Before joining the UAEF and UAAA offices, Joanie was very involved as a volunteer in the UA Schools system. She and her husband, Glen '77, have three children, Sarah Jane '06, Teddy '09, and Abby '12 who are also Barrington and Jones grads. As their children traveled through the school system, Joanie served on both Barrington's PTO Executive Board and Jones PTO Executive Board twice. She co-chaired the Clown Around Silent Auction, and served as program chair for Jones Fall Production several years. Both Joanie and Glen were happily involved in whatever Jones and UAHS sports teams their children were on and have served as captains' parents 11 times. On a larger scale, Joanie has either been the general co-chair or committee chair for six school levy or bond issue campaigns over the past 16 years.

Joanie started working in UAEF offices in early 2002 and assumed the leadership in the summer of 2006. She is the link between UAEF donors and UAAA alums and the schools district, students and staff.

We greatly appreciate all that Joanie does to enhance the connections among our alumni and to lead the UAEF and UAAA in their missions.

The 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award is being presented to Dr. David Cromer, '53, who is an Obstretician/Gynecologist and an alum of Ohio Wesleyan University, and Northwestern University Medical School. He is an Emeritus Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern, and practiced his specialty in Evanston, IL, for 35 years. He has received several Alumni and Faculty awards from Northwestern.

Since retiring from active practice and Department Chairman of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Evanston Northwestern Healthcare (in 2000), he has been a volunteer physician at a clinic for the uninsured, and on medical mission trips to developing countries. Membership in Rotary has provided opportunities through International Service to visit and partner with clubs overseas to send supplies to a hospital in Papua New Guinea and resulting in Humanitarian Matching Grants to equip a medical facility in Ghana and a Dental clinic in Ecuador.

He has served on the Boards of Directors of a hospital system, a medical liability insurance company, and non medical, not for profit organizations. His current medical interests are to help the medically underserved and indigent populations here and abroad; and to promote healthy prevention of diseases.

Dave is married to Betsey (Johnson), a UAHS 1953 classmate, for 53 years. They have 3 married children and 6 granchildren. Boating, tennis, golf, and church activities still provide enjoyment. They reside in central FL, and spend summer to early fall in south central WI near Madison.

Randy Skinner, UAHS Class of 1970, has received his third nomination for a Tony Award. This year it is for his choreography in Irving Berlin's White Christmas, the stage adaptation of the beloved classic film. Even with a short run of six weeks, the musical was the top grossing show on Broadway for three weeks in a row, even beating out Wicked and Billy Elliot.

Randy was nominated for a Tony in 1993 for Best Choreography in Ain't Broadway Grand, and again in 2001 for his work on 42nd Street. His has also earned numerous other awards and distinctions for his choreography and stage direction, including two nominations for Drama Desk Awards for choreography.

In addition to his work on Broadway, Randy also teaches choreography and serves as a guest instructor on several campuses nationwide.

Randy was Valedictorian of the Class of 1970 and graduated Cum Laude from The Ohio State University.

July, 2009: Those who live in Upper Arlington have been following the story of 2009 alum Blake Haxton, an outstanding student and star rower on the UAHS Crew Team. In March, Blake suddenly became terribly ill with what turned out to be necrotizing faciitis, also known as flash-eating bacteria. As a result of the infection, Blake lost both of his legs and nearly lost his life. He is recovering, but is still in the hospital.

The Columbus Dispatch web site has a video about Blake, which you can see here. In it you see the bravery of a young man who, through his strength, his faith, his determination, and the support of a loving family and a community who truly cares, has become a hero in our town of Upper Arlington.

See the video about Blake Haxton.

Read the June 11 article about Blake.

See the feature about Blake and his family on Glenn Beck - Palestra.net: June 15
   

Upper Arlington High School now has its own coffee shop, located in the East Cafeteria and operated by students. UA Rise Café opened on April 7 and is totally donor-funded. Open to students and staff from 7:30 am to 8:00 am and from 10:30 am to 12:40 am, the café serves coffee drinks as well as smoothies.

