciences in Cincinnati Oct. 15, 2018. Retired as superintendent of Mason City Schools, she joined Christ College July 1. ¶ Brent Sisson is the new chief financial officer of Asurint, background screening solutions provider. He is a certified public accountant, a Six Sigma Black Belt, and a former officer for the Center for Quality Management.

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Erin Erwine Ascher has

joined Baltimore-based senior living and long-term pharmacy company Remedi SeniorCare as senior vice president of human resources.

She is responsible for recruitment, compensation and benefits, organizational development, performance management, compliance, and employee relations and engagement. ¶ Lori Pattison Hickok is on the board of directors and chairs the audit committee for CarGurus, a global online automotive marketplace. She was executive vice president, chief financial and development officer at Scripps Networks Interactive.

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Doug Davidson has been promoted to department head — information technology services at GBQ. He is based in Columbus. He joined GBQ in 2017. ¶ Joseph Herbert, with Roetzel & Andress, was named in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America in medical malpractice law-defendants.

88

Diane Lausche Bean of

Powell, Ohio, has launched a women’s online dress company. This

One Dress (www.thisonedress.com) is built around three distinct dress shape silhouettes that can be personalized and offer a custom fit. ¶ Steve Funk, a shareholder in Roetzel & Andress, has been named among 2019 Best Lawyers in America in the areas of appellate practice, commercial litigation, litigation-land use, and zoning and municipal law. ¶ Tanya (Tanny) Williamson McGregor has a new book, Ink & Ideas. Tanny has been thinking with a pen in her hand, putting words and pictures together for as long as she’s been reading. Sketchnoting, also known as visual note taking, helps make thinking visible and meaningful while reading, listening, or viewing. This book is a toolkit for K-12 teachers introducing sketchnoting in their classrooms.

89

Reunion ¶ Michael Casper and two of his classmates — William Lindow and John Guilfoyle — met at Saratoga Race Course recently. ¶ David Ferris, of Roetzel & Andress, has been named among 2019 Best Lawyers in America in the area of transportation law. ¶ Todd Kobayashi has joined Henrico-based HHHunt company as chief financial officer. Based in the Richmond office, he oversees its corporate finance and accounting functions across all business lines and advises the CEO and COO regarding capital investments.

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Kirsten Rouse Durkee, Tanya Miller Collins,

Betsy Abraham Delk, and Christine

Butcher, the four members of the “best support system ever,” celebrated their half-century mark with a trip to Austin, Texas, “proving there are still new skills to be learned (paddleboarding), new foods to be tasted (Voodoo Donuts), and a lot in life to laugh about!” ¶ Women of Symmes Hall

2017-2018, Abby Fox, Jenna Principal, Mackenzie Doerr, Madeline Conroy, Molly DeVoe, Erica Nolan, and Holly West, gathered at the Mullett Lake Michigan home of Abby Fox in July 2018. Abby’s mother is Jennifer Bryan Fox ’90. ¶ Robert Hatley is group vice president of corporate communications at Entergy Corp. He is based in the New Orleans corporate headquarters. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.9 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. ¶ Rich Leonard won fourth place and $1,000 in the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) international video contest in March 2018. Contestants were asked to create a video about the future of the management accounting profession using the theme “You’ve got to earn it.” His video, Ready to Start Your Journey, talks about Rich’s goal to become a certified management accountant, which he accomplished in April 2018. His wife, Paula Roberts Leonard, helped produce the video and has a cameo part. Rich is an Arizona CPA, working for the past 14 years in the nonprofit industry in the Phoenix area. ¶ Susan Lindley Holum is head of the primary school for The Prairie School in Wind Point, Wis. The

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

The Procter & Gamble Grand Rapids sales office is well represented by Miamians. Kelly Moore Wittry ’88 writes, “This summer, we had five: (l-r) Karly Osborne ’16, Emily Evans ’18, Matt Wheatley ’19, Todd Vishnauski ’05, and me.

We have a blast growing our business together while ensuring everyone knows that our Public Ivy is the best school around!”

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during a Caps game against the Dallas Stars. His broadcasting dream come true, Chad was responsible for intermission reports, game resets toward the end of each period, and spots on the pre- and postgame shows.

92

Audra Osmena DeVictor, Nicole Ayers Barrington, and Kelly Bailey (l-r), all Class of ’91, joined 23 others when Miami’s Phoenix Alumni Chapter participated in Miamians Making a Difference Day Oct. 27. On that Saturday, alumni chapters around the country participated in volunteer events. The Phoenix group packed emergency food boxes at St. Mary’s Food Bank - Del Webb Warehouse.

school is a national leader. ¶ Michelle Sheehan has been elected judge for the

Eighth District Court of Appeals, which serves Cuyahoga County and is one of 12 courts of appeals in Ohio. She begins her term Jan. 2, 2019. ¶ The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis appointed Lisa Vielee of Fishers, Ind., to its 2018 governing board of directors.

The foundation is home to the Indiana AIDS Fund. Lisa is co-owner/vice president of Well Done Marketing.

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Erika Haupt, of Roetzel &

Andress, was named in the 2019 Best Lawyers in America in closely held companies and family businesses law, trusts and estates and litigation. ¶ Mark McDonough is chief business officer of Phosphorus, a leader in diagnostic and bioinformatic solutions for clinical Next Generation Sequencing. ¶ Christopher Ondrula, JD, is executive director of the American Board of Preventive Medicine. He served most recently as the strategic business affairs and legal adviser for ABMS. ¶ Fox News senior Capitol Hill producer Chad Pergram ’91 MS ’93 joined his longtime friend John Walton ’96, radio playby-play voice of the NHL Washington Capitals, in the broadcasting booth

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Attorney Steven Goodin, partner with Cincinnati’s Graydon law firm, has been appointed to the board of directors of the USO of Central and Southern Ohio, which covers 65 counties in Central and Southern Ohio, West Virginia, and Northern Kentucky. The organization provides programs and events to support the U.S. military and their families. ¶ Gary Gwynn, NROTC, has been promoted to lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army and the West Virginia Army National Guard. He is assigned to the Special Operations Detachment-Europe within the Special Operations Command Europe. ¶ Amy Ikerd, assistant prosecuting attorney for the Mercer County prosecutor’s office, serves on the Ohio State Bar Association board of governors. She is a trustee for Ohio Women’s Bar Foundation and vice president of Mercer County Bar Association.

