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AWARDS
HONOR OUTSTANDING ALUMNI
Editors,
news directors: Photos of alumni receiving awards may be
found under their last name at www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/
- A link
to the photo will follow each name
ATHENS,
Ohio -- Each year, the Ohio University Alumni Association
presents awards to alumni who have demonstrated
extraordinary dedication to Ohio University. Here are the
awardees to be honored at the Homecoming Weekend
banquet:
Alumnus
of the Year
Donald
Voelker www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/voelker.jpg
Businessman
Donald Voelker has had a full career in sales and
manufacturing.
"I
believe my education at Ohio University helped me obtain
the type of job opportunities that led to an excellent
business career," says Voelker, BSME '52. "I want to give
this same opportunity to others."
A
Cleveland native, Voelker served as president of D.H.
Voelker and Associates, a manufacturer's agent for
hydraulic equipment, for 29 years. He co-founded Great
Bend Industries, a hydraulic cylinder manufacturing
facility in Kansas.
Voelker
has been a member of The Ohio University Foundation Board
of Trustees since 1990 and is a member of the
Russ
College of Engineering and
Technology's
Board of Visitors. He also is past president of the Ohio
University Alumni
Association
Board of Directors. In 1995, he received the
association's Medal of Merit.
He and
his wife, Margaret "Marge" Spooner Voelker, AA '51,
sponsor the Donald H. Voelker Engineering Scholarship for
Ohio University mechanical engineering students. The
couple are retired and live in Florida.
Medals
of Merit
Margaret
Spooner Voelker www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/voelkerm.jpg
Margaret
"Marge" Spooner Voelker, says she's "honored and humbled
to be able to represent all spouses who faithfully attend
alumni functions at Ohio University." Co-founder of the
Suncoast alumni chapter in Clearwater, Fla., Voelker has
helped organize spouse programs and traveled with her
husband, Donald, to countless alumni events across the
country.
A
retired secretary and member of the Trustees Academy in
the College
of Business,
she remains involved with her alma mater "to be able to
give back a small portion of what I have received and to
help others less fortunate receive a quality education,"
she says. Voelker and her husband support the Margaret R.
Voelker Scholarship in the College of Business.
Andrew
Alexander www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/alexander.jpg
Andrew
Alexander was editor of the Ohio University "Post" when
student protests of the Vietnam War forced the university
to close in May 1970. Alexander, BSJ '71, is chief of Cox
Newspapers' Washington bureau. He co-edited the series of
stories that won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for national
reporting.
Alexander
traces his success to his Ohio University mentors.
"As an
aspiring journalist, Ohio University provided me with a
solid grounding for my profession," he says. "I'd like
for it to provide the same nurturing atmosphere for
today's aspiring journalists, while also providing an
increasingly challenging academic regime."
The
alumnus has contributed to the university by serving on
the School
of Journalism
Advisory Board, funding a scholarship to support minority
students and mentoring a new generation of "Post"
staffers. He and his wife, Beverly Jones, BSJ '69 and MBA
'75, live in Washington.
Robert
Fallon http://www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/fallon.jpg
Although
Robert Fallon has spent much of his career working in
Asia, he hasn't stopped contributing to his alma
mater.
"I want
to repay the university for the excellent education and
mentoring I received as a student and to set a leadership
example for current students," says Fallon, who graduated
in 1969 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics.
Fallon
is a senior executive in charge of Chase Manhattan Bank's
corporate and institutional banking activities in Asia.
He has served on the Alden Library fund-raising
committee, been involved with the Fred and Kaz Harris
Asian art library collection and mentored students in
Ohio University's College of Business and the Global
Learning Community.
He and
his wife, Joanne Fallon, have three children --
Alexandra, 18, Lindsay, 15, and Timothy, 9-- and live in
New York.
