2 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

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YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson, ’73

YSU Board of Trustees Chair Sudershan K. Garg Vice Chair John R. Jakubek, ’79 Delores Crawford, ’68 David C. Deibel, ’75 James B. Greene Harry Meshel, ’49 Leonard Schiavone Scott R. Schulick, ’94, ’96 Carole S. Weimer, ’89 Secretary Franklin S. Bennett Jr. Student Trustees Joshua Michael Prest Melissa Wasser ———————————

Magazine Editor Cynthia Vinarsky

Director of Ron Cole University Communications

Executive Director of Mark W. Van Tilburg Marketing & Communications

Layout Design Artist Renée Cannon, ’90

Photographer Bruce Palmer

Graduate Assistant Harry Evans

Director,Office JacquelynLeViseur,’08 of Alumni and Events Management

Sports Contributor Trevor Parks

Youngstown State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and is a member of the North Central Association.

Youngstown State University – A Magazine for Alumni and Friends (ISSN 2152-3754), Issue 16 online edition, Spring 2013, is published quarterly by the YSU Office of Marketing and Communications, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555. Periodicals Postage Paid at Youngstown, Ohio, and additional mailing offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Youngstown State University, Office of Marketing and Communications, One University Plaza, Youngstown, OH 44555. Direct letters to the editor, comments or questions to the address above, call 330-941-3519 or email universitymagazine@ysu.edu.

Youngstown State University is committed to a policy of nondiscrimi-nation on the basis of race, color, age, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, or identity as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era, in respect to students and/or to applicants for employment, and to organizations providing contractual services to YSU.

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O N T H E COVERUniversity President Cynthia E. Anderson, a lifelong and

ardent YSU Penguin, shares a moment with mascot Pete the Penguin (Harry M. Evans, a graduate assistant in the

OfficeofMarketingandCommunications).

Our cover story, starting on Page 9, looks at Anderson’s student-centered career as a YSU faculty member and

administrator as she prepares to retire on June 30.

SPRING 2013 1

'13S P R I N G

issue in th i s

DEPARTMENTS 2 President’s Message22 Penguin Sports News 24 Philanthropy at YSU27 Alumni News 29 Class Notes

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Around Campus – Read about the kudos awarded the university’s two newest buildings – Williamson Hall and the WATTS – and check out other campus news and photos.

Student Success Stories – A regular feature highlighting the achievements of YSU students.

COVER STORY: Forever a Penguin! Saying Goodbye to President Anderson –

As YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson prepares to retire on June 30, we take a look at her 34-year career at the university through the eyes of those who know and love her.

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alumni.ysu.edu/info

ALUMNIupdate

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Bob WoodwardPullitzer Prize-winning journalist Bob Woodward, best known for breaking news of the Watergate scandal with Washington Post colleague Carl Bernstein, was YSU’s Skeggs Lecture Series speaker April 4 at Stambaugh Auditorium. He is an associate editor for the Washington Post and the author or co-author of 17 books, all of them national non-fiction best sellers. The Skeggs Lecture Series was established in memory of Leonard T. Skeggs, who played a leadership role in YSU’s early development, and brings outstanding speakers to the university who are considered authorities in their respective fields.

Scan the QR Code with your smartphone to see videos relatedto stories in this edition. www.ysumagazine.org

Help YSU stay in touch with you. Visit our new, interactive site to update your contact information.

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7 9

Just For Fun: Campus Attractions. Our three-dimensional YSU campus map is marked with attractions worth visiting. We’re betting there are some you’ve never seen or heard about.

Alumni Spotlight. We feature two YSU alumni who are finding success and satisfaction through their car hobbies. Meet Chris Sondles, ’96 BSBA, and Ryan Martino, ’04 BSAS.

Faculty Photo Feature – Introducing Bonita Sharif, an assistant professor of Computer Science and Information Systems and native of India.

Cynthia E. Anderson, 1993

2 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

President’s Message

Keeping the Focus on Students

Cynthia E. AndersonPresident

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Sincerely,

Cynthia E. Anderson, President

I first set foot on the YSU campus as a student in the late 1960s. Youngstown University had just become Youngstown State University. Kilcawley Center was new, and the Engineering Science Building, now known as Moser Hall, had just opened. There was no Beeghly Center, Maag Library, Bliss Hall, DeBartolo Hall or Stambaugh Stadium. Howard Jones had recently retired as the university’s first president.

It’s hard to believe how things have changed. It’s also still hard to believe that now, after three years as president of YSU, my portrait will go up on the walls of Tod Hall, next to the other distinguished individuals who had the privilege to serve the university at the highest level, including Howard Jones himself. And it’s hard to believe that my career at YSU – from student to faculty member to administrator to president – will soon conclude.

We have done much in these short three years. We’ve established and made great progress on a Strategic Plan that will help guide the university into the next decade. We’ve put into place balanced budgets in the wake of unprecedented cuts in state funding, all while enhancing and expanding our academic and student services. And we have refocused the institution on the one thing that matters most – student success.

It has been a fascinating ride over these past four decades, eyewitnessing YSU’s evolution into an emerging research university and an institution of growing importance across the region. I think of the new buildings, new programs and initiatives. But mostly, I think of the people – the wonderful, talented faculty; the hard-working and committed staff members; the dedicated and diligent administrators; the generous alumni and donors; and the devoted members of the Board of Trustees.

And then there are the students. One of the greatest benefits of working on a university campus is the opportunity to develop special relationships with young people. They come in as teenagers; they graduate as young adults, ready to pursue their dreams. Some, like me, come back. They make you laugh and cry – sometimes all at once. They grow up before your eyes. They keep you young. They leave an indelible mark on your heart and mind. It’s our job to do all we can to ensure that their experience at YSU is a successful one. They come here and put their futures in our hands; it’s up to us to deliver.

As I prepare to retire, I want to thank the students for reminding me – day after day after day – that in them is our future. In the midst of the turmoil that many times can overwhelm a university campus, whether related to budget or other issues, it is easy to go astray and lose focus. But we must always come back to the students, and they, in turn, will come back to us. Thanks to everyone. Good luck. And God bless.

Sincerely,

Cynthia E. Anderson, President

AroundC A M P U S

Visit www.ysumagazine.org for a video on Williamson Gold

Williamson Hall, the WATTS Earn Prestigious Design Awards

SPRING 2013 3

YSU’s two newest buildings – Williamson Hall, home to the Williamson College of Business Administration, and the WATTS, the university’s indoor athletics training facility – have both been awarded prestigious design awards.

Williamson Hall, which features the latest in energy-efficient design and systems, was awarded LEED Gold certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.

LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. It is the first building on the YSU campus to earn the Gold standard.

“When YSU set out more than five years ago to construct a new home for our business college, designing a building that met high standards of green energy efficiency was a top goal,” YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson said. “LEED Gold certification is a clear sign that we’ve met that goal.”

Betty Jo Licata, WCBA dean, said the building provides state-of-the-art facilities to YSU students and the community. “The fact that it does so in an environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient manner is a significant accomplishment for our college and the university,” she said.

The 110,000-square-foot, $34 million Williamson Hall, opened in summer 2010, encompasses nearly a full city block and was the largest single capital expenditure in YSU’s history.

Strollo Architects in Youngstown designed the building in collaboration with Perkins & Will, an international architecture and planning firm. Chris Morrone of CJL Engineering, a 1991 YSU engineering alumnus, was the project’s mechanical and electrical associate and LEED commissioning agent.

Meanwhile, the American Council of Engineering Companies of Ohio recently presented an Engineering Excellence Award to YSU’s Watson

and Tressel Training Site, better known as the WATTS.The 125,000-square-foot indoor training facility

designed by ms consultants inc. received the award in two categories – Building/Technology Systems and Energy.

“By any measure, this is an impressive building, and it has caught the attention of architects, coaches, college administrators and others across the nation,” said John Hyden, YSU executive director of Facilities.

The WATTS also received LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council and was featured in December on the cover of College Planning and Management magazine.

Watson and Tressel Training Site

Williamson Hall

4 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY4 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

AroundC A M P U S

‘Modern Family’ Star Speaks at Spring Commencement Youngstown native and television star Ed

O’Neill, now featured in the hit sitcom “Modern Family,” was presented an honorary Doctor of Arts degree when he spoke at YSU’s spring commencement ceremonies in Beeghly Center.

YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson, who retires June 30, was graduate commencement speaker.

An Ursuline High School graduate, O’Neill earned many accolades for his performances in productions of the YSU theater department and community theaters and was a linebacker for the YSU Penguins under the university’s first football coach, Dike Beede. Signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was cut during training camp, subsequently working as a social studies teacher at Hayes Middle School in Youngstown before becoming an actor.

In 1996, O’Neill was recognized as the YSU Penguin of the Year. Well known for a previous TV role as Al Bundy on the sitcom “Married…with Children,” he’s been making headlines lately as the patriarch on “Modern Family,” a role that garnered him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.

International Recruitment Effort Adds South Korea

A new partnership with a university in South Korea is the latest step in YSU’s increasingly successful efforts to increase the number of international students on campus. Three students from Chungbuk National University, one of 10 flagship Korean national universities, are now enrolled as undergraduate exchange students at YSU under a new agreement

YSU also has partnerships and exchange agreements with University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, Yeditepe University in Turkey and Lunghwa University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. The push has resulted in a steadily increasing international student population on campus, amounting to 247 students this year, up from 135 five years ago. Students come from 42 countries.

Of the 247 international students, 112 are undergraduates, 87 are graduate students and 48 are enrolled in the English Language Institute at YSU, a non-credit intensive English program for international students.

In addition to their cultural and academic contributions, international students added an estimated $6 million to the Youngstown area economy in 2011-12.

YSU’s new Student One Stop Center, now open in Meshel Hall, is designed to provide improved and hassle-free service to students registering for classes, applying for financial aid and paying their bills. Registrar Jeanne Herman said one stop centers have emerged as a best practice for improving customer service within the financial aid, registration and student accounts triad of services. The Office of the Registrar was restructured last summer to create the new center, a call management system was installed, services such as online transcript requests and online application for graduation were implemented, and a webpage was created to help students locate information about all three service areas in one location.

ONE STOP Opens in Meshel Hall

New Student

Graduates of YSU’s Beeghly College of Education received high marks, including a 100 percent passing rate on licensure exams, in the first annual Ohio Educator Preparation Performance Report.

“This report is further evidence of the sound teaching and rigorous, well-supported clinical experiences that we provide our students,” said Charles Howell, dean. “Our graduates are prepared to pass the required license exams, enter the classroom and make an impact on their students.”

The reports include performance data from 13 public and 38 private Ohio institutions that prepare classroom teachers and school principals. All of the reports are available at https://www.ohiohighered.org/.

The 10-page YSU report indicates that students achieved a 100 percent pass rate on both the teacher and principal license tests, compared to a statewide rate of 96 percent. The pass rate at both Kent State and the University of Akron was 93 percent for the teaching exam.

State Study: Beeghly College Graduates Get High Marks

SPRING 2013 5

AroundC A M P U S

Linda Strom

Two celebrated retired History professors – Leslie Domonkos and the late Saul Friedman – were honored with the YSU Heritage Award at the 32nd annual Faculty and Staff Awards Dinner in May.

The Heritage Award, started in 1981, is YSU’s most prestigious award, recognizing former faculty and professional/administrative staff who made major contributions to the university during their years of service.