93

Linda Eble Brill is executive

director of the Johns Creek (Ga.) Symphony Orchestra. Now entering its 12th season, this symphony is metro Atlanta’s only fully professional, part-time symphonic orchestra. Linda is also a clarinet clinician in the Fulton County Schools, a private clarinet teacher, and an active freelance musician. ¶ Bruce Comiskey has been promoted to Fifth Third Bank senior commercial banker, making him part of the bank’s executive leadership team in Chicago. In this role, he is charged with driving Fifth Third’s growth in the middle market space. He and his wife, Laura Nance Comiskey ’92, live in

Chicago with their daughter, Trudy. ¶ Snodgrass Partners, a sports industry consulting and recruiting firm, has hired Peter Davis as vice president of business development. He continues as the principal adviser at Advisory 110, an independent consultancy. ¶ Kevin Gluc, an attorney at Hodgson Russ in Buffalo, N.Y., has been named to the 2018 Upstate New York Super Lawyers list under estate and probate. ¶ Sarah O’Neil Hannibal is a recipient of the 2018 Crain’s Notable Women in Finance Award. She co-founded Walden Wealth Partners, a boutique wealth management firm, building on a successful financial services career that included work as a CPA and a chartered financial analyst in the U.S. and abroad. ¶ Michael Hulme, president of Hulme & Co., CPAs, is on the board of directors of Mutual Federal, a division of First Bank Richmond. As such, he provides guidance and assistance to management in fulfilling its mission of becoming the community bank of choice in Shelby and Miami counties. ¶ David McClintock, CPA, president and director of McClintock & Associates, was invited to join the advisory board for Career Education Review, a trade publication for institutional leaders in postsecondary education. He offers his expertise on compliance and regulatory issues. ¶ Steven Reineke is celebrating his 10th anniversary season as music director of the New York Pops, the largest independent pops orchestra in the U.S. It gives a six-concert season at Carnegie Hall. Steve is also the principal pops conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Houston and Toronto symphony orchestras.

94

Reunion ¶ Matt Betley was invited to be the guest of

class notes

honor and keynote speaker at Miami’s NROTC Marine Corps Birthday Ball in November. ¶ Do you have a special story or memory about one of Miami’s buildings or more than one? If so, Scott Crooke wants to hear from you. He and his wife are writing a book about all the halls at Miami. They have taken numerous photos and would like to add stories and memories about each. “The halls represent so much more than just buildings. They deserve to serve as a foundation to the memories that Miami affords all of its graduates, and hopefully this book can provide that,” he says. Contact Scott at scottcrooke@ yahoo.com. ¶ Kelly Evans Dolan is one of 10 dynamic women selected as recipients of the 2018 Enquirer and The Greater Cincinnati Foundation Women of the Year awards. Kelly, who lives Hyde Park, founded Ingage Partners, a company that donates 25 percent

of its proceeds to nonprofit organizations. She is also co-owner of Thrive Impact Sourcing, a business incubator dedicated to creating opportunities for diverse individuals to enter the IT industry. Thrive also received an international award from the Global Sourcing Counsel. ¶ Jim Fowler is the new chief information officer at Nationwide Insurance, overseeing technology strategy, IT operations, and 5,700 employees. He was recognized by Forbes with the CIO Innovation Award. ¶ Nora Loftus, a partner in Frantz Ward’s construction practice group, has been named to the 2019 Leadership Cleveland Class, a 10-month program that empowers senior-level leaders with additional knowledge, skills, and relationships to deepen their community impact. ¶ Uber hired Rebecca Messina as its first-ever global chief marketing officer. She has more than

25 years of experience at Chicago’s Beam Suntory and, before that, Coca-Cola. ¶ Arturo Polizzi is CEO of Christ Hospital. He joined Cincinnati’s third-largest hospital Oct. 8 and is relocating to Cincinnati with his wife, Kristen, and their three children.

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Kathleen Walker Aranavage

was named an Ohio Lottery Teacher of the Month. The award recognizes teachers and faculty for excellence in the classroom, leadership, creativity, and dedication to students.

Kathleen is an eighth-grade Spanish teacher at Chagrin Falls Middle School.

She lives in Kirtland, Ohio, with her husband, Pete, son Justin, 15, and daughter Liz, 13. ¶ John Ferguson is a senior portfolio manager with Northern Trust Wealth Management’s foundation and institutional advisers practice in its Chicago headquarters.

July 17–19, 2019 Registration opens Feb. 1 MiamiAlum.org/GrandparentsCollege

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

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97

Karen Prestera Henson ’93 was awarded a 2018 Live Your Dream climbing grant from the American Alpine Club.

The grant allows everyday adventurers to dream big, to grow, and to inspire others.

Karen successfully summited the 13,775-foot Grand Teton in Wyoming on Aug. 6, 2018.

She lives in San Antonio with her husband, Matthew, and sons Thomas and Geoffrey.

