Summer/Fall 2014 - Bexley Alumni Association

Summer/Fall 2014
BEXLEY HIGH SCHOOL
Alumni Association Newsletter
(This article, reprinted with permission and featuring Brad Rocco, class of 1981, appeared April 12, 2014 on
the ColumbusUnderground website (http://www.columbusunderground.com/brad-rocco-of-bexley-pizza-plus)
Brad Rocco of Bexley Pizza Plus Earns World
Champion Title in International Pizza Challenge
Columbus has another Number 1 title,
thanks to Brad Rocco of Bexley Pizza Plus.
Rocco attended the International Pizza
Challenge in Las Vegas last week and
brought home the World Champion award
for Best Traditional Pizza, beating out
nearly sixty competitors.
The winning pizza? Rocco’s “Ultimate
Pizza” featuring two types of pepperoni and
two types of mushrooms.
“The Ultimate Pizza is Margherita &
spicy pepato pepperoni with flash-blanched
& fresh white button mushrooms,” says
Rocco. “It is prepared on our house red
sauce with a blend of provolone, mozzarella
& romano cheese.” The recipe for the
Ultimate Pizza was developed in 1992.
“We started competing with it in
2003,” says Rocco. “It did so well, that we
compete with it exclusively when entering
Traditional Pizza categories. I simply try
to duplicate the same product that you get
(The following article was posted
on www.bexleyschools.org)
Bexley High School is recognized by U.S.
News & World Report as one of Ohio’s top
high schools. The school earned a Gold
Medal in 2014 and ranked 192nd out of
31,200 public high school across the country.
How We Rank
Photo by Pam Reece.
in my pizzeria. In the Vegas competitions
I added mesquite-smoked portabellas to
kick it up a notch!”
Rocco has been with Bexley Pizza Plus
since 1982, when he started as a delivery
driver. A Columbus native, he grew up in
Bexley and got the job to pay for college.
Don Schmitt opened Bexley Pizza Plus
in 1980, and in 1992, Rocco bought out
the other owner, and entering a 50/50
ownership with Schmitt.
The Washington Post’s Mathew’s Challenge, evaluating “America’s most challenging high schools,” put Bexley at 18th
in Ohio.
BHS earned an A with a Performance
Index of 110.7 in 2012 - 2013, the most
recent available school report card from
the Ohio Department of Education. The
school met all ten indicators measuring
how many of its students have passed state
tests at the proficient or higher level. The win in Vegas is not the first win for
the shop, or for Rocco. “I enjoy the thrill
of competing against the top pizzaiolos in
the world and doing well,” he says. He has
competed in about twelve contests.
Pizzas were judged in three categories:
Crust, Sauce-Cheese-Toppings, and Overall
Taste, and also on Visual Presentation
and Appearance, taking the bake into
consideration.
The Ultimate Pizza sells for $16.25 for
a medium and $19.55 for a large, with
everything made in-house, from scratch.
“When I travel on the road to compete, I
try to do it just like we do it in the pizzeria,” he
says. Which was a bit of a challenge this time
as he had to make the dough on the road!
“Using different water, having lower
humidity, and mixing it by hand in my hotel
bathroom was a challenge,” says Rocco. “I
guess I did a good job of making dough as
I’m convinced that my crust won it for me!”
Bexley High School prides itself on its
high rate of participation in Advanced
Placement (AP) courses that prepare
students for the rigor of the college
classroom. In 2014, the school gave 499
AP exams for a student body numbering
654. In 2013, BHS reported its highest
scores in three years on the ACT quality
core assessments created by the National
College Board.
Bexley High School Alumni Association • P.O. Box 457 • Lithopolis, Ohio 43136-0457
Voice Mail: 614.920.4937 • Email: [email protected] • Website: http://www.bexleyalumni.org
1
Summer/Fall 2014 • Bexley High School Alumni Association
Columbus man drawn to Israel
By Madeleine Winer
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
[email protected]
Saturday July 5, 2014
When he left the United States, Adam
Berman took two suitcases, his Jewish
faith and a one-way ticket to Israel.
“Israel is my home,” said Berman, a
24-year-old Columbus native who moved
to the Holy Land last summer. “It has been
a welcome change in my life. It’s sort of a
dream. I am where my community lives,
and it’s exciting.”
Berman, who is the son of Rabbi Harold
Berman of Congregation Tifereth Israel,
is one of about 20 Jews in Columbus every
year to make aliyah — Jewish immigration
to Israel. Aliyah is a Hebrew word that
means ascent. It is often described as a
homecoming for Jewish people, referred
to in the Bible as the “children of Israel.”
“The most common reason people
come is to live a Jewish life in the state
of Israel,” said Lior Abarbanel, the Israeli
representative for the Columbus Jewish
Federation. “We believe Israel is the
country of the Jewish people. It’s the best
and easiest way to (live a Jewish life) in
terms of kosher food and religion and just
being there.”
About 100 Jews from Ohio make aliyah
each year, said Sophie Fellman Rafalovitz,
aliyah coordinator for the Midwest region
at the Jewish Agency for Israel. She said
4,000 American Jews make aliyah per
year. Jews worldwide and of any age can
apply to the agency to move to Israel.
About 85 percent of them choose to move
there permanently.
To make the move, Jews apply to the
Jewish Agency for Israel. If accepted, they
receive benefits such as a free one-way
ticket to Israel, free Hebrew classes for
up to 10 months, free health insurance
for one year and six monthly payments
totaling $5,000 per person.
Jewish immigrants such as Berman
also present documents showing their
Jewish connection, civil status, medical
history and a list of their visits to Israel
to be eligible to make aliyah through the
agency.
“My list filled up one full page,” said
2
Adam Berman, 24, center, celebrates the end of his Israeli military training with his host family.
Berman, a Columbus native, became an Israeli citizen last summer.
Berman, who lived in Israel for a year after
he graduated from Bexley High School in
2008.
Then he decided to make aliyah after
he graduated from Yale University with a
degree in political science.
He said the whole process, including the
time to get his visa, took about six months.
Abarbanel said most Jews who make
aliyah do so because they have family in
Israel or have visited the country and felt a
spiritual or cultural connection to its land
and people.
“I was over there two years ago, and as
a modern country, I love the energy there,
and it’s a beautiful country,” said Sedona
Rosenberg, an 18-year-old graduate of
Lincoln High School in Gahanna who
spent the summer of 2012 in Israel.
“Culturally, I feel a strong connection to
the land and am empowered by the idea
of Israel — a land built for Jews by Jews.”
Rosenberg, like Berman, applied for
aliyah through the Jewish Agency’s Nefesh
B’Nefesh program for North American
immigrants who want to move with a
support group.
Rosenberg will leave in September
and take Hebrew classes in Israel before
joining the Israeli military, a requirement
for citizenship. Berman now lives with
the group he moved with on a kibbutz in
southern Israel near the country’s border
with Gaza.
He serves in the military as a media
liaison for Israeli policy toward Gaza
and has gotten used to working in the
Hebrew language. But one aspect has
been difficult.
“We get rocket fire from terrorists in
Gaza almost every day,” Berman said.
“That’s not something I expected. I’ll be at
work and continue working from a secure
bomb shelter.”
Adam’s father said he worries about
his son’s safety but is proud of him for
pursuing what he wants.
“We are very much like almost all other
(Israeli Defense Forces) parents,” he said.
“We are proud of our son and recognize,
as an Israeli citizen, you have to be willing
to put yourself on the line. On the other
hand, we’re nervous for him because he’s
in the army and faces real dangers.”
Rosenberg said she’s unsure whether
she wants to settle permanently in Israel,
but Berman plans to stay.
“I have a deeper connection and a more
mature attachment to Israel and Zionism,”
Berman said. “ It’s amazing being here and
waking up with Israel every single day.”
Message from the Co-chair
Bexley High School Alumni Association • Summer/Fall 2014
Dear fellow Alumni and Friends of
Bexley High School,
There are some pretty impressive
things going on at Bexley High School
these days. Here is a sampling:
BHS was ranked 18th in Ohio in
the Washington Post’s “America’s Most
Challenging High Schools” list.
T he r o bot built by the BHS
Robotics Team competed in the Greater
Pittsburgh Regional FIRST Robotics
competition in March at California
University of Pennsylvania.
