Wright State University CORE Scholar AlumNews Alumni Relations Spring 2006 AlumNews, Spring 2006 Alumni Association, Wright State University Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/alumnews Part of the Mass Communication Commons Repository Citation Alumni Association, Wright State University (2006). AlumNews, Spring 2006. This Newsletter is brought to you for free and open access by the Alumni Relations at CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in AlumNews by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 2 ALUMNEWS SPRING 2006 AlumNews is a publication of the WSU Alumni Association and is published Gillis ie and Hicke three times a year. AlumNews reserves . the right to edit any material submitted. : Material and letters to the editor may : be sent to the Office of Alumni Rela- : tions, 3640 Colonel Glenn Highway, ~ Dayton, OH 45435-0001. : Telephone: (937) 775-2620 : Fami ies give Hae Fax: (937) 775-2736 : AlumNews Editors John Bennett, '05 M.A., Office of We often hink of Wright State as one big, happy family, but some Communications and Marketing Deb Venable, '00 B.A., '01 M.P.A., big, happy fami ·es have Wright State as a special bond. Here are Office of Alumni Relations Design Office of Communications he stories of two such families, the Gillispies and the Hickeys. and Marketing Alumni Association THE GILLISPIES: Returning the Favors "We were in on the interviewing process to bring Board of Directors Scholarships, faculty mentors, caring counsel­ black faculty to the campus," Linda says. "We were President ors, athletic participation, and hard work helped a very hands-on student body with the faculty and several members of the Gary LeRoy, '82 B.S.M.T., '88 M.D. Gillispie family gradu- the president. We made a big difference in making ate from Wright State into successful, rewarding things more comfortable and creating a sense of Vice President careers. The helping hands they received along the belonging at Wright State for African American Tom Koogler, '71 B.S. way inspired the family members to establish the students." Secretary Gillispie Family Scholarship as their way of return­ Other fam ily members recall the people and Cathie Brown, '76 B.A. ing the favor. experiences that helped them through Wright Treasurer "I felt the students always received personal atten­ State. Eric Gillispie, '80 B.S.B., played on the Neal Pemberton, '76 B.S.B., '80 M.B.A. tion," says Goodloe Gillispie, '76 B.S.B., deputy tennis team, which "forced me to hunker down director of operations at the Greater Dayton on academics." The time management skills he Ron Amos, '76 B.S.B., '84 M.B.A. Regional Transit Authority. "So I felt this obligation learned helped him as corporate controller for Mark Black, '94 B.S.B. to give something back for the personal attention Mays Chemical Company in Indianapolis. Tom Brookey, '84 B.S.B. I received." The Gillispie family tree also includes a niece, Roger Chudde, '72 B.S.Ed. The Gillispies ask the Office of Financial Aid to Tanika Graham Merriman, '00 B.S.M.E., and Kim Grant, '00 M.A. choose the scholarship winners. William Gillispie, her husband, Terrance Merriman, B.S.B. '99. Bruce Kline, '83 Psy.D. '70 B.S.B., a retired deputy city manager with Tanika recalls while eating alone in the Student Jane Lynch, '79 B.A. the City of Dayton who now teaches at Wright Union, faculty member Giorgio McBeath sat down Marilyn McCauley, '89 B.S.B. State, recalls advising one of his students to seek and asked her about her classes and financial Greg Notestine, '76 S.S. financial aid. aid. When Tanika mentioned that her financial aid 11 1 Cathy Pearson, '71 B.A. He came up to me one day and said Thank might run out, McBeath immediately suggested a 11 1 Dianne Pettis, '96 M.S. you,' William recalls. 1 said, For what?' He financial aid option. 1 Diane Phillips, '90 M.A. said, 1 got the Gillispie Scholarship!" "He was a great mentor as far as pulling minority Eric Sedwick, '95 B.A. William earned more than a degree from students into engineering and science fields," says Vern Shoemaker, '72 B.S.B. Wright State. He also met his wife, Linda Moody Tanika, a product development engineer for Delphi. Gillispie, '73 B.A. William was attracted Anthony Whitmore, '80 M.Ed. to Linda Terrance recalls struggling in his studies at first, right away, but she didn't immediately notice his until he was pointed Karen Wolf, '72 B.S.Ed., '81 M.Ed. in the direction of the MIS affection. Besides, it was an era of activism on program, where he found his niche. Currently a se­ Office of Alumni Relations campus and in the nation, and Linda was busy. nior