He is also a foster and adoptive parent and a founding member of Block Alzheimer’s, which raises money and awareness for dementia. ¶ In her new book, Brain Hacks: Life-Changing Strategies to Improve Executive Functioning, Lara Honos-Webb MA ’95 PhD ’99 offers guidance and strategies to work smarter, feel better, and achieve more. Her chapters include focus and attention, planning and organization, cognitive flexibility, emotional regulations, and impulse control. ¶ Julie Rowe Young-Grabo founded JMY Law in the Columbus area. The boutique law firm specializes in HR and employment law with a focus on compliance and problem-avoidance for employers.

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After five years as a Navy officer and earning a graduate degree from Saint John’s College of Maryland, Jerry Salyer teaches full time for Immaculata Classical Academy in Louisville. He is also a prolific freelance scholar and journalist. His interest in the nature of patriotism has led to guest spots on radio programs in Ohio and Kentucky and to his delivery of the public lecture “Patriotism From Ancient Greece to Modern Poland,” accessible via YouTube.

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miamian magazine

Sarah Bernhardt of Houston

is the new president and CEO of the Bayou Preservation Association.

She leads the nonprofit in realizing its vision of a network of healthy bayous, streams, and watersheds through conservation, preservation, restoration, and responsible watershed management. ¶ Joy Kaminsky Columbus is vice president of horticulture for the Houston Botanic Garden. She is leading the effort to articulate and develop the garden’s horticultural program, build its team, and oversee plant conservation and landscape management. ¶ David Coon, an associate professor at the University of Washington Tacoma, has published his second book, Turning the Page: Storytelling as Activism in Queer Film and Media. David introduces readers to three nonprofits that, in different ways, have each positively transformed the queer media landscape. He combines an analysis of specific films and video programs with extensive interviews of industry professionals. ¶ Richard Dudley has been promoted to leader of investor relations at Hillenbrand, a global diversified industrial company with multiple brands that serve a wide variety of industries across the globe.

Its based in Batesville, Ind. ¶ Juliana Mosley MA ’97 PhD ’01 is Chestnut Hill College’s first officer for diversity and inclusion, responsible for examining existing policies, running programs and initiatives, and working with the diversity and inclusion advisory committee that helped create “A Path Forward,” the college’s plan to improve the sense of inclusion on campus.

98

Ryan Sines is principal of

Fraser High School in Fraser, Mich. ¶ Ross Vozar is a Cleveland partner in BDO USA, one of the nation’s leading professional services firms.

¶ Chad White was part of a team that received the second-place judge’s prize and Audience Favorite prize at the 2018 Duke Law Tech Lab Demo Day for developing Smart Lien, a service that empowers small business construction professionals to file liens on their smartphones for nonpayment through an affordable, easy-to-use process.

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Reunion ¶ Tracy Cloud, who had been interim CEO of Lower Lights Christian Health Center in Columbus, is now permanent CEO for the organization, which provides primary health-care services, as well as ancillary services to patients in central Ohio. ¶ Kristen Janiszewski Gillespie of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, writes, “Isle of Palms, S.C., was the perfect family vacation spot for renting a beach house large enough to accommodate a reunion.” Enjoying a week at the beach were Kevin and Kristen Gillespie, along with their two kids; AJ and Kristen Wiesner Meehan with their three kids; and Keith Wesolowski and Rana Daker and their two. Even Jeremy Birns and Todd Stillwagon ’00 made an appearance! ¶ Stephen Knisely was welcomed Aug. 12 as the new pastor of First United Methodist Church in East Liverpool, Ohio. He has an MDiv from Ashland Theological Seminary and is a PhD candidate at Asbury Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Sarah, have a toddler son, Eli. ¶ Eugene Lolli is interim superintendent for Fairborn (Ohio) City Schools. In his 28th year in education after working in industry for 15 years, Eugene has also served as director of business affairs in the Fairborn City Schools and as superintendent of the Springboro (Ohio) City Schools. ¶ Carol McKnight MEn ’99, senior project manager at GZA, a multidisciplinary firm providing geotechnical, environmental, ecological,

class notes

water, and construction management services, is vice president of the newly established Ohio chapter of the Women’s Energy Network. It provides networking opportunities and helps foster career and leadership development of those in the energy industry. ¶ Northwestern Mutual is honoring Oak Brook-based Wealth Management adviser Chad McQuade, JD, for his commitment and drive to help families and businesses plan for and achieve financial security. He was inducted into the company’s elite membership, the 2018 Forum Group.

00

Michael Boniello (MUDEC ’99) has joined Poseidon Asset Management in San Francisco.

Founded in 2013, Poseidon was one of the first funds focused solely on the cannabis industry and has built a strong reputation, Mike says, adding that cannabis is the fastest growing industry in the U.S. and is projected by Barclays to be a $272 billion legal worldwide industry by 2028. ¶ Carrie Schmitt is the subject of a short documentary (at carrieschmittdesign.com) about her art journey, which “began in darkness but led to the greatest blessing in my life.”

01

Gordon Gillespie of Fairfield,

Ohio, was promoted to full professor Aug. 15 and appointed associate dean for research at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing. ¶ Erin Stefanec Rhinehart, a partner at Faruki Ireland Cox Rhinehart & Dusing, has been selected for the national America’s Top 100 High Stakes Litigators list. She leads Faruki’s media and communications practice. Erin was also named one of Dayton Business Journal’s Power 50, top female leaders in Dayton.

02

Born: to Brandon and Kristin Collins Caputo ’08, Jackson

Brandon, July 20, 2018, in Charlotte, N.C. Mom and Dad help run the Miami Alumni Chapter in Charlotte and met through the Washington, D.C., Miami Alumni Chapter. ¶ Throughout the summer of 2018, Street Spark created and celebrated three different murals in Hamilton, Ohio. “Paint the Town Red” was co-led by artist Stephen Smith ’02 MA ’03, who works as the educational coordinator for Insideout Art studio in downtown Hamilton. “Paint the Town Red” was not only selected in Streetspark but also a commissioned piece for Miami Regionals and their 50th anniversary. ¶ Alan Tio is CEO of Kosciusko Economic Development Corp. ¶ Married: the Rev. Kentina Washington-Leapheart of Philadelphia and the Rev. Naomi WashingtonLeapheart, June 30, 2017. Kentina is the director of programs for reproductive justice and sexuality education at the Religious Institute. Naomi is the faith work director at the National LGBTQ Task Force and an adjunct faculty member at Villanova University. They have one daughter, Sophia, 12. They were jointly ordained in the Fellowship of Affirming Ministries July 20, 2018.