A current BHS student was chosen
by the Ohio Educational Theatre
Association to serve on its Board of
Directors in 2014 – 2015.
A three-student team from BHS
earned first place among 243 teams in a
regional competition of the Stock Market
Game, produced by the Economics
Center of the University of Cincinnati.
Other accomplishments are detailed
elsewhere in this newsletter.
For those of you who live close to our
community, you know that the energy
and excitement at our school is highly
evident. For those of you who are farther
away, rest assured that our school’s record
of achievement, high performance, and
strong spirit and pride remains as vibrant
as ever.
So, whether you are a recent graduate,
part of the “old guard” (i.e., long ago
graduates) or somewhere in between (or
simply friends of BHS), we are honored
to call you one of our own. We encourage
you to stay connected – here are some
easy ways: visit our alumni website, visit
the school website or visit the website of
our close affiliate, the Bexley Education
Foundation (and check back frequently
to see all that we are accomplishing . . . on
the shoulders of those who came before
us . . . you!). Come back to Bexley for
your reunions (I just had my 30th and it
was a blast!). Send us some of your fond
memories from your own days back at
BHS. We’d love to hear from you.
Until next time . . . Go Lions!
Larry Pliskin
Co-chair, Bexley High School Alumni
Association
BHS Class of 1984
(This abbreviated and edited article, featuring Minnette Webster, class of 1955, appeared in The Tampa Tribune on April 22, 2014)
Minnette Webster, Hillsborough arts supporter, dies at 76
BRANDON – Artists throughout Hillsborough
County set aside their paint brushes, shed their spattered
smocks and came together to pay tribute to one of their
own Saturday, April 19.
Longtime artist and art educator Minnette Webster
died Monday, April 14, during surgery to place a stent
in her heart. The 76-year-old Bloomingdale resident had
been battling Myasthenia Gravis, an autoimmune disease
that progressively weakens the skeletal muscles.
The disease, however, didn’t prevent Webster from performing
her duties as the secretary and charter member of the Greater
Brandon Arts Council or sharing her love of art with children.
After attending classes at the Penland School of Crafts in
Bakersville, N.C., and the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in
Gatlinburg TN in the late 1980s, Webster became one of the first
artists in the area to experiment with creating handmade paper. Her
efforts earned her numerous awards and attracted the attention of
the White House, which placed one of her handmade paper angels
on the White House Christmas tree.
The feather in Webster’s cap was her initiation into the National
League of American Pen Women, a national organization
you don’t just join. You have to be invited. You have to
have credentials.
In addition to teaching art classes at the Center Place
Fine Arts and Civic Association in Brandon, a nonprofit
she helped create, Webster taught adults and children at
Brandon area and South Shore libraries and local YMCA
branches.
Webster also earned accolades for founding and running
the state’s first arts program at a state prison. She taught art for nine
years at the Hillsborough Correctional Institute in Riverview before
it closed. Webster received the first Brush Strokes Artist With a
Heart award in 2006 for her work at the prison.
Following her diagnosis with Myasthenia Gravis, Webster
hosted her final art show at Center Place, “Revisiting a 50-Year
Journey in Art,” in 2011. She said it was fun reviewing her works
while selecting pieces for the show.
“I really enjoyed doing it. It was a trip down memory lane for
me,” said Webster in a 2011 interview. “It’s interesting to see how
my technique has evolved over the years.”
Thank you to the following alumni who made donations to the Alumni
Association since our Winter/Spring 2014 newsletter:
Name of Donor
In Memory Of
Robert D. Cohen ’56
Estate of Jack Knauer ‘69
Anne Stolarski Loochtan ‘68
Stanley Kessel ‘41
Todd Adam Kessel
Peggy Morris Ramseyer ’57
Nancy Benson Wibbelsman ’67
Roger Shlonsky ’56
William Argo ’40
Leslie J. Susi
Maryalice Shockey Susi ’47
Elyse Schacht Kindler ’51
In Honor Of
Undesignated
X
X
X
Other
X
X
X
X
3
Summer/Fall 2014 • Bexley High School Alumni Association
Alumni in the News
(Many of the following edited articles were
posted on www.bexleyschools.org. The entire
content of each article can be found on the
Alumni in the News link on the home page of
the alumni website at www.bexleyalumni.org.)
Ben Kassoy ‘07 graduated from Emory University in Atlanta with a degree in English.
“It was amazing all the way around: I took
classes in 18 different departments, served as
recruitment chair of my fraternity and president of the break dancing club, coauthored
two books, interned at The Colbert Report
the summer before my senior year, and gave
a speech at my commencement.”
In an interview, he reflected on his years at
BHS: “It was really positive academically and
socially. I left high school with a strong foundation to think critically and succeed in high
school, and I credit some excellent teachers (Joann LaMuth and Julie Horger, for example), along with Stephanie Krosnosky for
helping guide me. I’m still best friends with all
my buddies from BHS, too.”
He is now living in New York City, serving as a writer and editor for DoSomething.
org, the country’s largest not-for-profit for
young people and social change. He also
freelances for Glamour.com, Glamour,
Maxim, and others.
Nigeria native Oghogho Igodan ’07 grew up
in South Africa before moving to Bexley in
2001. After graduating cum laude from the
Ohio State University with a major in International Studies and minors in French and
Women’s Studies, she relocated to Washington, D.C., “to gain experience in global public health and international development.”
She interned with Georgetown University’s Institute for Reproductive Health,
International Medical Corps and worked
in a temporary capacity with World Vision
before going to work full time for the U.S.
Agency for International Development.
Ms. Oghogho is currently a Program Assistant supporting the President’s Malaria
Initiative (PMI) in the Global Health Bureau. PMI aims to reduce malaria-related
mortality in 70 percent of at-risk populations in sub-Saharan Africa. She provides
programmatic and operational support to
the PMI headquarters team and also supports the PMI Democratic Republic of
Congo country team.
4
Chris Balch ‘09 is spending a year in Columbus between college graduation and law
school entrance.
A graduate of Cornell University, he said
he “bounced around majors a few times
(because I want to go to law school ultimately) and finally settled upon a history
major because I love the subject.” He reported that his college highlights
were studying abroad in Paris, staying with
a host family there, and taking classes in
French at the Sorbonne: “Absolutely amazing adventure both within France and all of
Europe. I was able to visit just about every
country from Portugal to the Czech Republic, Norway to Italy, because the flights
within Europe are cheap and everything is
so close together. My foundation in French
from Dr Romanczuk’s classes have taken
me so many places. I had about five or six
classes where it was invaluable to my history research and also truly witnessed how
it is the second language of Europe while I
was backpacking.” Caleb Muller ’09 graduated from Marietta
College in May 2013 with a degree in Information Systems and a minor in Leadership
Studies. He currently works as a Systems
Analyst for the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center (UPMC) in Pittsburgh in
the Information Services Division Rotation
Program. He described this as a leadership
development program with a focus on IT
management.
A cross country and track and field athlete while in school at Bexley, Mr. Muller
continued to compete throughout his career at Marietta College. He now runs and
competes at a high level for the Steel City
Track Club in Pittsburgh.
David Karanja ‘12 returns to the community for a summer internship this year. He
is managing his own company in the Bexley/Berwick/Blacklick area through Student
Painters, an operation that provides funding,
training and mentorship. He is majoring in
marketing at The Ohio State University.
Mr. Karanja moved to Bexley from his
native Kenya at the age of six. He said that
as soon as he began attending Cassingham
Elementary, he immediately felt accepted.
Bexley allowed him to try new things, such
as theater, music, sports and other student
activities. School programs like Interna-
tional Baccalaureate (IB) and Town Meetings and positive role models in school and
at home taught lessons in integrity, open
mindedness, determination and the importance of community.
Meg Farrar ‘13 will attend the United States
Air Force Academy this fall. She heads out
to Colorado Springs, Colorado at the end
of June. This appointment is awarded to only
about 1,200 of the 9,700 applicants, according to Carolyn A. M. Benyshek, Department
of the Air Force, Director of Admissions.
“Your previous accomplishments indicate
you have the potential to meet the demands
and challenges of the Academy and you
should be extremely proud of your appointment as only the best of the best are so rewarded,” she wrote in a letter to Ms. Farrar.
