Duane Whitmire presents the diploma to his youngest son, Daniel, as he receives his bachelor’s degree in education on May 8.

Family ties bind Whitmires, BGSU

BGSU has been a family affair for Duane and Diane Whitmire, so it’s no surprise that when their youngest son, Daniel, received his bachelor’s degree in education on May 8, his father presented the diploma.

“It’s a sense of accomplishment for us to see him graduate,” said Duane Whitmire, whose two older sons, David and Doug, are also alumni, as are Doug’s wife, Kylie, and Daniel’s fiancée, Kelli Fairchild, who received her degree last August.

The family tradition began with Duane, who earned a bachelor’s degree in education in 1968 and a master of arts degree three years later. He has also worked at the University since 1975, most recently as director of the Student Technology Center and part-time computer science instructor.

Diane Whitmire, administrative secretary to Faculty Senate, has been a staff member since 1967 and was a 2002 recipient of the Honorary Alumnus Award.

The only family member who isn’t a BGSU alumnus in some fashion is David’s wife, Annie. She took classes at Bowling Green but graduated from the University of Toledo (where her father-in-law went on to earn a Ph.D. in higher education). Her husband, however, is pursuing a second BGSU degree, a master’s in educational administration and supervision, while teaching at Springfield High School in Holland. David Whitmire is also an assistant coach for the Falcon baseball team.

Duane Whitmire plans to remain at the Student Technology Center through 2004-05, when Diane will retire as well. At that point, they will have given a combined 70 years of service to the University.

“The Student Technology Center will be a hard place to leave,” said Whitmire, who will formally “retire” this June 30 but will return to his administrative and teaching duties after a 60-day period. “It’s a job where I can’t wait to get to work every day because I work with students all the time.”

The center is unique among public colleges and universities in Ohio, and has been studied by other institutions interested in creating similar operations on their campuses. Designed to help students develop the technology skills needed to succeed in both their classes and the job market, the center offers individual and group training, class workshops, digital video camera rentals and, during fall semester, the Northwest Ohio Technology Fair.

Whitmire, who hopes to continue teaching beyond next year, joined graduate assistant Chris Allen to showcase “StudentTech” to state legislators at a breakfast in Columbus last month. The same day, the Bowling Green Community Foundation announced that the center was among 26 recipients of grants for community projects. A $1,000 grant will be used to develop a Virtual Student Technology Center at Bowling Green High School.