03

Braden Angel is a senior associate with the law firm Bloch & Chapleau in Edwards, Colo., as well as its new Frisco office. He specializes in domestic relations, criminal matters, and civil litigation. ¶ Breanne McMullen Boyle was promoted to executive director of systems innovation at Collegewise. She carries the level of master counselor in the company. ¶ Jessica Fusco is executive in charge of production at TMZ. ¶ Jim Heinen Jr. was named an Up & Coming Lawyer by Missouri Lawyers Media.

04

Reunion ¶ Lisa Hanasono ’04 MA ’07, associate professor

of communication studies at Bowling Green State University, received a 2018 20 Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award. Lisa promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion through her teaching, leadership, mentoring, and community engagement. Her research examines how people use communication to prevent, stop, and speak out against prejudice, stigma, and discrimination.

Lisa lives with her family in Perrysburg, Ohio. ¶ Charles Lazzara has become an Inc. 5000 Entrepreneur as the president and owner of Volio Imports, which ranks 3,663 on the 2018 Inc. 5000, coming within the top 100 for Coloradobased businesses. Volio Imports, which he started at age 25, is headquartered in Denver and has grown to represent some of the most respected boutique wineries from Italy, France, and Spain. ¶ Monica Nichols Mazur is executive director of Lake Erie Wine Country, an association of wineries in the wine and grape region of the southern shore of Lake Erie in Pennsylvania and New York. With more than 30,000 acres of grapes, the area is the largest grape-growing region east of the Rocky Mountains and the largest Concord grape region in the world. The wine association stretches along a 50-mile

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

Retired Marine Col. Ed Jeep ’93 (right) met up with his cousin, John Jeep, Miami professor of German, Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern languages and culture, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin this past summer, while John was directing the Intensive German Summer Program.

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for the Ohio State Historic Costume & Textiles Collection and a lecturer in the fashion design program at the Columbus College of Art and Design.

Her research includes late-19th century clothing and its role in gender and social identity and how clothing can be used to teach history in public schools.

06 Melissa Hess Siry ’95, a tour guide at West Point, N.Y., describes the 75-ton chain that once stretched across the Hudson River during the Revolutionary War to block the British fleet. Melissa’s husband is on the faculty at West Point teaching history.

A fan of history as well, she also substitute teaches in West Point Schools. They have three children.

lakeshore between Silver Creek, N.Y., and Harborcreek, Pa. Monica and husband Michael have three young children. ¶ Justin Mock is CFO and vice president of finance for The Denver Post. He lives with his wife, two kids, and two dogs in Conifer and once finished second in the Fairplay 29-mile World Championship Pack Burro Race. ¶ Naomi Daradar Sigg ’04 MS ’06 led a diversity and inclusion workshop at University of Alabama in Huntsville in October. She is director of multicultural affairs at Case Western Reserve University and president of Sigg and Associates Consulting Group.

05

S. Chandler Lighty MA ’05 is

the new executive director of the Indiana Archives and Records Administration, which manages state and local government records. He had served as director of the Indiana Historical Bureau since February 2016. He has led efforts to increase public interest in the state’s history and also advanced the Indiana Historical Marker Program, which recognizes the statewide, national, and international significance of events, sites, and individuals in the state’s history. ¶ Marlise Vance Schoeny is assistant curator

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Daniel Dorman is a senior

ESG research analyst, based in Washington, D.C., for Calvert Research and Management, a financial investment company and a subsidiary of Eaton Vance Management. He joins Calvert from the U.S. Treasury Department, where he held multiple roles at the Offices of Financial Institutions and Financial Stability. ¶ Married: Sally-Anne Kaminski and Patrick Schmick, Sept. 8, 2018, in Milwaukee, where they live. Sally-Anne is manager of global social media strategy at Zebra Technologies. Patrick is regional sales director at OneAmerica. ¶ Mika Leonard is the new chief operating officer for Washington, D.C.-based Native American Financial Services Association. She describes her position as “doing anything and everything” to get the message out about how the organization can advocate for tribes — specifically tribal sovereignty and lending for economic development in Indian Country. A member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and granddaughter of the late Chief Floyd Leonard, she hails from Oxford, the ancestral homelands of her tribe.

07

Eric Dollin has been pro-

moted to valuation senior manager at GBQ. He is based in the Indianapolis office. ¶ Born: to Bobby and Kate Myers Dunlap ’08, Elliott Lynne, June 1, 2018. Along with her older brother, Bo, when she starts at Miami as part of the Class of 2040,

she’ll be a fifth-generation Miamian. ¶ Daniel McCallum was named partner at Rothwell, Figg, Ernst & Manbeck, an intellectual property law firm in Washington, D.C. ¶ Born: to W. Dane Roush ’07 MAcc ’08 and Abby, Warren James, April 19, 2018. They live in Chicago. ¶ Members of the Class of 2007 traveled to Xi’an, China, to celebrate the wedding of Jon Therrian and Yang Meng. Jon lives in China, where he is a co-owner and head brewmaster at the Xi’an Brewery. Bobby Dunlap, Bill Pendergast, Joe Quille, Mike Roesch, Pat Shannon, and David Sztyk made the journey to participate in the traditional Chinese ceremony. Jon also facilitates tours of the Great Wall and the Terra Cotta Warriors, among other sites. If you’re in Xi’an, visit Near Wall Bar or Xi’an Brewery and be sure to say hi to Jon.