Domonkos joined the YSU faculty in 1964 as an instructor in the Department of History, advancing to full professor in 1975 and retiring in 2002. He received six YSU Distinguished Professor Awards over the years for excellence in research, teaching, and scholarship and in 1971 he was selected as an Outstanding Educator of America. He authored numerous articles and papers, and co-edited three books. He also assisted in unionizing the full-time faculty at YSU in 1971.

Friedman, who died March 31, joined YSU in 1969 as an assistant professor in the Department of History, advancing to full professor in 1980 and retiring in 2006. He was among the early pioneers of Holocaust Studies in the United States, implementing one of the first Holocaust courses in the nation at YSU, and his efforts led to the creation of the YSU Judaic and Holocaust Studies program, for which he served as director. Friedman established a Jewish student group on campus and authored numerous books, articles and reviews. He received numerous awards, including six YSU Distinguished Professor Awards.

Heritage Awards Go to Friedman, Domonkos

Saul Friedman

Leslie Domonkos

Linda Strom, a YSU associate professor of English, spent the 2012-2013 academic year as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching in the American Culture and Literature Department at Hacettepe University, Turkey.

She is the 11th faculty member in YSU’s history to be awarded a Fulbright scholarship, and Turkey was her first choice. Strom teaches in a major state school with about 33,000 students on two campuses in Ankara.

“I’m interested in Turkey’s long, rich history and its culture,” she said. “So far, I have enjoyed the excellent food and the warm Turkish hospitality.”

The prestigious Fulbright Program is the United States’ flagship international educational exchange program. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic or professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

Previously, Strom served as an exchange professor for YSU at Lunghwa University of Science and Technology in Taiwan. Her teaching and research interests include American literature, film, feminist studies and ethnic studies. In Turkey, she is teaching courses on diversity in America, the contemporary American novel, American literature and the American short story.

YSU has launched a new master’s degree program in gerontology to address the growing needs of the increasing aging population across the region and nation.

“We anticipate that both the proportion and number of older Americans will continue to grow in the years ahead, which will only create a stronger demand for professionals in the field of gerontology,” said Daniel Van Dussen, associate professor and director of Gerontology at YSU.

From volunteer coordinators in hospice centers and hospitals to home health care employees and case managers for aging-related agencies, gerontology-focused careers will be in high demand, he said. “A master’s degree in gerontology may soon be essential for individuals interested

English Prof is Fulbright Scholar, Teaches in Turkey

Gerontology Master’s Degree Addresses Needs of Aging Populationin attending to the country’s aging population.”

The YSU program, the only one of its kind in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania, will enroll up to a dozen students per year beginning this fall semester, which begins in August, and will offer flexible evening, online and hybrid courses.

The program is designed for individuals interested in pursuing research-related careers in gerontology or in advancing in the gerontology field. The degree takes an interdisciplinary approach and allows students to study aging from a variety of perspectives, including biological, psychological and sociological.

6 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY6 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

AroundC A M P U S

More Women Join Faculty in YSU’s College of STEM

Everyone has a mentor, someone they look to for direction and guidance. For Alicia Prieto Langarica, it was a Hispanic female professor she had while studying mathematics at the University of Texas Arlington.

“Until that point, I didn’t really think I could get a Ph.D., and I didn’t really think I could be a professor,” recalls Prieto Langarica, a native of Mexico and now an assistant professor of Mathematics and Statistics at YSU. “Then I saw that she was doing it, and I thought, ‘Well, if she can, then I can.’ She was an inspiration.”

Alicia Prieto Langarica

Take Your Child to Work Day Draws a Crowd

YSU’s Take Your Child to Work Day celebration brought nearly 200 children to campus April 4, the largest attendance on record for the event. Children participated in a slate of planned activities with their parents and grandparents. The event was sponsored by Kilcawley Center, the Rec Center and Coca-Cola. In photo at right, Angela Messenger, coordinator of the YSU Writing Center, plays Rock’em Sock’em Robots with her 3-year-old son, Logan. Below, Ricky Marsico, 9, son of Rick Marsico, director of Computer Services, tries out the high ropes course in the Rec Center.

2012 24

2011 21

2010 19

2009 18

2008 17

2007 17

The number of female faculty

members in the YSU COLLEGE OF

STEM (fall semester)

Prieto Langarica, who earned a Ph.D. in mathematics from UT Arlington, is among the growing number of female faculty in YSU’s College of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

Since 2007, when the STEM College was created, the number of female faculty has increased from 17 to 24, a 41 percent jump. Just this academic year, three women joined the STEM faculty ranks: Prieto Langarica, Kerry Meyers and Colleen McLean.

“Female students seeking careers in STEM fields have few role models,” said Martin Abraham, STEM dean. “When middle school and high school girls don’t see successful women in these areas, they think women should not aspire to these fields. Having women faculty in STEM is the first step in helping these young ladies fulfill their potential.”

Meyers, director of YSU’s First-Year Engineering Program, agreed. “It’s important that female STEM students see not only female faculty but also other female STEM students,” she said. Meyers, whose father was an engineer, earned a Ph.D. from Purdue University and came to YSU from the University of Notre Dame.

STEM hosted three events on campus this spring, including the annual Edward W. Powers Women in Science and Engineering Career Day, to help encourage middle school and high school girls to pursue careers in math, science and engineering.

Kerry Meyers

SPRING 2013 7

Dabney Heads to Harvard with Full-Ride Fellowship Senior Cary Dabney has been awarded a Dean’s Fellowship at Harvard University, where he will

begin graduate studies in the fall. The fellowship includes full tuition, housing and stipend to cover living expenses.

Dabney, a philosophy and religious studies major who graduated with his undergraduate degree in May, says his YSU professors inspired him to succeed. “Dr. (Bruce) Waller and the professors in the Philosophy and Religious Studies Department have taken a non-traditional student that simply wanted

a college degree and transformed him into a strong academic with the ability to compete with the best in the nation,” he said.

A Youngstown resident, Dabney was featured in the Spring 2011 issue of YSU Magazine’s cover story on non-traditional students. He was employed as a peer mentor in YSU’s Center for Student Progress and served as vice

president/pro consul for the Sigma Chi fraternity, Eta Chi Chapter.

The student staff at YSU’s Homework Express, a call-in homework help television show now in its eighth season, was recently recognized by the Broadcast Education Association.

The show, aired live from the television studios in Bliss Hall on the YSU campus, placed second in BEA’s national competition and was featured at the international BEA Festival of Media Arts in Las Vegas in April. The crew for the award-winning episode included the following YSU students:

Ashley Barnette, technical director, Youngstown; Rose Bonilla, call screener, Poland; Jenna Frederick, camera & segment producer, Niles; Margaret Gilmore, floor director, Austintown; Justice Grant, camera, Erie, Pa.; Tyler Hawkins, camera, Berlin Center; Jeffrey Hogan, line producer, Williamsfield, Ohio; Herman Horkey, call screener, Hubbard; Bradley Kolasinski, director, Chardon, Ohio; Kevin Lawson, teleprompter operator, Hubbard; Kevin Linger, segment host, Negley, Ohio; Peter Naudad, SMART board operator, Warren; James Stickel, graphics, New Middletown; Blake Waddell, audio, Vienna; Jeff White,

production assistant, New Middletown; Tyler Williams, server operator, Warren.

Homework Express Wins International Acclaim

Beta Gamma Sigma, the world’s premier business honorary, has inducted a new group of YSU business students into its YSU Chapter. Membership is reserved for students attending schools, like YSU, that are accredited by AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

Beta Gamma Sigma membership is an honor indicative of commitment, high academic achievement and leadership. YSU students inducted include: Jesse Dobson of Bellaire; Philip Hall, John Stoops and Eric Walters of Boardman; McKenna Goske and Michael Podolsky of Canfield;

Andrew Boyle of Columbus; Mike Cerni of Conneaut; Trevor Totten of Cortland; Drae Smith of East Palestine; Craig Frankford, Brian Keidel, Sophia Martini, Gina Ponzio, and Yuan Lu Beck of Girard; Angelia McClimans of Hubbard; Jordan Moy of Kinsman; Megan Cherol, Nicole Davis, and Phil Lipari of Poland; Corinne Bocci of Sagamore Hills; Robert Moore of Warren; Jena Baun, Kurt Blackburn, Kathy Cody, Nickolas DeKraker, Patrick Rishel, Keith Sikora, Benjamin Smith, and Jessica Stofko of Youngstown; Andrew Hargest of Hermitage, Pa.; and Albert Rainey, of New Castle, Pa.

B U S I N E S S H O N O R A R Y A D D S N E W M E M B E R S

Highlighting the Achievements of Exceptional YSU Students

successs t u d e n t

S T O R I E S

8 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

student success

Jambar Takes Honorsat Newspaper Convention

The Jambar, YSU’s student-run newspaper, brought home a first-place newswriting award and won recognition in three other categories at the 2013 Ohio Newspaper Association Convention.

Earning a first place Division B award for newswriting were staffers Chris Cotelesse, Josh Stipanovich and Jordan Uhl. Division B is for schools that do not publish a daily newspaper.

In editorial writing, recent YSU graduates Doug Livingston and Josh Stipanovich, along with Uhl, won second place; Kevin Buck, Paris Chrisopoulos, Keeley Black and Sam Marhulik also won second place in the design category.

Staffers Chris Cotelesse, Kevin Alquist and Dustin Livesay won third place in the photography category, and The Jambar was given a special mention in the headline-writing category.

Students Earn Top Scores in Moot Court NationalsYSU students Zachary White and Jacob Schriner-Briggs placed first and

third, respectively, in the National Moot Court finals in Virginia Beach, Va., in January. Teams and individuals were judged on their presentation abilities and knowledge of case law.

White, a senior majoring in political science, plans to go to law school after graduating this May. A Berlin Center native, White took first place as an individual orator and placed in the top 32 with his teammate, Josh Prest.

Freshman Schriner-Briggs placed third in the individual oratory category, arguing both for and against a mock affirmative action policy. He participated in the event as part of his three-credit Moot Court class.

About 600 students nationwide competed in regional Moot Court competitions in the fall, whittling the field down to roughly 170 national finalists from schools as disparate as Patrick Henry College and the Air Force Academy. (P

hoto

cou

rtesy

Z. W

hite

.)

Jambar staffers recognized include, from left, Dustin Livesay, Chris Cotelesse and Jordan Uhl.

YSU’s swimming and diving program was awarded a Team Scholar All-American Award by the College

Swimming Coaches Association of America for its strong academic performance in the fall semester 2012. The award is presented to

swimming and diving programs that achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher;

the Penguins posted a 3.14 semester GPA in the fall, with 14 of 20

individuals maintaining a 3.0-or-above GPA.

YSU was one of 136 Division I swimming and

diving programs to earn the

Team Scholar Award.

SWIM AND DIVE GETS TEAM SCHOLAR ALL-AMERICAN AWARD

In photo: Jacob Schriner-Briggs, left and Zachary White.

Forever a PenguinCyndy Anderson could never have guessed, when she was an undergraduate student at YSU

back in the 1960s and ’70s, that she would spend most of her career as a YSU employee and would one day be named the university’s seventh president.

