Ohio Today Online Spring 2002
For Alumni and Friends of Ohio University
 

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Class Notes

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1970s

Pamela Besuden Meggyesy, BSED '70, MA '71, and Sheila Harrington Dean, BSHS '86, are two of four authors of "Read on Target," a book focusing on the tasks required to pass the reading portion of proficiency tests. The two are residents of the Vandalia, Ohio, area.

Joyce Plotkin, BSC '70, was appointed to the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston's New England Advisory Council. She is president of the Massachusetts Software and Internet Council and lives in Waban, Mass.

Kenneth Kowall, BBA '71, MBA '73, was inducted into the first class of Padua Franciscan High School's Hall of Fame last summer. Kowall, a former member of Ohio University's basketball team and MAC Player of the Year, is a partner of Barna, Kowall & Co. CPA in Brecksville, Ohio. He and his wife, Kathy Fisher Kowall, BSED '71, have two children, Kerry and Kenny.

Joseph Kusic, BSME '71, of Houston, Pa., is president and CEO of J&L Specialty Steel Inc.

Dave Schemansky, BSCE '71, of Canton, Ohio, retired from the Stark County Engineer's Office last year after 30 years of public service.

Kerstin Rinta Speller, AB '71, MS '72, of East Aurora, N.Y., has been honored as the Eastern Section's Tennis Woman of the Year by the United States Tennis Association. Her husband, Thomas Speller Jr., AB '72, is CEO of Gemcor Inc. in West Seneca, N.Y.

Catherine Seipel Ames, BSED '72, MSPE '92, of Fresno, Ohio, retired after 27 years of coaching volleyball for the River View Local School District in Warsaw, Ohio, with a varsity coaching record of 510-119.

Alan Coleman, BFA '72, retired after teaching vocal and general music and guitar in Cincinnati Public Schools for 29 years.

Donald Kincade, BGS '72, MBA '75, of Sylvania Township, Ohio, became a member of the Toledo law firm of Marshall & Melhorn in November after retiring as the senior vice president of Fifth Third Bancorp, Cincinnati.

Kathy Meddings, BSED '72, is a senior systems analyst/project manager in information technology at BayCare Health Systems in Clearwater, Fla.

Frederick Fastenau, BSED '73, of Westerville, Ohio, is associate executive director of the Ohio Association of Elementary School Administrators and has been awarded the designation of Certified Association Executive. The American Society of Association Executives grants this designation based on length of employment, professional development activities and passage of a national exam.

Ronald Docie Sr., AA '74, of Athens, has written a book, "The Inventor's Bible: How to Market and License Your Brilliant Ideas," that's captured the attention of the U.S. Patent Office. The office recently ordered copies of the book for all of its depository libraries nationwide. Over the past 25 years, Docie has negotiated more than 40 licenses and contracts for inventors and invention-based projects with companies ranging from small businesses to General Motors.

Phillip Simila, BSC '74, has established his own business, Audio Video Design LLC, in Green Bay, Wis. He received an award from the Hmong Community Center of Green Bay for renovation of the center's telephone, data and sound systems. Simila lives in Green Bay with his wife, Luann Hlozek Simila, BA '75, and his son, Eric.

Mark Biviano, BSC '75, of Rocky River, Ohio, has been named a trustee of the Fairport Mutual Funds and a director on the board of the Akron Citadel/Salvation Army. He is vice president of Rubber City Radio Group.

Jay Harman, BGS '75, of Parkersburg, W.Va., is the author of "Mountain Memories: A Collection of Poems to Soothe the Soul."

Margaret McGee, MA '75, of Port Townsend, Wash., is the author of "Class OfŠ," a play produced in October by Love Creek Productions at the Creative Place Theatre in New York.

John Sayers, MFA '75, of Milwaukee, displayed his oil paintings in an invitational four-person exhibit at the Miller Art Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Wis., in August and September.

Mark Palkovic, BMUS, '76, AB '78, has accepted the position of head librarian for the Gorno Memorial Music Library at the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music.

Ann Bartuska, MS '77, of Morgantown, W.Va., was named executive director of The Nature Conservancy's Invasive Species Initiative in Arlington, Va., after working for the Forest Services of Washington and North Carolina for 14 years.

Thomas George, BGS '77, of Phoenix, owns Lost Art Inc. He is displaying collections of his art, which he calls "phoenixized," or reborn from "junk" materials, in Scottsdale, Ariz., art galleries.

Tony Wigton, BSC '77, of Columbus, was promoted to manager of the financial cost accounting system for the Ohio State University Medical Center.

Roger Yohem, BSJ '77, of Tuscon, Ariz., recently was appointed to the newly created position of communications director of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association.

Douglas Braun, BSC '78, of Massillon, Ohio, was promoted to supply sales account manager at Copeco Inc. He is responsible for all consumable supplies for the company's copiers, fax machines, laser printers and digital stencil duplicators in a 12-county region of northeast Ohio.

Doug Drew, BSC '78, of San Diego, is vice president of www.c-cube.net, a television news research and consulting firm.

James Grote, BSEE '78, was named a fellow of The International Society for Optical Engineering for his contributions to the field of optoelectronics. The award recognizes Grote as being in the top 5 percent of the society, including scientists from more than 75 countries. He recently completed a six-month sabbatical in Los Angeles and Seattle, where he was an invited visiting scholar at the University of Southern California; University of California, Los Angeles; and the University of Washington. Grote lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio, with his wife, Cammy, and their son, Danny, 4.

Thomas Thon, BSC '78, became Clear Channel Radio Midwest's regional vice president in October. Charles Vinoverski, BBA '78, of Franklin, Mass., was named director of sales for the U.S. sales force for Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Casting Division in Raynham, Mass.

Brian Drake, BSC '79, of Milford, Mich., was named research director for NFO Automotive, North America.

Dale Leach, BSED '79, is a sales consultant for Holcom's Education Resource in Cleveland. His wife, Annette Mayhew Leach, BSED '84, teaches fifth grade at Indian Hills School in New Philadelphia, Ohio. The couple reside in Dover, Ohio, with their three children.

Steve Lukacena, BFA '79, was re-elected for a second term as city treasurer of Bellevue, Ohio. He also is a sales/marketing representative for W&B Productions in Toledo, Ohio. He resides in Bellevue with his wife, Thresa; son, Jordan; and daughter, Katlyn.

Richard Regula, BGS '79, of Navarre, Ohio, recently was appointed to the Clean Ohio Council to represent the interests of townships. Regula is a Bethlehem Township trustee and manager of Regula Transport.

Randy Lichtblau Schrager, BSC '79, and her husband, David, of Cherry Hill, N.J., adopted a son, Craig Victor, age 1, from Guatemala in August.