Chris Amorose Groomes

Chris Amorose Groomes is a life-long Dublin resident and owner of Amorose Landscape Service. She served as mayor of Dublin from 2020 to 2022 after having served a two-year term as vice mayor. Prior to her election to City Council, Amorose Groomes served eight years on the Dublin Planning and Zoning Commission – six of those as chair.

In January 2022, she was named by the National League of Cities to serve on the Information Technology and Communications Federal Advocacy Committee. She previously served on the NLC’s Community and Economic Development Committee. As a committee member, she plays a key role among a diverse group of local leaders in shaping NLC policy positions and advocating on behalf of America’s cities and towns before Congress. Council Member Amorose Groomes also serves as vice chair for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission Executive Committee, and as an at-large member of the Central Ohio Mayors & Managers Association Board of Directors. In 2021, she was appointed to serve on the Ohio Mayors Education Advocacy Committee for the Ohio Mayors Alliance.

Her devotion to public service has included volunteering on the board of directors for Young Life Metro Columbus, coaching girls’ basketball, serving as a Big Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio and planting flowers for the Memorial Tournament benefiting Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

In 2019, she was honored as a Friend of Public Education by the Ohio School Boards Association Central Region for her demonstrated record of supporting public education.

She is a graduate of Dublin High School, where she was a member of the student council as well as being a three sport athlete in basketball, soccer and softball.  She then went on to The Ohio State University, studying horticulture and agricultural business.

Amorose Groomes and her husband, Kevin, reside in Muirfield Village with their sons Tyler and Tucker.

Michael Blaugrund, Dublin Coffman High School Class of 1996 - Distinguished Alumni

Known for his tremendous success on Wall Street, Michael Blaugrund graduated from Dublin Coffman High School in the class of 1996.  He is Chief Operating Officer of the New York Stock Exchange, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE). He is responsible for the NYSE’s equity and options trading and data businesses, including the NYSE, NYSE American, NYSE Arca and NYSE National Exchanges. 

Also at the NYSE, he oversees the NYSE/FINRA Trade Reporting Facility and NYSE Bonds fixed income exchange, as well as the Securities Industry Automation Corporation (SIAC).  In addition, he serves on the Board of Directors of tZERO, a leading digital asset platform.

Blaugrund has been Chief Operating Officer for the NYSE for three years, which is a position he worked his way up to. While with the NYSE, he also served as Head of Transactions for a year and Head of Equities for two years.

Before his work with the NYSE, Blaugrund was Director of Business Development at Tower Research Capital, where he focused on expanding the firm’s global market access and developing strategic assets. Prior to that role, Blaugrund led U.S. Equity Product Strategy at NASDAQ and held product management roles at Thomson Reuters.

Before beginning his career in finance, Blaugrund moved to New York City to work at RCA Records while pursuing his own musical recording and performance ambitions with his brother, Jordan (DCHS ’99).  This came after launching an industrial design firm in Providence and joining an internet start-up in Boston during his college years.  Blaugrund graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Government, where he was a member of the lightweight crew team, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). 

Blaugrund was very involved in high school, including being a member of the band, competing in rowing and participating in National Honor Society. He was  a member of Student Senate and also a National Merit Semifinalist.

He lives outside New York City with his wife, Julia, and four children: Jack, Henry, Ava and Rye.

Melissa Carlson, Dublin High School Class of 1991 - Distinguished Alumni Award

Melissa Carlson is a Dublin native, having attended Indian Run Elementary School, Dublin Middle School, and finally Dublin High School as a member of the Class of 1991.  She went on to attend Ohio University, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Hearing and Speech Sciences.  This led her on the path to become a substitute paraprofessional at her former Elementary School Indian Run stretching from 2012-2015.  

In 2016, she started her own business working with and supporting the community affected by Parkinson’s disease.  This business was rebranded two years later in 2018, to form pDNextSteps.  PDNextSteps is an exercise and wellness program that helps people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease to surpass their limits and be fully able to live their lives.  The programs offered by PDNextSteps not only serve people in the central Ohio area, but all around the globe.  Since 2016, PDNextSteps has grown by over 250% while relying solely on the word of mouth and satisfaction from its customers.  

The success of the programs offered by PDNextSteps has been proven through many examples, including a story revolving around a 71 year old who relied on a walker as an assisted device while having Parkinson’s disease.  Through the help of the PDNextSteps programs, by age 74 he was no longer in need of an assisting device of any kind and is able to work out all 7 days of the week!  All this success whilst beating cancer throughout that time as well!

Melissa still lives in Dublin to this day, where she has raised three children.  Nick, Amara, and Alex have all gone through and graduated from Dublin City Schools as well.  

Distinguished Alumni

Ian Burkhart - Jerome Class of 2009

Ian Burkhart has a strong drive to seek positive energy, focus on the good aspects of life and people, and utilize all available resources to improve the quality of life for himself and others, despite a spinal cord injury in 2010 that caused tetraplegia.

Burkhart's work ethic is evident through his work as president of the Ian Burkhart Foundation, which he founded in 2017. The foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports and promotes independence for individuals living with spinal cord injuries. It also holds fundraising events and awards grants. Additionally, Burkhart serves as principal of the Ian Burkhart Foundation Consulting group where he works on medical device development and strategy.

Burkhart is also a member of Unite 2 Fight Paralysis, a peer mentor for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation and a research consultant for Ohio State Medical Center & Battelle Memorial Institute. He has been selected to talk at TedX Columbus and South by Southwest and he most recently spoke at the NeuroTech 2020 Virtual conference about clinical brain computer interface applications.

In 2019, Burkhart was awarded the Pioneer Award by the Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute. He also is a 2017 recipient of the Brain Health Hero Award by the Stan & Jodi Ross Center for Brain Health Performance. The Midwest Scholastic Lacrosse Coaches Association named him coach of the year in 2012 when he was an assistant coach for Jerome, a position he held for seven years.

Burkhart has made contributions to science as well. He was the only participant in a clinical trial entitled “Reanimation in Tetraplegia,” which was conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and the Battelle Memorial Institute. He received a surgically-implanted microelectrode array that records activity from his motor cortex, uses a machine learning algorithm to decode cortical activity, and then applies functional electrical stimulation to allow him to control his wrist and hand movements. This system was the first system to use intracortical signals to control muscle stimulation in a paralyzed human. He also assisted in a survey design and development for a survey that will assess priorities, meaningful benefits and expectations for recovery with spinal cord stimulation therapy.

Click here for a video about Ian's important work.

Peter Coratola Jr. - Jerome Class of 2007

Peter Coratola Jr., Dublin Jerome Class of 2007, used his passion for entrepreneurship to establish and launch EASE Logistics Services, a multi-operational supply chain and transportation solution, in 2014.

EASE Logistics is a third-party logistics company providing services to automotive, aerospace and food and beverage companies. Coratola implemented an unparalleled response-time customer service model and strict carrier vetting process. As a result, EASE has become one of the fastest-growing companies in the area.

For his work with EASE, Coratola was named to the 40 Under 40 list in 2021 by Columbus Business First Magazine. He received a Small Business Leaders Award from the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Coratola was named the Ohio Success Award: COVID Response Executive Hero of the Year in 2020 by the Ohio Business Magazine as the most successful and consistent organization across the state.

Coratola has certainly not forgotten his roots, as he has remained in Dublin and frequently hires Dublin City Schools graduates. He also sponsors several local events and causes such as the Dublin Arts Festival, Dublin Fireworks, Welcome Warehouse Adopt-a-Family program and the Dublin Food Pantry. Additionally, Coratola was an assistant middle school lacrosse coach for six years and he serves on the District’s Business Advisory Council.

In January 2020, EASE moved to a larger, innovative location in Dublin. The new company headquarters consists of three buildings and spans close to 12,000 square feet, nearly triple the size of their previous space.

Before starting EASE Logistics, Coratola was a project manager for Innovate Hospitality, where he developed the production strategy to execute renovations for several large hotels. He also was the logistics coordinator for R2 Logistics, where he analyzed client transportation data to develop logistic strategies to reduce cost and improve service. He also was a manager of national accounts at a Fortune 500 brokerage, and now he handles critical shipments and single-sourced relationships for several Fortune 500 companies.

Coratola, a 2011 graduate of The Ohio State University with a BSBA degree in criminology and supply chain management lives in Dublin with his wife Elizabeth and their three sons, Peter, Benjamin and William.

Alex Van Krevel - Jerome Class of 2008

Alex Van Krevel rose through the ranks of the Army and achieved the rank of Captain before he was deployed to Afghanistan as the Senior Manager of Fire Support Operations in 2014-2015, where he logged over 144 combat patrols.

In Afghanistan, Van Krevel directly advised the maneuver commander and his staff on fire support matters and capabilities. He kept key personnel informed of combat progressions, pertinent situational reports and enemy activity within the area of operations. In this role, he was personally selected to work in tandem with Army Special Operations Terminal Attack Controllers. Van Krevel earned the Combat Action Badge for meritorious performance through multiple engagements with enemy forces.

Following high school, Van Krevel attended the United States Military Academy Prep School in Fort Monmouth, New Jersey and he is also a graduate of the United States Military Academy in West Point. He graduated from West Point in 2013 with a Bachelor’s degree in Management and Systems Engineering.

While at the United States Military Academy, Van Krevel served as Platoon Sergeant for the West Point Summer Garrison Regiment detail where he supervised 46 of his peers. He also served as 3rd Platoon, Golf Company, 1st BN, 1st Regiment, Platoon Leader for a semester where he managed platoon operations and personnel and he worked hand in hand with the Cadet Company Commander.

Van Krevel also used his strong work ethic and determination on the lacrosse field. He lettered all four years at Jerome and was the team’s offensive Most Valuable Player his junior and senior years. After graduation and upon acceptance into the United States Military Academy, he became a three-year starter for the Army Black Nights where he played first line offensive midfielder. In 2012, Johns Hopkins University presented Van Krevel with the Chris Gardner Award to honor the Player of the Game.