Anderson–thefirstwoman,firstYSUgraduateandfirstMahoningValleyresidenttoserveas president – will retire June 30, concluding a remarkable, 34-year student-centered career as a professor and administrator at YSU.

In this issue, YSU Magazine bids farewell to President Anderson by telling her story through the memories of those who have known and loved her over the years.

Saying Goodbye to President Anderson

SPRING 2013 9

10 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

A Friendship That’s Endured for Decades

Everyday without fail for the past 25 years, Donna Wainio has begun her mornings with a telephone call to her best friend, Cyndy Anderson. “We’re both early risers and that’s how we start the day. We just like to touch base,” says Wainio.

They met growing up – Anderson worked the concession stand at Mineral Springs, a recreational area that her parents owned in Fowler, Ohio, and Wainio’s family gathered there often for reunions. Their friendship has endured through several decades.

“It’s very easy to become friends with Cyndy. She’s so much fun, and she’ll do anything for you. No matter what you need, she’s there for you,” Wainio said.

When Wainio’s mother died, for example, Anderson and another friend who had come to visit the family, Jan Mitchell, noticed that the grass needed to be cut. “They got the lawn mower out and cut the lawn. No job is too small or too great that she won’t do for a friend. That’s her personality.”

As adults, their lives continued to intertwine. Anderson was working as an instructor in YSU’s Department of Business Education and Technology when Wainio started at YSU as an employee and student. They wrote a journal article together, which turned out to be Wainio’s first published work, and served on numerous committees together.

Over the years, Wainio, who went on to earn an associate degree, a baccalaureate and two master’s degrees, all the while employed full-time at YSU, says Anderson was a mentor for her as a student and work colleague. Wainio retired recently as a technology and training specialist in the YSU Department of Human Resources.

“She made being a YSU colleague a wonderful experience,” said Wainio. “The first word that comes to mind when I think of Cyndy is ‘genuine.’ She’s the real deal.”

From the Start: Putting Students First

When Scott Schulick first came across Cyndy Anderson, he was a teen-aged YSU business student and peer assistant in the university’s Student Enrichment Center. Anderson was a faculty member volunteering as a mentor for students. “So, what I immediately knew about Cyndy was that she had a genuine interest in students,” Schulick recalls. “The faculty mentoring program was purely voluntary. She wasn’t required to be there. But she was. I knew early on that, for her, students were first.”

That was more than 20 years ago. Much has changed. Schulick graduated, returned to earn his MBA (Anderson was one of his professors), and was appointed to the YSU Board of Trustees in 2004. Anderson went on to serve as assistant provost, vice president of Student Affairs and, eventually, became YSU president in 2010.

Through it all, what hasn’t changed, Schulick said, is

Donna Wainio

Scott Schulick

Anderson’s commitment to students. “It was clearly a theme that has followed her throughout her career and definitely was the focus of her presidency,” he said. “When you’re a president … you leave your job at night and ask ‘Were the decisions I made today in the best interests of the students?’ If you can say ‘yes,’ then you can lay your head on the pillow and say, ‘I did my job today.’”

That’s not to say that Anderson didn’t have some sleepless nights as president. Tough budgets. Dwindling state support. Tuition caps. Labor negotiations. “We often look at presidencies by the visible, tangible achievements – new buildings, grand edifices, major projects or initiatives that we can put a mark on,” said Schulick, whose nine-year term on the board expires this spring. “Cyndy had to do some unglamorous work that will probably, at times, go unnoticed in many ways. But many of those things will have a lasting impact.”

He added: “Just keeping a balanced budget and accomplishing some of the things she did to get to those balanced budgets are achievements that sometimes aren’t popular and often go unrecognized. Leaders who have the fortitude to make unpopular decisions that are in the best long-term interest of the university deserve a lot of credit.”

Fond Memories Shared with Faculty Colleague

What Jane Reid remembers most about Cynthia Anderson during more than 15 years of travelling together to professional conferences are the little things.

There was the time they returned from presenting in Nashville to find a snow-covered car at the Cleveland Airport and Anderson determinedly wiped the windshield with her casted arm before Reid could even get a scraper from the backseat.

And when they brought home twice the luggage they had taken to a Chicago conference after a highly successful shopping trip.

Or the way Anderson would always offer Reid the master bedroom and take the standard when sharing a condo at Myrtle Beach before turning the heat up to her preferred 80 degrees.

It’s these small but fond memories Reid has of Anderson that really speak to

Sudershan Garg Chair, YSU Board of Trustees

Thanks for caring so much about our community. YSU’s partnership with our United Way, and a shared vision of giving back at YSU through United Way is something we so appreciate. Thank you for being such a dear friend! Bob Hannon President, United Way of Youngstown

You are YSU's #1 Alum. We are PROUD of you! Bruce Sherman YSU Alumni Society, Board of Directors

You've been an ideal president for the times. Always affable, pleasant and truthful, you represent the heartbeat of the university. You've always been truly passionate about students, their families and their success. You're a woman of boundless energy. In good times and bad, you have maintained calm and made some very tough decisions. Despite steep cuts in state funding, you were able to present a balanced budget year after year - no gimmicks. You're just a great lady and a decent human being. I am proud of your achievements and wish you all of the best in your future ventures.

Thanks for being you ... a true leader and the No. 1 YSU fan Wishing you my very best! Eric Wolford YSU head football coach

Jane Reid

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Best Wishes Rev. Macklin

During her impressive tenure at YSU, Cynthia Anderson has unapologetically acknowledged that her inner strength and uncompromised integrity are girded by her faith. In response to the interrogative, “What does God require of you?” the prophet Micah responded, “Act justly, love mercy, and to walk humbly!” This is the mantra that reflects Dr. Anderson’s personal and professional temperament. Yet, she never force-fed her religious convictions onto others, rather electing to live out these guiding principles to insure fairness and transparency to meet the needs of others.

She Acts Justly: Several years ago, a decision was made to limit the university’s relationship with Youngstown Early College. YEC encouraged low-income youth, first-generation college attendees, English language learners, students of color, and other young people underrepresented in higher education to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an associate’s degree tuition free. Dr. Anderson skillfully negotiated an agreement that involved YSU having a sustained commitment to YEC and to insure disadvantaged youth have access to post-secondary education.

She Loves Mercy: Early in her presidency, Dr. Anderson faced a community crisis that resulted in a promising student losing his life. It was easy to recognize her genuine compassion and sensitivity when addressing the needs of the grieving family and the concerned campus community. It was extremely important to her that all needed community resources were readily available. Whether she was sitting beside the grieving mother at the poignant funeral services on the YSU campus or having a presence in the courtroom during the proceedings to insure justice was meted, Dr. Anderson was there.

She Walks Humbly: Dr. Anderson has an authentic respect for those she meets, embracing the concept, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” While she has a quick stride, it is not uncommon for her to stop and greet others in her journey. Whether you establish eye contact with her on campus or simply pass by her in the mall, you will experience that same affirming smile and personal acknowledgment. Her humble attitude and selfless commitment to humanity is an outstanding reflection upon her stellar career, which will positively impact the Mahoning Valley for generations to come.

(Rev. Macklin earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from YSU in 1989. He is senior pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Youngstown and president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of Youngstown and Vicinity.)

by the Rev. Dr. Lewis W. Macklin II

A Woman of Faith

12 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

their friendship as colleagues together at YSU.

Reid first partnered with then-assistant provost Anderson in 1995. Reid was part of the Department

of Marketing faculty, and the two conducted a study on student engagement in university marketing, running a summer course for public relations

students that put them in the driver’s seat in staging YSU’s presence at the Trumbull County and Canfield fairs. Their resulting research paper was accepted for presentation at the American Marketing Association’s Higher Education Symposium.

It was the first of many memorable trips for the research team, as they travelled to Savannah, Jacksonville, Chicago, Las Vegas, Hilton Head and beyond for 16 years. Their research primarily focused on marketing theory and practice behind service-learning projects and shopping complex layouts – the latter a topic they explored through three awarded grants.

“When you travel with someone, you really get to know them,” said Reid. “Cindy is genuine, she has a powerful sense of humor, and she’s full of energy,” she said. “I have a million fun memories working with her. She’s a very close friend of mine to this day.”

Reid retired from YSU in 2009 and was awarded Professor Emeritus status in 2010. She now teaches part time in Las Vegas.

Can-Do Attitude, Plenty of Humor

Some call it a Bronx cheer. Others refer to it as blowing a raspberry. It’s that spluttering noise made with tongue and

lips to express displeasure, sarcasm and frustration.

Call it what you will, but chances are that if you’ve ever been in a meeting with Cynthia E. Anderson – maybe one that’s a little contentious or disagreeable – you might have heard it.

Anderson, 1972

SPRING 2013 13

Just ask Les Cochran.“It sounds like: ‘Thbbpthbpt,’”

Cochran said during a recent conversation from his home in Florida, describing the sound.

President of YSU from1992 to 2000, Cochran named Anderson vice president of Student Affairs in 1995 and

has become somewhat of a mentor for Anderson ever since. He fondly remembers

hearing “thbbpthbpt” often.“It was always in jest,” Cochran recalls. “There wasn’t a

frown or any pouting or anything like that. Just that sound. It was her way of saying, ‘What a bunch of phooey.’ But then, she was on board, ready to move forward, whatever the issue was.”

Moving forward, putting behind the disagreements and coming up with solutions was always one of Anderson’s greatest strengths, Cochran said.

“Every Monday morning, we would sit down, all of the vice presidents, and we’d all come together and discuss the issues of the day,” he said. “And invariably, it was Cyndy who would say, ‘OK, what do we need to do to make this happen? What do I need to do?’ Of course, as president, when you’re in the heat of debate or argument or disagreement, you need somebody to stand tall.

“That was always a real quality of hers, and it blended well with the issues she had to deal with. She didn’t sit around and mope. She always had a real can-do attitude.”

“She’s like another mother to me.”

Aronde Stanton was a football prospect checking out the YSU campus when he first met Cyndy Anderson three years ago. She spoke at a football team recruit luncheon, and the visitor from Detroit was impressed. “She was one of the reasons I came here,” recalls Stanton, who joined the Penguins the following season as a defensive tackle. “Other schools don’t have their presidents there to welcome football recruits. I thought it was pretty cool.”

That was the start of a friendship for Anderson and the 6-feet-2-inch, 290-lb. Stanton, now a senior business major scheduled to graduate in August with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.

They met before every home football game – Anderson made it a habit to visit the Penguin locker room for a quick pep talk. As team captain, Stanton started his own tradition – he gave the president a hug and kiss on the cheek each time the team took the field. “I think she’ll remember me for that,” he said.

Stanton had the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with the president later when he volunteered to attend a series of football recruit luncheons, answering questions and visiting with team prospects. Anderson was at every lunch, they often sat together, and she talked to him about academics and life after football.

The defensive tackle told Anderson that his first career choice would be to play professional football for a while, either in the NFL or in Canada, and he was one of four YSU team members who tried out in March at a pro-day at the WATTS. She acknowledged his pro football aspirations but suggested that he also consider the possibility of graduate school, and she met with him more than once to discuss his grad school application. If his pro football plans don’t pan out, Stanton says he’s thinking seriously about applying for admission into YSU’s new Interdisciplinary Communications master’s degree program.