network engineer for Reynolds and Reynolds, Executive Director, Susan Smith, '84 "We were really into that political mindset and he describes his job as "like an ISP for car dealer­ B.A. the need to make a difference for African Ameri­ ships. We do Internet, e-mail and IT solutions for Associate Director, Bob Dearbaugh, cans," Linda says. Through the Committee for the car dealerships." '78 B.A.; '92 M.A. Advancement of Black Unity (CABU), Linda, Wil­ 11Every one of us got here and was able to Assistant Director, Deb Venable, liam, and others worked for more African Ameri­ get through Wright State because somebody '00 B.A.; '01 M.P.A. can students and faculty on campus. They also else before us gave us a helping hand," Wil­ Assistant to the Executive Director, successfully established the Bolinga Black Cultural liam says. 11We had a responsibility to make Cherie Ritter Resources Center, celebrating 35 years in 2006. sure that we were giving something back." Membership Coordinator, Ann Alger Membership Assistant, Jennifer Royse 991500/200511 -3470/MROS/2 .BM 3 ALUMNEWS SPRING 2006 to Wright State The Gillispies (from left); Terrance, B.S.B. '99; Tanika, '00 B.S.M.E., Linda, '73 B.A.; The Hickeys (from left): Jim, B.S.B. '01; John, '98 B.A., '01 M.U.A.; Terri, '86 Goodloe, '76 B.S.B; William; '70 B.S.B.; and Eric, '80 B.S.B. B.S.B.; Daniel (not yet enrolled); Tom, '78 B.S.B.; and uRaider Mom" Rita. THE HICKEYS: Grads from the 70s, 80s, professors. Jim is an engineer with the National 90s and Today Composite Center (NCC). The NCC helped come From a family of 11 children, the Hickey family up with a cost-effective way to design statues of can claim six Wright State graduates spanning four Rowdy Raider for the Rowdy 'Round Town project, decades. Thomas Hickey, '78 B.S.B., led the way where students decorated the statues, which were in attending Wright State, and his siblings agree auctioned as a fundraiser for student scholarships. that he helped influence their decision to attend. "We worked for about six months with students "I think they all knew that I thought quite a bit and professors who came up with a design that we of Wright State," says Tom. The family attended made up and turned over to the art department," basketball games together at the PE building and Jim says. "It was really neat to see how everybody continues the tradition today in the Nutter Center. had worked on it as a community." Terri Hickey Penney, '86 B.S.B., met her hus­ The branches of the Hickey family tree include band Todd Penney, '86 B.S.B. through friends in Christopher Hickey, '93 B.A., '95 M.U.A.; his the Marketing Club. She later became active in the wife Janine Hickey, '84 B.A., '95 M.Ed.; John College Republicans, which didn't go over too well Hickey, '98 B.A., '01 M.U.A.; and Susan Hickey with some of the family members. However, the Peterman, '90 B.S.N. family has worked through that-for the most part. The branches aren't falling far from the tree. "There's still some heated discussions at Christ­ Susan's daughter Elaine will earn her master's from mastime," Terri jokes. Wright State this June. And one-year-old Daniel James Hickey, B.S.B. '01, obtained some work Penney, son of Terri and Todd, just might be part of experience before coming to Wright State. Since the class of 2027 or thereabouts. he was older, he felt he could better relate to his 4 ALUMNEWS SPRING 2006 May Wright State will host the 2006 Horizon League Baseball Championship The League's six schools sponsoring the sport-Butler University, "We are very excited about hosting the 2006 Horizon League Cleveland State University, the University of Illinois at Chicago, the Baseball Championship," WSU Head Coach Rob Cooper said. "Any University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Youngstown State University, and time you have a chance to play a championship event in front of Wright State-converge on Nischwitz Stadium for the five-day event, your hometown fans, it is a great opportunity. The environment at which begins on Wednesday, May 24, and runs through Sunday, May Nischwitz Stadium should be exciting." 28. Wright State has hosted the league tournament several times, The League champion earns an automatic berth into the NCAA most recently in 2003. Tournament. :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Larabee Chosen for International Coaching Staff Wright State Head Softball Coach Mike Larabee has been selected as part of the coaching staff for the World University Games this summer. The selection camp takes place June 9-11 in Chula Vista, Calif., with the training camp set for July 5-11.