Joe Dean (left). Norma VanDervort Kalina toasts Golden
Reunion crowd (right).
By Rick Harrison
The purpose of this column is to focus on unsung heroes - those people who
always seem to be there without necessarily receiving the recognition.
When I returned from a trip abroad over the Christmas holidays, I heard
that two very special Ohio University alumni had passed away during my absence.
In dealing with the sadness I felt, I spent time thinking about the role
they had played for many years behind the scenes on behalf of the university
and the Alumni Association. I know the legacy they left behind had an influence
on many others who continue to give unselfishly to this institution day
in and day out without being on center stage.
I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Joseph F. Dean,
BSED '61, MED '62, and Norma VanDervort Partlow Kalina, BSED '43 - two Bobcats
who epitomized the meaning of the phrase "loyalty to alma mater."
Joe Dean made his mark as a student-athlete at OU, serving as co-captain
and first-team All-Mid- American Conference linebacker on the unbeaten 1960
national small college championship team. After a few years of coaching
at Defiance College and Kent State, he returned to Ohio University in 1965
as an assistant football coach under Bill Hess.
While most of the faces in the Intercollegiate Athletics office changed
over the years, Joe Dean, a member of the OU Athletic Hall of Fame, was
one of the few constants to endure a number of coaching and staff turnovers.
In 1984, he set aside his coach's hat and became the development officer
in charge of athletic fund raising. His touch was evident in the success
of the Peden Stadium Tower project, the rebirth of the Varsity O Club, the
annual Providing Athletes With Scholarships (PAWS) drive, and the proposed
baseball stadium project. He worked tirelessly with the alumni staff in
organizing pre- and post-game activities and athletic reunions that brought
thousands of Ohio fans out to support the Green and White wherever they
played.
Although he was challenged by illness the last few years, he never let it
hold him back - fans continued to see his smiling face lighting up athletic
events wherever they were held.
Norma VanDervort Kalina breathed life and enthusiasm into every room she
entered. She was a familiar sight to thousands of alumni. Most never knew
her name, but they always recognized the woman with the white hair wearing
the "oldest cheerleader" sweat shirt in Homecoming parades as
far back as I can remember.
Norma was a counselor, accomplished vocalist and writer, and worked in many
theater, photography modeling and voice-over venues. But most of all, she
was a friend of Ohio University. Although her home was in California, the
Oak Hill native returned each year to meet up with alumni from the 1940s
known as the "Inn Group" and to teach a new generation of Bobcats
cheers from days gone by.
Norma's many years of involvement with the Los Angeles Alumni Chapter included
conducting research on where our grads were on the West Coast, helping to
set up functions and city tours for visiting dignitaries from the university,
and bringing her husband Ron and his keyboard to almost every event so the
group could sing "Stand Up and Cheer."
At the 50th Golden Reunion of the Class of 1943 three years ago, Norma again
returned to the campus she loved, and with fellow alum Ernie Mariani entertained
the group with songs from those war-torn years. LA Chapter President Monroe
Slavin, AB '77, said in a recent letter, "Norma was a very special,
dynamic, unique and caring person who will be greatly missed. She was the
most avid Bobcat I ever did meet!"
The loss of Joe and Norma will be felt by the university and Alumni Association.
These two unsung heroes inspired so many to become involved and do their
part for Ohio University. They set the standard and left a legacy of loyalty
that will continue.
One of Norma's favorite songs from the "war years" at OU was "The
Campus is Lonely Tonight," and that title holds true in this instance.
I know that at the next athletic team reunion, chapter event or Homecoming
weekend, the spirit in which Joe and Norma lived their lives will still
be present for current and future generations. The Alumni Association salutes
them and other unsung heroes who make Ohio University a very special place.
A scholarship fund has been established in honor of Dean. Contributions
to the Joe Dean Scholarship Fund may be sent to the Ohio University Foundation,
P.O. Box 869, Athens, Ohio 45701. Make all checks payable to "The Ohio
University Foundation."
Rick Harrison, BSJ '82, is director of the Office of Alumni Relations.