“I wasn’t really thinking about coming back for graduate school until Dr. Anderson suggested it,” said Stanton, who has maintained a 3.1 GPA at YSU. “She’s done a lot for me, and I’d do anything for Dr. Anderson. She’s been like another mother to me.”Aronde

Stanton

Les Cochran

Cyndy Anderson has been an integral part of the Paula and Anthony Rich Center for the Study and Treatment of Autism

from its inception 18 years ago.It was a dream of five moms –

Rose Rubino, Jacqueline Marchionda, Geri Kosar, Beth Vivo and myself – to

establish a center that would assist area families that are facing a recent diagnosis of a child with autism.

This dream led us to YSU for a meeting with then-President Leslie Cochran. He had the insight to recognize the possibilities and to see the bigger picture for the community and the university. He asked Cyndy to head a committee assigned to research the possibilities.

She accepted the challenge and went beyond what would have been required of her. Her actions proved to be very insightful.

Cyndy contacted department heads on campus and asked them to contribute their input. The committee of mothers who first proposed the idea for a center were asked to contact the Department of Health for the State of Ohio and confirm the numbers of this diagnosis – the average number then was one of 10,000 children diagnosed with autism; today it is one of every 50 children! Cyndy also asked our committee to research the need for such a center in our community.

Today, The Rich Center for Autism is housed on the YSU campus and has an enrollment of about 70 students that is increasing almost daily. The center receives no funding from the university, but our campus location makes it possible for Rich Center students to take advantage of any and all opportunities the university has to offer.

Cyndy is a member of the Rich Center Board of Directors. From my perspective, her presidency has been a gift to our community, and I feel very fortunate to call her my friend! It has been a privilege to work with her and she will be greatly missed at the Rich Center for Autism.

She Helped Launch a Dream: The Rich Center for Autism

Phyllis Ricchuiti is co-founder of The Rich Center for Autism at YSU, which was created in 1995 as a tribute to her son and his wife, Anthony and Paula Rich, and their unborn child, who lost their lives in a plane crash outside Pittsburgh in 1994. Ricchiuti and her husband, Robert, have four children and nine grandchildren. She serves on several community boards.

'

by Phyllis Ricchiuti

Making Vets Feel Welcome at YSU

He’s a disabled Vietnam War veteran and a YSU alumnus, so it makes sense that Carl Nunziato has

long been at the forefront of an effort to make YSU as veteran-friendly as a college campus can possibly be.

He says Cyndy Anderson shares his vision and has thrown her unwavering support behind the campaign. Nunziato believes her backing has helped to make things happen. “Basically, she was in on the ground floor,”

he says. “She’s been 100 percent behind us from the start.”

The effort to smooth the way for military veterans adjusting to college life at YSU began with the launch of the university’s Office of Veteran Affairs in 2009 – Anderson was vice president for Student Affairs then, and Nunziato remembers that she was there

for the very first planning meeting.Now, Nunziato says the university is on the

verge of taking another major step for veterans: construction of a Veterans Resource Center on

Wick Avenue. This summer, YSU will launch the public phase of a $1.25 million fund-raising campaign to finance the building, which will serve the needs of military vets and service members enrolled at YSU, as well as veterans across the region. The center will provide a space for students to gather, interact with other veterans and receive assistance with admissions, financial aid and related services.

“Dr. Anderson was always there for us. Anytime we hit a snag, we would call her, and she would use her office and her personality to speed things along,” said Nunziato, who co-chairs the Veterans Resource Center Council with Bernie Kosar Sr. “Basically, she’s an absolutely first-class supporter.”

Anderson also played a part in creating YSU’s Armed Services Boulevard, a permanent tribute to United States armed forces, that runs from Fifth Avenue to Veterans Plaza on the YSU campus. And starting with spring commencement in 2011 she’s been presenting graduating student veterans with patriotic red, white and blue cords recognizing their service, a tradition that began during her presidency.

All the effort to make YSU a welcoming place for vets has gained national notice. G.I. Jobs magazine, a publication designed for military veterans transitioning back to civilian life, has named YSU to its Military Friendly School list for three consecutive years.

“I would say the concern for veterans that Dr. Anderson’s office has displayed is exceptional,” said Nunziato. “We don’t see that at every university. It’s helped YSU to be a leader among Northeast Ohio universities in creating a campus that makes our veterans feel welcome.”

Carl Nunziato

14 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

SPRING 2013 15 SPRING 2013 15

Anderson, 1971

Lyndsie Hall

acebook Friends Reach Out to Dr. A

Check out www.ysumagazine.org

A Friend and Role Model for Students

Lyndsie Hall still remembers a perky and cheerful Cynthia Anderson, always among the first to arrive for early morning freshman orientation sessions. Hall was a student employee at YSU’s Center for Student Progress at the time; Anderson was vice president for Student Affairs. “She was usually more awake than any of us,” Hall said.

Hall got to know Anderson over the next few years because the VP spoke at every orientation until she was named university president. “I never met anyone with that much power who was so friendly and open and down-to-earth and interested in students,” said Hall, who graduated in 2012 with a BS in middle childhood education.

Hall’s cordial relationship with Anderson developed into a true friendship starting in 2009 when she was appointed to serve as one of two student members on the YSU Board of Trustees. At the time, student leaders were calling for changes to streamline enrollment processes, such as placement testing, registration, financial aid and billing. Anderson was their champion.

“I got to see Dr. Anderson advocating for students, doing her job,” Hall said. “She understood that students felt like they were running all over campus, especially the new

students who didn’t know their way around. She heard them, and she tried to do something about it.”

Anderson made strides on the process realignment as VP for Student Affairs, and the issue remained a priority of her presidency. A new Student One Stop Center opened in Meshel Hall this spring, designed to further speed enrollment processes.

Hall, now a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati enrolled in a combined master’s and Ph.D. program in school psychology, said Anderson became a personal mentor during her senior year at YSU. They discussed her grad school choices and Anderson gave her letters of recommendation. “I’m kind of an independent person, not one to ask a lot of advice,” said Hall, “but I trusted her, and I felt like she was a very valuable resource.”

A Boardman native herself, Hall admires the way Anderson returned home to the Youngstown area to start her career after earning her master’s degree at Ohio State. “For me, that’s really powerful,” she said. “She’s been a role model for me. Like her, I’ve developed a passion for the Mahoning Valley. Someday, I’m hoping to come back home and give back in my own way.”

16 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

Where to GoDowntown Youngstown. Students Motivated by the Arts, a partnership with YSU and Youngstown schools, provides free arts education for grades K-12.

Maag Library. Houses historical records and collections documenting the history of YSU and the Mahoning Valley.

Watson and Tressel Training Site. This chipping and putting green is used by the YSU golf team. Ward Beecher Hall. A classroom for

astronomy courses, the planetarium offers free shows on weekends and special activities for area schools.

Phelps Building. The GeoWall creates 3-D im-ages for students to visualize their work; the map library houses YSU’s map collection.

Bliss Hall. Students in YSU’s Art Department have access to equipment such as a woodshop, a metalworking lab and specialty outdoor kilns.

Walnut Street. Opened two years ago, this park features a brick paved plaza, decorative pergola and a historic plat map of the Smoky Hollow neighborhood.

GeoWall & Map LibrarySMARTS

YSU Archives and Special Collections

Outdoor Kiln

Golf Putting Green

Ward Beecher Planetarium

Harrison Common

Places to Visit on the YSU Campus

SPRING 2013 17

Where to GoWood Street. YSU manages this museum, documenting the rise of the steel industry in Youngstown, for the Ohio Historical Society.

Moser Hall. The K8YSU Amateur Radio Club enjoys communicating with fellow radio enthu-siasts around the world.

E.J. Salata Facilities Complex. YSU prints documents for the campus at this in-house facility – YSU Magazine is one of the university’s few outsourced publications.

E.J. Salata Facilities Com-plex. Excess YSU equipment and furniture that cannot be reused on campus is donated to local charities and schools or recycled.

Cushwa Hall. This clinic provides dental exams and cleaning services free of charge performed by dental hygiene students.

Moser Hall. A resource documenting abandoned mines in Ohio and Western Pa.

Abandoned Coal Mine Research Office

Moser Hall. The mineral museum houses a world-class collection and is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday or by appointment.

Anthropology Department, DeBartolo Hall. Houses col-lection of replica homo sapien skulls, as well as fossils and artifacts. Tours available upon request.

Print Shop

Youngstown Historical Center of Labor and Industry

Anthropology Collection

Surplus Department

Clarence R. Smith Mineral Museum

Dental Hygiene Clinic

Ham Radio Station

If you’re a recent YSU graduate, chances are you feel like you know this campus inside and out. 

Or maybe it’s been years, even decades, since you’ve checked out these beautiful grounds.

Either way, we think you’ll be surprised at some of the little-known spots we’ve discovered on campus. Some are open to the public; others, such as the WATTS putting green and the outdoor pottery kiln, are for student use only. And a few are no secret – like the Ward Beecher Planetarium – but we just couldn’t leave them out.

Consider taking a walk around YSU sometime soon. You’ll be surprised and pleased to see how much this 145-acre urban campus has grown and changed.

18 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

C E L E B R A T I N G A C C O M P L I S H E D G R A D U A T E Salumni SPOTLIGHT

Photo by: Christopher D. Mitchell @ ChristopherDMitchell.com

From Classics to Dragsters, These Alums Love Their Cars

In this edition of Alumni Spotlight, we profile two YSU graduates who have found success pursuing their appreciation for automobiles. Chris Sondles, ’96, is an entrepreneur who’s created a successful business restoring classic cars and building classic car replicas. Ryan Martino, ’04, has

joined his father in a dragster racing team with plans to compete around the country this year.

Christopher Sondles

SPRING 2013 19

alumni SPOTLIGHT

Sales Top $1M for

Classic Car EntrepreneurChristopher Sondles,

’96 BSBA

Christopher Sondles grew up with a father and a brother who shared his passion for restoring classic ’57 Chevrolets. Now he’s making a living with that boyhood hobby – and loving it.

The company he founded a decade ago, Woody’s Hot Rodz LLC, broke the $1 million mark for gross sales last year. It’s been featured in the Wall Street Journal and the Chicago Tribune, was named 2012 Pro Builder of the Year by Car Craft Magazine and made the covers of 12 national hot rod magazines.

“It’s been a fun ride,” said Sondles, who earned his BSBA in marketing at YSU in 1996. “Every day we get paid to do what a lot of guys do on weekends when they get home from their regular jobs.”

Sondles was born and raised in the Youngstown area, his father employed as an autoworker at the General Motors Lordstown Complex. For 30 years his dad built new Chevrolets by day and spent evenings refurbishing old ones with his two sons by his side. “I was about 13 when I started thinking that I could have a pretty good life if I could make a living doing what my Dad did for a hobby,” Sondles said.

He was a high school sophomore when he had the opportunity to get some career advice from Harry Hibler, then publisher of Hot Rod Magazine. Hibler was in town covering the Hot Rod Super Nationals, a classic car show that drew thousands to the Mahoning Valley in the late ’80s and early ’90s, and the Sondles family was there showing off their newly-restored ’57 Chevy station wagon.

The publisher advised Sondles to take speech, writing, marketing and business classes and to find work in the classic car industry as soon as possible. Sondles took his tips to heart. He went to work for a classic car parts distributor in Florida after high

school and enrolled at a community college there. Later, he landed a gig writing a monthly column for a hot rod magazine, and the income helped pay his way through school when he moved back home and finished his degree at YSU.

