Marty and Nick Ragland receive the Ne Ultra Award from Head of School Rich Wilson.
‘None Higher’ for Ne Ultra Award than Marty and Nick Ragland By Leah Fightmaster Throughout the history of The Summit Country Day School, many families have supported the school, its faculty, staff and students through generous giving of time and money. One such family is that of Marty and Nick Ragland. Some families, such as the Raglands, maintain their giving for decades. Two years ago, The Summit began to honor these longstanding supporters through the Ne Ultra Award. “Ne Ultra,” Latin for “none higher,” is an award that recognizes those who go above and beyond in support of the school. Martha “Marty” (Hillenbrand) and Howard Nicholas “Nick” Ragland III are the third recipients of the award, given at the Leaders of Character Reception on Sept. 7 at Devou Park. “In the pantheon of great Summit families, a prominent niche in the very top row would surely belong to the Raglands,” Head of School Rich Wilson says. “The Ne Ultra Award is meant to recognize those individuals in the history of The Summit who have made extraordinary contributions to its progress. There are none held in higher esteem than the Raglands in The Summit community.”
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Nick graduated from The Summit Boys School in 1958, before the Upper School became coeducational. He earned his bachelor’s degrees in science and business administration from Georgetown University, then served Winter Magazine - 17a member of the United States in the Vietnam 2016 War as
Marine Corps. He received the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V,” the Combat Action Ribbon and the Presidential Unit Citation. He has co-authored two books and received The Summit’s McKenzie-Sargent Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007. He has been the chairman of the Gorilla Glue Company since 2003 and served as a trustee for The Summit from 1987 to 1993. Marty is the chair of the Cincinnati Art Museum Board of Directors, a position that earned her a 2016 Outstanding Director Award from the Cincinnati Business Courier. She, too, was on the Board of Trustees at The Summit, serving from 1993 to 1999. Together, she and her husband were active in the Tri-Unity, Centennial, Dreambuilding and Aiming Higher campaigns and held leadership roles on annual fund and endowment committees. They are also members of the Cornerstone Heritage Society and worked as parent ambassadors to welcome new Summit families to the community. In 2003, they established the Ragland Fund for Teaching Excellence which funds professional development opportunities at The Summit, and in 2009, they established the Ragland Family Scholarship, which is given to a student in the Lower School who demonstrates financial need and a potential for academic achievement. They sent their five sons – Nick BMS ’83, Peter BMS ’84, Jake BMS ’87, Joe ’94 and Eric ’02 – to The Summit and 10 grandchildren have attended while five of them are current students. Their son, Nick, is a past trustee and their daughter-in-law, Joelle, is a current trustee.