VOLUME 4 ISSUE 2 SPR I NG 2015 inside: Hanks History 10 Aviating 12 Ancestors Persevering 14 Parent SyFy Star 16 rise. shine. the campaign for wright state university Wright State University Magazine wright.edu/magazine Spring 2015 Volume 4 Issue 2 2 From the President’s Desk 4 Wright State Launches Rise. Shine. A guide to the largest fundraising initiative in Wright State’s history 10 Tom Hanks Embraces University’s Mission The Hollywood heavyweight has a strong connection to Wright State 12 Keeping the Spirit of Innovation Alive Amanda Wright Lane reflects on the legacy of her famous ancestors 14 No Quit Wright State student Gwendolyn Reynolds refused to surrender to a series of setbacks 16 A Work in Progress Eddie McClintock reflects on his days at Wright State 20 Helping Future Generations Shine Gift from Alum Ron Bullock will support initiatives for engineering innovations 22 From the Archives Aviation-related medicine during World War I 24 University News 26 Alumni News 28 AlumNotes The Neuroscience Engineering 31 Athletics News Collaboration Building, pictured here, was celebrated during a grand opening ceremony on April 16. Publisher and President of David R. Hopkins Wright State University Editor and Denise Robinow Executive Director of Marketing Assistant Editor Cory MacPherson Graphic Design and Illustration Stephen Rumbaugh Contributing Writers Seth Bauguess, Andrew Call, Jim Hannah, Sandi Holdheide, Sarah Olsen, Kim Patton, Karen Strider-Iiames Editorial Assistance Ron Wukeson Photography Editor William Jones Photography William Jones, Snavely Associates, Chris Snyder Digital Imaging Manipulation Chris Snyder Submit information, comments, and letters to: Wright State University Magazine 4035 Colonel Glenn Highway Suite 300 Beavercreek, Ohio 45431 Email: [email protected] Wright State University Magazine is published twice a year by the Office of Marketing. Distribution is to Wright State alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the university. FROM THE PRESIDENT RISE. SHINE. These two small-yet-powerful words describe today’s spirit at Wright State University. So when we were choosing a name for the largest fundraising campaign in our history, they seemed like the perfect fit. Rise. Shine. The Campaign for Wright State University will forever change the future of our great university. It will allow us to expand our curriculum and attract top-flight faculty. We will build world-class facilities and invest in research that advances knowledge and creates jobs. We will enhance our community engagement and strengthen our ability to solve real-world problems and improve the quality of life. Most importantly, we will provide more scholarships for our hard-working students. This campaign will help Wright State rise and shine for generations to come. This campaign will secure the future of Wright State University so we will always be a place where students—regardless of their backgrounds—can rise each day to pursue their dreams. The world needs universities like Wright State, where every student matters. We have believed, and always will believe, that a college education should be a reality for anyone with potential and the will to work hard enough to achieve it. Whether it’s a single mom juggling the responsibilities of work, school, and family...a veteran transitioning from active duty to the classroom...or a student with a physical disability...everyone deserves the chance to make a better life for themselves and their families. As we go to press with this issue, we have already raised more than $112 million toward our $150 million goal. We would have never gotten this far without the generosity of many alumni, friends, corporations, and foundations that have made significant leadership gifts to this campaign. This includes 10 Wright State alumni who have each pledged at least $1 million or more to the Rise. Shine. campaign. Never before in the history of Wright State University have our alumni been so generous. This is a huge point of pride for us—to have our alumni step up and say, “I believe in my alma mater, and I want to help them educate future generations of Wright State students.” I think this is the greatest compliment any graduate could possibly give us. I hope you will want to be part of this defining moment in the history of Wright State University. As we approach our 50th birthday in 2017, this is our time. Our time to rise and shine as a leader in 21st century higher education. Let’s seize the moment together. Warmest regards from campus, David R. Hopkins President 2 3 DREAM. BIG. > Wright State launches $150 million campaign Academy Award–winning actor Tom Hanks leads the largest fundraising initiative in Wright State’s history By Kim Patton 4 Our namesakes, the Wright brothers, used ingenuity and innovation to make a lasting impact on the world. Today, we rise on their wings, prepared to shine, as we lift our university to new heights. Ahead, we see a bright future, one where Wright State is a new model for higher education: a public institution that is imaginative, unafraid to take risks, and nimble in adapting to the needs of a fast-changing world. To reach that future, we are embarking on Rise. Shine. The Campaign for Wright State University. 