The late Eugene Sekeres, a YSU marketing professor at the time, made a lifelong impression on Sondles with a slogan he scrawled on the blackboard at the start of every class. “Every day, he would write “‘Repetition Builds Reputation,’” Sondles recalled. “Those words made such an impression on me – they have shaped all of my sales and guided my business.”

After graduating from YSU’s Williamson College of Business Administration, he accepted a position as promotions director for SoffSeal in Cincinnati, a maker of weather stripping and other trim for classic cars. Within six years he had advanced through the management ranks to executive vice president.

Sondles credits a former college roommate for giving him the financial backing and encouragement to start his own business in July 2003. He bought the first ’57 Chevy he restored from an old family friend named Woody – hence, the company name. And he drew on his writing expertise to help build the company’s national reputation – along with a customer base of celebrities with deep pockets – by writing a series of 65 technical columns for three major national hot rod magazines.

In photo at left, Woody’s Hot Rodz president and founder Christopher Sondles stands in foreground, while a worker assembles a new 1957 Chevy replica at the company’s Bright, Ind. plant. In photo above, Sondles accepts Car Craft Magazine’s 2012 Pro Builder of the Year Award from magazine publisher Ed Zinke and editor Doug Glad.

20 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

Profile by Cynthia Vinarsky

alumni SPOTLIGHT

Ryan Martino, ’04 BSAS

Headquartered in Bright, Ind., 25 minutes west of Cincinnati, Woody’s Hot Rodz started as a one-man classic car restoration company, with Sondles doing all the work. Now, it employs nine. Two years ago he added a new car division that sells brand new 1957 and 1955 Chevy replicas, complete with fully-warranted GM engines, as well as steel chassis and steel car bodies for do-it-yourselfers.

Sondles said the new ’57 and ’55 replicas sell for between $85,000 and $125,000, and the company sold 66 in its first two years. The new vehicle, chassis and body division has grown to comprise about half the company’s business, and overall sales are on track to surpass last year’s sales volume by 25 to 30 percent.

“My biggest fear at this point is not when we’ll sell the next car,” said Sondles. “I’m thinking ahead to what happens when we sell 100 cars a year. Our production has to keep up with that. It’s not how are we going to get the business, it’s what will we do with it all?”

Sondles, his wife, Faith, and his parents all live in Indiana now. His brother Todd, another YSU grad who earned his baccalaureate in engineering in 1992, also owns a business related to classic cars, a manufacturing company that makes LED lighting systems for old cars in Graham, N.C.

Alumnus Christopher Sondles, whose classic car restoration and replica company topped $1 million in sales last year, spends some of his free time working on his own ’57 Chevy, a vehicle that once belonged to his father.

Ryan Martino, a magna cum laude graduate of YSU’s Bitonte College of Health & Human Services and alumnus of the proud Penguin football program, grew up with grease in his veins and a deep appreciation for education inspired by his dad, Tom, president and

founder of Martino Motorsports.The father and son show their school pride on the

rear-wings of their dragster, where the university’s red “Y” logo is featured.

“I grew up around racing my whole life,” Martino says, “but it wasn’t until I was a senior in high school that I really had an appreciation for how well recognized and respected my Dad was in the world of drag racing. He was never able to finish his degree at YSU because of family obligations, but he always emphasized that getting a good education should be my number one priority. After that, if I wanted to race, I could.”

Graduating from Cardinal Mooney High School in 2000, Martino drew attention from several top-tier football programs, including Oklahoma, Purdue and Ohio State, but he chose YSU. “Coaches Jim Tressel and Ken Conaster hooked me with their focus on what YSU had to offer me from an educational point of view, in addition to the Penguins’ tremendously successful football program,” he said. “While other schools were trying to sell me on their football programs, YSU was selling me on the education I’d receive and the great job opportunities our graduates earn. After all, how many college players ever make it in the NFL?”

Today Martino works as a bailiff for Judge R. Scott Krichbaum in the Mahoning County Common Pleas Court. After hours, he spends every spare moment working with his father on the Martino’s Mac Sherrill rear-engine,

1,300+ horsepower dragster. The father-son team experienced a major setback during a race last summer when, live on ESPN 3 during the Summit Racing Equipment Nationals, their dragster’s engine exploded 60 feet from the starting line, ending the racing season for the Martino Motorsports team.

They have the car back together now and are ready to pick up where they left off last July, with plans to compete in 16 dragster events across the country during the 2013 National Hot Rod Association racing season. While his father does most of the driving, Martino says his skills have grown and he’s spending more time behind the wheel as well.

When the racing season is over, the Martino Motorsports team likes to give back to the community through service to groups such as the Boys and Girls Club, Man-Up Mahoning Valley for Prostate Cancer Awareness, the Leonard Kirtz School and the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. The Martinos brought their dragster to the Boardman library

last fall for a meet and greet photo session that emphasized the value of the library system and the benefits of reading.

Martino is a strong supporter of the Youngstown area, its proud history and its burgeoning renaissance. “I was not only fortunate to have some of

From Gridiron to Drag Strip – a Championship in the Making

Ryan Martino, ’04

SPRING 2013 21

alumni SPOTLIGHT

Profile by Mark W. Van Tilburg

Tom and Ryan Martino

The Martino Motorsports team shows its YSU spirit with a red “Y” logo on their dragster’s rear wings.

the best professors and resources at YSU, but a surrounding city that is no stranger to hard work, dedication and opportunity,” he says. “It’s amazing to me that so many of my football teammates who came here from all over the country – from Florida to California – stayed here after they graduated. This says a lot. It’s a great place to raise a family; there are good job opportunities; and it is a friendly, warm and affordable place to live and prosper.”

Martino says there’s a noticeable difference between a YSU graduate and those from other schools. “A YSU education is earned, not given,” he explained. “We, as Valley residents, should recognize the value of having an affordable, nationally-recognized university right here in the Mahoning Valley. YSU students, professors and staff go the extra mile and know what hard work is all about.”

The Martinos are proponents of the region’s automaking traditions, along with its other manufacturing and growing high-tech industries. Their car, which runs 6.5-second quarter-miles, reaching speeds in excess of 200 mph, is “an all-Ohio car.” Tom Martino said the engine, transmission, chassis and even the tires were made in Ohio.

“Although I didn’t win a national championship ring playing for the Penguins, I feel like a champion every day because of the values and education I received on the field and in the classroom at YSU, and, of course, from my Dad and our family, friends and fans here in Youngstown,” Martino says.

With the grit and character their team personifies, there may well be another kind of championship awaiting the Martinos just a quarter-mile down the road.

22

hilanthropy Y O U N G S T O W N S T A T E U N I V E R S I T YP

Resch Foundation Gift Brings Contribution to $2 MThe Board of Trustees of the Marion

G. Resch Foundation has made a grant in the amount of $185,000 to YSU to provide scholarships for worthy students from Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties for the 2013-14 academic year.

Over the past decade, the Foundation’s Board of Trustees, with the assistance and expertise of the Farmers Trust Co. as investment manager, has distributed a total of $2 million to YSU.

“We are pleased to be able to provide financial assistance for students from our community,” said James H. Sisek, president and CEO of Farmers Trust Co.

“Since 2003, the Marion G. Resch Foundation has helped hundreds of YSU students pursue and achieve their dreams of higher education,” YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson said. “We are honored to recognize the Foundation’s enduring generosity, and we are grateful to the Board of Trustees for carrying out the vision and philanthropy of Mrs. Resch.”

Marion G. Resch, who was born in 1911 and died in 2004, was a graduate of The Rayen School and Lake Erie College. Her husband, Paul, a 1933 graduate of the law school of Youngstown College, was a local stockbroker. Together, they were great philanthropists, generously supporting YSU. Today, the Marion G. Resch Foundation continues her legacy.

Marion G. Resch recognized that the youth of the Mahoning Valley were the lifeline to its future. She created the Foundation in 2000 to enable area youth to reach their potential and someday become influential leaders in the community. The Foundation’s support for YSU focuses on need-based scholarships with a merit component and an innovative program that supports economically disadvantaged students from the city of Warren. In 2007, the Marion G. Resch Center for Student Progress on the YSU campus was named in Mrs. Resch’s honor.

Students may contact the YSU Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships at 330-941-3505 to determine their eligibility for the new Resch award. The selection of scholarship recipients is made by YSU.

Celebrating the Marion G. Resch Foundation’s $2 million in contributions to the university are, from left: YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson, Resch trustees Bud Wright and Kathleen Brown, Resch Executive Director Brian Wolf, and Resch trustees Jim Sisek and Ingrid Lundquist.

The musical legacies of Albert D. Caldrone and Robert E. Fleming, both well-known area musicians and former Dana School of Music faculty members, will continue to inspire musical excellence through two new endowed scholarships created in their memory.

Albert D. Caldrone played clarinet, saxophone and flute and in the 1950s was principal clarinetist with the Youngstown Symphony, the Warren Chamber Orchestra and the Warren Packard Band. He shared the stage with many acclaimed musicians such as Benny Goodman and Perry Como, and as a teacher of clarinet at Dana he saw many students go on to successful musical careers.

Family, friends and colleagues have established The Albert D. Caldrone Memorial Scholarship Endowment to benefit Dana students taking major level lessons in clarinet as a Music Education or Music

New Scholarships Established

at Dana School

of Music

SPRING 2013 23

Commitment, Volunteerism Make All Things PossibleBy R. Scott Evans, Vice President for University Advancement

R. Scott Evans

Ice cream. How far would you travel to enjoy some ice cream with fellow alumni and friends of YSU? More than 100 showed up March 1 for a YSU reception at the Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream and Yogurt store in Bonita Springs, Fla. Operated by Krystle Hively Common, who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at YSU, it is the first Handel’s to open in the Sunshine State. Our guests came from all over Florida, and many were visiting from Ohio. The event was so successful that we’re already making plans for more gatherings at Handel’s and other Florida venues next spring.

Volunteerism. How many alumni and friends share their talents and time to make YSU a stronger institution? More than we can possibly count. We appreciate what the YSU Alumni Society Board of Directors does to assist the university. Shelly LaBerto, president, and Dr. Richard Crepage, past president, go the extra distance to show their support and travel to YSU functions in Florida at their own expense. Alumni including Richard Spong, Denise Grace Lindheim, Dominic and Sally Grace donate their time in encouraging alumni and friends in their areas to participate in YSU events in Florida. We are grateful to all.

Commitment. How can the philanthropy of alumni and friends make a difference at YSU? More than $8 million has been given or committed to YSU since July 1, 2012. This is a record year in fundraising and we have many weeks to go. Your gifts provide much-needed support for scholarships, academic programs, capital projects, athletics and other critical initiatives of the university.

Challenge. How can you help and what can you share with YSU?

Please accept our sincere appreciation for the tremendous outpouring of love, pride, volunteerism and philanthropy for YSU this year. These, combined with ice cream, make everything possible.

The YSU Foundation has unveiled a new, five-year strategic plan that projects increased scholarship funding for the 2013-14 academic year.

This academic year, the Foundation is providing nearly $5.2 million for more than 2,500 student scholarships at YSU,

and that funding total is expected to grow under the revised distribution guidelines established in the new strategic plan.

The plan establishes a revised mission statement and a new vision statement and focuses on three primary areas: Financial Policies and Practices, Governance and Board Development and the Foundation’s relationship with the university.