Ms. Farrar is currently completing an internship in the Washington, D.C. office of
U.S. Congressman Pat Tiberi, a Republican
representing the 12th Congressional District of Ohio. A freshman at Colby College
majoring in government and economics,
Ms. Farrar was nominated to the Academy
by U.S. Senator Rob Portman.
Jimmy Wilkins ‘11 recently won gold
in the skateboard “vert” event at the X
Games in Austin, Texas. The youngest skateboarder ever to win gold in the
vert competition, Mr. Wilkins earned
his first X Games medal, beating the record of veteran skater Shaun White.
Dubbed “the future of skate vert” by ESPN’s Devon O’Neill, Mr. Wilkins was a surprise winner in the competition that took
place in front of 12,000 people, against the
backdrop of the Texas State Capitol building.
“Wilkins, supposedly a skater of few
words, let his moves do all the talking
with a Frontside Ollie that had competitors and the crowd in awe — including
Tony Hawk who Instagrammed a video
of the move,” noted The Daily Texan.
“Wilkins came in thinking he had no
chance at victory, yet the underdog rose to
first with his smooth skating. At the age of
20, Wilkins is expected to have a lifetime of
skating success ahead of him,” continued
the online publication. (Posted on www.dailytexanonline.com on
6-6-14)
Samantha “Murphy” Bromberg ‘13 is a
national champion once again. Bromberg, a
Bexley native who’s a sophomore at the University of Texas, won the women’s 10-meter
Alumni - con’t.on page 11
Bexley High School Alumni Association • Summer/Fall 2014
LIONS HUNTING DOWN A CURE
HELP ME STOP THIS KILLER
Hi! I’m Herb Magley (BHS Class
of ‘66) remember me.....no, I mean
the good things about me!! After 48 years, I really need your
help…my beautiful wife of 42 years is
dying from Alzheimer’s. My family has
been struck 3 times with Alzheimer’s.
One person has died, one is dying and
another has been diagnosed. My friend
and father-in-law, died from Alzheimer’s
before his 65th birthday. He “forgot”
how to swallow and choked to death.
Then, this inhumane disease struck my
54 year old wife and, for the past 9 years,
I have watched her spiral down into
places where no one should be allowed
to go. She was an avid speed reader, but
can no longer even hold a book; she has a
Master’s in Speech Pathology, but can no
longer talk; we had our 1st grand-baby
in January, but she doesn’t understand;
she had friends, but they have all
abandoned her because it is “awkward”;
one by one, she has lost the ability to
feed herself, bathe, talk, dress, walk,
groom, stand up or sit down, go to the
bathroom or anything else for herself.
This once vibrant, active, intelligent,
passionate & caring wife, mother, friend
is, simply put, dying a slow agonizing
death. From the selfish side of me, I
miss her deeply........I cannot tell you the
number of nights I have cried myself to
sleep........ALONE. It is too late for Gail
& me, BUT I need to do something to
prevent other generations from going
through the stress, pain and misery of
Alzheimer’s, and yet a new victim is
diagnosed with Alzheimer’s nearly every
minute of every day.
THINK YOU ARE SAFE
FROM ALZHEIMER’S?
If you have not been touched by
Alzheimer’s, you likely will be. The
U.S. Surgeon General declared that
Alzheimer’s is the next big epidemic
to sweep America. In fact, if it is left
unchecked, Alzheimer’s will cost our
economy $2 Trillion/year by 2050. It
has been ranked as the #6 Killer in the
U.S., BUT recent data shows it could
be #3, behind Heart Disease & Cancer.
However, Alzheimer’s Dementia has
3 grotesque things that distinguish it
from all these other diseases: (1) It is a
death sentence: NO ONE SURVIVES;
(2) Deaths from Alzheimer’s are
INCREASING, while deaths from
these other causes are decreasing; (3)
It is a cruel disease that kills like no
other, slowly and relentlessly robbing it
victims of their abilities over an average
post-diagnosis lifespan of 8-10 years.
WE CAN DO SOMETHING
ABOUT THIS RUTHLESS KILLER.
Not for my wife or for me or my
generation, but for our kids and
grandkids. Although only a token
amount of money has been directed
at Alzheimer’s research, scientists have
made some progress. Unfortunately,
the drugs currently available treat only
the symptoms (in some victims), but
they DO NOT stop or even slow down
its progress. OBVIOUSLY, MUCH
MORE
RESEARCH
FUNDING
IS NEEDED AND QUICKLY. The
Alzheimer’s Association came to my
rescue by getting me involved in a
Younger Onset Caregiver Support
Group. The Association is one of the
biggest contributors to Alzheimer’s
research AND lobbies Congress to
provide more funding for research.
Their lobbying efforts resulted in the
federal government, for the first time,
budgeting $122 million for 2014. It is a
start, if only a small start. Over the past
3 years I have become a serious fundraiser for Alzheimer’s. I personally
spend $10,000/year in traveling, giving
talks, visiting Congress, volunteering for
Alzheimer’s Assn. events, AND, most
of all, FUND-RAISING. Even though
a few people like me are desperately
trying to make a difference, we just
do not have the numbers to make this
happen fast enough. SO I AM ASKING
ALL BEXLEY ALUMNI, FAMILY &
FRIENDS to join forces with me and be
part of the annual “Alzheimer’s Walk”,
the Assn’s main fundraiser. There are
thousands of us Bexley Alumni, we
have been blessed and have decent life
styles.........which we DO NOT want
disrupted by Alzheimer’s.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
THE easiest & simplest way for us
to become a part of THE CURE, is to
form a team and fund-raise for the
annual “Alzheimer’s Walk” (fundraising is usually during the summer
and The Walk event is in the fall). I
am committed to this cause and will
volunteer to do the “heavy-lifting”
by serving as the team captain, and
the liaison between the team and the
Alzheimer’s Assn, and keeping everyone
updated, etc. For your part, I NEED
YOU to participate by (1) Making a
donation to the team after it has been
formed this summer and, if possible
(2) Become a Walk Team member and
recruit other alumni, family & friends
to donate and/or participate. First,
and foremost, the success of this effort
REQUIRES “numbers” and that means
we must get this out to EVERY Bexley
High School alum. I NEED all of you,
who get these newsletters or visit the
website, to spread the word to your
classmates, who may not get these.
EMAIL me at HMAGLEY@COX.
NET ASAP if you can DONATE and/or
JOIN THE TEAM. I will email you with
the important dates and instructions on
how to donate AND how to get signed
up for the actual “Walk” event.
THANKS FOR
HELPING ME STOP
THIS HORRIBLE
KILLER!
5
Summer/Fall 2014 • Bexley High School Alumni Association
This article, reprinted with permission, featuring Natalia Fedner, class of 2001, appeared in The Columbus Dispatch on March 20, 2014
Fashion designer Natalia Fedner
boosting her profile on TV show
By Halie Williams
If her family hadn’t emigrated from
Ukraine to the United States 25 years ago,
Natalia Fedner knows, her life might well
be far different.
“Just look at Ukraine right now. I could
be there,” she said, fighting back tears at
the thought of the country’s standoff with
Russia over Ukraine’s Crimea region.
Instead, Fedner — who grew up in Bexley
and lives in Los Angeles — has been free to
pursue her interest in fashion design.
For that, she is grateful.
“It doesn’t matter what your dream is,”
she said. “If you’re willing to work hard
and if you’re good to people, you will get it.
That’s all you have to believe.”
Her work as a designer has landed her
on the Lifetime reality competition Project
Runway: Under the Gunn, a first-year
spinoff of Project Runway.
The new TV series, hosted by fashion
celebrity Tim Gunn, began with 15 up-andcoming designers — a number whittled to
12 after the second episode.
The dozen who survived were placed on
teams of four led by one of three mentors:
Project Runway alumni Mondo Guerra,
Anya Ayoung-Chee or Nick Verreos.
Beginning with the third episode, Gunn
has presented a new weekly challenge that
tests the mentors’ ability to bring out the
best in their designers. One designer has
been eliminated each week.
In the episode tonight, six competitors —
including Fedner — remain. The winning
designer will take home $100,000, a Lexus
and other prizes; the winning mentor will
receive a Lexus and a guest-editor position
at Marie Claire for a year.
Fedner’s mentor is Verreos, a Venezuela
native who has seen his high-end designs
worn by Beyonce, Heidi Klum, Katy Perry
and other celebrities.