Since leaving the military, Van Krevel is a net lease retail broker for Marcus & Millichap. He has been there since 2018 and he specializes exclusively in the sale of single-tenant, net leased, retail properties nationwide. He primarily represents and advises developers, investment funds, and owner/operators.

Chris Wood - Jerome Class of 2006

In addition to being a television and movie actor, writer and producer, Chris Wood, Jerome Class of 2006, founded IDONTMIND in 2017, which has raised more than $600,000 for Mental Health America.

IDONTMIND is a mental health awareness campaign and lifestyle brand that works to defeat the stigma around mental illness. The goal is to get people talking about their minds and to generate positive messaging about mental health. The company uses clothing sales to raise money for mental health awareness, as well as start opportunities to discuss mental health.

“IDONTMIND is an awareness campaign with a mission to inspire open and honest conversations about mental health,” the company’s website says. “Simply put – we want to make talking about mental health a normal part of everyday life, giving people the confidence to ask for help when they need it. Join our campaign and say IDONTMIND talking about my mental health.”

IDONTMIND is an official program of Mental Health America, the nation's leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to promoting the overall mental health of everyone. With over 200 affiliates and associates in 42 states, 6,500 affiliate staff and over 10,000 volunteers, MHA brings over 100 years of experience and knowledge to IDONTMIND.

Outside of IDONTMIND, Wood stays busy as an actor, writer and director. After graduating from Elon University in 2010, he went on tour playing the lead role in  Spring Awakening the rock musical  before starting his work in film and television, where he’s best known for his roles in Supergirl, The Vampire Diaries, and Containment. Chris voices the role of “He-Man” in the upcoming Netflix animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, playing opposite Sarah Michelle Gellar and Mark Hamill. His latest short film, Snowshoe (which he wrote and directed), will be premiering at a festival later this year. Currently, Chris is writing a feature for Paramount+, and he has another feature in development with Brad Pitt’s production company, Plan B Entertainment. 

Wood now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son.

Young Alumni Achievement Award

Tanner Barton - Jerome Class of 2013

An avid swim coach and diabetes advocate, Tanner Barton, Jerome Class of 2013, tirelessly works to educate and empower others.

Diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 8 years old, Barton has refused to be defined by the disease. He is vital to the outreach, fundraising and advocacy efforts for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). In 2009, Barton attended Children’s Congress in Washington, D.C. and then in 2013, he became the youngest individual to sit on the inaugural, international JDRF T1D Voices Council. Currently, he represents JDRF on the international Novo Nordisk DEEP task force. He has been to Copenhagen, Denmark several times to help pharmaceutical companies focus on patient centricity in decision-making processes.

Additionally, Barton engages in diabetes research. His most recent research identifies major social media themes in the online diabetes community and the research team findings were published in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology (Nov. 2018). Barton also helped to edit the College Diabetes Survival Guide in 2014.  

Barton graduated summa cum laude from Ball State University in May 2017, where he was an Honors College student-athlete who double-majored in Health Science and Spanish. He was an NCAA Division I varsity swimmer, two-time team captain and four year conference finalist in the 200 Butterfly. Upon graduating from Ball State, Barton earned the Bob James Memorial Award, which is awarded to the MAC student-athlete of the year with special emphasis on leadership, character and citizenship. Barton then graduated in 2019 with a Master of Science in Exercise Science with a concentration in Sport Performance. He also holds active credentials as a Certified Health Education Specialist.

Following his career as a student-athlete, Barton transitioned to collegiate coaching.  He first became a head men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach at 23 years old at Anderson University. There, Barton coached the program’s first conference champion and under his guidance, the men were recognized as a Scholar All-America Team – the first in program history. Now the head coach at John Carroll University, Barton’s teams finished the season with undefeated records.

Outstanding Service Award

Stephen & Carolyn Francis

Stephen and Carolyn Francis have been instrumental in developing the conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion in the Dublin area, specifically at Dublin Jerome High School during the school’s early years.

Stephen and Carolyn’s two sons, Stephen and John, attended Jerome and the parenting pair spearheaded a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion that brought a long term positive impact to the entire Jerome community. They began by hosting meetings at their home for parents of black and multiracial students who were attending Jerome. In addition to parent meetings, many of the students met in their house as well to get to know each other and form a solid bond.

Mr. and Mrs. Francis also used the power of connection to help better the Jerome community. They were visible, positive influences at Jerome by being active in their sons’ activities and they fostered positive relationships with many Jerome parents and booster groups. They also enlisted the help of Dr. Antoinette Miranda, a professor at The Ohio State University who specializes in social justice and its relation to academic success.

“Their expertise and positive communication with our Jerome community truly impacted Jerome then and now,” fellow Hall of Fame inductee and former Jerome Principal Cathy Sanky said. “We truly dedicated ourselves, with Stephen and Carolyn’s leadership and support, to ensure diversity, equity and inclusion in our school communities, clubs and organizations and became purposeful and mindful in our awards and recognitions.”

Mr. Francis is the founder, president and strategist of Franchise D&I Solutions, LLC, which is a diversity consulting firm. He provides public and private sector solutions to organizations based on 35 years of experience in the areas of workforce diversity, supplier diversity, diverse community outreach and engagement, diverse communications and public relations, diverse government relations and the use of diversity scorecards and metrics. In this role, Mr. Francis has led Dublin City Schools staff members through diversity training.

Mrs. Francis is a successful business person as President and CEO of Williams Interior Designs. She has won the Fast 50 business award from Columbus Business First five times, which is an award that recognizes some of the fastest growing local companies. 

Cathy Sankey

After 15 years as an English and Language Arts teacher at middle and high school levels in Centerburg, Lexington and Hilliard Schools, Sankey began her administrative career as an assistant principal at Dublin Coffman High School in 2000-2004. Sankey then moved to Jerome in 2004, the inaugural year for the school, as an assistant principal, a position she held for two years.

Sankey became the principal of Jerome in 2006 and she held that position for nine years until 2015. With Sankey at the helm, Jerome quickly elevated to a premiere high school. The school was named a National Blue Ribbon School, received a National Professional Learning Community (PLC) at Work School Award in 2013, and earned the designation as one of America’s best high schools in Newsweek, US News and World Report and the Daily Beast for multiple years.

Jerome students thrived while Sankey was on the administrative team. The building has had the most National Merit Semi-finalists in Ohio for multiple years and it earned the Programme for International Student Assessment highest achievement designation in 2010. The students have also combined for AP Scholars, AP Scholars with Honors and AP Scholar with Distinction designations, multiple perfect ACT scores, and many International Baccalaureate diplomas.

In addition to student achievement, Sankey had a strong team that she led while at Jerome. Tom McDonnell, Bob Scott, Andy Wilkinson, Matt Sachtleben, Mike Aurin, Forrest Trisler and Richard Bailey are all principals or administrators now, with several still serving in the District.

Currently, Sankey is the thought leader, founder and president of See. Believe. Do. LLC, a leadership consultant company, which she founded in 2016. She currently serves as Leadership Consultant for Ability Matters, a Dublin company that serves students and adults with neurological and developmental disabilities. She still is involved in education with presentations and workshops and she holds several positions with The Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology.

Sankey is a 35-year resident of Dublin with her husband Jeff. Her daughter, Jennifer, is a teacher and graduate of Dublin City Schools and her granddaughter, Marisol, is a first-grader this fall.

Distinguished Alumni

Greg Garvey - Dublin Scioto High School Class of 2000

Greg Garvey graduated from Dublin Scioto High School in 2000 where he served as captain of the lacrosse team, led them to a state championship, and participated in multiple clubs to include Physics Club and National Honors Society. 

Mr. Garvey attended the United States Naval Academy from 2000-2004 where he played for both the varsity and club lacrosse teams. He led the club team to a national championship in 2003 and served as the team president in 2004. He also tutored math and physics, served as a squad leader, administration officer, and the Physics Club Vice President. He graduated with a B.S. in Physics in 2004 and went to Nuclear Power School as a submarine officer. In 2019 he earned his MBA in Innovation Management from Regent University. He is currently pursuing a Joint Professional Military Education certificate, similar to a civilian project management professional (PMP) certification.

As a civilian in the Navy, Greg worked as a physicist on Special Operations Command (SOCOM) electro-optics, testing and evaluating laser systems and sensors. In his spare time, he coached Indiana University’s Club Lacrosse team. In 2015, he and his family moved to Washington D.C. where he is the Director for Explosive Ordnance Disposal Underwater Programs. Falling under his responsibilities include emergency response robotic systems and magnetic field manipulation. He is also chairman of the Underwater Explosive Safety Working Group, focused on mitigating any blast effects on both combat divers and civilians affected by threats such as waterborne IEDs (Improvised Explosive Device). He is also chairman of the Maritime Technology Transfer Working Group, seeking underleveraged stakeholders with relevant intellectual property and helping to develop it into a product and field it to the warfighter.

In the Navy Reserves he has specialized in technology test and evaluation. While at the Office of Naval Research he earned the Officer of the Year for his work in autonomous systems and STEM outreach such being a judge for First Lego League competitions. At a strategic NATO Center of Excellence, he continued his autonomous systems work by advising the integration of unmanned systems into joint allied tactics; he received the Joint Service Commendation Medal for this work. Currently he serves as the US Northern Command Maritime Operations Center Fires Officer, analyzing forces to recommend target prioritization and neutralization methods. This requires leading a cross-functional team of Intelligence Officers, weapons experts, communications experts and Cyberwarfare Officers to create and document various Courses of Action in all likely scenarios for a given theater of war to reference in the event of any such scenario.

Greg has been married to his beautiful wife Katelyn for 10 years and have two amazing children--Grace, 3 years old, and Connor, 6 months old.

Tom Landry - Dublin High School Class of 1992

Since graduating from Dublin High School in 1992, Thomas Landry has covered a lot of ground during his professional career.  At Dublin High School, Tom was an all-conference baseball player.  He is a graduate of Miami University, where he was a member of the Sigma Nu Fraternity and frequent volunteer in the Oxford community.  He was the 1996 winner of the Miami University Volunteer Spirit Award for his work at the Community Crisis and Counseling Center, working with at-risk members of the community.  He earned a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice (1997) from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts as well as Master’s Degree in Homeland Security Studies (2017) from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, where he completed his thesis entitled “Embracing the Devil – An Analysis of the Formal Adoption of Red Teaming in the Security Planning for Major Events.”