“Our new spending plan will result in even more scholarship support so even more students can pursue their educational goals and professional dreams at YSU,” said Garry Mrozek, vice chair of the YSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

“As we close in on the Foundation’s 50th anniversary, we believe this is no time to rest on our laurels; rather, this is an opportunity to seize the moment and to assure that the YSU Foundation provides YSU and its students a strategic advantage,” said Thomas Fleming, chair of the YSU Foundation Board of Trustees. “In the ever-evolving environment of higher education, we will move into our second half century refocused, reorganized and determined to be a catalytic force for the advancement of YSU and its students. We are

confident this strategic plan will accomplish this goal.”

Founded in 1966, the YSU Foundation is a private, non-profit corporation independent from the university that supports YSU exclusively, mostly through scholarships for students. Earlier this year, the Foundation announced that it has surpassed the $200 million mark in assets and now ranks among the top third of university endowments in the nation.

YSU Foundation Projects Increased Scholarship Funding

Performance major. Robert E. Fleming made a name for himself in the 1950s as director

of bands at Warren G. Harding High School, then served as YSU’s director of bands from 1968 to 1984. He also directed numerous regional ensembles.

Friends and colleagues hosted a dinner and concert last fall to raise funds for a YSU scholarship in his name. Dana graduates John (’69, ’72) and Laura (’75, ’09) Manhollan then made a final significant gift to ensure that the scholarship would be permanently endowed. The Robert E. Fleming Memorial Scholarship will benefit Mahoning and Shenango Valley students who demonstrate financial need and are majoring in music education, music performance or pursuing a BA in Music at YSU.

For more information on either scholarship, contact Catherine Cala, director of development, 330-941-2752 or cacala@ysu.edu.

Thomas Fleming, chair of the YSU Foundation Board of Trustees, addresses the crowd at an event in April unveiling the new strategic plan.

24 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY24

sports newspenguin

Volleyball• Program had first winning record since 1999.• The 15 victories rank as the most since 1999. • Ten-win improvement from 2011 campaign.• First conference tournament appearance since 2008.• Longest winning streak since 1999.

Football• Seven wins, most by the program since 2007.• Seven Division I wins, most by the program

since 2006.• 31-17 Victory over the University of Pittsburgh,

the first over a BCS team in school history.• Four-game winning streak for first time since 2006.

Soccer• School-record eight overall wins and three

conference wins.• Hosted a postseason game for the first time in

school history.• First conference tournament appearance since 2008.

Indoor Track and Field• Four women won individual events at Horizon

League Championships.• Three men won individual events at HL

Championships.• Field Male/Female Newcomer of

the Meet and Female Runner of the Meet.

Swimming and Diving• Ashley Dow became the

first Penguin swimmer to win two individual titles at the Horizon League meet (100 and 200 backstroke).

Men’s Basketball• Advanced to a postseason

tournament for first time as Division I program (CIT).

• Earned first postseason Division I win in school history defeating Oakland in first round of CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

• Won 18 games for the first time since 2000-01.• Back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in

nearly 30 years (1983-84/1984-85).• School record for games played (34).

• Defeated a school (University of Georgia) from a power-BCS conference for the first time in school history.

• Junior Kendrick Perry is a two-time All-Horizon League First-Team selection.

Women’s Basketball• Seventh 20-win season in

school history.• Horizon League Player of the Year

(Brandi Brown) and HL Coach of the Year (Bob Boldon).

• Posted a school-best 11 Horizon League wins.• The 23 wins were the most since 1997-98 and tied

for the third most in school history.• Advanced to the WNIT for the first time in school

history, beating Indiana State in the first round.

Men’s Golf• Won first tournament since 1999 in the fall

(Colgate Invitational).

Women’s Golf• Sophomore Allison Mitzel carded a school-record

low round of 67 at the Dayton Fall Invitational.• Mitzel named Horizon League medalist; team

named runner-up.

• Longest winning streak since spring 2001, most wins since 2004-05.

• Sophomore Marta Burak set a school record for single-season victories.

• Three individuals had 20-win seasons for the first time in school history.

• Paula deMan named Horizon League player and newcomer of the year.

Men’s Tennis• Longest winning streak since fall 2009.• Finished season 13-9, most wins since 1990-91.• Tied school record for Horizon League wins.

Softball• Pitcher Casey Crozier tossed first no-hitter

since 2003.

Baseball• Beat University of West Virginia, first win over a

Big 12 program in school history.• Won at the University of Illinois at Chicago for the

first time since 1993.• Defeated Kent State, a participant in the 2012

College World Series.

YSU’s athletic teams have had a great year. Here’s an overview of the Penguins’ performance in the 2012-13 season:

Penguin Sports Recap:

A Very Good Year

Women’s Tennis

Kendrick Perry

Ashley Dow

SPRING 2013 25

penguin sports news

Season to Remember CapsYSU Career For Brandi Brown

YSU senior women’s basketball player Brandi Brown capped off a successful athletic career at YSU when she was named Horizon League Player of the Year, an Honorable Mention All-America by the Associated Press. She is the first YSU women’s basketball player to appear on the AP All-America team.

The Pomona, Calif., native was also named a First-Team Academic All-American this season. She was named to the 2012-13 Capital One Academic All-America Division I Women’s Basketball Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.

A communications studies major with a 3.75 GPA, Brown averaged 20.1 points and 11.1 rebounds while posting 23 double-doubles this past season, her final in a Penguins uniform. She is one of only two players in the country who ranked in the top 20 in scoring and rebounding, and she ranked fifth nationally in double-doubles. Brown finished her YSU career with 2,079 points and a school-record 1,239 rebounds.

Brown was a consistent star throughout her senior season, but she gained national attention for her performance down the stretch. As YSU’s only post for the final three weeks of the regular season, Brown averaged 28.2 points in a six-game span. She was named the espnW National Player of the Week on March 4 after averaging 40.5 points and 17 rebounds the previous week, and she had a rare 40-20 game with 42 points and 21 rebounds against Wright State on March 2.

Brown was the only Horizon League player and one of only two players in Ohio to earn All-America honors by the Associated Press.

DiGregorio Honored as Winningest Coach

YSU’s Athletic Department recognized former women’s basketball head coach Ed DiGregorio as the winningest coach in school history by retiring jersey No. 319 in his honor on March 13 at the quarterfinal Horizon League Tournament game between YSU and Cleveland State.

DiGregorio led the women’s program for 20 years and amassed 319 victories from 1983 to 2003. Former DiGregorio players representing the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s returned to Beeghly Center to join the former coach and his wife, Edie, in the halftime celebration.

During his tenure, DiGregorio was named Mid-Continent Conference Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1999, coached four players of the year. Thirteen of his players were named first-team all-conference, 10 were named to all-conference second teams, and four athletes earned the honor of being the best in the conference - Dorothy Bowers (1987-88 in the Ohio Valley), Liz Hauger (1996-97 in the Mid-Con), Shannon Beach (1997-98 in the Mid-Con) and Brianne Kenneally (1998-99 and 1999-2000 in the Mid-Con).

DiGregorio led the Penguins to six 20-win seasons, including five consecutive seasons with at least 20 victories from 1995-96 to 1999-2000. The Youngstown native

also guided the Penguins to five straight Mid-Continent Conference titles from 1994-95 to 1998-99, three Mid-Con tournament titles (1996, 1998, 2000) and three NCAA Tournament appearances. In 1998, the Penguins upset fifth-seeded Memphis, 91-80, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Former women's basketball head coach Ed DiGregorio and his wife, Edie.

Brandi Brown

John Barnes, a veteran collegiate coach who has won nearly 73 percent of the games he’s coached over his 17 years on the court, has been chosen to lead YSU’s women’s basketball program.

Barnes is the seventh head coach in program history. He comes to YSU from Green Bay, Wis., where he served as associate head coach, and before that he spent two seasons as an assistant in the Big Ten. He led Division II Michigan Tech to 156 wins and five appearances in the NCAA Tournament as the Huskies’ head coach from 2003 to 2010.

Barnes has been to the postseason 12 times in his 17 seasons as a college coach, including each of his three seasons at the Division I level. He has spent his entire collegiate career in the Midwest, and his teams have posted a winning record in all 17 of his seasons.

John Barnes

Phot

o by

Ron

Ste

vens

New Coach Chosen for Women’s Basketball

26 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

WBonitaSharif

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

Computer Science andInformation Systems

Profile by Harry Evans

With a passion for innovation and a desire to understand what separates a novice software engineer from an expert, Bonita Sharif comes to work with a mission every day. Utilizing a tool most often used in marketing, a machine that tracks a subject’s eye movements across a computer screen, Sharif is studying how people comprehend and debug software. The work began during her graduate studies, became her thesis, and is now her main area of research.

Born and raised in India, Sharif graduated from Cyprus College with a bachelor’s degree in computer science, and then travelled to the United States to earn master’s and doctorate degrees in the same from Kent State University. While she could have had a successful

career in industry, Sharif decided to maintain a professorial path. After a year teaching at Ohio University, she joined the YSU faculty in 2011. “I loved doing research and getting students involved in research, so I thought, ‘This is the perfect place,’” said Sharif. “You get to meet cool undergraduates and graduate students interested in doing research, and my research is accessible to them.”

Using an eye-tracking device to study software designers at work allows Sharif to see precisely what someone is looking at while analyzing source code. The eye movements of a professional software engineer are very different from those of a beginner, she said. Knowing exactly where a subject’s eyes are focused on a computer screen, especially when solving problems, identifying mistakes or writing source code, allows Sharif to develop software tools that are suitable for both the novice and the expert.

Besides her work tracking eye movements, which could be considered part software engineering and part psychoanalysis, Sharif is working on another long-term project in the field of software traceability. In that project, she and her students are trying to generate traceability links between software artifacts just by eye gazes.

Sharif lives in Youngstown with her two daughters, and she hopes eventually to learn more about the region, but her free

time is limited. She is serving this year on four program committees and a sub-committee, reviews four computer science journals, is an external doctoral thesis committee member for a student at Ohio University and has had two papers and an invited book chapter accepted for publication this year alone. She is travelling in May to San Francisco to present her most recent published work with Braden Walters, one of her YSU undergraduate students.

SPRING 2013 27

alumni news

With the exceptions of Ohio and Pennsylvania, more YSU alumni call Florida home than any other state. That’s why the annual Youngstown Day celebration in Sarasota, Fla. was expanded this year, with events planned in three additional Florida cities.

Prior to the Sarasota event, which typically attracts hundreds of alumni every year, YSU also coordinated new alumni gatherings in Delray Beach, Naples/Bonita Springs and Tampa Bay.

A dessert reception at the Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream & Yogurt in Bonita Springs drew 100 alumni and friends. In the top photo, members of the Hively family who made the event possible included, from left, Becky Hively Votaw, ’02, her sister and Handel’s owner Krystle Hively Common ’08 and’10 of Estero, Fla., and future Penguin Riley Votaw.