Fedner — a former student of Gunn’s at
Parsons the New School for Design in New
York, from which she graduated in 2005
— had tried out for the second season of
Project Runway.
She didn’t make it but went deep into the
process.
After Under the Gunn was conceived,
producers asked her whether she wanted
to give the show a shot. She did and made
the cut.
The competition, filmed in November
(This article, reprinted with permission and featuring Erin McCahan Richards, class of 1985,
appeared in The Columbus Dispatch on May 10, 2014) Author Erin McCahan finds comfort zone
Second young-adult novel set in Bexley
As a youth minister for 10 years, Erin
McCahan learned to really talk and listen
to teenagers.
That decade and her own experiences
as a shy but observant adolescent in the
1980s gave her plenty of fodder for youngadult novels.
Her first — I Now Pronounce You
Someone Else, published in 2010 —
centers on an 18-year-old grappling with
a marriage proposal and a family to which
she doesn’t relate while also trying to
discover herself as a person.
Her second, Love and Other Foreign
Words, is quickly attracting attention.
“This is a realistic story about growing up,
coming of age,” said Kathy Leonard of the
Columbus Metropolitan Library, which
systemwide has purchased 20 copies of the
book, published on May 1.
6
Erin McCahan
“There are a lot of dark things out there.
It’s kind of nice to see a quirky, funny
love story.”
Warner Bros. has already bought the
movie rights to the novel, which is being
released in 12 countries.
Love and Other Foreign Words
focuses on 16-year-old Josie Sheridan,
for whom the language of love is indeed
foreign. Despite her chart-topping IQ,
Josie struggles with the vernacular of
her friends.
Publishers Weekly praised the book:
“McCahan’s sharp-witted first-person
narrative will keep readers laughing as
they get acquainted with Josie, a selfproclaimed ‘inveterate’ over-thinker.”
McCahan, who lives in New Albany
with husband Tim Richards, said the story
came to her as she thought about what
she wished she would have known as a
teen growing up in Bexley, where the novel
is set.
“I always had a lot of friends in high
school, but they were from different
groups,” the 46-year-old said. “In the
Bexley High School Alumni Association • Summer/Fall 2014
and December, posed its challenges — most
notably, the quick turnarounds, Fedner said.
She considers herself a perfectionist who
pays attention to detail and wants to offer
unique designs.
“I like to look at things from a different
perspective,” Fedner said. “For me, it’s all
about what has not been done. How can I
invent something? But you can’t have the
luxury of the experimental-time process
during this type of a show.”
Designing and art have long been parts
of Fedner’s world.
As a child, she would draw to keep
occupied, including sketching Barbie dolls
in various dresses.
Later, her art teacher at Bexley High
School noticed her passion and predicted
success.
“She was someone who knew what she
wanted, and she went for it,” said Mabi Ponce
de Leon, who still teaches at the school.
Fedner’s close friends also recognized
her potential.
“I still have a portrait she did of me
hanging in my room at my parents’ house,”
said Samara Preisler, a friend since middle
school who wore a Fedner-designed gown
for her May 2011 wedding.
“She poured her heart and her talent into
making my dress,” the Bexley resident said.
“I am confident that a better dress does not
exist. It was perfect.”
This month, Fedner realized a dream when
different groups, I had friends who didn’t
like each other.”
Not until she was in her 30s, attending
a bridal shower at which she knew only a
few of the guests, did she come to realize
why such tensions existed. She struggled to
relate to the gushing that played out over
stemware.
“I understood their words, but I was
not connecting with them about these
designer glasses,” she said. “They all knew
each other; they had their own language.”
Professional writing had long been her
goal — since the third grade, McCahan said.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in the
major from Capital University in 1992,
she spent seven years trying to produce a
mainstream adult novel.
A growing stack of rejection letters took
a toll, though.
In 1998, at the suggestion of her
minister, McCahan began working with
adolescents — she had, after all, attended
an Episcopal seminary for 18 months in
1994-95 — at St. John’s Episcopal Church
in Worthington. (She later held a similar
position at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in
Upper Arlington.)
In her role as a youth minister, McCahan
said, she grew comfortable with the language
of teenagers.
“They have so much going on in their
lives — their bodies, their minds — and
they needed someone to talk to,” she said.
“I was that person for many years.”
Not only did the work prove more
rewarding than she expected, McCahan
said, but it also yielded “ a slow dawning”
— a gradual realization that she might have
been writing for the wrong audience.
“Here, I am immersed in teenage culture,”
she said. “I had been around them so much
that I understood their conversation. It was
a different rhythm from adults.”
The protagonist in Love and Other
Foreign Words represents McCahan’s
antithesis: McCahan rarely spoke in
school; Josie often lands in trouble for
speaking her mind.
Still, the character shares the author’s
sense of humor.
“Erin had some sarcasm to her; she still
does,” recalled childhood friend Bronwyn
Craven, a high-school teacher in Akron who
plans to share Love and Other Foreign Words
with her students and adolescent daughter.
Natalia Fedner, a Los Angeles resident, enjoying
a lighter moment during a recent visit to her
parents’ home in Bexley
one of her dresses was worn at the Academy
Awards ceremony: Joanna DeGeneres,
sister-in-law of show host Ellen DeGeneres,
chose a dress from her collection.
“(Joanna) told me that she’s never been
complimented so many times in her entire
life — not even on her wedding day — and
that was a huge compliment to me,” Fedner
said.
With her resume building, Fedner can’t
help acknowledging her good fortune.
Growing up in Bexley, where her parents
still live, was “an incredible experience that
you can only appreciate once you leave,” she
said.
And she hasn’t forgotten those most
responsible for helping her succeed: her
parents, Alla and Greg Fedner.
“People like to say their parents are their
heroes, and mine really are,” she said. “They
were only 28 years old when they took us
(she and her two younger sisters) out of that
country. They didn’t know where they were
going. They had to leave everything behind.
“I’m just so lucky with the life I’ve had; I
don’t take anything for granted.”
“She was very funny but in a quiet way.
. . . She was very witty, and you could tell
she was very intelligent.”
McCahan gave Josie a high IQ to break
the gifted-student stereotypes of “weird”
and “friendless.”
Josie’s quirkiness is a quality that Kerry
Winfrey likes.
The Grandview Heights resident,
who reviews young-adult books for the
entertainment blog Hello Giggles, featured
the novel in an April post.
“It’s definitely funny, even if you’re not
(a) young adult,” said Winfrey, 27. “I liked
that it was set in Columbus. She used a lot
of real locations in Bexley and German
Village. Easton is mentioned.”
Winfrey appreciates how Josie often
makes “interesting” decisions — ones not
always in line with her peers’.
Like Josie, McCahan said, teenagers
today are more aware and outspoken —
traits that aren’t necessarily bad.
“They need to talk about these things,”
she said. “That’s why young-adult (fiction)
is so huge now.”
7
Summer/Fall 2014 • Bexley High School Alumni Association
(The following was posted on the Bexley Schools website at www.bexleyschools.org and edited)
2014 Bexley Grads Featured in the News
Several outstanding Bexley students
have been featured prominently in local
news recently.
The college admissions essay of 2014
grad Jasper Lau was in the May 31 college
essay edition of the Columbus Dispatch.
The newspaper noted: “With the challenges
of the college-application process having
come and gone for high-school seniors
throughout central Ohio, The Dispatch
salutes the students for a job well-done.
Today in First Person — our weekly forum
for personal musings and reflections from
readers — we showcase a sampling of
admission essays submitted by members of
the Class of 2014.”
Editor’s note: Jasper’s essay follows.
Jasper Lau
“Go ahead when you’re ready.”
“Uh. Umm. . . . Fe-la-a-a-fesh? Fe-a-a-lafesh!”
“What, sir? Say that again?”
“Fich! Num-ba tan. . . . Ta-n? Pleee?”
“Sir, I don’t understand what you’re
saying. Please repeat that,” the drivethrough server says as she impatiently
pokes her head out the window.
A few moments pass as my dad makes
his last attempt to place his order with
jumbled vocabulary, broken sentences and
frantic gestures.
On a hot summer afternoon, I am sitting
in our minivan with knots in my stomach. I
feel nauseous, hungry and dizzy.