His work with the government has taken him all over the world and he shows no signs of slowing down.  Tom’s career with the federal government began in El Centro, California as an agent with the United States Border Patrol in 1997.  Though far from Ohio, that did not stop Tom from routinely coming back to visit his friends and family in the Dublin area. 

In 2000, Tom returned to the Midwest as a Special Agent with the United States Secret Service in Detroit, Michigan.  After working in the Detroit Field Office, Tom transferred to Washington, D.C. and completed multiple assignments to include the Dignitary Protective Division, Presidential Protective Division, and the Special Operations Division/Airspace Security Branch.  He was fortunate enough to have served on the Presidential Protective Division during both the President Bush and President Obama administrations.

After D.C., Tom went to Dallas, Texas to the George W. Bush Protective Division as the Deputy Special Agent in Charge.  In early 2020, Tom was promoted to the Special Agent in Charge of the St. Louis Field Office in St. Louis, Missouri.  During his career, Tom has been privileged enough to travel to more than 40 countries on six continents on behalf of the agency.   

Tom was fortunate to have met his wife, Dr. Suja Nair, while assigned to Washington, D.C.  The couple have two children, a son and a daughter, and the entire family shares the “travel bug”.

Vickie (Voeller) Easterday - Dublin High School Class of 1970

Vickie (Voeller) Easterday graduated from Dublin High School in 1970 and went on to become instrumental in the Ronald McDonald House Charities and she continued to serve her community.

Easterday was a member of the Ronald McDonald House Charities for 30 years, serving as a President of the Board on two separate occasions. She was a pillar of the annual Golf Classic, served on the Sporting Clays Committee and created and managed the Share-A-Night program at the RMH. She worked to create and sell the RMHC Cookbook that raised thousands of dollars throughout the years. Easterday secured Coach Jim Tressel and Coach Thad Matta to write the end of the year appeals and helped almost triple the revenue created by the appeals.

The Dublin grad was instrumental in the Ronald McDonald House expansion, making it the largest RMHC House in the world. She was honored with a plaque hanging at the RMH that reads:

"Vickie embodied the very heart of RMHC in everything she did. As one of the longest serving members and two-time Chair of our Board of Trustees, Vickie guided the organization with her signature sense of humor and hard-working resolve. Vickie defined and refined the voice of RMHC through her expertise in marketing and communications, serving as the trusted guide for the organization. Her passion for the charity was without limits, and her impact is ingrained in everything we do."

Outside of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, Easterday was a past president of the Columbus Advertising Federation, helped start the Red, White and Boom celebration and was on the Executive Board for the Columbus Day USA Festival. She was an adjunct professor at Franklin University and was a member of the Ohio State University Faculty Club.

Easterday is being inducted into the Dublin City Schools Hall of Fame postumusly, after passing away in April, 2017. She is survived by her husband Bill (Dublin High School '67), son Christopher (Carrie) and two grandchildren, William and Olivia.

Young Alumni Achievement Award

Reilly Hickey - Scioto High School Class of 2015

Reilly Hickey is a member of the Dublin Scioto High School 2015 graduating class. She went on to attend Pace University in New York City studying Arts and Entertainment Management.

While in school, she interned at numerous companies including Telsey + Co, Feinstein's/54 Below, and TBD Theatricals. She was a producer on the 2017 revival of "Once on This Island" on Broadway winning a 2018 Tony Award in "Best Musical Revival" for her work at just 21. The show was nominated for a total of eight Tony Awards. She received the award at Radio City Music in New York City. She also raised money for the 2019 Tony-winning Best Musical Hadestown.

After college, Reilly began a career in casting working at Jonathan Strauss Casting as an assistant on the 20th and 21st seasons of Law & Order: SVU. She became a casting associate on the new Dick Wolf series FBI: Most Wanted in 2019 and looks forward to beginning work on season two of the new hit CBS show this year.

Imran Nuri - Scioto High School Class of 2016

Imran Nuri, a 2016 Dublin Scioto graduate, has been spending the past few years giving his time, talent, and treasure while redefining what it means to be a philanthropist through his nonprofit, The 52 Million Project.

Nuri started his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University in 2016, majoring in Business with a Marketing specialization. After quickly joining BuckeyeThon, a student-run dance marathon charity that raises money for Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s hematology, oncology, and BMT unit, Nuri rose to the role of President in 2018. As President, Nuri oversaw BuckeyeThon’s most significant fundraising year to date, fundraising $1,704,184.19 through the participation of over 5,000 students and 30,000 donors.

When asked about the role, Nuri said, “Having the chance to run a multimillion-dollar charity at the age of 20 was an experience that was insightful, humbling, and an absolute honor. It taught what it means to be a powerful leader, to inspire thousands, and to make a difference for the community around me.”

After finishing his term in BuckeyeThon, Nuri went on to create a nonprofit startup, The 52 Million Project. The 52 Million Project champions the idea that everyone can be a philanthropist, even if it’s donating just one dollar each week. By limiting his donors to giving no more and no less than $1 for each week in the year, Nuri’s charity supports a different nonprofit fighting poverty every week, supporting 52 different nonprofits every year. The 52 Million Project has a long-term vision of engaging one million people in its movement, collectively giving $52 million each year and democratizing philanthropy.

Additionally, Nuri personally funds a small scholarship for a graduating senior from Dublin Scioto with tremendous leadership potential each year as a way to pay it forward to his teachers in Wright Elementary, Davis Middle School, and Scioto High School. “I am through and through, a Dublin City Schools product. I did the full K-12 in Dublin, and it’s only because of the amazing teachers and resources I had that I can do what I do today,” he said.

Outsanding Service Award

Deb Papesh

Deb Papesh has been an involved volunteer in Dublin City Schools since 1994, when she and her husband, Brian, an engineer with Honda, moved back to Dublin. Brian had been an Air Force Captain serving at Tinker AFB, OK before moving back with their daughters, Ashley and Katie. Acclimating the family to the Dublin community was a priority as Ashley began kindergarten.  With an undergraduate degree in Elementary Ed from the University of Illinois and completion of a master's degree in Early Childhood Ed from Oklahoma City University, Deb welcomed the opportunity to utilize her background within the parent volunteer scope at Riverside.

Her full time work before moving here included co-developing an Even Start national family literacy model through the Program Effectiveness Panel in Washington DC while serving as an adjunct professor in the College of Education at Oklahoma City University, the sister school of Ohio Wesleyan.  Deb also served as an assistant director of an early childhood program, trained early childhood caregivers throughout the state of Oklahoma, presented at early childhood conferences and was the keynote speaker at the Southern Early Childhood Conference in FL in 1996.  Deb’s board work began in those early years as she served on the board of the Stars and Stripes Child Development Center in the Alfred P. Murrah building in OKC and provided teacher training while bridging awareness of need within the childcare network in our federal buildings. Deb was in the process of creating a teacher training manual for cultural inclusion entitled More Alike Than Different when their family moved from Oklahoma back to Dublin, Ohio. 

With the support and guidance of RES principal Phil Niemie, Deb embraced the opportunity to expand her volunteer duties beyond PTO committees and helped develop the first OCLC School Partnership to match company tutors with students in 1995-96.  This led to other leadership opportunities including grant writing for various school projects.  Within an eight year period of time, Deb and her grant team garnered $260,000 in grant funds for Riverside Elementary and Davis Middle School, including Ohio Reads funding in excess of $125,000 over six years for the Riverside Radiant Reader summer reading/parent training program. Radiant Readers, a community and teacher-led summer program developed and directed by Deb and fellow parent volunteer, Kim Tucker, became one of the model programs within the state of Ohio.  Working closely with principal Dr. Gretta Kumpf and eight hired Riverside teachers, Radiant Readers taught fifty parent volunteers how to teach reading within the context of small group instruction, the guidance of certified teachers celebrating the unique intergeneration family culture of Riverside. 

Deb's other volunteer duties include: being president at both RES and Davis, Fundraising, Hospitality, Booster president for Lady Irish Basketball and Lady Irish Cross Country and leading The Better Together Partnership Program to coordinate business and parent volunteers to tutor students and provide parent education to specific needs of families. 

Since both of her daughters have graduated from Scioto High School, Deb has continued to be part of the volunteer landscape in Dublin City Schools.  Grant writing for Dublin Taiko and the Riverside Imagine Community Garden, social media support in the 2012 levy and co-leading the levy campaign in 2018 are ways Deb encourages others to lead with light for future generations of students and families.  Currently, Deb continues to work with Scioto teachers, alumni and current students/families on the Irishat25 online campaign to serve as a Scioto alumni networking group.  She has expanded her community involvement by serving on the Dublin Education Foundation Board and collaborates with the Dublin Food Pantry Board, Welcome Warehouse and Dublin Bridges. She continues to work part time with catering and a small business called Food Flip which has the goal to increase kitchen confidence of home cooks through fresh ingredient meal prep.  In addition, Deb utilizes her social media reach to connect people to projects, service to need and has various online partnerships with local businesses.

Deb’s proudest moments include having her youngest daughter, Katie, complete her master’s degree in education to become a teacher in DCS at Indian Run and now opening Hopewell Elementary as a third grade teacher.  Her eldest daughter,  Dr. Ashley Papesh Place, is a committed DCS volunteer by hosting a partnership with PATHS program participants through Legacy Family Dental, speaking at Emerald Campus about STEM career opportunities, sponsoring the Scioto scoreboard and creating complimentary mouthguards for our Scioto football and girl’s basketball teams.  She is married to Davis math teacher and Scioto football defensive coordinator, Alex Place.  They are the proud parents of Jax, as booster ‘Mama Deb’ graduates to ‘Grandma Deb.’