Florida Event Adds 3 New Cities

Participating in the Tampa Bay event were, from left: front row, John Pantelis of St. Petersburg; Richard Spong, ’64, of Dunedin; Jodi Riddell; Helen Martini, ’64, of Clearwater; Patricia and Larry Jay,’65, of New Port Richey; standing, from left, Donald and Norma Jean Infante, both ’58, of Clearwater Beach; Amy Tunanidas-Pantelis, ’77, of St. Petersburg; Louise and James Groucutt, ’66, of Trinity; Bob Riddell, ’81, of Lutz; Melanie Adams; Stanley Mackey, ’69, of Tampa; William Hartwig, ’77, of Tampa; Marilyn and Tim Alexander, ’76, of Tarpon Springs; Rich Crepage ’71, ’78, ’99, of Concord, Ohio; Carole and Alan Cope, both ’63, of Salem, Ohio; R.J. Novak and Jeanne Feld, ’69, of Oldsmar.

Friday, July 12: 5:30 to 7 p.m. – Alumni Networking Reception at OH WOW! The Roger and Gloria Jones Children’s Center for Science and Technology, downtown Youngstown. Mingle with fellow alumni, enjoy delicious hors d’oeuvres, explore the museum and obtain a Penguin Pass for discounts at downtown establishments later that evening. Adults only. Cash bar. Tickets are $8 for Alumni Society members, $10 for non-members.

YSU Grads: All Alumni Reunion Is Your Chance to Reconnect

Saturday, July 13:10 a.m. to 7 p.m. – Summer Festival of the Arts on the YSU campus. Explore the work of local, regional and national artists, while sampling the food and traditions of diverse cultures. Visit www.ysu.edu/sfa.

10 a.m. to 6 p.m. – Alumni Welcome Tent, at the Summer Festival of the Arts. Interact with academic departments and campus organizations and view college demonstrations. Prizes for alumni.

YSU graduates representing every decade in the university’s proud history will have plenty of opportunities to reconnect at the All Alumni Reunion, scheduled for July 12-13 in conjunction with the annual Summer Festival of the Arts. Events will be in downtown Youngstown, which has undergone an exciting rebirth in recent years, and on the beautiful and vibrant YSU campus.

The last YSU All Alumni Reunion was in 2008, a part of the university’s centennial celebration, and drew more than 400 alumni from across the nation. Here’s the schedule of events for this year’s reunion:

5 p.m. and 6 p.m. – Alumni Reception and Dinner, Kilcawley Center. Reception in the Ohio Room, to include light hors d’oeuvres, and punch, wine available at a cash bar. Dinner to follow in the Chestnut Room, featuring a picnic-style buffet, campus updates and more prizes. Tickets are $15, includes reception and dinner.

Sunday, July 1411a.m. to 5 p.m. – Summer Festival of the Arts continues.

For more information or reservations for any of the All Alumni Reunion events contact Heather Belgin, habelgin@ysu.edu or 330-941-1591, or visit www.ysu.edu/alumni. Reservation deadline is July 8.

28 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

alumni news

Recipients of the 2013 Bitonte College of Health & Human Services Alumni Recognition Awards include, from left: Jesse McClain IV, ’02, ‘06, nursing; Patricia Sciaretta, ’02, social work; Renee Rogers ’05, HPES; Bernie Kosar ’59, military science; Noreen Moderalli ’75, human ecology; Ed Schiavone ’98, physical therapy; and Richard Mahan ’76, ’91, ’94, criminal justice and forensic science. Appreciation awards were also presented to Jan Elias, professor and chair of the Department of Human Ecology, and posthumously to James and Coralie Centofanti.

More than 1,000 Penguins call Texas home, with the majority living near Austin, Dallas or Houston. YSU’s Office of Alumni and Events Management made a concerted effort to reach out to as many of our Texan alumni as possible by coordinating events in all three cities this past January. Participating in the Austin gathering were, (in photo at left) from left, front row: Lori Lesko ’95, Maureen McDonough, ’94, and Gail Gerak, ’61, all of Pflugerville, Texas, with Mollie Hartup of YSU; second row, Matt McDonough, ’93, of Pflugerville; Robert Bao, ’93, of Austin; Cindy and Keith Batcher, ’85, of Austin; Shannon and Mark Monstrola of Austin; and John Carchedi, ’72 and Joy Carchedi, of Georgetown, Texas.

Bitonte College Honors Alums

Texas Alumni Gather inAustin, Dallas, Houston

Sat., June 1– Alumni volunteer opportunities at Streetscape 2013 in Youngstown, starting at 7:30 a.m.

Thurs., June 13 – Salute to YSU President Cynthia E. Anderson at Mr. Anthony’s, Boardman.

Tues., June 25 – Scrappers YSU Alumni Night, picnic at 5:30 p.m., game at 7:05 p.m.

July 30 – Pittsburgh alumni mixer and Pirates game.

September 12 – YSU Alumni National Networking Day. Contact us if you would like to coordinate an event in the city where you live!

For more information about these events, visit www.ysu.edu/alumni or call 330-941-3497.

Save Date!THE

YSU Night with Phantoms Hockey

YSU alumni, students, friends and family packed the Covelli Centre for YSU Night with the Phantoms in late January. Pictured are YSU ROTC students who volunteered to help with the festivities, from left: back row, Eric Zirneskie, Alec Bollinger, Thomas Moran, April Emanuel, Casey Honeywell, Lorin Delgros, Jake Rafidi, Jared Hideg and Justin Beck; front row, Matthew McIntire, Patrick Levelle, MSG Pat Billett (Alumni Board Member and ROTC Assistant Instructor), Adam Hoover and Joe Geiser.

SPRING 2013 29

’50sBruno E. DeMolli of

Raleigh, N.C., ’51 BSBA, retired in December after 27 years as a staff auditor with the North Carolina State Bar, where he was responsible for ensuring that lawyers complied with State Bar rules regarding the maintenance of their trust accounts. Previously, he retired as a special agent with the Naval Investigative Service, where he served for 23 years.

’60sHarold L. Durkin of Boardman, ’62 BS

in chemistry, recently relocated to the Boardman area from Connecticut. He will continue working as a consultant for companies introducing new products and university professors developing startup companies as the president of MDP Marketing. The company has been operating since 1995. Durkin holds a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Case Western Reserve University and his career included research, sales and marketing. Previously, he was named marketing director of Novamont North America and later served as the company’s chief operating officer.

Victor F. Fusco of Cape Coral, Fla., ’69 BA in math and physics, is the founder of the Floridian Insurance Agency, an independent agency he started after retiring from a career in business. He worked for IBM and as a project leader at YSU before being recruited by J&L Steel. He developed on-line systems for the steel company and retired from J&L Specialty Steel as chief information officer.

’70sShirley May Martin of New Orleans, ’73

BSEd, is operations project manager for the Army Reserve Yellow Ribbon program, which helps service members reintegrate to civilian life after deployment overseas. Martin retired from the Army Reserve in 2010 with 38 years of service. She was the first female from YSU to be commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve the year she graduated.

Richard Greenberg of Pittsburgh, ’74 BSBA, is a self-employed salesman who, despite becoming disabled 10 years ago when he lost the use of his dominant arm, has continued to succeed in sales. He now sells

notesclasskosher meats. Greenberg said a highlight of his career was visiting the White House during President Jimmy Carter’s term and getting to meet the president.

Joseph Carson of New York, N.Y., ’75 AB, ’76 MA, director of global economic research at Alliance Research, was the featured speaker in February for two presentations on the YSU campus sponsored by the Williamson College of Business Administration. Carson, who also holds a Ph.D. from Georgetown Washington University, oversees an economic analysis team for AllianceBernstein Fixed Income. Previously, he was chief economist of the Americas for UBS Warburg, and before that served as chief U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank.

Michele Trucksis of Boston, ’75 BS, has been named executive director, Infectious Diseases, Project Leadership and Management, at Merck Research Laboratories in Boston. Trucksis also holds a Ph.D. in biochemistry from Kent State University, earned her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University Medical School and is board certified in internal medicine and infectious diseases.

Linda Gooden of Bethesda, Md., ’77 AAS in computer technology, was elected to the boards of directors for WGL Holdings and Washington Gas, headquartered in Washington, D.C. Gooden, who also holds a BSBA and an MBA from the University of Maryland, announced her plans to retire April 1 as executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Corp’s Information & Global Solutions and from the company on May 1. She was inducted into the prestigious Career Communications Hall of Fame in 2011 and President Obama appointed her to the National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee in 2010. Fortune magazine named her one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business in 2010, and Black Enterprise magazine featured her in its 100 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America in 2009.

’80sGeorge R. Garcher of Youngstown, ’80 BA

in geography, has been named executive director of Catholic Charities serving

Portage and Stark Counties, an affiliate of the Diocese of Youngstown Catholic Charities Corp. Garcher, who also holds master’s degrees in geography and in community planning from the University of Cincinnati, has been part of the Catholic Charities leadership team for more than a decade. He joined the agency as executive director of housing opportunities in 1999.

Nanette Lepore of New York, N.Y., ’83 BSBA, a well-known and respected fashion designer, launched a new clothing line in February designed specifically for teenage girls. The line, which she labeled “L’amour Nanette Lepore,” is available exclusively at J.C. Penney stores nationwide and online at jcp.com, part of the retailer’s new merchandising strategy. Lepore, who also earned a degree from the New York Fashion Institute of Technology, has stores in several major cities around the world. She is married to a YSU grad, Robert Savage, ’78 BFA.

Timothy Fitzpatrick of San Francisco, ’85 AB in journalism, has been named vice president, corporate relations, and chief communications officer for San Francisco-based Pacific Gas and Electric Co., where he will oversee the company’s internal and external communications and advertising. Previously, Fitzpatrick served since 2008 as vice president of marketing and corporate communications for NextEra Energy and as an officer of Florida Power & Light Co. His three decades of experience has included a succession of corporate communication positions, and he began his career as a newspaper reporter for The Vindicator in Youngstown.

Kelly R. Wilmouth of Rochester, N.Y., ’88 BS in nursing, recently joined Genesee Valley Obstetrics and Gynecology as the group’s sole nurse practitioner. Previously, she

Bruno E. DeMolli

Linda Gooden

Nanette Lepore

Tim Fitzpatrick

Kelly R. Wilmouth

30 YOUNGSTOWN STATE UNIVERSITY

spent 19 years as an Ob/GYN nurse practitioner for Planned Parenthood.

Michael J. Rubish of Wendell, N.C., ’83 AA in liberal arts, is a district sales manager for the Briggs and Stratton Corp. He has a BS in agricultural business management from North Carolina State University and recently returned to North Carolina after a successful sales career in Florida.

’90sSherry Greenburg of Hermitage,

Pa., ’90 BSN, has been named director of nursing at the Sharon Regional Health System’s School of Nursing. Previously, she was assistant director and curriculum coordinator for the school since 2001, and before that she was an instructor, a staff nurse, and a licensed practical nurse on the medical-surgical units. Currently a doctoral student in the nurse practitioner program at Waynesburg University, Greenburg received her MSN degree from Gannon University in Erie and completed the practical nursing program at Mercer County Vocational Center.

Patrick Valentino of Red Oak, Texas, ’96 BSBA, is a quality, health, safety, environmental and business manager for Hunting Energy Services, a company that supplies explosives for the oil and natural gas fracking industry.

Tammy(Collins)Fordof Oakland, Tenn., ’97 BS in criminal justice, has been promoted to warden in Corrections Corporation of America’s West Tennessee Detention Facility in Mason, Tenn. She joined CCA in 1997 as a correctional officer in the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center in Youngstown, and during her career she also served as a correctional counselor, unit manager, compliance coordinator and assistant warden of programs and operations. More recently, she was named assistant warden at Hardeman County Correctional Facility and held the same position at Northeast Ohio, Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility and Whiteville Correctional Facility in Whiteville, Tenn. before accepting her new position.