But, above all, I feel ashamed. I feel
ashamed because my father cannot place a
simple order at McDonald’s.
I sit frozen in my seat, trying to avoid
being seen. A part of me yearns to help, but
8
my childish shame makes me reluctant. I
open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
As I hesitantly glance to the side, my
dad’s chestnut-tinted eyes fixate onto mine.
That pleading gaze is all too familiar; I
know exactly what it means. I quickly
unbuckle my seat belt and hoist my body
up from my seat, my sweaty T-shirt peeling
from the faded seat cover. I lean past the
two armrests to place the order.
My voice cracks as I stretch my head out the
window: “Sorry about that. Could we please
have a fish fillet and a double cheeseburger —
just the sandwiches? Thanks.”
In my 11-year-old Asian mind, translating
for an adult seemed so burdensome.
Through the years, I’ve translated mail,
bank statements and the daily news; and
gone to parent-teacher conferences to
translate sentence by sentence for my
parents. Often, I felt tied to a leash that
kept me from enjoying my childhood. At a
time when I desperately needed my parents’
guidance, the responsibility fell on me to
help them navigate the American culture.
As a child, I was too naive to understand
my parents’ situation. For quite a while, it
seemed as if my parents’ needs would keep
me from living my life.
Now I see this experience in a new light:
It was and is my responsibility to help them
find peace in this country. In fact, this duty
transformed me from an ashamed boy to
the young man I am today.
Those childhood days of helping my
parents taught me to pursue initiatives
even in the face of obstacles. Their struggle
inspired me. To raise a family in an
unfamiliar country, my parents took a risk
so I could have a better life.
Their courage influenced my decisions
in high school. During my freshman year, I
started a business that changed Columbus’
entertainment scene. Despite being an
underclassman, I pushed forward with my
vision. Eventually, I formed a partnership
with two juniors to establish ColumbusTeen,
an event-marketing business.
My vision materialized before my eyes.
I began to lead the company in recruiting
promoters, negotiating with venue owners
and managing budgets.
Our first event, Purple Haze, was the
largest high-school concert in the history
of Columbus.
Helping my parents overcome barriers
taught me resilience, which helped me
cultivate my entrepreneurial identity.
Jasper Lau will study business at
Northeastern University in Boston.
Meghan Hayden, also a member of
the BHS class of 2014, was named one of the
Columbus Dispatch Scholar Athletes. The
Scholar-Athlete Awards, first introduced 33
years ago and presented by the Motorists
Insurance Group, honor the best high school
students in central Ohio. Ms. Hayden was
the top young woman selected this year,
out of the 208 scholar-athletes from 107
schools. Her profile and interview, which
follow, appeared in the Columbus Dispatch
on Tuesday, May 20, 2014.
Q&A with Meghan Hayden
Chris Russell | Dispatch
Top female scholar-athlete
$7,500
Grade-point average: 4.51
Sports played: Track (3 years), cross
country (2), soccer (2), swimming (2)
Academic highlights: National Merit
Scholar finalist; AP Scholar with Honor;
National Honor Society member; scored 36
on ACT, 2270 on SAT
Athletic
highlights:
Regional-meet
qualifier in track and cross country; secondteam all-league in cross country
College choice: Cornell (anticipated major:
biology)
Bexley High School Alumni Association • Summer/Fall 2014
Home front: I live with my parents, Kathy
and Tom, and my two siblings. I’m the
oldest; my brother, Peter, is 15 and my sister,
Hannah, is 10. We have a very old Labrador
retriever named Teddy and four “backyard”
chickens named Mr. Darcy, Wego, Penny
and Henrietta.
Favorite subject: It is honestly hard for me
to choose a favorite because I enjoy learning
about almost anything. This year, however,
my favorite is probably European history.
Least favorite subject: I don’t have a least
favorite. I’ve never liked writing fiction or
poetry so sometimes English classes can
be frustrating. Luckily this year we’ve done
mostly analysis, which I can handle.
How I relax: To relax, I just do the things
that I love to do. I go on a run or read a book
or cook something, especially desserts. All of
these things help me calm down and forget
about things that are stressing me out.
Prized possession: My prized possession is
a stuffed bear named Snuffles. It belonged
to my mom when she was younger and
went with her everywhere — camp, college,
foreign countries. I will be sure to bring it
with me wherever I end up in the future.
Favorite book: The Poisonwood Bible by
Barbara Kingsolver. I’ve already read it
multiple times and I could probably read it
a few more!
Favorite movie: I don’t necessarily have a
favorite but some that I have enjoyed recently
include Zoolander, Dallas Buyers Club, Argo,
and, of course, all of the Harry Potters.
Favorite magazine: The only one I read
often are Food Network Magazine and
Runners World, which makes sense since
food and running are two of my favorite
things. I used to enjoy getting Newsweek
each week, but sadly, now it is only online.
Favorite home-cooked meal: One of my
favorite meals (of many) is sweet-potatoand-black-bean burritos. They’re basically
mashed sweet potatoes with tons of spices
and black beans cooked in a tortilla and
topped with spicy salsa. Either my mom or
I will make them, depending on what we
have going on.
My cooking specialty: I love cooking and
I especially like to try new things. I don’t
really have one dish I like to make over and
over again but I do make a lot of desserts.
I always make the cakes for my family
members’ birthdays. I am especially drawn
to cooking with aromatic spices like those
in Indian food because the kitchen smells
so good throughout the day.
Favorite restaurant meal: It would probably
have to be pad thai.
Proudest sports moment: I am proud of
qualifying for the regional track meet last
year in the 3,200-meter race. I didn’t expect to
make it that far and it was a cool experience.
Sport I’d like to try someday: I would
love to get into downhill-ski racing. My
family has always done a good amount of
skiing but this winter was the first time my
brother and I tried a few races. We’ve skied
at Lake Placid and Vancouver, two Olympic
venues, and both times I was inspired to
race (or at least to ski) more.
Favorite athlete: Ski racer Mikaela Shiffrin.
She is only 19 yet she has already won an
Olympic gold. I am so impressed by how
dedicated she is to her sport and how
well she truly knows what she’s doing. She
studies how to be the best she can be and
then performs amazingly.
Inspiration: One of my biggest sources
of inspiration has been my mom. She is a
great runner and works very hard. She has
run 11 marathons and a multitude of other
races and is always training for something.
She is definitely the one who gave me the
“running bug” and she was able to push me
to get better over the years.
Person I’d like to meet: I’ve always thought
it would have been interesting to have a
conversation with President Franklin D.
Roosevelt.
in Turkey, trying to learn Turkish and
immersing myself in the culture. Feel free to
make any jokes about going to Turkey. The
most common is to respond with “gobble,
gobble” or say something about chicken.
Something I cannot get right no matter
how hard I try: I cannot sing on key, so
never ask me to sing.
Where I see myself in five years: It’s hard
to imagine where I’ll be in the future, but
hopefully, I will be graduating from college
and moving on to veterinary school. I
would love to continue running for the rest
of my life. I hope that in 10 or 20 years I will
have run a marathon with my mom.
Short description of myself: One word
that encompasses my personality is curious.
I love learning and exploring new ideas,
cultures, foods, etc. I think my curiosity is
what drives much of what I do.
How an adult might describe me: Parents
and teachers would probably describe me
as hardworking. It’s hard for me not to give
my best effort, which sometimes stresses
me out more than necessary.
Advice for an underclassman: The most
important advice I would give is not to let
stress dominate your life. Sometimes it’s
hard with all of the pressures of school,
sports and life in general, but everything
becomes easier if you stay positive and let
yourself relax every once in a while.
Words to leave by: “Maybe in order to
understand mankind, we have to look at
the word itself: Mankind. Basically, it’s
made up of two separate words — “mank”
and “ind.” What do these words mean? It’s
a mystery, and that’s why so is mankind.” —
Jack Handey, Deep Thoughts.
Place I’d like to travel: I want to travel
everywhere! I recently found out that you
can buy an “around the world” ticket that is
good for an extended amount of time to fly
whenever on any flight around the world.
I would love to be able to do that. High on
my list of places to travel would be Greece,
Ireland and India.
