11/24/99
A military photograph of Ralph Schey is available at: http://www.ohiou.edu/news/pix/schey.jpg
ATHENS--A Westlake man who left a barracks in Munich, Germany at World War II's end for a dorm room in Athens, Ohio was honored recently with The Ohio University Foundation's most prestigious award.
The young veteran from Cleveland who arrived on the Ohio University campus in 1945 graduated three years later with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. Today, Ralph Schey leads a company with sales of about $620 million and 6,200 employees, is a newly inducted member of Inside Business' Hall of Fame, and has contributed more than $1 million to his alma mater for scholarships and other assistance to business students.
An active supporter and advocate of Ohio University for almost 35 years, on November 12 Schey was awarded the John C. Baker Award for outstanding service to his alma mater. The Ohio University Foundation's highest honor is named for former Ohio University President John C. Baker, who served between 1945 and 1961.
Schey earned an MBA at the Harvard Business School in 1958 then rapidly mastered a series of assignments. He worked at Leisy Brewing Co. as a sales trainee, General Motors Company as an industrial engineer, Clevite Corporation as Executive Vice President, and Joseph Mellen & Miller, Inc. as President. In 1971 he began his work with a variety of venture capital projects, and in 1974 he was elected president and CEO of the Scott & Fetzer Co., which would later become Scott Fetzer Co., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. He was named chairman and CEO of the Westlake-based company in 1976.
Scott Fetzer is a manufacturer of household vacuum cleaners, pumps, textbooks and encyclopedias, and air and gas compressors. World Book Encyclopedia is one of its subsidiaries.
"Ralph Schey's business achievements, impressive as they are, are shadowed by his accomplishments and record of service to higher education and the community," said President Robert Glidden. "Ohio University has been particularly fortunate to have a graduate who is so willing to share his talent and dedication with generations of students."
The Baker Award, presented at the Foundation Board's annual dinner, surprised Schey, who said Ohio University had "an exhilarating influence on my life."
Ohio University's unique setting, personal approach, and commitment to teaching "prompted me to take on things that were great challenges in my life, which in turn caused other people to exceed their expectations of themselves," Schey told the audience.
"It's not just what I learned," Schey said, "But what I learned while learning it."
Schey serves as a member of the board of trustees of a number of organizations, including the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, where he is vice chairman. In May 1998 Schey became one of four individuals to receive the Foundation's highest honor, Distinguished Fellow for Life, for his extraordinary contributions of service and resources.
Schey is also a member of the following: the Ohio Board of Regents; board of directors of the Harvard University Advisory Board; visiting committee of the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University; Ohio University Innovation Center; and Chairman of the Board of Advisors of Primus Venture Partners.
He previously served as a trustee of the Harvard Business School, The Ohio University Board of Trustees, Sherwin-Williams Corporation, and The Ohio University Foundation.
In 1985, Schey and his wife, Lucille, established The Schey Foundation in Westlake.
The Ohio University Foundation, which is governed by a 49-member volunteer board, is an institutionally related, non-profit, tax-exempt, 501c(3) organization. The Foundation manages all charitable gifts to Ohio University. During fiscal year 1998, more than $25 million was raised in total private contributions from more than 25,000 donors. The Ohio University endowment, which currently stands at $192 million, is expected to provide the university with more than $7.75 million in academic, instructional and scholarship support this fiscal year.