Donors include the district's Innovation Council, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants (Cameron Mitchell is a UAHS alumnus, Class of 1981!), the Upper Arlington Rotary, Huffman's Market, the student council, the high school's Student Foundation, Upper Arlington Career Development and staff members. They have partnered with local coffee roaster Crimson Cup, which supplies materials, training and ongoing support to the students. Money also was raised from mug sales.

See the article in the Columbus Dispatch about UA Rise Café
    

As an alumnus of UAHS, you can nominate a former teacher for this distinguished honor! The next Hall of Fame induction will take place in the fall of 2009. Simply complete the Nomination Form and send it to Educators Hall of Fame, 1650 Ridgeview Road, Columbus OH 43221. Thank you!

The 2007 inductees into the Educators Hall of Fame are:
   

The new members of the Educators Hall of Fame join those who were inducted in 2005: Robert Ginther, Lester Jackson, Richard Larkin, Vera K. Randall, and Charles Will.

The new honorees were recognized at halftime during the September 28 UAHS football game, and on Monday, October 8 at 5:30 pm, and they will again be recognized at the UA School Board meeting, to be held at the Central Office, 1950 North Mallway.

Congratulations to our Educators Hall of Fame inductees!

Upper Arlington High School Principal Kip Greenhill was a guest on the NBC Today Show on Wednesday, September 3. He addressed the issue of how parents and students can best deal with a difficult teacher.

Interviewed by Matt Lauer, and accompanied by Michelle Borba of iVillage.com, Mr. Greenhill emphasized the importance of working as a team with parents, the teacher, the principal and also the child. He stressed that the school and the parents have the same common goal: the success of the student. Forming a plan and then revisiting the issue a couple of weeks later is a strategy that often works, Greenhill said.

Dr. Rosenow is the emeritus Arthur M. and Gladys D. Gray Professor of Medicine and emeritus chair of the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at the Mayo Clinic.

During a Mayo Clinic career spanning more than 30 years, Dr. Rosenow was internationally recognized for providing superb care to patients and advancing the progress of medical scholarship. He is a master fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American College of Chest Physicians, of which he is past president.

After graduating from Upper Arlington High School, Dr. Rosenow earned B.S. and M.D. degrees at The Ohio State University, and his M.S. degree at the University of Minnesota.

A specialist in thoracic disease, Dr. Rosenow held numerous leadership positions at Mayo Clinic and within his specialty field. Among his many honors was his election to the president of the Mayo Clinic Staff and membership in the Mayo Fellows Hall of Fame of Outstanding Teachers. Dr. Rosenow is the recipient of the Karis Award and the Mayo Distinguished Alumni Award. He retired from Mayo Clinic in 1996.

The UAHS Class of 1952 has recognized and honored their classmate's accomplishments. Along with grateful patients, co-workers, family, and friends, contributions of nearly $1.4 million have been made to the Mayo Clinic Cancer Genetics Program in Honor of Edward C. Rosenow, M.D. Combined with investment returns, the fund's value is almost $2 million and provides annual funds for a researcher in cancer genetics at Mayo Clinic.

The UAAA salutes Dr. Rosenow for his outstanding dedication, leadership and contributions to the field of medicine and medical research. We are so very proud to claim you as one of our own!

Fall, 2007

Thanks to you, our eBay auctions for the UA Cheerleader Sweaters brought in $1300.50 for the UAHS Cheerleading Program, so that the girls can have new sweaters next fall. We appreciate your interest and participation in the auctions!

This "Block A" sweater design dates back to the early 1970's, and has become an easily-recognizable symbol of the spirit of the Golden Bears through the decades. Recently Coach Hayes expanded the number of cheerleaders, and it is time to purchase new sweaters.

These auctions raised $1300.50 toward that goal, so THANK YOU to everyone who visited and placed a bid on these 12 auctions! We appreciate you!
  

The UAAA is proud to announce that THE Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus, Class of 1957, has been named UAAA's 2007 Distinguished Alumnus. Known worldwide for his achievements in golf, Jack grew up in UA and won the first of five consecutive Ohio State Junior titles at the age of 12, and won the Ohio State Open in 1956, at the age of 16, competing against professionals. At OSU, Jack won the US Amateur title in both 1959 and 1960, and an NCAA championship in 1961.