5 DREAM. BIG. A Night to Shine The evening was capped off with the announce- On October 18, 2014, President David R. Hopkins ment that the university had already raised more than announced Rise. Shine. The Campaign for Wright State $107 million toward the $150 million campaign goal. University to more than 600 students, faculty, staff, This includes a record number of gifts from alumni. At donors, and other special guests at the Wright State least 10 Wright State graduates have each pledged $1 University Nutter Center. million or more to the Rise. Shine. campaign. It was truly a night to shine as the Nutter Center was transformed into a dazzling landscape that Our Time to Rise included a glittering makeshift chandelier and a As Wright State University approaches its 50th kaleidoscope of towering video screens. anniversary in 2017, we are already moving boldly into Eddie McClintock, a 1991 Wright State graduate a new era of tremendous change, unprecedented who has appeared in numerous TV shows and most challenge, and unlimited opportunity. recently played the role of a Secret Service agent We are leading the way by continually evolving to in the popular Syfy series Warehouse 13, served as deliver an education that is eminently relevant and master of ceremonies. financially accessible and that meets the changing Wright State performing arts students took to the needs of students, the real-world economy, and our stage to showcase their talents in singing, dancing, collective future. and music. Speed painter Aaron Kizer delighted the Through the Rise. Shine. campaign, we will level audience by painting portraits of university namesakes the playing field for our students, unveiling a world of Orville and Wilbur Wright upside down and then possibilities and reachable dreams. flipping them right side up with a flourish. And there “This campaign is all about student success. It were poignant personal stories from Wright State will change Wright State forever and the generation students Emily Bingham, Aaron Palmer, and Ian Kallay. of students to come,” said Wright State University Academy Award–winning actor, producer, and President David R. Hopkins. “It’s going to grow our director Tom Hanks and Amanda Wright Lane, great prominence and relevance in 21st century education.” grandniece of the Wright brothers, are spearheading The Rise. Shine. campaign will generate funds for the Rise. Shine. campaign as co-chairs. numerous initiatives on campus, including: In an impassioned speech, Wright Lane told guests: • Increased opportunities for “The most important reason to be a part of the Rise. scholarships, undergraduate Shine. campaign lies in the backpacking, parking research, and experiential learning space–seeking humans who roam this campus daily, • Endowed professorships to aka the students or the ‘kids’ of the Wright State attract top scholars family. This campaign’s and this university’s mission is • Construction of facilities that will to provide the tools for every student’s success.” propel Wright State students and Hanks, who could not attend the campaign launch faculty to the forefront of their fields due to a filming commitment, recorded a special video In addition to the campaign launch in Dayton, Wright message for guests. State will take the Rise. Shine. campaign on the road with “Wright State is a rising leader in 21st regional events throughout the United States in 2015. century higher education,” said Hanks. “From “This is our time to shine,” Hopkins said. “People groundbreaking research to world-class fine and are going to be talking about Wright State not only in performing arts, this university truly has a mission this community, but across the state and nation. Our that matters.” time is now.” 6 Tom Hanks delivers a special video message during the Rise. Shine. kickoff event. Speed painter Aaron Kizer renders portraits of the Wright Brothers on the Rise. Shine. stage. 7 DREAM. BIG. 304 INDIVIDUALS. new scholarships created At its core, Wright State University is about people. We will increase scholarships to keep college within reach of promising students. We will foster undergraduate research, giving students hands-on experiences that set them $112 million apart in a competitive job market. We will also support faculty by establishing raised as of March 31, 2015 endowed professorships to attract top scholars to Wright State. ENVIRONMENTS. Of the $112 raised so far, Twenty-first century learning must take place in 21st-century facilities. $95.9 million Campaign support, together with state capital budget and bond funding, will comes from gifts of allow us to strategically invest in new construction as well as modernization of current buildings.