Distinguished Alumni

Craig Duffey – Dublin High School Class of 1965
Although Craig Duffey is well known for his efforts on the gridiron, hardwood and diamond, both as a player and coach, his career in engineering is what really sets him apart, with seven patents to his credit.
Starting in 1976, Duffey began in the engineering field, originally with Liqui-Box Corporation in Worthington, where he served as Vice President of Engineering. In 1995, he changed jobs to become Senior Project Engineering Manager for Roxane Laboratories.
Through his time in the engineering industry, Duffey amassed seven patents. Some of his patents include the first low acid aseptic filler for bag in a box, a rotary bag and box filler, a vacuum nitrogen purge filling valve, a blow-molded bottle filler and a square five-gallon blow-molded water bottle. He also has a patent on the use of hydrogen peroxide/UV light to sterilize packaging on fillers, with other patents for mechanical aspects of packaging machines.
While changing the engineering landscape, Duffey has continued to remain involved along the way, specifically in athletics. He was a three-sport athlete while at Dublin and racked up the accolades, including being inducted into the OHSAA Hall of Fame, once as an individual and a second time as a member of the 1962 state runner-up baseball team. He continued his athletic career at the college level, earning a pair of varsity letters in both football and baseball at Ohio University before an injury ended his playing career.
Since he stopped playing, he remained in athletics, coaching and teaching at Dublin High School from 1969-1972, coaching varsity baseball and freshman football. He then coached and taught at Big Walnut until 1976, before leaving the realm of academics to start his engineering career. He continued to coach several sports, men’s and women’s softball, semi-pro baseball in Columbus, and youth level teams in a variety of different community leagues.
Duffey met his wife, Kay, in Dublin and they started dating as sophomores in 1963. The pair graduated from Dublin High School and Ohio University together and they just recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Kay and Craig have two children, their daughter Michelle (pediatrician) and son Michael (dermatologist) and they have six grandchildren.

J. Mel Reid – Dublin High School Class of 1965
J. Mel Reid has essentially made a career out of using his selfless nature to give back to others.
Immediately upon graduation from Dublin, Reid began a career with the Federal Government (the U.S. Forest Service) in Delaware, Ohio. He attended The Ohio State University as well as Franklin University before getting his professional start. After serving on a number of Forestry Survey Teams, as well as relocating to a number of sites around America, Reid was selected for a Federal Executive Leadership position in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania. There, he served as the first ever U.S. Forest Service Regional Civil Rights Director. After successfully addressing issues related to recruitment, employment, retention and conflict resolution, Reid was promoted to a Civil Rights Coordinator position with the National Park Service (Department of the Interior) in Washington, DC.
During his 30-year tenure as a Washington ‘bureaucrat’, Reid has traveled to 49 of the 50 United States (hoping to do Hawaii soon), as well as Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Central & South America. Along the journey, many accolades, commendations, citations and awards were received from various levels of government, business and private sector organizations. Despite the acclaim, as a retired 38 year career civil servant, Reid’s most outstanding accomplishment is the growth of the multilingual, multicultured youth that he was able to have employed along the way.
Outside of work, Reid, who is a cancer survivor, has found time to serve as a Government/Civil Rights consultant as well as an African American Civil War Re-enactor. In addition to participating in historical enactment events around the country such as marching in Presidential Inaugural Parades and the like, he also appeared in the 1989 Tri Star movie entitled GLORY. Since Hurricane Katrina, Reid has served on a Presbyterian Disaster Assistance Team, volunteering his services on 24 Mission Trips around the U.S. to help those less fortunate.
While at Dublin, Reid participated in Class Plays, the Key Club, the Concert Choir and was a member of the Track Team. He also played keyboard in several bands…one of which was a ‘rock & soul group’ called St John’s Mod.

Chris Valentine – Dublin Coffman High School Class of 2002
After graduating from Coffman in 2002, Chris Valentine made quick work of finding a way to give back to the District by getting elected to the School Board in the fall of 2003, a position he has held since.
Valentine was elected at the age of 19 and has been reelected three times since. He will soon be entering his 16th year on the Board and has served as president and vice president throughout the years. With Valentine on the Board, the District has opened a high school and elementary school, and is set to open two additional elementary schools in the fall of 2020 and a middle school in the fall of 2021.
Professionally, Valentine, who is a cancer survivor, took his love for baseball and turned it into a career by founding the Prep Baseball Report Ohio in 2011. Since then, he has grown to be the Executive Director for Ohio, Michigan, Canada and New England. The Prep Baseball Report is one of the country’s biggest and well-known scouting companies for high school baseball. The company aims to be the authoritative voice on the ground level in each state.
Valentine has also had a big role in local baseball. He helped lead and support the Dublin Travel Baseball program and he was also one of the founding members of Ohio Elite Baseball, a widely recognized travel baseball organization out of Columbus.
Before joining the Prep Baseball Report, Valentine, an Ohio State University alum, worked as a Project Manager for Strategic Public Partners. He also worked in the political world, most notably in a lead role for President George W. Bush’s Reelection Campaign in 2004.
While in high school, Valentine played on the baseball team and also served on Class Cabinet and Student Senate.
Valentine has two brothers who also graduated from the District and his wife, Lara, is a former teacher in the District. The couple has two children, and are expecting a third this fall.

Young Alumni Achievement Award Winner
Partha Unnava – Dublin Coffman High School Class of 2010
Since graduating from Dublin Coffman in 2010, Partha Unnava has been busy building a company in Atlanta, Georgia, with that company (Lasso) propelling him to a spot on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list.
Unnava studied biomedical engineering at Georgia Tech, before an ankle break playing basketball put him on crutches for six weeks and set him on his current journey. “I saw the flaws in the healthcare system, and saw a clear way I could make a massive impact on sports medicine,” he said.
Unnava has been able to navigate the business landscape, taking his original company, Better Walk, and turning it into BWHealth, before pivoting into Lasso. Despite a change in company names and products made, Unnava and his team have had a common gameplan. “We don’t believe in iteration, but we believe in completely reimagining products from the ground up,” he said.
Through his work leading BWHealth and Lasso, Unnava has hauled in the accolades. He met President Obama at the White House due to the Better Walk Crutch, his company’s first product. Along the way, he has been honored on the Forbes “30 Under 30” list, the “Power 30 Under 30” list and been named both the Georgia Tech Student Entrepreneur of the Year and TiECONSE Student Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014. In 2018, he gave a TED Talk and was selected as an influencer to represent Atlanta by ChooseATL, while being chosen as a keynote speaker at healthcare and entrepreneurship conferences around the world throughout his career. This year, his company was named to the “Atlanta Inno 50 on Fire” list, which is for the fastest growing companies in Atlanta.
Unnava has also committed to giving back. In 2017, he started the Unnava Foundation, which gives scholarships to children who hope to make a massive change and have a roadmap to do so. “I think the naivete of youth leads to the biggest and most world-changing ideas, and I started these efforts to enable our youth to achieve their visions,” he said.
While a Shamrock, Unnava was in the Coffman Marching Band all four years where he was a squad leader and head of the trumpet section, while also sitting as lead trumpet for the Coffman Jazz Band. He also was in National Honors Society and served as vice president for the organization, was a student council member, a National Merit Finalist and he was in the Dublin Schools Fencing Club.

Outstanding Service Award Winners
Jill Kranstuber & Sarah Savage – Neighborhood Bridges of Dublin
Jill Kranstuber and Sarah Savage have not only put their time and effort into bettering Dublin City Schools, but they also have been devoted to Dublin as a community.
Although neither Kranstuber nor Savage are Dublin natives or attended Dublin City Schools, that has not stopped them from bettering the area, most notably through their work with Neighborhood Bridges in Dublin, where the pair serve as Area Directors. Dublin Bridges is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization launched in 2017. The program uses technology and social media to advocate for children and families in need in the Dublin area, and then works with the community to help fill those needs.
In addition to serving the community through Dublin Bridges, Kranstuber and Savage have assisted the District all along the way. Kranstuber, who moved to Ohio 30 years ago, is a former PTO President at Coffman, as well as a former member of the Key Communicators. Savage has lived in Dublin for 15 years and is a member of Key Communicators and the former PTO President at Pinney. The duo has had a combined 10 children attend Dublin City Schools.
Kranstuber is married to Chuck, who is an attorney and past Dublin City Council member and past Mayor of Dublin. He currently is a Washington Township Trustee. Previously, Kranstuber served as Development Director of AIDSWalk Central Ohio.
Savage is married to Brian, who graduated from Coffman, and is a local business owner. Savage volunteers as a committee chair for the Mount Carmel St. Ann’s Women’s Auxiliary. Before joining Dublin Bridges, she was a clinical mental health counselor at The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute and Gahanna Jefferson Schools.

