Class Notes
1960s
Gerald L. Baker ’65 recently was recognized by the Ohio State Bar Association for 50 years of service. Baker, who was very active with the Kappa Sigma fraternity while at BGSU, previously served on the board of advocates for the College of Arts and Sciences and the Presidents Club. A former vice president of the alumni board, he received the Alumni Service award in 2007. Baker practiced at Amerman, Burt and Jones in Canton, Ohio, from 1968-1981. Since 1981, he has run his
own firm, Law Offices of Gerald L. Baker. He has been a member of the Stark County Bar Association and Ohio Bar Association for 50 years. Baker also serves on the Stark County Bar Association Judiciary Board.
Dr. Anthony Tarasenko ’65 of Summit, New Jersey, recently was selected to the Board of Trustees of the Medical Society of New Jersey. Tarasenko also received
the Outstanding Service Award for 2018 for extraordinary medical work, pro-bono medical service for the homeless and needy. He majored in biology at BGSU.
Dr. John K. “Jack” Hartman ’67, ’77, ‘86 of Liberty Township, Ohio, was inducted into the Central Michigan University Journalism Hall of Fame on Nov. 3. Hartman, who lived in Bowling Green from 1974-2008, published
two books on journalism: “The USA Today Way” (1992) and “USA Today Way 2 The Future” (2000). Named an emeritus professor of journalism in 2015, Hartman retired from CMU after 31 years. He earned a bachelor’s in journalism, a master’s in radio-TV-film and a doctorate in communication from BGSU.
Gerald “Jerry” Chase ’68 of Parma Heights, Ohio, recently was inducted into the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. Chase, who also is a member of the Cleveland Central Catholic Athletic, Chanel High School and Northeast Ohio High School
Baseball Coaches halls of fame, retired after 48 years teaching math and business and coaching high school baseball. He also coached baseball at Cuyahoga Community College.
William Seaton ’69, provost and vice president of Thomas Edison State University, was honored by the university with the renaming of its center for learning and technology, as “The W. J. Seaton Center for Learning and Technology,” for his 37-year commitment to the school.
1970s
Donald S. Scherzer ’71, who majored in education at BGSU, was named among the best lawyers in the United States for 2019. A shareholder for the law firm Roetzel &
Andress LPA of Cleveland, Scherzer was recognized in the areas of commercial litigation, antitrust litigation, securities litigation and white collar criminal defense.
Robert W. Stein ’72 began serving his third term Sept. 1, 2018, as chairman of the board of the State Teachers Retirement System (STRS) of Ohio, a $75 billion pension fund
that serves more than 500,000 educators in the state. Stein, who has been on the STRS Ohio board and active in the global institutional trustee community since 2009,
is in his sixth consecutive year of board leadership.
Charles Ely ’73, who majored in journalism at BGSU, recently retired as a news anchor after 46 years working in the industry. Ely spent the last 35 years at KTUL-TV, News
Channel 8 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The TV station named the newsroom at KTUL in his honor March 1.
Dennis Wilson ’73 of Wheeling, Illinois, recently published his first novel, “The Grand,” with Water Street Press. The book is a political crime thriller available on Amazon
and other online booksellers.
Cathy Burke Flament ’74 was named the 2018 Citizen of the Year for Bay Village, Ohio. She retired from North Olmsted City Schools after teaching family and consumer
science at the high school and middle school levels. President of the Bay Village Historical Society, she has implemented a number of initiatives. Active with Frontline Services, she organizes programs assisting families and individuals transitioning out of homelessness.
The Hon. John W. Wise ’74 of Canton, Ohio, was elected chairman by the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct. Wise has served on the board since 2013 and recently was reappointed to his third three-year term. Wise is a judge on the Fifth District Court of Appeals, where he has served since 1994. He earned a Bachelor of Science in education from BGSU.
Ken Hart ’75 of Richmond, Virginia, was inducted into the University of Richmond Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 2, 2018. After working at Ashland University, Southern
Methodist University and the University of Richmond, he retired from being an athletic equipment manager after 39 years in June 2015. He worked for four years in
BGSU’s equipment room as a student while acquiring a bachelor’s degree in education.
1980s
Tamra (Zinn) Cantore ’80 hosted her 15th and final Sherwin-Williams Countrified Rock for Research Parkinson’s Fundraiser in October 2018 in Atlanta. Nashville songwriter Jeffrey Steele performed again, as he has for all 15 years of the event. He helped raised more than $190,000 in the final event for the Michael J. Fox Foundation, bringing the total funds raised by Cantore’s events to more than $1 million.