Lori A. Pittman of Westlake, Ohio, ’97 BSBA in management, was one of five attorneys elected to partnership in the law firm of Ulmer & Berne, effective Jan. 1. Based in the firm’s Cleveland office, she focuses her practice on real estate and business law. Pittman was recently selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America 2013, a highly regarded referral publication, and was named an Ohio Rising Star by Super Lawyers and by The Best Lawyers in America. After completing her undergraduate degree at YSU, she earned her law degree from the University of Akron School of Law.

Sherry Greenburg

Lori A. Pittman

Anita DeVivo

Anita DeVivo of New Castle, Pa., ’58 BA in English, has published a three-book series for Arcadia Publishing focused on the history of Western Pennsylvania. A self-employed editor who holds an MA from Brandeis University, DeVivo had already celebrated her 75th birthday when she published the first book in her latest book series, which includes the titles New Castle

and Mahoningtown, Lawrence County and Cascade Park. DeVivo previously published other books and journals, including the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. She is a co-founder of the international Society for Scholarly Publishing and serves as a volunteer with Lawrence County's library and historical society.

Jill Ann Harrison of Eugene, Ore., ’00 BA in sociology, said she drew from her experiences growing up in Youngstown when she compared the experiences of steel workers to those of shrimp fishers in Louisiana for her book, titled Buoyancy on the Bayou: Shrimpers Face the Rising Tide of Globalization and published by Cornell University Press. She has been an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Oregon since 2009, after earning her Ph.D. from Ohio State University.

After more than two decades of conducting research in central Cyprus, P. Nick Kardulias of Wooster, Ohio, has co-edited a book, Crossroads and Boundaries: The Archaeology of Past and Present in the Malloura Valley, Cyprus, based on his research. The book was published in 2012 by American Schools of Oriental Research. A professor of anthropology and archaeology at the College of Wooster, Kardulias earned a BA in anthropology and history at YSU in 1974 and an MA in history in 1977; he also holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University. He is president of the Central States

Anthropological Society and conducts archaeological research in Greece and Ohio.

Steven Ray Ozanich of Warren, ’91 MBA in finance, has written a self-published book, titled The Great Pain Deception: Faulty Medical Advice Is Making Us Worse, that won recognition in the International Book Awards. It was named a runner-up in the Best New Health Book category and a finalist in the Health: Alternative Medicine category. Ozanich said the book is selling in eight countries and was cited recently in an article in Forbes magazine.

William J. Topich of Little Rock, Ark., ’86 BSEd in social science education and history, has co-authored his first book, The History of Myanmar, published by Greenwood Press. The book provides a detailed historical overview of Myanmar, also known as Burma and the largest country in Indochina. Previously, Topich authored "Cambodia in the Vietnam War" as part of the book The Vietnam War: A History of the Research and Literature. He is chair of social science at Pulaski Academy, a college prep academy in Little Rock, Ark., and is also an adjunct instructor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Alumni Authors:Research Leads to Publications

Class Notes

Tammy Ford

SPRING 2013 31

named a partner in the law firm of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP. Gurbach, who earned his law degree with a concentration in litigation from Case Western Reserve University Law School, is working in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. He has represented clients as first-chair trial counsel in courtrooms across Ohio, as lead counsel in numerous appellate courts and before the American Arbitration Association.

Anthony Vross of Canfield, ’01 BSBA in accounting, was appointed to the board of directors for Cortland Bancorp and for the Cortland Savings and Banking Company. Vross is owner of Simon Roofing and has 28 years of experience in executive administration, manufacturing, operations, distributions and sales and

Class Notes

Christine Kays

Christine Kays of Shenango Township, Pa., ’98 AAS, ’07 BSN joined Jameson Health System in New Castle as director of nursing in the transitional care unit at Jameson Hospital. A registered nurse, she earned her BS in nursing from YSU and has experience in progressive cardiac care, critical care, medical intensive care and neuroscience intensive care.

Amy Garchar Schuler of Richmond Hill, Ga., ’99 BS in environmental studies and ’05 MS in biology, is employed as a lab manager in the Marsh Vegetation Research Lab at Savannah State University & South University and as a research assistant/lab manager in the Department of Natural Sciences. Previously, she was a naturalist at Mill Creek MetroParks in Youngstown, served as a web editor for the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9 in San Francisco, Calif., and worked as an environmental scientist for Environmental Services & Consultants in Youngstown. She also taught advanced placement biology at YSU, and now teaches at Central Texas College, at the Savannah campus of the University of Phoenix, at Savannah State University and at the Savannah campus of South University.

Jhera L. Bundy Woodard of Columbus, ’99 BS in Nursing, has been named director of quality improvement for Buckeye Community Health Plan. Buckeye is a managed healthcare organization serving Medicaid and Medicare members across Ohio. Woodard joined the company at its inception in 2004 and she has more than 10 years experience in the managed healthcare industry. She earned an MS in nursing and an MBA in healthcare management from the University of Phoenix. She also serves on the board of Fountain of Restoration, a nonprofit organization that assists and empowers at-risk young women.

’00sMatthew D. Gurbach of Cleveland, ’00 AB

in history and American studies, has been

marketing. He invented the Fume Recovery System, in use nationwide by schools, food processing plants, hospitals, and other odor sensitive environments, has developed many other innovative concepts and technologies for the roofing industry and has authored several articles in national publications. He is also a trustee and president of Glaciers Sports Inc.

Leslie Wagner of

Fredericktown, Ohio, ’04 BA in American studies, has been hired as staff historian at the Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio. Wagner, who earned an MA at Bowling Green State University, previously was employed at the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.

Sara Roth of Austintown, ’05 BA in telecommunications, is a news producer for WEWS NewsChannel 5 in Cleveland, where she was awarded a National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 2012 Emmy Award for best evening newscast. She was nominated in the category of best weekend newscast in the Lower Great Lakes Region.

Matthew Gurbach

Anthony Vross

Leslie Wagner

Jhera L. Bundy Woodard

Alumni Authors:

Alumni Publish Books for Children

Retired from a career working with low-performing schools in upstate New York, Wendell W. Harris of Albany, N.Y., has published a children’s book, titled Elton’s Shoes, about an inner city boy who struggles with older boys bullying him and peers belittling him. Harris completed his BA in sociology at YSU in 1963 and earned an MA in teaching from Case Western Reserve University and an MA in African and Afro-American studies at SUNY-Albany. He retired from the New York State Education Department in 2003.

YSU alumnus Michael C. Glorioso Jr. of New Castle, Pa., is marketing ClamLand Children’s Books, a series of books he’s written under the pseudonym Michael Holiday. The former owner of Glorioso Builders, he earned his BSBA in 1998 and until recently was employed by Infocision in New Castle. Glorioso said he was forced to retire last year when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. He decided to return to working on the book series, which he created in 1987, and plans to donate a portion of book sale proceeds to the Michael J. Fox Foundation. The books are available at clamlandbooks.com.

Amy Garchar Schuler

Michael Glorioso

WendellHarris

32

Gina Abrams Ughiovhe

Ashley Basile Oeken

David Kovacs

Krystle Kimes

Emily Marshall

Ryan Skelly

Roth joined WEWS in 2007 and previously worked at WYTV in Youngstown.

Samuel DiRocco II of Leetonia, Ohio, ’06 MA in history, teaches history at Notre Dame College, Ashland University, the University of Toledo, and Lourdes University. DiRocco earned his Ph.D. in history from UT after successfully defending his doctoral dissertation titled “In the Shadow of Steel: Leetonia, Ohio and Independent Iron Manufacturers in the Mahoning and Shenango Valleys, 1845-1920.” He earned a BA in history from Ashland University and then earned his master’s degree under the direction of the late Holocaust scholar Dr. Saul S. Friedman.

Gina Abrams Ughiovhe of Bladensburg, Md., ’06 BSEd in prekindergarten through grade three education, recently received her master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages from Grand Canyon University. She joined the Prince George’s County Public School system six years ago, where she is employed as a kindergarten teacher at Dodge Park Elementary School.

Ashley Basile Oeken of North Olmsted, Ohio, ’07 BSBA in marketing management, ’08 MBA, is the new executive director of Engage! Cleveland, a community initiative to attract, retain, engage and empower young professionals in the Greater Cleveland area.

David Kovacs of Austintown, ’09 BSBA in accounting, was recently promoted to assistant vice president, commercial lending and portfolio management, for Cortland Banks. He will serve as community banking manager/business banking officer in the Vienna office. Kovacs joined the bank four years ago and previously served as a credit analyst.

Alumni Authors:

Taking A Novel ApproachOn the Fly is the title of the hockey romance

novel that Katie Kenyhercz of Boardman, ’07 BA, ’10 MA, published through Crimson Romance, a division of F+W Media, and released in March. The book, her first novel, is available from Amazon.com, and a print-on-demand version is also planned. Kenyhercz has been working on the story since her YSU student days. She did a screenplay version of the book as a graduate student and worked on a scene from the novel in a fiction-writing workshop. Kenyhercz earned a BA in professional writing and editing at YSU and an MA in English, and she expects to complete an MFA this summer on the writing of popular fiction at Seton Hill University.

Dennis Tenwalde of South Hutchinson Island, Fla., is a 29-year veteran of law enforcement who drew from his experience

as a white collar and organized crime investigator to write a crime novel, Killer Moon, set in Palm Beach, Fla. and available at Amazon.com. Now retired, Tenwalde spent his career in Ohio and South Florida, where he was investigator-in-charge of white collar and organized crime. He earned his BS in criminal justice at YSU in 1987 and also holds a master’s degree from the University of Dayton.

’10sKrystle Kimes of Warren,

Ohio, ’11 BA in telecommunications, minor in journalism, is a news producer for television stations WKBN, WYFX, WYTV and MyYTV, all in Youngstown. Kimes worked at WYSU-FM and The Jambar during college, and then was employed as a video journalist for the Youngstown Business Journal before she was hired by her present employer. She also interned for the TV station group for six months as a student.

Dennis Tenwalde

Emily Marshall of Atwater, Ohio, ’11 BSEd, is employed as an admissions counselor at Thiel College in Greenville, Pa., where she recruits and assists prospective students and families through the admission and financial aid process. She will be working toward a master’s degree in higher education next spring.

Ryan Skelly of Austintown, ’12 BSBA in accounting and finance, was hired as a full-time credit analyst for Cortland Banks.

Class Notes

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Youngstown College students enjoy doughnuts at the annual Bare Brunch in this photo taken from the 1952 edition of The Neon yearbook. A springtime tradition in the 1940s and ’50s, the Bare Brunch was named after John Bare, a beloved faculty and staff member at Youngstown College from 1928 to 1964 who was best known for his love for students. Held yearly in April or May, the event got its start as a breakfast for first-year students, but Bare expanded it into a campus-wide picnic, always held at Mill Creek Park and including a faculty-student baseball game. One freshman handbook from that era referred to Bare as “a professor who sympathized with victims of spring fever.” He started at YC as a registrar, later he taught Psychology and English, and when World War II ended he was hired by the federal government to work with the returning veterans as a counselor.

Bare Brunch, 1952