Jeremy Bobb, Class of 1999, Dublin Coffman High School
• Broadway, TV, and film actor
• Featured in the television drama “The Knick”
• Appeared on Broadway in “Translations” and “Is He Dead?”
• Guest appearances on TV shows, “Good Wife,” “Elementary” and “House of Cards”
• Recurring character on “Hostages”
• Narrator of numerous audio books for Simon & Schuster

Joe Fox, Class of 2000, Dublin Coffman High School
• Co-founder of creative film studio Shared Vision Communications
• Instrumental in establishing video production program at Dublin Coffman
• Emmy award winner for production about Washington D.C. High School
• Producer of “Dublin City Schools Today” and host of “It’s Happening in Dublin”
• Produce projects for The Ohio State University, the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer
• Assisted in delivering State of the City and State of the Schools addresses

John Nichols, Class of 2000, Dublin Coffman High School
• Co-founder of creative film studio Shared Vision Communications
• Instrumental in establishing video production program at Dublin Coffman
• Emmy award winner for production about Washington D.C. High School
• Producer of “Dublin City Schools Today” and Executive Producer of “It’s Happening in Dublin”
• Produce projects for The Ohio State University, the Buckeye Cruise for Cancer
• Assisted in delivering State of the City and State of the Schools addresses

Donna Hull
• Dublin City Schools athletic trainer for more than 30 years
• Renowned for her work with developing athletic health care programs
• Member of the Ohio Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame
• Served on ethics committee for the National Athletic Trainers Association
• Recipient of the Ohio Academy of Medicine’s Award of Excellence
• Built relationships with Central Ohio health care providers

Brady Quinn, Class of 2003, Dublin Coffman High School
• Sports analyst and philanthropist
• Two-time Heisman trophy finalist, Recipient of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm and Maxwell College Football Awards
• NFL quarterback for 8 years
• Established the Third & Goal Foundation to assist veterans facing homelessness
• Board member for Hannah and Friends, which supports autistic children and families
• Promotes animal shelters through a partnership with Purina

Tess Schuster, Class of 2005, Dublin Coffman High School
• Works in marketing and insurance/financial industry
• Entrepreneur who helped found clothing company Libre
• Created a clothing line to help cancer and dialysis patients
• Recipient of Miami University’s prestigious 18 of the Last 9 Alunmi Award
• Volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters and other charitable efforts
• Established relationships and partnerships with non-profiits

Andrea Archibald class of 2005

A shop-local entrepreneur whose three Simply Vague stores allow even the smallest business owners a chance to sell their products alongside large retailers. Shortly after graduation, she assumed a position at M/I Homes as a receptionist, moved into an executive assistant role and then onto sales. Andrea has become a key player in the shop local movement by facilitating opportunities that include retail locations, local shopping events, promotion and publicity for more than 275 local Ohio small businesses. At 27 she was the youngest inductee to be named among Columbus’ Forty Under 40.

Jim Link

Retired director of Dublin Youth Athletics after 32 years. Jim has played an integral role of the development of thousands of children in the Dublin community. Grand Leprechaun for the City of Dublin’s St. Patrick’s Day parade in 1998, Jim helped raise more than $2 million to make improvements to baseball fields at Darree. Jim has worked as a private practice actuarial consultant for the past 22 years and was previously the Chief Actuary and Senior Vice President of Actuarial Service for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Chief Financial Officer and treasurer for Community Life Insurance Company.

William Loveland class of 1973

After receiving his MBA, William discovered his love for law in graduate school and earned his legal degree. He started off as an associate in the local offices of a prestigious national firm then joined his father’s practice after a few years. William took on a number of pro bono cases while at Loveland & Brosius, giving countless hours of his expertise free of charge. A case he began litigating in 2001 for a bread ministry earned Loveland praise from Barack Obama in the form of a President’s Call to Service Award.

Chris Quinn class of 2002

After graduation Chris Quinn attended the University of Notre Dame where he was recruited to play basketball. He led the team in scoring his senior year and was an Academic All-American. Quinn graduated with his Business degree before playing basketball in the NBA. Chris played in 246 games with the NBA before becoming an assistant coach with the Miami Heat. Quinn also gives back much of his time to Dublin students both on the court and in the classroom, inspiring and motivating them to reach their goals.

Jessica Wilt class of 1995

Jessica is now an arts education advocate, educator, writer and communications professional living in New York City who challenges others to make a difference. She credits her band director Jeff Keller, Ph.D, for teaching her skills that contribute to her success; discipline, impeccable timing, learning how to listen and think creatively. Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree in modern dance from the University of South Florida and a master’s in choreography from The Ohio State University. In 2013, Jessica founded ArtsEdTechNYC, an innovative platform for artists, educators and technology enthusiasts.

Ron Geese-Class of 1963
Ron Geese is the past President of Continental Office Environments. Ron has been heavily involved in public service during his life. He served on the Dublin City Council for six years, Dublin’s Planning and Zoning Commission, Zoning Appeals, and the Dublin Parks and Recreation Board. During his time on Council, he introduced or co-authored many city ordinances. He has also served on the Board of Directors of the Columbus State Foundation, the Herman Miller Steering Council, Sky Bank, Ohio Health Foundation, and Junior Achievement. He is a former member of the Dublin City Schools Business Advisory Council. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University.

Judge Paul Herbert-Class of 1979
Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Paul Herbert was first elected judge in 2003 after serving as the Clerk of Courts for Franklin County Municipal Court for eight years. During his tenure, he has established the “Changing Actions to Change Habits (CATCH) Court.” The program works with at risk women Judge Herbert meets in his court room and helps them find the life skills to change their habits. He has improved the lives of many women who have participated in the program. He received his undergraduate degree from The Ohio State University and his J.D. from Capital University Law School.

Dr. James Homon-Class of 1987
Dr. James Homon is a board-certified orthodontist and the founder of KidSMILES, a dental clinic that serves uninsured children who don’t quality for government assistance. Staffed by volunteer dentists, hygienists and dental professionals, the clinic focuses on providing services such as disease removal and prevention. To date, more than 275 members of the dental community have signed up to volunteer at the KidSMILES clinic. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University College of Dentistry and has a Masters of Science in Orthodontics from the University of Michigan. He is the author of three published works about orthodontics.

Chad Jenkins-Class of 1997
Chad Jenkins has served four tours of duty in Iraq and received three Bronze Stars. The Bronze Star may be awarded for acts of heroism, acts of merit, or meritorious service in a combat zone. He has served as an FBI agent and is the Founder and CEO of Jenkins Group LLC. Chad graduated from West Point and played quarterback on the Army Football team. His life became a portion of a non-fiction book titled “All American.” The book details athletes who have also served the country.

Chinedum Ndukwe-Class of 2003
Chinedum started at safety for the University of Notre Dame for his junior and senior seasons. He played in 46 games with 25 starts and made 157 tackles. He played four years in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland Raiders. In 2009, he started the Ndukwe Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of young people.The organization hosts an annual wellness camp for more than 300 children and has raised more than $100,000 from youth programs. In 2010, the City of Cincinnati proclaimed Feb. 10 to be “Chinedum Ndukwe Day” in recognition of the good work of the foundation.

Steve Anderson
Superintendent from 1995-2001, Anderson is now an educational consultant and president of his own firm.

While he was superintendent, the district opened three buildings (Bailey, Karrer and Scioto), was consistently ranked among the top 20 in the state academically and was the first large district (more than 10,000 students) to achieve an excellent rating on the Local Report Card. 

Steve’s 15-year career with Dublin began in 1986 when he was selected as principal of Deer Run Elementary. He also served as associate superintendent of human resources and director of personnel and community relations.

Shortly after retiring from the district at the peak of its growth -- burgeoning to 11,000 students -- Steve began a six-year stint as the superintendent of Jackson City Schools, home to just 2,800 students in southern Ohio.

Known for pushing the educational envelope and effecting change, it might come as no surprise the district received its first-ever excellent rating while Steve served. In addition, all of the school buildings in the district were either built from the ground up or remodeled during his tenure.

Steve received his Bachelor of Arts from Ohio University in 1974, his master’s from Xavier in 1980, completed administrative coursework through The Ohio State University and obtained his superintendent’s license from Ashland University.

Scott Bagenstose, M.D., Class of 1991
Scott Bagenstose rarely meets a challenge he doesn’t look straight in the eye. The Dublin High School Class of 1991 graduate thrives on adventure.

In high school, Scott played football, lacrosse and swam. When he went off to Duke University for his undergrad studies, he became an FCC-certified disc jockey and spun tunes for the local college station, WXDU in Durham, N.C. 

Now an award-winning physician, he has met a fair amount of success along the way when the serious side kicks in. 

Dr. Bagenstose earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine then completed an internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan. He returned to Ohio for an Allergy and Immunology fellowship at the U.C./Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and was one of just five in the country to receive a prestigious GlaxoSmithKline Allergy Fellowship Training Award.
 
Dr. Bagenstose has presented at more than two dozen conferences and workshops during his tenure, and is passionate about sharing his knowledge with others to enhance the treatment of patients

Karen Boerger, Class of 1963 
Karen Gorden Boerger has always put others first. The Class of 1963 alumna has spent a lifetime of giving back.

Vice President of her senior class and student council rep, Karen was involved in a number of activities throughout high school. She was a member of the National Honor Society, an officer for the Franklin County Honor Society, a Buckeye Girls State representative and a member of several other school organizations. 

Karen began her 24-year career in education after raised her three children. She graduated from Wittenberg University in 1983 with a bachelor’s and finished her master’s in 1988 at Wright State University. She took a position with Marysville City Schools where she spent a year tutoring, then departed for Trinity Lutheran School where she taught for eight years. She was then selected to serve as principal from 1992-2007 at St. Paul Lutheran in Chuckery, Ohio. 
 
In retirement, Karen has co-authored three books about caregiver advocacy (her first book was co-written in 1981), has spoken at a number of conferences and workshops around the country and publishes a newsletter to offer emotional and spiritual support to those providing care to the seriously ill. 

Julie Marie Brooks, Ph.D., Dublin Coffman High School's Class of 2000
A published author and emerging scientist, Julie Marie Brooks, Ph.D. graduated from Dublin Coffman in 2000. Helping people and building healthy communities is the very core of Dr. Brooks’ heart and soul.

Julie’s commitment to her community began while attending Dublin Coffman High School. Her community service included participation in a program to bring musical theatre to disadvantaged school children in West Virginia as well as countless hours spent organizing food drives, wrapping presents for local church shelters, making sandwiches for the homeless and volunteering for Meals on Wheels. She was also involved in National Honor Society, Drama Club and a number of choral groups, including the A Capella Chamber Choir.

Upon graduation, she went on to The Ohio State University where she earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees. During her tenure, she coordinated fundraising activities for philanthropic organizations through local running races, was a member of a team of students that helped rebuild homes after Hurricane Katrina and volunteered during COSI’s Brain Awareness Week to teach young children about the brain.

Aaron Burger, 1998 Dublin Coffman Class of 1998
In high school, Aaron played football and lacrosse, serving as captain for both varsity squads his senior year. He was also in Concert Band, Choir, Key Club, Student Senate and Student Council. 

Aaron’s prowess in football sent him back to the field in college where he was an offensive guard for Army. He was 2nd Team All-Conference for the Division 1 team and participated in the Hula Bowl in 2003. Aaron earned his Bachelor of Science in engineering management the same year from the United States Military Academy.