JoAnn
Fregalette Jansen www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/jansen.jpg
JoAnn
Fregalette Jansen, BSED '70, has served as choreographer
and movement coach on such Hollywood blockbusters as
"What Dreams May Come" and "Michael." The seeds of her
success were planted at Ohio University, where
School
of Dance
faculty "changed the way I saw myself and the
possibilities for my life," she says.
After
graduating with a degree in dance, literature and
education, Jansen moved to New York City, where she
started her own dance company and served as an acting
coach and director for theater and opera performances.
She also has choreographed and co-produced several
feature films and directed two short films.
Matt Lauer
www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/lauer.jpg
Matt
Lauer, co-host of NBC's "Today" show since January 1997,
has become a household name.
Lauer
began his broadcasting career in 1979 as producer of the
noon news on WOWK-TV in Huntington, W.Va. After working
in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond, Lauer
headed to New York City, where he joined NBC.
Lauer
has conducted a number of noteworthy interviews,
including an exclusive with first lady Hillary Rodham
Clinton after the Monica Lewinsky scandal made
headlines.
Lauer,
one of Ohio University's most well-known alumni, returned
to campus in 1997 to accept his bachelor's degree and
address the graduating class at commencement. He lives in
New York with his wife, Annette Roque Lauer.
Honorary
Alumnae
Verda
Chappell Jones www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/jones.jpg
Verda
Chappell Jones serves as a link between town and gown.
Through her volunteer work with community organizations,
the native Athenian and wife of distinguished alumnus
John Jones, BSCOM '49, has encouraged a partnership
between the university and the city.
"The
school has contributed much in the way of diversity and
cultural opportunities to the Athens community," Jones
says.
Jones,
vice president and co-owner of Jones, Buick, Oldsmobile,
Cadillac Co., attended Ohio University on a scholarship
until the start of World War II. Her community and
university activities have included chairing the 1997
Athens City Bicentennial Celebration, membership in the
Green and White Club, the Ohio University 1804 Ball
committee, Friends of the Kennedy Museum, the Tower Club,
the Athens Foundation and the Athens Area Chamber of
Commerce, and assisting Trisolini Gallery.
Dolores
Russ www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/russ.jpg
The
Russ name will be a part of Ohio University forever. The
Russ
College of Engineering and
Technology
was dedicated in honor of Dolores Russ and her husband,
Fritz Russ, BSEE '42, who received an honorary doctorate
in engineering science from the university in
1975.
"Ohio
University has brought a lot of enjoyment to both of us
as we have watched it grow," she says. "I am proud to be
associated with Ohio University, and I'm pleased to
receive the Honorary Alumna Award."
The
Russes co-founded six successful businesses, including
Systems Research Laboratories Inc., Russ Venture Group
Inc. and Monarch Engineering Co. In addition to financial
contributions, Russ has donated time to the university by
promoting the campus to high school students and hosting
university officials visiting the Dayton area.
Distinguished
Service Awards
Katja Auen
www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/auen.jpg
Immersed
in American culture at Ohio University during the early
'90s, German native Katja Auen soon understood the phrase
"you can't go home again." Her time on campus helped her
become a global citizen, an experience she recommends to
all Ohio University students.
"Studying
at Ohio University and living in Athens was one of the
most important experiences of my life," says Auen, a
German Academic Exchange Service student during the
1992-93 school year.
Auen is
completing a master's degree in North American studies at
the University of Bonn and works as a freelance public
relations coordinator for the American Jewish Committee
and various other academic and educational organizations
operating in the field of international relations. She is
helping to spread the university's name in Europe. She is
a founding member and co-chair of the Ohio University
Alumni Association Germany Serving Europe Chapter.
Marc
Glasgow www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/glasgow.jpg
Marc
Glasgow says he planted the roots for his business,
military and civic accomplishments at Ohio
University.
"The
university provided the guidance and challenges that
matured my character," says Glasgow, who owns Stein Inc.,
part of Cleveland's steel mill service industry. "I hope
the university continues to instill in young people the
desire and equip them with the knowledge to serve society
in a noteworthy manner."