08

Born: to Sarah Casner Ahmed and Sakief, Lucas

Gabriel, Feb. 3, 2018. They live in Round Rock, Texas. ¶ Columbus optometrist Taylor Babcock was named Young Optometrist of the Year by the Ohio Optometric Association. He is a volunteer with InfantSEE, a free infant eye exam program, the In-School Eye Exam program, and Lions Club. ¶ Born: to Chris and Deidra Ramsey Watkins, Everett James Harvey, May 9, 2018, joining sister Jasmine, 7, and brother Dominic, 2. They live in Hamilton, Ohio.

09

Reunion ¶ Katherine Petrole was invited to return to Miami’s Oxford campus in October to talk on “Virtual Field Trip to Corinth, Greece: Archaeology Meets Global Learning at Corinth Excavations.” ¶ Amanda Slenski MS ’09 is vice president for admissions at Alma College.

class notes

10

Attorney Jessica Bayles has joined the energy law practice Stoel Rives’ Washington, D.C., office. ¶ Kelsey Chartrau Foege, who lives in Union, Ky., is a senior business analyst in customer communications at 84.51° in Cincinnati. ¶ Connor Miller earned the Governor’s Service Award for Volunteer of the Year. Spokesman at Traverse (Mich.) Area Association of Realtors, he volunteered at a different nonprofit each week for all 52 weeks in 2017. ¶ Married: Meghan Pacholski and Joe Frankenfield, May 26, 2018, in Miami’s Sesquicentennial Chapel.

Meghan is a director of operations at DaVita and earned an MBA in 2017 at Harvard Business School. Joe is a CFA and co-founder/portfolio manager at Saga Partners. They live in Cleveland. ¶ Emily Rees participated in Miami’s Earth Expeditions global field course in Hawaii . ¶ Married: Kay Reichenbach and Stefan Linder, Aug. 11, 2018. They live in San Francisco.

11

Donovan Potter, an Atlanta-

based associate with Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, has been appointed to the advisory board of Handshake Atlanta, a nonprofit dedicated to coaching Atlanta high school student-athletes for success in life. ¶ Chris Yakkel was ordained a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Columbus May 4, 2018. He is in his fourth year of theology studies at Pontifical College Josephinum. He hopes to graduate with an MDIV in May 2019 and be ordained.

12

Ashley Frondorf is supplier

communications senior consultant at 84.51° in Cincinnati. She is responsible for aiding Kroger suppliers in developing strategic advertising programs. She lives in Oakley. ¶ Alicia Adams MAcc ’12 of New York City is

international vice president–finance for Alpha Gamma Delta for 2018-2020.

13

Mollie Martini has joined the

family business, A. Martini & Co., making it a fourth-generation general contracting and construction management firm in Western Pennsylvania.

Mollie is working alongside the estimating and project management teams and also on-site during construction as an assistant project manager. ¶ Married: Molly Templeman and Matt Carlsen ’12, Aug. 3, 2018, in Cleveland.

They live in Plainsboro, N.J.

14

Reunion ¶ Married: Rebecca Marcin and David Conway Jr., June 30, 2018, in Columbus. Becca works in learning and development at IGS Energy. Dave graduated from Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine and is a veterinary intern at Michigan State University.

15

Alexandra Chitwood has been

hired at Warner Norcross + Judd in Grand Rapids, Mich. She earned a JD at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law, where she was executive editor of Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies. She was a judicial extern to Chief Justice Loretta Rush of the Indiana Supreme Court. ¶ Mollie Sadler is a supplier communication senior consultant at 84.51° in Cincinnati. She lives in Oakley.

16

The recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award in psychology, Kala Allen is conducting research at the World Health Organization at the University of Ibada in Nigeria, studying cultural differences and similarities between Western and developing nations related to suicide.

She starts a master’s in psychological research at Oxford University next fall.

¶ Michael Gibbons has moved to Philadelphia as a member of the Class of 2022 at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University.

17

Sydney Scribner has a yearlong

Jessica Mathey ’08, Kelly Mills ’03, John Perge, Zachary Perge ’08, and Derrick Booker ’01 traveled to Iceland last April and carried the Miami flag to the Gullfoss Waterfall.

public policy fellowship with The Fund for American Studies, which includes academic discussion sessions in Washington, D.C., with public policy experts, academics, and political leaders on changing the political system.

She is the program development assistant of the Alexander Hamilton Society, an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit, membership organization that promotes debate on basic principles and contemporary issues in foreign, economic, and national security policy.

18

After graduating, Preston Kahn started the Appalachian

Trail’s southbound thru-hike of 2,190 miles from Maine to Georgia to raise funds for a new program that provides a safety net for young people struggling with mental health issues. He partnered with the Cincinnati-based Grant Us Hope, which runs a schoolbased, peer-to-peer, suicide prevention program for middle school and high school students.

See photo in online class notes, MiamiAlum.org/Classnotes. Online Miamian at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

Fall/Winter 2018

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farewells 1940s Dorothy Kaufeld McDougal ’40, Gahanna, Ohio, Aug. 9, 2017.

Helen “Becky” Reed Tell ’50, Mount Washington, Ky., July 3, 2018.

William W. Cunningham ’54, North Ridgeville, Ohio, June 22, 2018.

Mary Pierson Hinkle ’42, Cincinnati, Ohio, March 17, 2018.

Charles M. Ware Sr. ’50, Chillicothe, Ohio, June 15, 2018.

Neil W. Richmond ’54 MAT ’65, Monroe, Ohio, May 26, 2018.

Arthur B. Shenefelt ’42, Levittown, Pa., Aug. 3, 2018.