Something most people don’t know about
me: Many people don’t know that I will
be spending next year in Turkey before
I go to college. I am taking a gap year and
participating in Rotary International Youth
Exchange. I will be staying with host families
Simon Horn, Bexley’s 2014 grad and
U.S. Presidential Scholar - one of only two
such scholars in Ohio - was interviewed on
Grads - con’t.on page 10
9
Summer/Fall 2014 • Bexley High School Alumni Association
GRADS - continued from page 9
“Good Day Columbus” on Channel Six. Mr. Horn was described by newsperson
Pete Scalia as “someone who is really a great
role model.”
A senior at Bexley High School scored
perfect ACT and SAT scores, as well as
staying involved with the arts and athletics.
And, as ABC 6 Reporter LuAnn Stoia just
found out - this remarkable student also
battled cancer. The teen says it improved his
outlook on life. Simon had to audition to get
into a local choir. But, he says competition
doesn’t bother him. Horn says that while he
likes academics, he deeply values the arts and
singing. “It’s about coming together to make
something beautiful together,” he said. “And,
I think that’s really important.” Horn has run
cross-country during four fall seasons. This
fall, he’s set to attend Yale University. Despite
the amazing opportunity, Simon says he’ll
miss his fellow runners. “We are a very tightknit team, made a lot of friends through
cross country.”
Additional information about the
Presidential Scholar program:
The U.S. Department of Education and the
White House Commission on Presidential
Scholars annually select two students from
each state, the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico, and from U.S. families living
abroad. In addition 15 students are chosen
at large and 20 are named U.S. Presidential
Scholars in the Arts.
U.S. Presidential Scholars qualify for
the award by their performance on the
ACT and SAT exams, with some 3,900
qualifying in 2014. They are chosen
“based on their academic success, artistic
excellence, essays, school evaluations
and transcripts, as well as evidence of
community service, leadership, and
demonstrated commitment to high ideals,”
noted the U.S. Department of Education.
Simon traveled to Washington, D.C.
where the U.S. Presidential Scholars were
honored for their accomplishments with
events scheduled from June 22-25, 2014. He plans to attend Yale University this fall.
(The following was posted on www.bexleyschools.org on 8-26-14)
Molly Davis Memorial Garden
The staff and students of Cassingham Elementary School will
open the Molly Davis Memorial Garden, named in honor of a
late beloved teacher, this Friday, August 29, 2014 from 2:00 –
2:30pm on the front lawn of the school, 250 South Cassingham
in Bexley.
Mrs. Davis untimely passing was the result of an auto accident
in March of 2011, just three months shy of her retirement after
37 years of teaching at Cassingham.
“Cassingham Elementary will honor and celebrate the life and
work of Molly Davis with music, poetry and remembrances,”
said the school’s Principal, Jeannine Hetzler. Mrs. Davis’s former
colleagues, retired Cassingham teachers and some friends and
family will join the school community for the celebration and a
light snack afterwards.
Cassingham students celebrate Molly Davis Day each year
during the second full week of school, noted Ms. Hetzler. Mrs.
Davis was known for her practice of encouraging her fifth
10
graders to keep portfolios and then inviting them back to open
the time capsules just before their high school graduations.
In keeping with that tradition, after participating in the
garden opening, Cassingham students will visit with their last
school year’s teachers (2:30 until 3:00pm). New students and
kindergarten students will get to know each other with art, music
and physical education teachers helping them create activity bags
for children who access the services of a local homeless family
support center.
“The garden has evolved into a simply lovely space; one that
students and community members are stopping by to enjoy
more and more each day,” added Ms. Hetzler.
The garden was built with support provided by the
Cassingham PTO, a Bexley Education Foundation grant and the
contributions, both monetary and in-kind, made by Cassingham
parents and students.
Bexley High School Alumni Association • Summer/Fall 2014
The following was posted on
www.bexleyschools.org
TORCH honored
once again
The Bexley High School Torch is one
of only three high school newspapers
in the state to be named an “All-Ohio”
publication, the top award from the Ohio
Scholastic Media Association, for the 201314 school year.
In addition, 31 members of the staff won
a total of 69 individual awards for writing,
photography, artwork, graphics and
design. Bexley High School’s student-run
publication is not subject to prior review.
The Torch is led this year by co-editors
Emma Crane, Marissa Kelly and Alex
Meyer. English and journalism teacher
Julie Horger advises the staff.
ALUMNI - continued from page 4
competition at the U.S. diving championships on August 16 in Knoxville, Tenn., to
continue her recent success in that event.
She also won the 10-meter dive in last
year’s national championships and the winter national championships.
Along with teammate Emma IvoryGanja, Samantha won the synchronized
10-meter final on August 17.
(This edited article appeared in The Columbus Dispatch on Sunday, August 17, 2014)
Alexander (Aky) Locke ‘14 a talented musician, always found ways to work his creative muscle, through Bexley programs as
well as in ensembles outside of school.
Now he goes even farther afield, having accepted a scholarship to study viola
at Mercer University’s Townsend School of
Music in Georgia.
Mr. Locke was one of the Bexley singers
who took part this winter in the American
Choral Directors’ Association Central Division Honor Choirs in Cincinnati, performing with the High School Mixed Honor
Choir. He was a co-winner of the National School Choral Award at Bexley High
School’s May 21 Student Awards Assembly.
He performed at graduation with Vocal
Ensemble.
Alumni Association
scholarships presented
At the senior awards assembly on May 21, Larry Pliskin, Alumni Association CoChair, presented $1,000 scholarships to Elizabeth Williams and Alexander Eikenberry,
recipients of the Carlton Smith Memorial Scholarship, and to Emma Crane, recipient
of the William E. L. Young Memorial Service Award. Prior recipients of these awards
are listed below.
Carlton Smith Memorial Scholarship
Fund Recipients (Awarded since 1994)
YearRecipient
1994 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shana Carter
Aaron Gilbert
1995 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Hayes
Erin Zantello
1996 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shane Roberts
Christi Smith
1997 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patrick Elias
Alissa Luck
1998 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alex Meizlish
Amy Shifflette
1999 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joel Borovsky
Bryn Tschannen-Mora
2000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kay Ritchey
David Truesdale
2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lindsay Avner
Curtis Henn
2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eileen Neal
Mitch Ryan
2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Megan Wenz
Brandon White
YearRecipient
2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chelsea Callif
Brendan Devine
2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chase Stanley
Lauren Cooper
2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ellen Braverman
John Zanner
2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michelle Beck
Tyler Stanley
2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rachel Leeds
Ben Scoblianko
2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tyler Johnson
Deena Levey
2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Leah Levey
Reuel Rogers
2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zoe Beaumier
Neal Pohlman
2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold “DJ” Jones
Stephanie Rawlings
2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Powers
Kathleen Wittig
William E. L. Young Memorial Service Award
Recipients (Awarded since 2001)
YearRecipient
2001 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tiffaney Mummey
2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Eileen Neal
2003 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Diana Haninger
2004 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shelby Nathans
2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ashley Foote
2006 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cynthia Liefeld
2007 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jonathan Carroll
2008 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Moore
2009 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris Balch
2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anastasiya Nazarenko
2011 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Aaron Gaba
2012 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sirrus Lawson Bourne
2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Harold Wang
11
Summer/Fall 2014 • Bexley High School Alumni Association
CLASS NOTES
Class of 1939
June 2014
Marcia Black Crabtree – Orlando FL
75 years ago I graduated from Bexley High
School. I am healthy and active, was married
61 years and have two sons. I started 1st
grade at the old Main Street school and
went on to graduate 12 years later with an
excellent education including music, art,
recess, etc. There was no kindergarten. I
understand that a new program is being
planned to teach teachers for 2 year old kids
to prepare them for kindergarten!!
April 2014
Lois Dworsky Sheketoff – Hartford CT
I have lived in Hartford since 1945. I
had a wonderful marriage for 67 years to
David. We have a son and daughter and
two granddaughters. Daughter Arlene did
work in Columbus for a few years as an
engineer for Taft Broadcasting TV.
Class of 1941
April 2014
Stanley Kessel – Hollywood FL
Am now the oldest teacher in the history
of the dental school at Nova Southeastern
University. Still banging biomechanics
into innocent post-grad orthodontic heads
my grandchildren’s age. Slowing down
with a new hip but driving and no walker
yet. I wonder if our old house at 2539 Fair
Avenue is still intact (corner of Fair and
Cassingham) – formerly 45 seconds on a
dead run to the school – probably take 10
minutes now!