Glasgow
graduated from Ohio University in 1963 with a bachelor's
degree in mechanical engineering. In Brecksville, Ohio,
where he now resides with his wife, Glasgow is active in
civic and political organizations. He has served as
president of the Broadview Heights City Council and of
the Brecksville Broadview Heights Schools oundation and
is a board member of Easter Seals of Northeast
Ohio.
Through
the years, he has supported Ohio University's leadership
and athletic programs.
Robert
Rings www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/rings.jpg
Robert
Rings knew he wanted to attend Ohio University after he
participated in a journalism workshop on campus as a high
school student. Nearly two decades later, he left the
university with three degrees. "Ohio University provided
me an opportunity to attain an excellent educational
background," he says.
Rings
earned a bachelor's degree in biological sciences in
1962, a master's in mass communication in 1967 and a
doctorate in organizational communication and development
in 1976. He served as assistant director of the College
of Business' Center for Management Development while
earning his graduate degree.
Rings
currently serves as the organizational development
manager for the Computer Sciences Corp.'s contract with
Volpe National Transportation Systems Center in
Cambridge, Mass.
A
resident of Massachusetts, he has expanded the
Massachusetts Alumni Chapter Serving New England as
president of the organization. He and his wife, Linda
Rings, BFA '63, have two children, Shannon, AB '95, and
Christopher, a 1991 graduate of the University of Miami
in Florida.
Jim
Wycoff www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/wycoff.jpg
Jim
Wycoff arrived at Ohio University as "an insecure and not
very popular kid from Zanesville," he recalls. But by the
time he graduated in 1971 with a degree in
economics
and mathematics,
he had become senior class president, varsity football
manager and Phi Kappa Sigma rush chairman.
Within
weeks of delivering his commencement address, he
initiated his sales career with Procter and
Gamble.
"The
unique Athens student-faculty-town community and
relatively large student enrollment allowed me to grow
individually and find my own social and personal compass
north,'" he says.
A
veteran retirement-investment specialist, Wycoff is a
registered principal and branch manager for Raymond James
Financial Services in Cincinnati. He hosts and produces
the "Jim Wycoff Money Hour" radio show and is co-founder
of Mentap Systems Inc., one of the leading
time-management software systems for the mutual fund
industry. The alumnus is helping develop Ohio
University's Sales Centre Certificate and master's degree
program in financial economics. Wycoff and his wife, Suzi
Retherford Wycoff, BFA '71, live in Cincinnati.
Charles
J. and Claire O. Ping
Recent Graduate Awards
Laralyn
Sasaki www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/sasaki.jpg
No
one at Ohio University ever discouraged Laralyn Sasaki
from doing what she wanted when it came to choosing a
career. That's one reason she enjoys her job today as
program director for the Ohio State Bar
Foundation.
"Everyone
always encouraged me, especially when I became editor of
The Post," says Sasaki of Columbus, who graduated in 1986
with a bachelor's degree in journalism through the
Honors
Tutorial College.
Today, she combines her writing skills and law degree
from the University of Michigan to design statewide
programming to improve the public's understanding of the
law.
Sasaki
has contributed to her alma mater as a member of the
Honors Tutorial College Board of Visitors and the Society
of Alumni and Friends for the E.W. Scripps School of
Journalism.
Byron
White www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/white.jpg
Byron
White gives the same kind of guidance to Ohio University
students that he received in the E.W.
Scripps School of
Journalism
in the late '80s.
White,
manager of community relations at The Chicago Tribune,
visits campus regularly to mentor journalism
students.
Since
he graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in
1987, he's participated in several workshops and
conferences on the Athens campus and has hosted alumni
events in Chicago.
In
1987, White became the first African-American editor of
the Ohio University Post. He began working at
The Chicago Tribune five years ago as a reporter,
quickly moving to an assistant editor position and then
joining the editorial board. Now manager of community
relations for The Tribune, White works to build
relationships between the city and the newspaper. He
lives in Chicago with his wife and five children.
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