Alumni
1960s
’66, Mary Bauer (BS Medical Technology/Medical Laboratory Science) and her family held the annual Ohio Christmas Tree Growers Association (OCTA) meeting at their family-owned farm over the summer. The nonprofit organization (OCTA) is made up of Christmas tree growers throughout Ohio and has about 200 members. Mary, her husband Gary (’66 & ’73, CFAES) and their children hosted over half of them at their Piney Paradise Christmas Tree Farm in Norwalk, OH. (published 2019)
1970s
’74, David Bolinsky (BS Medical Illustration) works for the world’s first 3D digital medical and scientific animation company and has since presented several Ted Talks, including one entitled “Our Lives So Far," a beautiful story of finding hope in uncertainty. (published 2021)
’77, Martha (Kummerer) Gibson (BS Occupational Therapy) retired in 2017 working primarily in school-based practice. She is currently working as an OT consultant for program development and intern coordinator at NDR Therapeutic Riding in Norco, California. Her current projects include partnering with the Arthritis Foundation to provide adapted riding experience for children with arthritis and family equine-assisted activities. She spent this fall mentoring a doctoral OT student doing her capstone on equine-assisted activities for adults with dementia. NDR Therapeutic Riding is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of people with disabilities through therapeutic horse-related programs. (published 2019)
1980s
’83 Diane (Dixon) Nageotte (BS Physical Therapy) is the proud mother of Katie Nageotte, 2021 Tokyo Olympian and Gold Medalist in the Women’s Pole Vault. (published 2021)
’85 Kathy Murray (BS Medical Communications) wrote an audio book about her experience coaching cheer in Munich in the 90’s. In the book, she credits her time as a cheerleader at Ohio State (she was a member of the 1983 National Cheerleading Championship Team) while an undergraduate student. The audio book titled The Munich Cowboys Cheerleaders can be found on Audible.com (published 2022)
’87 and ’11, Colleen (Kelleher) Spees (BS Medical Dietetics and PhD) was honored by The Society of Nutrition Education and Behavior with the Early Professional Achievement Award, in acknowledgment of her notable contributions to the field of nutrition early into her career. Colleen serves as associate professor in the Division of Medical Dietetics at The Ohio State University’s School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences. She also holds joint academic appointments in the Department of Extension, College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and in the Department of Human Sciences, College of Education and Human Ecology. (published 2021)