David E. Rohr ’80 had his book, “The United States of Ohio: One American State and Its Impact on the Other Forty-Nine,” published by Trillium Books at the Ohio State University Press on Jan. 14. The book focuses
on the history, politics and development of the state, from its geographical position to its cultural mix and economic development.
Jim Gebhart ’81 is celebrating the fifth anniversary of On the Fly Magazine, the eJournal of fly fishing and wing shooting. Gebhart founded the magazine in 2015. It focuses on fly fishing, bird hunting and associated lifestyle topics such as art, book reviews, travel destinations and spirits/beer reviews. He earned a Bachelor of Science from BGSU.
Ernest Auciello ’82 recently was named to the 2019 Ohio Super Lawyers list. Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer
recognition and professional achievement. Auciello works at the Tucker Ellis LLP law firm in Cleveland.
Shannon David Hamons ’82 released his first novel, “Releasing Trophies,” available on Amazon Books in Kindle and paperback formats. The book is an account of a smalltown newspaper publisher who is dealing
with a life-threatening disease and making unsettling discoveries about his father and others in his small hometown of Le Fleur, Ohio.
Patricia A. Wise ’82 of Holland, Ohio, was elected vice chair by the Ohio Board of Professional Conduct. Wise has served on the board since 2014 and has chaired the budget and personnel committees. She is a partner
with the Toledo firm of Spengler Nathanson PLL, where her practice focuses on labor and employment law. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication.
Susan Pohle ’84 of Solon, Ohio, recently was honored as a “Mom on a Mission” at the 2019 Northeast Ohio Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Dream Gala. Since her son, Eric, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 22 years ago, she has been an active advocate for helping find a cure for the disease.
Sharon (Hurley) Short ’84 of Centerville, Ohio, had her latest novel, “The Widows,” published by Minotaur Books Jan. 8 under the pen name Jess Montgomery. The book is a literary historical mystery inspired by Ohio’s true first female sheriff in 1925. Set in the Appalachian foothills of Ohio, against the backdrop of coal mining, Prohibition and women’s rights, “The Widows” is about two women whose lives collide when the man they both love is murdered.
Duane Pohlman ’87 was named Best TV Reporter in Ohio by the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists. The award honors Pohlman’s reporting at WKRC-TV, Local 12 in Cincinnati. In addition, Pohlman, who graduated from BGSU with a Bachelor of Science in journalism, was honored with first-place awards for investigations the previous year.
Stephen Tomasko ’88 of Akron, Ohio, had his visual project “Loyal to the Lot” show at the inaugural exhibition of the Paul Brown Museum in Massillon, Ohio. Tomasko’s stories of the tailgating experience at Cleveland Browns Municipal Lot opened on Oct. 26,
2018. The exhibition is made up of 34 brown and orange photographs of the massive tailgating party starting at 7 a.m. before every Browns home game. Tomasko majored in art history and philosophy at BGSU.
1990s
Melissa Azallion ’92 was named to the National Law Journal’s list of Employment Law Trailblazers. The award annually recognizes legal professionals who have made significant marks on the practice, policy and technological advancements in their sector through new types of strategies. Azallion is a partner with Burr Forman McNair in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where she leads the immigration team and serves as a partner in the labor and employment group.
Angela M. Haas ’92, ’97 recently published a new book, “Key Theoretical Frameworks: Teaching Technical Communication in the Twenty-First Century,” with the Utah State University Press. Drawing on social justice methodologies and cultural studies scholarship, the book offers new curricular and pedagogical approaches to teaching technical communication. Haas earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BGSU.
Greg Githens ’95 will have his book “How to Think Strategically: Sharpen Your Mind. Develop Your Competency. Contribute to Success.” published by Maven House on July 9. “How to Think Strategically” is a primer for those who want to develop their mental
acumen and make strategic impact. Githens earned a Master of Business Administration from BGSU.
Bill Balderaz ’97 was honored by his company being named best place to work in central Ohio on Nov. 6, 2018. Futurety, a Columbus-based firm started by Balderaz, was named No. 1 in Columbus Business First’s
Best Places to Work program. The program recognizes companies that are changing the landscape of work by fostering a high-impact team environment and raising the level of employee satisfaction.
Jodi Spencer Johnson ’97 of Akron was named a co-chair of the business law firm Brouse McDowell’s insurance recovery practice group. Johnson has practiced in the area of insurance recovery for more than 15 years, advising and representing corporate
policyholders in liability and first-party insurance matters. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from BGSU.