Jack's first professional victory was in 1962, when he triumphed over Arnold Palmer in the US Open; Jack remains the youngest winner of this event. In 163 career starts, Jack had 18 wins, 19 second-place finishes, and 46 top-3 finishes. He has established an unparalleled presence in golfing history.

Jack Nicklaus has given back to the Central Ohio community in a tangible way through the Memorial Golf Tournament, benefiting Children's Hospital and other charities such as Fore Hope, The James cancer Hospital, Wolfe Associates, The First Tee, Central Ohio Junior Golf Association, Shriners and the Lions Club, among others.

The Distinguished Alumnus Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding achievement both professionally and personally, and Jack Nicklaus, whose Class of 1957 will celebrate its 50-year reunion this 4th of July, personifies success in all areas of his life. Congratulations to our own Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus!

What would our beloved UA 4th of July parade be without the Spirit of '76 fife and drum corps to call our attention to the commencement of the parade? Since 1935, four generations of the Murphy, Long, and Kidwell families have led the parade, dressed in Revolutionary War costumes while keeping in step with the drummer.

This year's parade theme is "Traveling Through the Generations," and this extended family has proudly traveled through the generations as leaders of our annual parade, as well as leaders of our community. Congratulations to the following men who have participated in the Spirit of '76 since its beginning in 1937: Dr. Link Murphy, Sr (D).; Dr. Robert Murphy, '40 (D); James Long, '45 (D); Bob Kidwell; Jim Long, '69; Bob Long, '71; Link Murphy, '73; Mark Murphy, '75; Scott Kidwell, '77; Mark Kidwell, '79; Eric Kidwell, '82; Andy Long, '05; Jimmy Long, '05; and Tanner Murphy, '07.

Members of the Murphy, Long and Kidwell families have not only served our community through their musical talents, but also through various sporting groups. Jim Long has had an impact on innumerable residents through his work as minister at First Community Church, and Bob Long's company is working hard to redevelop the Kingsdale area.

The Outstanding Alumnus Award is given to an alum who has dedicated his or her time to the service of UAAA and its mission. These families have devoted their efforts individually and as a group for generations.

George Fitzgerald Smoot III, a 1962 graduate of Upper Arlington High School, visited his alma mater on Thursday, April 12 and addressed an auditorium filled with science, physics and mathematics students. Smoot was honored with the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physics this past October.

Smoot and his colleague, John Mather, were able to capture images of the infant universe, revealing small irregularities in the temperature of the radiation emitted by the Big Bang. Scientists had been hunting for these ripples for decades because without them, today's galaxies and other celestial bodies couldn't have resulted from a colossal explosion, and the Big Bang theory would be off base.

Smoot, 61, a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, made the move to Berkeley Lab in 1974 to work with Nobel-Prize-winning physicist Luis Alvarez. Alvarez encouraged him to think big, and soon Smoot was on the trail of the radiation ripples and submitted a proposal to NASA to launch a satellite to find and map the fluctuations.

Fifteen years later, he and John Mather, 60, who earned his PhD from UC Berkeley in 1974, oversaw the launch of the Cosmic Background Explorer, known as COBE. In April 1992, Smoot announced they had succeeded in finding the density wrinkles. If those wrinkles hadn't existed, the Big Bang theory would have been wrong.

After showing a video presentation of his work, including footage from the Nobel ceremony in Stockholm, Dr. Smoot answered questions from students regarding his theories, studies, and his decision to follow a career path in physics.

Dr. Smoot emphasized the importance of our ever-changing world and the effects that rapidly developing technology will have on today's students' futures, in terms of competition and knowledge. He explained that he experienced many setbacks and challenges during the course of his studies and his work, and that it was his love of the subject matter that made the journey enjoyable. He encouraged the students to apply themselves, have confidence that they can accomplish even the highest goals, and to always be skeptical - to question - because this is how new discoveries are made.

Dr. Smoot referred the audience to a web site, universeadventure.org, that explains his findings and presents his theories in a visually appealing, understandable manner.

Read the article about George Smoot in April 12's edition of The Columbus Dispatch, and look for an article featuring him in the upcoming issue of Vanity Fair magazine.