Susan Chace Burnham ’51, Traverse City, Mich., Sept. 4, 2018.

Peter M. Sexton ’54, Baldwin City, Kan., Aug. 15, 2018.

Helen “Holly” Holodnak Slivinski ’42, Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 24, 2018.

Donald C. Fresne ’51, Millbrook, N.Y., July 13, 2018.

Richard L. Spears ’54, Orlando, Fla., Sept. 25, 2018.

Billy R. Gilleland ’51, Seminole, Fla., Sept. 8, 2018.

John D. Kelley Jr. ’55, Akron, Ohio, May 16, 2018.

Elaine Maier Graham ’51, Willoughby, Ohio, June 10, 2018.

Robert F. Messaros Sr. ’55, Bowling Green, Ohio, Oct. 21, 2018.

George M. Mack ’51, Mercer Island, Wash., Sept. 26, 2017.

Sharon Sutton Miller ’55 MA ’57, St. Petersburg, Fla., July 24, 2018.

Paul A. Scott ’51, Sacramento, Calif., Sept. 14, 2018.

Ana Maria Pagés ’55, Washington, D.C., June 24, 2018.

Henry E. Thompson ’51, Coshocton, Ohio, April 3, 2018.

Barbara Sharkey Shook ’55, Troy, Ohio, July 31, 2018.

Ruth Irvin Wildman ’51, Martinez, Calif., June 9, 2018.

Charles H. Boyd ’56, Baltimore, Md., Jan. 11, 2018.

Jane Cuthbert Dillow ’52, Lebanon, Ill., July 4, 2018.

John L. Fetzer ’56, Tiffin, Ohio, Nov. 23, 2017.

Kathleen Hill Gerard ’52, Columbus, Ohio, Aug. 16, 2018.

Neal L. Frame MEd ’57, Dayton, Ohio, July 25, 2018.

Donald L. Lane ’52, Eaton, Ohio, June 21, 2018.

William J. Hoaglin ’57, Fort Myers, Fla., June 17, 2018.

Bernard J. Yokel ’52, Tavares, Fla., July 4, 2018.

Judith Coyle Rees ’57, Longmont, Colo., July 30, 2018.

Josef K. Barnhart ’53, Tipp City, Ohio, June 24, 2018.

Richard L. Schaefer ’57, Fort Wayne, Ind., Aug. 17, 2017.

Edith Cooper Fisher ’53, Plantation, Fla., Sept. 2, 2018.

Bruce W. “Duke” Seifried ’57, Janesville, Wis., Sept. 29, 2018.

Herbert S. Kuhn ’53, Fernandina Beach, Fla., Aug. 25, 2018.

Joann Macomber Vaughn ’57 MEd ’59, Oxford, Ohio, July 29, 2018.

Irene Krenek Broyles ’44 MA ’45, San Diego, Calif., Sept. 5, 2018.

Erich W. Ringel ’45, Hamilton, Ohio, April 8, 2018.

James P. O’Neill ’46, University Park, Fla., June 25, 2018.

Norman A. Dohner ’47, Centerville, Ohio, Sept. 23, 2018.

Florence Grasser Kraushar ’47, Cincinnati, Ohio, Aug. 19, 2018.

Willis I. “ Bill” Ewing ’48, Denver, Colo., July 14, 2018.

Jeanne Spink Grieshaber ’48, Houston, Texas, Aug. 19, 2018.

Richard O. Kearns ’48, Pompano Beach, Fla., July 10, 2018.

Nancy Ostrander Penton ’48, Bay Village, Ohio, July 10, 2018.

Lee M. Hassinger ’49, Seminole, Fla., Sept. 11, 2018.

1950s Patricia Hastings Bakker ’50, Columbus, Ohio, Dec. 30, 2017.

Norma Dent Cowan ’50, Euclid, Ohio, Aug. 1, 2018.

Eileen Magie Earhart ’50, Peachtree City, Ga., April 18, 2018.

Sue Gross Frary ’50, Lebanon, Ohio, June 13, 2018.

Julius A. “Doc” Frenier ’50, Anchorage, Alaska, Oct. 18, 2017.

Kent W. Gillespie ’50, Slidell, La., Aug. 18, 2018.

Mary Lou Jackson Roehll ’50, Hilton Head, S.C., Feb. 14, 2018.

Donald V. Sink ’50, Findlay, Ohio, July 21, 2018.

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Jean Krichbaum Minnich ’53, Columbus, Ohio, July 14, 2018.

Jonathan B. Saunders ’53, Wyoming, Ohio, June 17, 2018.

Allen E. Segrist ’53, West Lafayette, Ind., July 24, 2018.

Norma Schmidt Stevenson ’53, Eaton, Ohio, June 28, 2018.

Morton K. Beach ’54, Tucson, Ariz., March 15, 2018.

Sondra “Sonnie” Emerson Cooper ’54, Fort Collins, Colo., Aug. 16, 2018.

James A. Wespiser ’58, La Quinta, Calif., Oct. 20, 2018.

Donald H. Lowe ’59, Kernersville, N.C., July 11, 2018.

Eileen Dillon Martini ’59, Shelton, Conn., June 11, 2018.

Judith Paul Moniak ’59, Madison, Wis., June 30, 2018.

Jack L. Schultz ’59, Cocoa, Fla., June 6, 2018.

Sue Ballou Weir ’59, Huntsville, Ala., Aug. 27, 2018.

1960s Douglass S. Cisch ’60, San Pedro, Calif., Sept. 5, 2018.

Alan J. Greenwald ’60, Topsham, Maine, Sept. 15, 2018.

David E. Nash ’60, Sturgis, Ky., June 19, 2018.

Phoebe McConnell Starkey ’60, Belmont, Calif., June 23, 2018.

