The University of Findlay will honor its graduates during the Alumni Association Annual Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13. The 2007 Distinguished Alumni include Gladys Eakin ’33 of Pittsburgh, Pa.; George Tuttle ’36 of Trotwood; Joanne (Hamilton) and Joseph E. Rockwell ’51 of Newville, Pa.; James Taylor ’72 of Forest; and Jerome “Jerry” Kanney ’74 of Pikeville, Ky.

The Gold Medallion Award will be presented to the late Richard J. Schaefer ’77, formerly of Findlay. The award is presented in memory of an alumnus or alumna and in recognition of outstanding service and accomplishments during his or her lifetime.

Candee Ellsworth ’97 of Toledo will receive the Old Main Award, which recognizes the distinguished accomplishments of alumni age 35 or younger.

The Arch Award, honoring service by a staff member of the University, will be presented to Dwight Moody, Ed.D., of Findlay.

Registration is required to attend the breakfast. Contact the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations at 419-434-4516. Cost is $10 for adults, $5 for children ages 5-12 and free for children under age 5.

Gladys Eakin ’33 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education from UF and eventually earned a master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. She began her teaching career in 1933 in a one-room school in Indian Head, Pa., and retired in 1972 from the Bethel Park School District near Pittsburgh. Eakin is a lifelong educator who displayed a commitment to teaching that impacted many students during her long career.

Gladys Eakin ’33

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George Tuttle ’36, a native of Rudolph, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in education and started his career in the Vanlue School System. Tuttle then taught at John Simpson Junior High School in Mansfield, where he was teaching when he joined the U.S. Quartermaster Corps and was assigned to the 352nd Army Service Force Band at Fort Francis Warren in Cheyenne, Wyo. He eventually returned to teaching and earned his master’s degree from The Ohio State University.

As a teacher in Fairmont High School, Tuttle was involved in creating materials to teach “new math,” and he served on the Ohio Education association executive board and was chair of the Western Ohio Teachers Association. George retired in 1974 and was inducted into the Chester A. Roush Educational Hall of Fame in 1984. He resides in Trotwood, Ohio.

George Tuttle ’36

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Joanne (Hamilton) and Joseph E. Rockwell ’51 have enjoyed 53 years of marriage and careers as influential educators. From 1972 to 1993, Joanne held many roles in the Tuscarora School District in Mercersburg, Pa., including English teacher, assistant principal and chair of the language department. She earned a master’s degree in 1976 from Shippensburg State University.

Joseph joined the U.S. Army immediately following college and when he returned, earned a master’s degree in 1958 from Columbia University. He began teaching in Washington County, Md., while working on his master’s degree and retired from that school district in 1982. Joseph served as teacher, principal and supervisor. In addition, he taught as an adjunct professor at Shippensburg State University until 1993. The couple resides in Newville. They have two children, Julia Hair and Charles Rockwell, and two grandchildren.

Joanne (Hamilton) Rockwell ’51	Joseph Rockwell ’51
Joseph and Joanne Rockwell

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James Taylor ’72 began his teaching career at Hardin Northern High School in Dola and was there until 1978 when he became a teacher at Riverdale High School in Mt. Blanchard, where he remained until his retirement in 2002. As a varsity football coach, freshman basketball coach and history and government teacher, Taylor was honored with many awards for his commitment to historic education and preservation, his leadership abilities and his coaching talents.

He also was awarded Educator of the Year award by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ohio District Two, and was nominated for Ohio Teacher of the Year by the Hardin County Department of Education, the Daughters of the American Revolution American History Teachers Award and the Walt Disney American Teachers Award. James earned a master’s degree from the University of Dayton in 1982. He and his wife, Jackie (Pelton) ’72, have been married for 35 years. They have two children, Jennifer (Taylor) Pickett ’02 and Matthew Taylor ’04.

James Taylor ’72

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Jerome “Jerry” Kanney ’74 is general partner of Interstate Natural Gas Co. (ING); owner of Jerome A. Kanney CPA, PSC; and president of Crossrock Inc. Within the Pikeville, Ky., community, he is active within St. Francis Church and actively supports the Pikeville Area Family YMCA, as well as many other community organizations.

Kanney was recognized as Rotarian of the Year in 2002, and in 1998, Jerry and his business partner received the Community Service Award. In addition, the Floyd County Chamber of Commerce named ING Business of the Year in 2006. The company also was named Business of the Year in 2004 by the Pike County Chamber of Commerce. Jerry resides in Pikeville, Ky., with his wife of 33 years, Carolyn. They have four children: Angela, Melody, Crystal and Rachel.

Jerry Kanney ’74

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Richard J. Schaefer ’77

The late Richard J. Schaefer ’77 worked at Cooper Tire and Rubber Co. and was active within the Findlay community. He was a 30-year member of the Findlay Noon Optimist Club, serving as president and on other committees, and was a member of the Hancock Leadership Alumni Association, serving as president the year of his death. He also was active with the Hancock County Red Cross as a volunteer for both the local and the national disaster relief teams.

With the American Cancer Society, Schaefer served on the board of directors and was president of the board. Schaefer was an active member of St. Michael’s Church and the YMCA. He also coached youth soccer, softball and baseball. Schaefer married Frances (Kittle) in 1963. They have two children, Julie Murphy and Monte Schaefer, and five grandchildren.

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Candee Ellsworth ’97

Candee Ellsworth ’97 is a conservation biologist with the Toledo Zoological Society where she is the butterfly conservation coordinator leading a team in the captive rearing and reintroduction of the federally endangered Karner blue butterfly. In addition, Ellsworth is a conservation research technician for the society, recording behavioral data for a study on gorillas and completing field research for the federally endangered U.S. Virgin Islands boa, the Mona Island boa and the Cuban boa.

In 2003, Ellsworth received the North American Conservation Award from the American Zoo and Aquarium Association for her work on the conservation of Oak Savannah butterflies. She is a founding member of the Butterfly Conservation Initiative and is a member of the Toledo Zoo Green Team. Ellsworth mentors students for Sylvania Schools and St. John’s Jesuit High School, and she volunteers for The Nature Conservancy in Toledo doing habitat restoration work. She resides in Toledo with her son.

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Dwight Moody, Ed.D.

Dwight Moody, Ed.D., began his career at Findlay College in 1974 as an associate professor of education and was promoted to professor of biology in 1981. Moody has received several awards and honors including two National Science Foundation grant awards, the Pepsi-Cola Stone Laboratory Scholarship and The University of Findlay Founders Faculty Award for Academic Excellence.

Since 1989, Moody has performed researche for the Ohio Odonata Survey, and since 1998, he has studied mitigation and macroinvertebrates in the wetlands of Northwest Ohio. Other professional work includes research for the odonata survey at Sheldon Marsh Nature Preserve in Sandusky; research for the odonata survey at Kitty Todd Nature Preserve at The Nature Conservancy in Toledo; working as a biologist for the Illinois State Museum Somatochlora hineana project in Romeoville, Ill.; and working as a wetland mitigation evaluator with the Army Corps of Engineers in the Hancock County Parks District. Moody’s research has been published in both national and state publications.

He holds a doctorate in education from the University of Toledo, both a master’s and a bachelor’s degree in biology from Chadron State College and an associate’s degree in liberal arts from Nebraska Western College. Moody resides in Findlay, Ohio, with his wife, L’nette Moody. They have two daughters, Heather Czartoski ’91 and Kimberly Holmes ’94.

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