Class of 1942
May 2014
Chuck Salt (Submitted by his daughter,
Betsy)
Charles F. Salt, Jr. passed away on October
1, 2013 at the age of 89.
12
Class of 1944
June 2014
John H. Ramey – Akron OH
I was recognized with the award for
“A Lifetime of Distinguished Service”
at the 24th Annual Harold K. Stubbs
Awards Dinner on March 14 in Akron.
The dinner is held annually in memory
of Stubbs, a popular municipal court judge
and West Side Akron resident who died
suddenly in 1989. The City/County Safety
Building is named in his honor.
My wife Carol died February 20, 2013,
of an aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
She assisted me in administering the work
of the Association for the Advancement of
Social Work with Groups (AASWG) for
many years.
After working since 2002 at getting
my Myasthenia Gravis under control, I
developed Multiple Myeloma Stage 1 in
early September 2013. Considerable time
was spent in rehabilitation this past year.
At the moment I seem to be improving.
I remain active in various community
services and organizations. During our
many years with AASWG Carol and I
traveled extensively to represent it at
conferences and meetings throughout the
United States and Canada while I was at the
University and afterward in retirement.
With support from my family I continue
to live at our home of forty-four years in
the integrated West Side community in
Akron. My books, office, shop and archives
are here and I still know where everything
is located! In addition to social work,
music, gardening and community services,
I continue interests in bridge, genealogy
and family history, science and politics.
I received a “Keep Akron Beautiful”
Award in summer 2013 for the garden
and landscaping of our home and am
well started on the gardening for 2014.
Our granddaughter “Erzsi” (Elizabeth)
Szilagyi graduated from Stanford with
a Ph.D. in Chemistry in June. She is
the daughter of Imre and Janet (Ramey)
Szilagyi of Kingwood, WV.
Imre and Janet have been retired from
whitewater rafting for several years. My
other daughter, Susan, operates Ridgetop
Pottery, making hand-thrown porcelain,
also in Kingwood.
I continue after 25 years to play
Euphonium in the Cuyahoga Falls
Community Band (CFCB). This is in
addition to TubaChristmas (550 Tuba
family instruments, two audiences totaling
5400), TubaSummer and the OSU Alumni
Band at Lakeside each summer. I play in
seventeen or more concerts each year.
I remember well my years in the Junior
and Senior High bands at Bexley and
particularly my 1943-44 senior year as
Drum Major. I was Assistant Drum Major
in 1944 and 1945 at Ohio State.
I retired December 1989 after 20-1/2
years on the Social Work faculty of the
University of Akron. This followed 21
years of social work in settlements, camps,
etc., in Columbus, Chicago, Hartford and
Cincinnati. I was also instrumental in
securing passage of licensing in Ohio for
social workers in 1984.
This is not the same kind of report on
various exotic life activities that I read
about for other BHS alumni, but for me it
has been and continues to be interesting
and productive, and I can reflect back and
ask myself what better could I have done
with these 87 years as I contemplate the
days and years ahead. Bexley was certainly
one of the best places one could have been
to get started
Class of 1950
April 2014
Gerry Olson Bartholomew – Powell OH
I, too, really enjoy reading about the
Bexley alums. I was not always at Bexley,
(transferred from Grandview HS) but felt
very fortunate to have attended two of
the best schools in the district. Milton,
my husband of 59 years, was a Grandview
boy. Unfortunately, he died in October,
2013. I have three boys, two daughtersin-law, eight grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. How did I get so lucky!! I
spoke with Joyce Nickell Loughery recently.
She moved to Chicago. I hope to connect
with her since one of my granddaughters is
getting her masters there. Hi to all my 1950
classmates
Bexley High School Alumni Association • Summer/Fall 2014
CLASS NOTES
Class of 1960
Class of 1954
July 2014
Marilynne Thompson Rohr – Morrow OH
On Friday, June 13th we held a 60th
Reunion Luncheon at the TAT Restaurant
in Columbus with 34 attending; 28
classmates and 6 spouses. Members of
the class traveled from California, Florida,
Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio.
A good time reminiscing and catching up
on the last 60 years was had by all. Some
of the classmates have been meeting about
3 times a year in Columbus for lunch.
Anyone who is interested in joining us,
please contact Marilynne Thompson Rohr
at [email protected] or at 513-708-7630.
April 2014
Caroline (Bebe) Baird Mason –
Glenmont NY
My husband and I will be leaving Albany
after 20 years in an 1805 house and closing
the door on our professional lives to move
to Prides Crossing MA where we have
bought an even older house to be near our
daughter and her family. The prospect of
beginning anew at the end of our careers —
for which there is no road map — is both
daunting and exciting. It was lovely being
in Bexley with old friends for our minireunion in 2013. I look forward to seeing
more of you at our 55th.
Class of 1970
Class of 1958
July 2014
Neal Noethlich – Estero FL
Notice: Planning for a birthday celebration
of “BHS ’58 class members turn 75
years old” is underway. The latter half of
September 2015 is the timeframe under
consideration. Classmates are requested to
respond with a show of interest via email:
[email protected]. Please place BHS’58
in the subject line
May 2014
Betsy Salt – Westerville OH
I received my 30-year service award
from Otterbein University this year. My
niece, Megan Salt, received her Ph.D. in
biomedical sciences from the University of
California at San Francisco this past March.
She is currently employed at Genentech in
South San Francisco. My nephew, Colin
Salt, received his B.A. degree in psychology
this month from SUNY- New Paltz in New
York. It has been a year of awards and
honors for the Salt family although tinged
with sadness due to the passing of my
father on October 1, 2013.
Take Note!
1969 Bexleo needed
The high school library is missing its
copy of the 1969 Bexleo. If anyone has
a copy they would be willing to donate,
please contact Mike Nolan, the high school
librarian, at 614-231-4591 ext. 4154 or
[email protected].
Congratulations 2014 Graduates!
A time to celebrate the dreaming and
hoping; the reaching and believing . .
. . You are now officially Bexley High
School alumni and we welcome you to
‘the club.’ This is your first BHS Alumni
newsletter. We hope you enjoy it. Also,
be sure to check out the alumni website at
www.bexleyalumni.org.
Please remember to update your address,
phone and email information as it changes
throughout the years so that we can keep
track of you for alumni and class reunion
mailings.
Note to Class Reunion Committees
The Alumni Association can help your
planning process by providing updated
class lists and/or mailing labels. Please leave
(The following was posted at
www.ohiohouse.gov on 6-10-14)
1997 grad, Steven
Zilberman, honored
State Rep. Kevin Boyce (D-Columbus)
today, along with Ohio Department of
Transportation officials, unveiled signage
designating a portion of State Route 270 as
the “Lt. Miroslav Steven Zilberman Memorial
Highway.” Lt. Zilberman, a Navy pilot serving
in Afghanistan, died saving three crewmates
by steadying a hurtling plane so that the rest
of the crew could safely eject. “Each day our service members, like Steven,
sacrifice their lives in defense of our nation and
freedom. His act of valor saved the lives of his
crewmen,” said Rep. Boyce. “Steven believed in
the American dream. A dream that avows no
matter your upbringing, social status or native
country, through hard work and perseverance
one can achieve and create a wonderful life.
With his selfless commitment to his country and
this ideal, Steven has ensured that the rest of us
can continue to pursue the American Dream.”
The “Lt. Miroslav Steven Zilberman
Memorial Highway” will run along State Route
270 from the intersection of State Route 33
and the intersection of State Route 270 and
State Route 315. Lt. Zilberman was awarded
the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic
actions, which was presented to his widow
Katrina and two children, Daniel and Sarah. a message on the alumni office voicemail at
614/920-4937 or send an email request to
[email protected]. When planning
your reunion activities and supplies, why
not consider offering our alumni decals as
part of the reunion package? Contact us for
pricing on bulk orders, or check prices on
the order form on the alumni website.
What would you like to see in this
newsletter?
If there is something you would like
to see included in this newsletter, please
submit your suggestion(s) to the editor,
using any of the contact means listed at the
bottom of this page. Better yet, if you’d like
to write an article for consideration in the
newsletter, send it along as well.