Sidney H. Tedford MFA ’60, Elkins, W.Va., March 3, 2018.

Ross M. Morris MEd ’61, Miamisburg, Ohio, Oct. 7, 2018.

Ann Ouimet Weinhagen ’61, Whitmore Lake, Mich., July 26, 2018.

Terrence R. Hawkins ’62, Pottstown, Pa., July 8, 2018.

John A. Lucas ’62, Medina, Ohio, Aug. 16, 2018.

Carol Anderson Ness ’62, Lakewood, Ohio, Sept. 19, 2018.

Cheryl Baker Bauer ’63, Evansville, Ind., Sept. 19, 2018.

Frederick “Jay” Bletzinger ’63, Plymouth, Ind., Aug. 14, 2018.

Constantine “Gus” Giviskos ’63, New York, N.Y., June 17, 2018.

James P. Landis ’63, Germantown, Ohio, Sept. 14, 2018.

Cheslee “Lee” Evans Porter ’63, Seattle, Wash., Nov. 4, 2017.

Edward M. Cappelletti ’64, Fresno, Calif., June 7, 2018.

Clark G. Sharick ’64, Walnut Creek, Calif., April 13, 2018.

Helen “Bliss” Bruen ’65, Durango, Colo., Sept. 11, 2018.

Janice Stevenson Santavicca ’65, Atlanta, Ga., July 20, 2018.

Sanford D. Schwartz ’65, Sumterville, Fla., Aug. 13, 2018.

Paul M. Tait ’65, Sylvania, Ohio, Nov. 7, 2018.

Phyllis Fudge Wikle ’65, Eaton, Ohio, Aug. 10, 2018.

Herbert D. Rentschler ’66, Flossmoor, Ill., July 22, 2018.

farewells

Nathan L. Thomas Jr. ’66, Gahanna, Ohio, July 5, 2018.

Tim D. Keefe ’74, Dayton, Ohio, July 17, 2018.

Donald E. Willis ’66, Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., July 6, 2018.

Merry L. Vahala ’74, Byesville, Ohio, July 18, 2018.

James B. Young ’66, Youngstown, Ohio, July 7, 2018.

Cheryl Wolfe Waldron ’74, West Chester, Ohio, July 23, 2018.

Sharon Bentley Lebow ’67, Statesville, N.C., Jan. 1, 2018.

Deborah Wertz King ’75 MEd ’91, Trenton, Ohio, July 9, 2018.

Beverly Beavens Schwartz ’67, Jordan, Minn., Aug. 19, 2018.

Deborah Crial Long ’75, Spokane, Wash., Feb. 3, 2018.

Raymond L. Frick ’68, Miamisburg, Ohio, Aug. 11, 2018.

Kathleen Meyer Tweddell ’75, Liberty Township, Ohio, Aug. 4, 2018.

Donna Dunn Killen ’68, Conifer, Colo., Aug. 19, 2018.

Keith R. Talmadge ’69, San Diego, Calif., July 7, 2018.

John R. Tibbetts ’69, Murphy, N.C., July 31, 2018.

1970s Ronald S. Ricci ’70, Medina, Ohio, Sept. 28, 2018.

Julaine Dames Schueler ’70, Wheat Ridge, Colo., July 9, 2018.

Richard C. Mermer ’71, Marlboro, N.J., Dec. 30, 2016.

Nancy Nehman Pompan ’71, Springfield, N.J., Jan. 21, 2018.

Donald R. Fletcher ’72 MS ’74, New Berlin, Wis., March 13, 2018.

Jay D. Lifshen ’72, Dallas, Texas, Sept. 11, 2018.

Cathleen D. McCrea ’72, Harrison, Idaho, March 21, 2016.

David J. “Joe” Moehring ’72, Richmond, Ind., July 6, 2018.

Joyce Eisnaugle Newton ’72, Australia, Oct. 11, 2018.

Rick C. Sivik ’72, Mentor, Ohio, Sept. 4, 2018.

David W. Starnes ’72, Riverside, Calif., July 1, 2018.

Donald A. Vermillion ’72, Kettering, Ohio, July 27, 2018.

Pamela Kemp Graeser ’73, Kettering, Ohio, Aug. 10, 2018.

Louann “Tot” Spillman Heinrich MEd ’76, Greenville, Ohio, Aug. 6, 2018.

Roslyn Riddle Imhoff ’76 MEd ’01, Trenton, Ohio, July 12, 2018.

Joseph M. Hasenohrl ’77, Garfield Heights, Ohio, Oct. 16, 2018.

1990s Janice Beckelhymer Troutman ’90, Ellenton, Fla., July 30, 2018.

Glen O. Boston Jr., Jacksonville, Fla., July 27, 2018. Miami engineering professor for 10 years.

Fay Zinsmeister Winkler ’90, Hamilton, Ohio, June 25, 2018.

Betty H. Brookbank, Oxford, Ohio, Sept. 23, 2018. Retired, Miami’s office of student education, 1961-1986.

Amy Register Bales ’91, Union, Ky., July 20, 2018.

Mary S. Misura ’91, Monroe, Ohio, July 23, 2016.

Jennifer G. Waechter ’93, Akron, Ohio, Aug. 15, 2018.

Richard K. Thompson Hon. ’94, Princeton, N.J., July 24, 2018.

Wayne E. Wright ’94, Lebanon, Tenn., June 9, 2018.

Seth A. Benesh ’97, Loveland, Ohio, June 25, 2018.

Christyl A. Boger ’97, Bloomington, Ind., June 17, 2018.

Gregory S. McClanahan ’78, Springfield, Ill., April 30, 2018.

Marcey Hinderlong Hymer MEd ’97, Fairfield, Ohio, Aug. 15, 2018.

David W. Frazier ’79, Hamilton, Ohio, June 7, 2018.