Dr. Jennifer Meyers Pickard ’99 joined the executive search firm Witt/Kieffer of Oak Brook, Illinois, as a consultant in its education practice department. Prior to Witt/Kieffer, Pickard served as the assistant vice president for divisional initiatives and planning at the
University of Arizona. She earned a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in biology from BGSU.
2000s
Andrew Bartholomew ’00 recently was named chief financial officer of the Sarasota, Florida, startup Omeza, where he will oversee finance and support corporate strategy and operations. Bartholomew earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration in finance from BGSU. During a five-year assignment at Ernst & Young, he served middle market and Fortune 500 companies, providing assurance and advisory services and tax consulting and incentives solutions.
Doug Whitmire ’01 received his sixth News Emmy in Chicago on Nov. 10, 2018. Whitmire is the executive producer of the 10 p.m. “Evening News” at the ABC affiliate, WLS,
Channel 7. He received a Bachelor of Science in journalism from BGSU.
Scott Edgar ’02, who earned a Bachelor of Music from BGSU, is an associate professor of music education at Lake Forest College (Illinois). He recently was named an
educational clinician by Conn-Selmer, joining a team of more than 75 speakers, educators and artists from around the globe who provide arts advocacy, strategic planning,
artistic development and leadership training for students, teachers and art administrators nationwide.
Dr. George Timmons ’02 of Schenectady, New York, was appointed vice president and dean of academic affairs at Columbia-Greene Community College. Prior to accepting the position, Timmons served in several capacities at Excelsior College in Albany, New York. He earned a doctorate in higher education Administration from BGSU.
Lindsay Martinko McKinney ’04 was promoted to vice president of client services at the marketing communications agency Meyers + Partners in Chicago. McKinney will
continue to head the account management group and will assume expanded responsibilities for integrating marketing, creative and digital development efforts to
deliver consistently high quality work and to enhance the overall success of clients’ marketing communications programs. She majored in designed studies at BGSU.
Rob Krain ’06, executive director of Black Swamp Conservancy in Pemberville, Ohio, received a 2018 20 Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award on Sept. 24, 2018, at
the 23nd annual 20 Under 40 ceremony in Toledo. Krain earned a Bachelor of Arts in environmental policy and analysis.
Dr. Suzanne Ondrus ’06, who earned a Master of Fine Arts in poetry at BGSU, recently took her craft to West Africa. Ondrus is a Fulbright Scholar in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. She first connected with Burkina Faso while studying in Ouagadougou in 2005 with BGSU. Ondrus teaches creative writing, American poetry and drama, literary theory and American civilization to graduate and undergraduate students at the Department of Anglophone Studies at the University of Ouagadougou.
Dr. Christie A. Cruise ’09 of Swansea, Illinois, recently released a new book, “It Don’t Hurt Now: My Journey of Self-Love & Self-Acceptance.” Cruise, who advocates for women and girls of all shapes to use fitness as a tool to develop positive body image, earned a Ph.D in higer education at BGSU.
Kate Sommerfeld ’09, president, social determinants of health at ProMedica in Toledo, received a 2018 20 Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award on Sept. 24, 2018, at the 23nd annual 20 Under 40 ceremony in Toledo. Sommerfeld earned a Master of Public Administration from BGSU.
2010s
Dr. John T. Haman ’11 recently joined the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) in Alexandria, Virginia, as a research staff member in IDA’s Operational Evaluation Division. IDA is a not-for-profit corporation that operates three federally funded research and development centers in the public interest. Haman earned a doctoral degree in statistics from BGSU.
Dave Zenk ’11, executive director of Metroparks Toledo, received a 2018 20 Under 40 Leadership Recognition Award on Sept. 24, 2018, at the 23nd annual 20 Under 40 ceremony in Toledo. Zenk earned a Master of Public Administration from BGSU.
Michael Schmitt ’12 received the Silent Star Award for 2018 from the PACE Organization of Rhode Island, a health plan serving older adults who wish to maintain their
independence and live in the community. Schmitt, a marketing project lead who has been with PACE since 2015, earned a Bachelor of Science in visual communication
technologies from BGSU.
Robert L. McEvoy ’13 recently joined the law firm Buckley King in Cleveland. McEvoy, formerly a law clerk with the firm, was sworn in before the Ohio Supreme Court in
November 2018, and has joined the firm as an associate. He earned a Bachelor of Science in accounting from BGSU.
Brett Creamer ’14, who majored in sport management at BGSU and received the M. Joy Sidwell award during his senior year, was named Executive Manager of the Year for 2018 by the Pacific Association of Professional Baseball Clubs. At the time of the award, Creamer was the youngest GM in all of professional baseball at 25 for the Sonoma (California) Stompers.
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Updated: 05/07/2019 10:42AM