The West Point grad was commissioned as a field officer and began his service at his alma mater. He was stationed in Germany in September 2004, then promoted to First Lieutenant shortly thereafter. Aaron was made a Captain in 2006, then deployed to Iraq in early 2007 to serve with a Military Transition Team assisting an infantry battalion in the Iraqi Army. 

Aaron’s primary role was to advise the Iraqi Army on better ways of training. He coached, mentored and provided a number of techniques and solutions to his counterparts. He earned a Bronze Star for his leadership. 

Aaron separated from the Army in 2008 and now works for Deloitte Consulting.

Capt. Nicholas Rozanski, Class of 1994
Capt. Nicholas Jan Rozanski was just 36 years old when he died in the line of duty. A life-long resident of Dublin, he graduated in 1994 from the city’s then-only high school. 

An avid Ohio State Buckeye fan, it was only fitting for Nick to pursue his bachelor’s degree in communication, which he earned in 1999. He was passionate about the school’s football team; he was always in the stands when the marching band entered and would not leave the stadium until the last note of Carmen Ohio was played.

Nick enlisted in the Ohio Army National Guard in 2003. He was deeply committed to his country and knew his decision to become a soldier could bring grave risks. His first deployment was to Kosovo in 2004 as a Specialist. Kuwait and Iraq would come next in 2007. By that time, Nick was a 2nd Lieutenant. He was sent to Afghanistan in 2011. He would not come home.

Capt. Nick Rozanski died after a suicide attack on April 4, 2012. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment of the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Two others from his unit also perished, all three were from Franklin County. His entire team had 2,500 members.

Tara Abraham
Chairwoman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Accel Inc., Abraham is a 1985 graduate of Dublin High School. She is one of the nation’s leading experts in packaging and was recently appointed to a three-year term serving the National Women’s Business Council, a nonpartisan federal advisory committee that provides independent advice and policy recommendations to the President, Congress and U.S. Small Business Administration. Abraham is a tireless contributor to numerous national and local charitable organizations and has served on the board of many philanthropic organizations such as the Red Cross of Greater Columbus, YWCA and United Way of Central Ohio.

Marina Davis (posthumous)
The first principal of Dublin Scioto High School, Davis served as the school’s leader from 1995 until her death in 2009. Her leadership, compassion, talent and integrity helped establish Dublin Scioto as a top-performing school. Davis’ commitment to building a welcoming environment and belief that all children can excel at high levels formed the backbone of the school, which has routinely appeared in Newsweek’s list of Top 200 high schools in the country. Davis was deeply respected by students and staff who continually rose to her expectations of excellence. She led by example, strength and kindness.

Larry Faulk
A member of the Class of 1964, Faulk has spent 42 of his 43 years as an educator with Dublin City Schools. He began his career with the district as a math teacher at Dublin Junior High School before moving on to the high school level where he served as department chair. Faulk was the first computer science teacher in the district and played an integral role in creating the district’s technology department, which he then served as director for several years. He currently assists with data analysis reporting. Faulk also was one of the organizers of the Dublin Education Foundation, a key player in creating the girls athletic program, coach of several teams and student council advisor. He was the President of the Dublin Music Boosters for many years, active with the Boy Scouts organization and a leader in his church. Both of Faulk’s children are Dublin alumni.

Jacqueline Hardman
A passionate high school science teacher turned veterinary technician, Chief Petty Officer Hardman graduated from Dublin High School in 1965. A three-time recipient of the Governor’s Award for teaching excellence, she retired from Fairfield Union Schools where she taught for 23 years of her career. She obtained her national vet tech board certification shortly thereafter and has worked with many philanthropic organizations benefitting animals, including therapy dog training, rescuing displaced animals after Hurricane Katrina and establishing the 2nd Chance Companions charity. Hardman retired from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 2006 after serving for 22 years, 17 of which overlapped her teaching tenure. Hardman was called to active duty after 9/11 and is a veteran of Operation Noble Eagle and Enduring Freedom. She was a member of the YMCA Master’s synchronized swim team and competed in the 2008 Nationals.

Daniel Neer
An accomplished professional vocalist, musician and composer, Daniel Neer graduated from Dublin High School in 1985. Currently a Librettist Fellow in the American Opera’s “Composer and the Voice” program, he appeared on Broadway in Baz Luhrmann’s La Bohème (who wrote and directed Oscar nominated “Moulin Rouge!” and is director of the forthcoming film “The Great Gatsby”). Neer is credited with dozens of soloist performances in operas and concert theaters including Carnegie Hall with the New York Chamber Orchestra. Committed to the development of aspiring artists, he has conducted vocal clinics for students in Dublin City Schools many times and has twice served as the music program’s Artist-in-Residence. Neer received a bachelor’s in vocal performance from Ohio State University and graduate degrees from the Royal Academy of Music and the University of Michigan.

Eli M. Pinney (posthumous)
The namesake for one of the district’s elementary schools, Eli M. Pinney graduated in 1926. Known as “Sparky Pinney,” he was a stone mason by trade and is often credited for helping to create the personality of Dublin because of the limestone fences he crafted. After initially being turned away from his father, also a mason, Pinney became an integral part of the team that constructed the Bridge Street bridge, eventually being promoted to help build the prestigious upper deck. Pinney also built many homes in the area. He was actively involved in the community, drove a Washington Local Schools bus for 25 years and was an avid baseball coach.

Clayton Rose, III
A 1970 graduate of Dublin High School, Rose is a life-long resident. Heavily involved with the community, he is a certified public accountant who specializes in owner-operated businesses. Rose has served as president of the local Kiwanis chapter twice, once as treasurer and is an organizer of the annual philanthropic Frog Jump that is known as the City of Dublin’s “oldest community event.” He was the Grand Leprechaun for the city’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration in 2010, Grand Marshall of Dublin’s Independence Day festivities in 2001 and received the Ohio State Alumni Society Leader award in 2002. Rose is an active member of the Dublin Community Church and has three children who are all Dublin City Schools alumni.

Michael Welch
A retired social studies teacher who spent more than 35 years with Dublin City Schools, Welch was a member of Dublin High School’s Class of 1959. After diverting from his plan to attend law school and follow in the footsteps of his father, Welch became an innovator in the classroom with his “Acting Out History” approach. His goal was to incorporate a social justice component to learning where students could make real-life connections with the content he taught. He is the co-author of “How To Perform Acting Out History in the Classroom to Enrich Social Studies Education” and “Classroom Plays for an Ethical World.” Michael is now retired and lives in Palm Springs, Ca., but consults with teachers across the country to develop social studies curriculum. Beyond the creative approach to his work, Welch was a favorite among students.

Emmett Karrer, Class of 1925 (posthumous)
Emmett Karrer was an internationally known Ohio State University professor and engineer. In 1930, he joined the U.S. Bureau of Public Roads and oversaw federal highway construction projects in several states. He was the founding director of the Ohio Highway Conference. He was a founding member of the Dublin Historical Society. In 1946, he accepted the position of Professor of Highway Engineering at The Ohio State University. In 1968 he led the investigation of the Silver Bridge collapse over the Ohio River at Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Emmett served the district as school board member in the 1950s.

Dr. Walter Myers, Class of 1955
Dr. Myers served as the Dean of the College of Fine Arts at Wichita State University from 1992-2002. He has music education and music performance degrees from three colleges. He has taught in the New York City Public Schools, at the University of Colorado, and Wichita State. Dr. Myers was founder of the Wichita Brass Quintet in 1963. He held principal trumpet positions with the Wichita Music Theater Orchestra, New York Orchestral Society, Aspen Festival Orchestra, Aspen Faculty Brass Quintet, and the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. He also free-lanced with the Brooklyn Symphony, Hofstra Symphony, New York Brass Quintet, American Brass Quintet, and the Kansas City Lyric Opera Orchestra. Dr. Myers' professional status is Dean Emeritus. He continues to consult as a program certification director for Young Audiences, Inc. of New York City.

Leonard Tracy, Class of 1965
Leonard Tracy is the winner of the Silver Star Award for gallantry in Vietnam. Leonard's unit was on patrol and came under heavy fire. He risked his life to save the surviving members of his unit. He bravely made a run for base, and once he had reinforcements, returned back to the battle to rescue his fellow soldiers.

Following his military service, he installed many of the overhead and underground lines in the young city of Dublin before retiring from American Electric Power in February 2003. He currently enjoys retirement with his wife of 42 years, Linda. They enjoy spending time with their grandchildren, and Leonard also travels the country with his cousin showing miniature donkeys at various fairs and shows. The most notable of these trips was to Fort Sam Houston and Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where they took the donkeys to see some wounded veterans coming home from war.

Charles Painter, Class of 1965
Charles Painter has 533 wins as a high school tennis coach and is in the top 15 in wins among active coaches. A member of two tennis related Hall of Fames, he coached Wright State University for 10-years, successfully transitioning the program from Division III to Division I. He has coached for 40 years, and nearly 80 seasons. He is currently the Head Boy's and Girl's Tennis Coach at Beavercreek High School, where he also teaches mathematics. Mr. Painter is a member of the Ohio Tennis Coaches Association, the Miami Valley Tennis Coaches Association, The National Federation Coaches Association, The United States Professional Tennis Association, and the United States Tennis Association. He founded the Miami Valley Tennis Association and served as its president the first three years.

Thomas Taylor, Class of 1967 (posthumous)
Tom Taylor was a well-respected researcher, author, and historical-re-enactor. He was the founder and president of the Florida Lighthouse Association and the Florida Keys Reef Lights Foundation. His legacy includes extensive research and writing about American history, and especially lighthouse history. He was an influential force for historical re-enactments during the American Bicentennial and served for over nine years as a Historical Interpretive Specialist for the National Park Service. He was an accomplished sailor, boat builder, SCUBA diver, mountain climber, musician and also served as a historical consultant and actor in three major movies. Tom also produced two documentaries that were broadcast nationally.