Benjamin J. Russo ’97, Grosse Pointe, Mich., Oct. 8, 2018.

Anne Blake McAllister ’79, Hillsborough, N.J., June 9, 2018.

1980s Mark W. Stubbins ’80, Zanesville, Ohio, Aug. 8, 2018.

2000s Marci Bidinger Bradley ’02, Sept. 22, 2018.

Bethalee Wiley Jones MA ’02, Fort Thomas, Ky., June 18, 2018.

Christine Haskins Lehnert ’81, Ashtabula, Ohio, July 19, 2018.

Eric C. Neff ’03, Sharonville, Ohio, Sept. 6, 2018.

Sheila Kidd Senften ’81, Eaton, Ohio, Aug. 16, 2018.

H. Allen Murphey II MAT ’05, Columbus, Ohio, Sept. 10, 2018.

Ann Brode Steck ’81, La Jolla, Calif., July 18, 2018.

Colleen Stroh Steadley ’05, Westlake, Ohio, July 2, 2018.

John D. Thobe ’82, Fort Recovery, Ohio, July 8, 2018.

Jada D. Harrison ’06, Cincinnati, Ohio, Sept. 3, 2018.

Kristen Courtney Evers ’86, Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., July 12, 2018.

Sean D. Puckett PhD ’06, Manila, Ark., Jan. 28, 2018.

Robert B. Finnie ’86, Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 16, 2017.

Bruce Lanham ’88, Ross, Ohio, July 28, 2018.

James E. Schottelkotte MA ’89, Cheviot, Ohio, Aug. 6, 2018.

FACULTY, STAFF, AND FRIENDS Phyllis McWhorter BaileyStarmer ’80 MEd ’86, Hamilton, Ohio, Aug. 31, 2018. Miami professor of education, retiring in 1997.

Judith L. Fairburn, Aug. 14, 2018, Wilmington, N.C. Wife of Donald, Miami professor emeritus of systems analysis, 1967-1992.

Helene R. Fuller, Rochester, N.Y., Oct. 7, 2018. Miami professor emerita of English, 1965-1996.

William S. Hanger ’68 MEd ’72, Waterford, Maine, Sept. 22, 2018. Miami director emeritus of institutional advancement, 1968-1999.

Paul K. Jackson Jr., Atlanta, Ga., Aug 8, 2018. Miami professor emeritus of theatre, 1998-2017.

Herbert E. Miller (friend), Springboro, Ohio, July 22, 2018.

Joan Marie Moynagh, Shrewsbury, Mass., Sept. 22, 2018. Miami professor emerita of music, 1967-1998.

Kay P. Phillips ’66 MA ’68, Decatur, Ala., Oct. 26, 2018. Miami associate dean emerita, professor of sociology and anthropology, 1968-2008.

Robert C. Sherwin, Hamilton, Ohio, May 21, 2018. Miami professor emeritus of sociology, 1962-2004.

Henry Jefferson “Jeff ” Smith Jr., Oxford, Ohio, Oct. 27, 2018.

Miami professor of information systems and analytics since 2006.

Robert H. Smith, Sept. 8, 2018.

Miami director emeritus of technical services, 1956-1983.

Kathryn D. Wadleigh, Cincinnati, Ohio, Oct. 17, 2018.

Retired, Miami’s registrar’s office.

Thomas K. “T.K.” Wilson, Oxford, Ohio, July 16, 2018. Miami professor emeritus of botany, 1968-1997.

In Memory of… If you would like to make a contribution in memory of a classmate, friend, or relative, send your gift to Miami University in care of Charlotte Fedders, Advancement Services Building, Miami University, 926 Chestnut Lane, Oxford, Ohio 45056 or call Charlotte at 513-529-0815.

More classmates are remembered online at MiamiAlum.org/Miamian.

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days of old

Diggin’ It

Photo from 1928 Bulletin

Professor William Holmes McGuffey compiled his first reader in 1836 in his house at the corner of Spring and Oak. Below is the home in 1928, then owned by the Roudebush family, which sold it to Miami in 1958.

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Twenty-six nuggets of coal, 14 bits of brick, four types

of glass, three nails of varying sizes, two fragments of worked wood, one piece of green floral ceramic. And worms. Lots and lots of worms.

That’s what Jeb Card’s anthropology class found when they got their hands dirty last spring at the McGuffey Museum on Miami’s Oxford campus. Working in teams, they staked five plots in the yard around the home built by William H. McGuffey. The Miami professor of moral philosophy and languages is best known for writing the McGuffey Readers, the hugely popular 1800s textbook.

Wanting his students to appreciate the difference between classroom theory and field experience, Dr. Card asked them to dig for insights into history. Megan Ashbrook ’18, a double major in

anthropology and East Asian languages and cultures, served as a crew chief.

“Artifacts and the context they were found in can tell us about how people lived their lives, what they valued, and their connections with their community,” said Ashbrook, currently an archaeology staff intern at James Madison’s Montpelier.

“For an example, pieces of plates we found at the McGuffey House were broken and thrown away by occupants of the house. These people purchased the mass-produced English plates on the American market for their home in small-town Oxford, Ohio.”

Card’s class also conducted community interest research with students, staff, and locals. The majority said they would like more archaeological excavations on campus to expand what we know about Miami’s history and the Native American communities here before.

“ After Luxembourg, you’ll never be the same again.” For 50 years, Miami students have been studying in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in Western Europe. The Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center is headquartered in the 15th century Château de Differdange.

Summer 2018

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Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage

PAID

Burlington, VT 05401 Permit No. 396

BEST & BRIGHTEST The Princeton Review ranks Miami’s Institute for Entrepreneurship 14th overall and seventh among public universities for Top 25 Best Undergrad Programs for Entrepreneurs in 2019.

See page 18 for a story on two entrepreneurial alums.