13
Summer/Fall 2014 • Bexley High School Alumni Association
REUNIONS
Class
Contact
Phone
1949
Wayne-JoAnn Hanners
Betsy Madison Kent
Dick Kohn
Gary Seckel
614-235-8550
614-864-1557
614-208-8540
614-231-5563
E-Mail
Reunion Date(s)
Sept 19 & 20, 2014
Bexley H.S. Class of 1949 – 65th Reunion
Never too old for friends to meet!! Most of our classmates have been located and many have indicated they plan to attend. Anyone not
receiving a letter, please call any of the contacts listed above.
1955
Benjamin Zox
[email protected]
Summer 2015
We are just beginning to plan for our 60 reunion next summer.
th
1958
Neal Noethlich
[email protected]
Sept 2015
Planning for a birthday celebration of “BHS ’58 Class Members Turn 75 Years Old” is underway. The latter half of September, 2015
is the timeframe under consideration. Classmates are requested to respond with a show of interest via email to Neal. Please place BHS
’58 in the subject line.
1965
Dan Vogel
[email protected]
July 4, 2015 weekend
Planning is just beginning for our 50 reunion next summer. Make sure you receive all of the details as they develop by sending your
current contact information to Dan.
th
1975
Mark Palmer
[email protected]
July 3 & 4, 2015
We are in the planning stage for our 40 reunion. As they are finalized, further details will be provided. Until then, please contact
Mark for more information.
th
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU!
Send us news about yourself to be included in the alumni newsletter and on the alumni website. Please note: we will not
be able to publish your news, either in our newsletter or on the website, if your dues are not paid and current.
Name:_____________________________________________ Maiden Name:________________________________
Class:_________________________ City/State:________________________________________________________
News:____________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Mail information to: Bexley High School Alumni Association
P.O. Box 457. Lithopolis, Ohio 43136-0457
14
Or email to: [email protected]
#
Bexley High School Alumni Association • Summer/Fall 2014
PLEASE PAY YOUR 2014 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION DUES NOW!
Your dues expire December 31 each year
Mail information below to: The Bexley High School Alumni Association
ALUMNI ID #______________________________ (found on the mailing label)
P. O. Box 457
Lithopolis OH 43136-0457
Enclosed is my check (payable to Bexley Alumni Association) for $_______________ as indicated below:
I prefer to pay with my MasterCard or VISA! Amount Paid: ____________(Check selection(s) below)
Circle card type: MC VISA Card Number: _________________________________Expiration:_______Month_______Year
Card ID No.: _______ (3-digit number on the back of your card)
Or pay by credit card online at www.bexleyalumni.org
Annual Dues:
o
$10 Senior single (60+) o
$18 Senior couple (60+) o$25 Regular single (-60
o
$45 Regular couple (-60)
Lifetime Dues:
o
$200 Lifetime single o
$360 Lifetime couple
o
Other $___________________
o
Contribution to the Coach Carlton Smith Scholarship Fund $_________________________________
oContribution to the William E. L. Young Memorial Service Award $_____________________________
Dues payments to the Bexley High School Alumni Association and contributions to the Coach Carlton Smith Memorial Scholarship Fund and to the William E. L. Young
Memorial Service Award are tax deductible.
Name_____________________________________________________ Student Last Name _______________________Class_________
Last First (If applicable)
Name_____________________________________________________ Student Last Name _______________________Class_________
Last First (If applicable)
Address___________________________________________________ City/State_____________________________Zip__________
Home Phone_______________________ Cell Phone______________________ E-Mail______________________________________
S/F-14
WAYS TO DONATE TO BHSAA
Why not consider making a donation in
honor of or in memory of a family member
or classmate?
The Bexley High School Alumni
Association welcomes any size donation
and we offer two options for payment. Your
donation is tax deductible.
OPTION 1
You can make a secure, online payment by
credit card. Simply click on the Donate to the
Alumni Association link on the home page
at www.bexleyalumni.org to be taken to our
transaction processing site where you can
select your method of payment and specify
the amount you wish to give.
OPTION 2
If you prefer to send in your credit card
information or pay by check, please print
and complete our Donation Form (below)
and mail it to us at P. O. Box 457, Lithopolis
OH 43136. Please make checks payable to
BHSAA.
Bexley High School Alumni Association
614-920-4937
P. O. Box 457
Lithopolis OH 43136 Your gift to the Bexley High School Alumni Association will promote excellence in a variety of areas.
Please make your check payable to BHSAA. Your cancelled check is your receipt.
I prefer to pay with my MasterCard or VISA! Amount Paid: ___________________________________
Circle card type: MC or VISA
Card Number: ______________________________________
Expiration: ___ Month ___Year
Card ID No.: ____ (3-digit number on the back of your card)
Please complete this form: Check if this is a new address 
Name: __________________________________________________________________
Street: __________________________________________________________________
City State Zip:______________________________________________________________
Enclosed is my gift in the amount of $___________ to the Bexley High School Alumni Association.
My gift is  in memory of  in honor of _______________________________;  an undesignated
donation to the Bexley High School Alumni Association.
Your gift is an investment in the future education of our children.
Please mail with your check to:
Bexley High School Alumni Association
P. O. Box 457
Lithopolis OH 43136
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
S/F-14
15
Bexley High School Alumni Association
P.O. Box 457
Lithopolis, Ohio 43136-0457
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
NEWSLETTER
Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carol Miley Middaugh ’62
OFFICERS/STAFF
Co-Chairman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Larry Pliskin ’84
Co-Chairman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ron Robins ‘58
Secretary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . position currently vacant
Treasurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Carol Miley Middaugh ’62
Financial Advisor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam Roslovic ‘89
TRUSTEES
2011-20142012-2015
Barbara Bidlack Hauser ‘53
Saralee Graham Seckel ’51
Tina Heddleson Wolf ’90
Sherry Rosen Goldenberg ‘58
Barbara Volosin Elsass ‘61
2013-20162014-2017
Matt Copp ’86
Joan Eickholt Birtcher ’49
Andrew S. Ives ‘88
Wayne Hanners ’49
John F. Lewis, Jr. ‘80
Joann Susil Hanners ’49
In Memoriam
(REPORTED SINCE LAST NEWSLETTER)
‘33
‘35
‘37
‘39
‘40
‘40
‘42
‘43
‘45
‘46
‘46
‘47
‘47
‘48
‘49
‘49
‘49
‘49
‘50
‘50
‘51
‘53
‘54
Juanita Alvarez Lephart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-27-14
Betty Snell Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17-14
J. Rodgers Magee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25-14
John Ferguson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29-14
Jeanne Beckert Collins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25-14
Joanne Boeshaar Young. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11-14
Marilyn Jaynes Hannum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24-14
Robert Thompson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-20-14
Gerald Nangle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30-14
Adele Buck Conroy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-26-14
Mary Jane Pohlman Hammond. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23-14
Christopher Powell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10-14
Charlotte Thomas Striebel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12-14
JoAnne Nida Patterson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-17-14
Carley Fisher Seitz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-14
Jim Foley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-08-14
Glorialea Howard Sievers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10-14
William Ong. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-18-14
Ted Cook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-24-14
Mary Lou Lippert Russell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-25-14
Donald Zigler. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24-14
Thornton Swisher. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30-14
Roger Holstein . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-22-14
‘55
‘55
‘56
‘56
‘57
‘58
‘58
‘59
‘60
‘60
‘60
‘60
‘61
‘62
‘62
‘63
‘65
‘66
‘71
‘73
‘84
Gary Nateman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-17-05
Minnette Ross Webster. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14-14
Sandy Mollenauer Kirwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-27-14
C. Robert Russ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-12-14
Harve Clodfelter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-02-14
Mimi Canowitz Silverstein. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-07-14
Jeannie Kellner Sanderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10-10
Warren McLane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-19-14
Richard Bahr. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-06-14
Tom Graham. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-09-14
Linda Weissenbach Helgerson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-21-14
Jane Woodworth Kondracke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17-14
Cynthia Westerman Way. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-08-14
Rick Culbertson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19-14
Dan Schoedinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-27-14
John Schmidt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-30-14
Jon Powers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25-14
Richard Weis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-28-14
Sharon Fetter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-27-14
Linda Kerns Diedrich . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-04-14
Jay P. Morris. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22-14
Trola McCurdy (Teacher). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21-04