John Kilbury, Class of 1969
John Kilbury is a developer/builder of custom homes in the Dublin and surrounding area. He has served as a DYA coach, and has volunteered for organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Faith Mission. He has served in soup kitchens, gone to New Orleans to help build homes for those displaced after Hurricane Katrina, and is a second generation member of the Dublin Kiwanis, which provides services and assistance to students in Dublin City Schools, but it is his over 20 years of volunteer coaching that stands out to most. John has coached girls and boys from elementary through high school. He has coached every sport from T-ball to HS basketball. He has worked with those gifted athletes who can dunk a basketball as well as those who struggle to throw a ball over their heads. There are a collective of hundreds of students spanning two decades of Dublin community athletics who have a connection to John.

Julie Fletcher, Class of 1986
Julie Fletcher is the founder of the very successful "Welcome Warehouse" which helps many needy families in our area. She has served continuously as a dedicated leader of the organization from the early stages with a handful of volunteers to now, with a full Board of Trustees and Coordinators, comprising over 30 individuals. She has served as the President and Director of the Adopt-a-Family Program and worked tirelessly to encourage and inspire others to get involved. Julie worked for Pfizer in positions ranging from Primary Care Sales, to Critical Care, to Managed Care before retiring to pursue her dream of volunteering for a cause greater than herself.

Dr. Ted Sun, Class of 1990
Dr. Ted Sun is a world-renowned motivational speaker and has made countless appearances on national television. He is a published author as well as the founder and CEO of Executive Balance. As a self-titled Dream Maker, Dr. Sun is a master at developing people and organizations. In 2009 alone, leaders from 33 different countries felt the impact of Dr. Sun's work. He is a renowned consultant and a highly sought after educator and researcher around the world. Dr. Sun's personal vision: Being a global change leader enabling systemic shifts in thought around the world and leading humanity toward evolution from within.

Matthew Beck, Class of 1997
Dr. Matthew Beck is involved with the Super Computer project at the University of Kentucky as a professor and researcher in the College of Engineering. He is currently researching computational materials science of nanomaterials and materials for energy, application of novel quantum mechanical methods to diffusion, electron transport and catalysis. Dr. Beck has published several articles, given presentations, and was awarded a "First-principles calculations of MOS materials" grant. In addition to his many personal accomplishments, Dr. Beck believes it is important to give back. He has mentored two graduate students and one postdoctoral researcher.

Mary Emma Bailey (posthumous)
Mary Emma graduated from the 1919 Building in 1923 and was a dedicated district employee for 23-years serving as clerk/treasurer. She is the author of the history of the Dublin City Schools. Bailey Elementary is named in her honor. A life-long citizen of Dublin, she was twice honored by the city. She was the Grand Marshall of the July 4 parade in 1977 and honored at the Emerald Ball in 1993. She was very active in civic organizations, including the Dublin Historical Society, where she was a corresponding secretary for many years. She was a life-long member of the Dublin Community Church, volunteering in the office, during her retirement years.

Ralph Feasel
Ralph Feasel has been employed by Dublin City Schools for 46 years. He was Principal at Dublin High School for 10 years. He has served as a junior high math teacher, a high school math teacher, assistant principal, Director of Support Services, and currently serves in the district’s planning department. Ralph also served as a track coach, assistant football coach and basketball coach for Dublin Schools. When Ralph started working for the district, there were only three schools. During Ralph's tenure, the student population went from 1,000 students to 12,500 students, buses went from 7 to 126 buses, and the district went from A to AAA. Ralph has always been known for his calm demeanor, sincerity and thoroughness. It is difficult to imagine Dublin City Schools without Ralph Feasel.

Joseph Riedel
Joe Riedel served as superintendent of Dublin City Schools from 1982-1987. Joe officially retired in 1990, but because the district was growing quickly, was asked to oversee the district's planning department. He has run the planning department of Dublin City Schools ever since. Joe taught K-12 music for 3 1/2 years in Scipio-Republic Schools, and served as their superintendent for a year. He was also superintendent at Hopewell-Loudon for four years, and Jonathan Alder for 10 years. Joe continues to share his experience and knowledge with those who work with him, in and out of the district office. He is very serious about the service he provides the district.

Eugene Bulgozdy
A retired vice president for Ashland Chemical, Bulgozdy has volunteered for Dublin City Schools for more than 20 years, reading with countless students in many of Dublin’s elementary schools. Known affectionately as “Mr. B,” he is regarded for his patience and heartfelt desire to help students excel. Regardless of where he’s worked with a child -- at cafeteria tables, small desks with tiny chairs, or small, windowless spaces -- he always has a smile and compliments the staff for their contributions to the learning environment.

Major General James Camp
A member of the 1985 class of Dublin High School, Camp’s aircraft was one of the first to arrive in Washington, D.C. after the 9/11 attacks began. A decorated commander who has flown more than 50 missions in the Iraq War, Major General Camp’s team won the coveted Best KC-135 Air Crew in the U.S. Air Force’s international 2007 Mobility Rodeo competition. In high school, Camp was the quarterback of a football team that twice won the league championship.

Jeg Coughlin Jr.
A 1988 graduate of Dublin High School, Coughlin is a five-time National Hot Rod Association world champion and has 66 major wins as a stock car racer. In two decades, Coughlin has won 57 national events in 86 final-round appearances, ranking him among the best. Only five other drivers have collected more titles across the four professional racing classes than Coughlin. In his senior year in high school, Coughlin was the captain of the lacrosse team and led the team in scoring.

Kevin Foley
A teacher and track and cross country coach in the district for more than 20 years, Foley has developed numerous district, regional, state and national champions. A multi-year All American from Edinboro University, he added his vast training and racing experience to the coaching and development of young talent in the district. Currently the coach at Dublin Scioto he coached at Dublin High School before Scioto opened in 1996. Not only able to develop athletes into stellar performers, Foley is known for his leadership and serving a role model for countless students.

Bill Grafflin
A member of Dublin High School’s Class of 1956, Bill Grafflin has served as an integral part of the alumni association, helping organize records and build a web site as well as take part in the association’s banquets for many years. He continues to play an important role, serving as a member of the alumni association’s advisory committee since the organization was established in 2008.

Barbara (Rose) Headlee
A 1947 graduate of Dublin High School, the district’s first-ever state champion athletes came under Headlee’s tutelage. A physical education teacher in the district for 25 years, Headlee began the gymnastics program in 1968. She went on to lead the team in 1972 to Ohio’s first state championship meet where two Dublin gymnasts earned first places (one was her daughter Connie). Headlee is regarded for her cutting-edge approach and incorporating activities such as horseback riding, canoeing and golf into the physical education curriculum.

Herbert W. Jones
Jones graduated from Dublin High School in 1955 and went on to teach public school for 35 years. President of the Dublin Historical Society, Jones initiated a partnership years ago between the organization and the school district that made a walking tour of Historic Dublin part of the elementary curriculum. Jones has served on countless committees at the city and township levels and retired after 31 years as a volunteer firefighter for the Washington Township Fire Department.

Dr. Henry W. Karrer
A member of the class of 1924, Karrer went on to study medicine after graduating and delivered more than 1,100 babies in the area during his nearly 30 years in practice. Karrer served as Dublin High School's All Sports Team Physician throughout the 1940s, '50s and '60s and was known for never missing an athletic event. A beloved member of the community, the district held "Doctor Karrer Night" in 1965 to honor him for his service and dedication. Karrer completed all 12 grades in the district's 1919 building.

Tom McNutt
A former agriculture teacher for Dublin High School, McNutt has served as NBC 4’s Garden Expert since 1989. He left his career in secondary education in 1963 to serve as 4-H agent in Franklin County and eventually became a full professor at The Ohio State University. He has spent decades sharing his knowledge and has given speeches and conducted educational programs in 45 states and 26 countries. McNutt is also a member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Agricultural Hall of Fame.

Ed Putnoky
An investment advisor for Monarch Financial, Putnoky created the most coveted award bestowed to district staff members. Established in 1990 to recognize outstanding contributions, the Golden Shamrock Award is presented at board meetings seven times a year to two employees who have made noteworthy contributions to the district. A member of the award committee since the program’s inception nearly 20 years ago, Putnoky has missed just one Golden Shamrock presentation. He has long believed employees -- from teachers to custodians to administrators -- are among the most valuable assets of the district.

Jordan (Rich) Rose
A member of Dublin High School’s class of 1989, Rose is the founder of Rose Law Group, one of the largest female-owned law firms in the western US. A recent finalist for the Arizona Republic’s Woman of the Year award, she was named by the newspaper as one of the “20 Women Who Will Shape Arizona by 2020.” Rose practices in the areas of renewable energy, land use and zoning and government relations and has built a firm known for its unique combination of attorneys, construction manager and urban planners. She is involved in many charitable organizations and mentors girls in high school and college. From first grade to her senior year in high school, Rose was consistently elected to student council.

Kip Witchey
A member of the class of 1983, Witchey was the voice of Dublin High School basketball and football games while a student. He began his professional career in 1987 for Dublin City Schools as a social studies teacher and assistant athletic director after graduating from OSU. He was named athletic director of Dublin Scioto when the school opened in 1996 and has led the school to numerous Ohio Capital Conference championships and four state titles. Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman appointed Witchey to the 2012 City of Columbus bicentennial sports subcommittee.

Elmer Smiley, U.S. Army Air Corp, class of 1935 -Elmer J Smiley grew up living on Snouffer Road with his mother, father, two brothers, and three sisters.  He graduated from Dublin High School in 1935. Lt. Elmer J. Smiley was a B-24 Pilot during World War II.  He was shot down over Germany in July of 1994, and was considered “missing in action” before being declared deceased one year later.  Elmer was married at the time of his death to Virginia Ryan Smiley, and had a 9-month old daughter, Sandra Jean, whom he saw once when she was 6 weeks old. He is laid to rest in the Dublin Cemetery.