See also the April 18 Upper Arlington News article regarding Dr. Smoot's visit with students at UAHS.

Upper Arlington High School is proud of the outstanding accomplishments of our alumnus, Dr. George Smoot.

The Gold and Black put the finishing touches on a 20-1 season and climbed to 14th nationally in the Laxpower rankings with the win, their 10th state title in 16 years under Head Coach Ted Wolford who will be inducted into the Ohio Lacrosse Hall of Fame Friday June 8th at the Fawcett Center at Ohio State.

See the Men's Lacrosse Web site, read the full story, and see photos!
    

Taken by the Nazis from her home and family in Poland, Gerda gave a powerful talk to our students with her message that there is always hope and to never give up. You literally could have heard a pin drop in each auditorium as the children sat completely immersed in her compelling story.

If you have not read any of Mrs. Klein's books, we strongly recommend them. She also has been the subject of an Oscar winning HBO documentary, One Survivor Remembers. This is available at many libraries. Her book titles are: All But My Life, A Boring Evening at Home, and The Hours After. Many thanks to the great Golden Bears of '58 and '59 for their generosity!

Photo: UAEF President Christian Laver, Gerda Weissman Klein, and UAEF Board Member Brad Frick.
   

Brian Strause, who attended UA Schools through 7th grade and who would have been in the Class of 1986, was in Upper Arlington on April 2 to sign his newly published novel, Maybe a Miracle.

Brian Strause's debut novel Maybe a Miracle is set in a fictional suburb of Columbus, which turns out to be suspiciously similar to Upper Arlington. In addition to reading from the novel which People magazine praised with four (out of four) stars and called "laugh out loud funny, provocative and unique," Strause discussed what's real, what's not and that strange place between fact and fiction where the truth sometimes resides.

For alums who still live in Arlington, a great place to pick up the book is the Liberty Bookstore at the Lane Avenue shopping center. It's a great independent store owned by the Gaylords who used to own Little Professor. You can order it here from Barnes and Noble.com or you can order it here from Amazon.com. Also, you can read the first two chapters at Brian's Web site.
   

UAHS Class of 1969's George Frecker and his company, Waste Cost Recovery, were featured in the January 19, 2007 edition of Business First.

George launched his business three years ago as a result of his longtime interest in the environment, and his desire to help companies streamline their trash removal and create a comprehensive recycling program. His clients include businesses in Columbus' Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District downtown, our own Upper Arlington Schools, and Hamilton Local Schools.

The Business First article highlights George's accomplishments with his business as they pertain to cost effectiveness and environmental awareness.

Greg Miller, a 1968 graduate of Whetstone High School and Upper Arlington resident, and a longtime friend of the Freckers did the photography featured in the article. Greg Miller Photography is located at 15 East Second Avenue, Columbus OH 43201; 299-6848. Read entire article
    

Upper Arlington High School graduate Brian Klemesrud, Class of 1997, has started a film production company in Chicago entitled GALATRAX PICTURES.

The production company has produced four short pictures, all directed by Klemesrud. Galatrax Pictures is currently in the fundraising stage of the pre-production process for their next short film, Static. To be shot on 35 mm film, Galatrax Pictures' goal is to submity this short to the major film festivals here and abroad in order to achieve studio backing for the production of their feature film, The Murder of Evelyn K.

The Death of Noir, Klemesrud's first short film, was accepted into Indiefest, a Chicago-based film festival and it enjoyed a run at Chicago's historical Biograph movie thatre. Shot on a budget of $2,500 and completed in just over three years, Noir is a 23-minute short that can be viewed at ifilm.com, where it has garnered 4 and 5 star (out of 5 stars) reviews. Congratulations to our Bearalum Brian Klemesrud, pictured above in red shirt. Featured in the film is 1998 UAHS graduate Kristi Slager, pictured at right.

Please visit the Messageboard and post your comments and memories of these wonderful retired educators! Please sign in with your real name and graduation year and relate a favorite memory of that educator and indicate why you believe that he or she should be honored in the Hall of Fame.

The Selection Committee will review your comments, select the honorees later this spring, and recognize the inductees in a ceremony next fall.