Joseph R. Smith, U.S. Army Air Corp, class of 1936- Joseph R. Smith graduated in 1936 from Dublin High School. As a youth he played trumpet in the Dublin Community Band and sang in the Dublin Community Church Choir. Prior to entering the service, Joseph worked for a local farmer during his summers, and he studied in the College of Agriculture at The Ohio State University. First Lt. Smith served in World War II as a P-38 fighter pilot.  He was shot down on January 12, 1943 over Tunisia, North Africa and was considered “missing in action” for one year before begin declared deceased. Joseph R. Smith was posthumously awarded the distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.  A memorial service for Joseph R. Smith took place in May of 1944.

Lawrence Edward Strayer, U.S. Army, class of 1962- Lawrence Edward Strayer graduated from Dublin High School in 1963.  He was married to Sharon Hartsough, who graduated from Dublin in 1962. First Lt. Strayer served his country in the Vietnam War for two years before giving his life in the line of duty. His tour began on October 29, 1968. He became a casualty of war on May 9, 1969 in Dinh Tuong, South Vietnam. He is laid to rest in the Union Cemetery in Columbus.

Norman Wesley Tarpley, U.S. Army, class of 1963- Norman Wesley Tarpley lived in Dublin with his parents, four sisters and two brothers.  He was an avid sports fan and played the guard and tackle position on the high school football team.  He was recognized for being an outstanding player and was named to the All State High School Football Team in 1963. He graduated from Dublin High School in 1963. He served his country in the Vietnam War with the 101st Airborne Division for two years before giving his life in the line of duty.  His tour began on July 12, 1967.  He became a casualty of war on April 16, 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Norman Wesley Tarpley is laid to rest in the Greenlawn Cemetery in Columbus.

James Carr, U.S. Army, class of 1964- James Carr grew up living with his family on Tuttle Road in Dublin.  He was a member of Boy Scout Troop #185.  I high school he played the trumpet in the school band.  He graduated from Dublin High School in 1964. After graduating high school, James attended Ohio State University for three quarters before enlisting in the service.  He attended Officer Candidate School in Washington, D.C. First Lt. Carr served his country for two years in the Vietnam War before giving his life in the line of duty.  His tour began on March 3, 1969.  He became a casualty of war on July 27, 1969 in Kontum, South Vietnam. He is laid to rest in Ostrander, Ohio.

Michael Fields Abrams Covert, U.S. Army, class of 1967- Charles Michael Cover graduated in 1967 from Dublin High School.  He served in the Vietnam War and gave his life in the line of duty. A classmate notified the committee that he served as a helicopter pilot. Listed in the yearbook highlights was the fact that he played football, was a volunteer for the Red Cross and was a member of the audio visual staff. The Hall of Fame Committee spent countless hours on the phone and doing research on the Internet in an effort to find more information about Charles Michael Covert.  Unfortunately, we were unable to locate much information about Charles, nor were we able to locate any of his family members.

Wesley G. Davids, USMC, class of 2003- Wesley Graham Davids graduated from Dublin Scioto High School in 2003.  From there he went to Parris Island, SC to become a United States Marine. Wes decided to become a marine after September 11, 2001.  He wanted to direct his anger and disbelief at America being attacked in our own homeland in an action-oriented way.  He selected to serve in the Marine Corps, believing they are the best, the toughest, and most disciplined. During high school Wesley was a standout rower with the Dublin Crew. He loved rowing for the same reason the Marine Corps appealed to him; he thrived on being part of something larger than he was. These words from his last letter capture the essence of is passion:  “I want you to know that I don’t fear death, and while I wish I could live out the rest of my life happily, I am proud to give my life in the name of freedom.  No matter what happens, I wouldn’t change a thing that I ever did. I have never been more proud of myself than I am right now.” Wes was killed on May 11, 2005, the day after his 20th birthday while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.  He is survived by his mother Jody, father David and brother LCpl. Steven M. Davids, also a marine serving in Iraq.

Charles “Chi” Weber, class of 1941- Charles A. “Chi” Weber is a 1941 graduate of Dublin High School.  He was the valedictorian of his graduating class. He was a captain of the United States Marines from 1942 to 1947 in World War II and was called back to active duty in the Korean Conflict from 1951-1953. He worked as a banker for 35 years, becoming president of Ohio Federal in 1968 before retiring in 1988. In 1966 he was named the Sertoma Man of the Year.  He served as a school board member, and was the chair of the Dublin Charter Commission in 1978-79.  He has served on the Franklin County Hospital Commission, the Dublin Parks and Rec Advisory Committee, and as a volunteer with the Red Cross. He and his late wife Betty had four children, Scott, Rich, LynnDee and Karen who are also Dublin graduates.

Clayton W. Rose, class of 1945- Clayton W. Rose has been a member of the Dublin community since his family moved here in 1937.  He is a 1945 graduate of Dublin High School.  Following his service in the U.S. Navy, he enrolled in The Ohio State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in 190 and a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1952.Clayton was admitted to the Bar in 1952 and became an Assistant Prosecuting Attorney.  He then worked with Chester and Chester, a prestigious law firm and later became a partner in Chester and Rose.  Clayton practiced law from 1952 to 1970. In the winter of 1960-61, Clatyon along with other members of the community organized the first service club for Dublin, the Kiwanis Club of Dublin.  He became a charter member of the club and served as the first president. In 1970, Clayton was elected a Common Pleas Judge.  After retirement from the bench, Clayton has done volunteer work for the American Red Cross, the Dublin Senior Citizens and the Dublin Irish Festival.

Richard Davis Gordin, class of 1946- Richard Davis Gordin is a 1946 graduate of Dublin High School.  Richard served in  the United States Navy from 1946-1948. He began his teaching career with the Westerville Public Schools upon graduating from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1952. In 1954, he received his Masters Degree from The Ohio State University and began a long and distinguished career as a Professor of Physical Education at Ohio Wesleyan. He served as Ohio Wesleyan’s golf coach during his time on the faculty and made 23 NCAA tournament appearances in 25 years. He received his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1967.

Jack W. Frambes, class of 1950- Shortly after graduation from Dublin High School in 1950, Jack W. Frames served our country with the United States Army in the Korean Conflict. In 1954, he returned to Dublin where he became a volunteer fireman and emergency squadman for the Dublin Volunteer Fire department. In 1960, Jack was elected to the Dublin Village Council, and in 1966 he was elected as mayor of the Village of Dublin.  He served as mayor until 1972 and was Vice President of the Franklin County Mayor’s Association in 1971. Today he is a member of the Delaware County Republican Central Committee and a member of the Shawnee Hills Veterans Memorial Committee.  

Richard D. Termeer, class of 1951- Richard D. Termeer is a 1951 graduate of Dublin High School and a life-long resident of Dublin. He earned four letters in baseball, three in basketball, two in football and was a member of the 1951 baseball team that won the school’s first District Championship in any sport. After graduating from Otterbein College in 155 and receiving his Masters Degree from The Ohio State University in 1968, he began his coaching career.  Dick coached and taught at Mifflin, Jonathan Alder and Worthington. Over the course of his career, Dick served as Athletic Director at Worthington, manager of the Central District Basketball Tournament and Assistant Commissioner of the Ohio High School Athletic Association.  He has received many awards, including election to five athletic Hall of Fames. Dick continues to serve his community.  He is currently the Treasurer of the Dublin Historical Society and is a guide for the Dublin Historical walking tours. 

Suzie Bishop Feasel, retired staff member, class of 1966- After graduation, Suzie went on to work in the Dublin City Schools Treasurer’s Office for 38 years before retiring in 2008. Throughout the years, Suzie has provided information which has helped school officials manage the district’s growth, pass levies, and communicate with Dublin residents. She has served on many local committees and is active in the Dublin City Schools Alumni Association. 

Kent Mercker and Julie McCloy Mercker, class of 1986 and 1989- Kent and Julie Mercker are proud ambassadors of Dublin City Schools and the Dublin community. Kent Mercker had a successful career as a Major League Baseball player, drafted in the first round to the Atlanta Braves right out of high school. He had two no-hitters and two World Series appearances. Julie Mercker was a long time volunteer for Dublin City Schools, a local television personality, and a philanthropist for many worthy causes, including the Dublin Methodist Hospital. Kent and Julie settled down in Dublin where all three of their daughters attended Dublin City Schools.

Dr. Jeff Keller, retired staff member, 1972-2005- Dr. Jeffrey Keller served the Dublin community for 28 years as an instrumental music teacher in the Dublin Schools. During those years he was director of the marching band, conducted the symphonic and jazz bands, and taught music history, theory, and appreciation. Dr. Keller is credited with building one of the strongest high school band programs in the State of Ohio. The band consistently won band competitions, 48 grand championships, and played at Disney World. Currently a music education professor at Capital University’s Conservatory of Music.

Dr. Greg Brooks,* athletic team doctor, 1982-2000- Dr. Greg Brooks had a private practice as a pediatrician in Dublin when the city was a village. He served many of the town’s children as their primary doctor and assisted the schools with their preschool screenings. He was an advisor for students with individual special needs, and he consulted with school nurses and served as an athletic counsel advisor. Dr. Brooks is most noted for his visionary impact in athletics. He felt that sports facilitated growth in other areas off the playing field. His life work was helping children and their families get the help that they needed.

Samuel Frantz, former school board president *posthumous- Samuel Frantz was president of the board of education during the mid 1940s. During his service a proposal surfaced that, if accepted would close the school district and send Dublin students to either the Worthington School District or the Hilliard School District, depending on where they lived. Samuel Frantz fought the proposal, and Dublin High School stayed open. Sam Franz helped preserve Dublin High School with his determination that no one would take the school from the Village of Dublin. He also served on many other committees throughout the years, being a voice for the Dublin community.

Willard Grizzell,* former Superintendent *posthumous- Willard Grizzell was a United States Army Air Corps WWII veteran, who after the war moved to Columbus, OH to get his education at The Ohio State University. He became a Dublin science and math teacher in 1957. He later became the principal of Dublin High School. Willard then moved on to serve the Dublin community as superintendent for 17 years. His sound financial guidance and assurance of a quality teacher in every classroom for every child gave the district a strong foundation for Dublin City Schools to build on long after his retirement in 1981. In 1994, Dublin City Schools opened its third middle school, and named it Willard Grizzell Middle School in his honor.