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Chagrin Falls Alumni Association

Keeping Tiger Pride Alive

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Paul DeSantis

Class of 1962

Paul enjoyed a 51 year career with TRW with the last 25 of those years working as the Design Engineering Manager.  His engineering experience in nuclear and aerospace industries focused primarily on product development. His concentration was exclusively on control rod drive mechanisms for both naval and commercial applications. Paul was at the forefront of being a “super-user” for CAD designs, Finite Element structural evaluations and computer usage in general.  During his early years with TRW he worked on various Aerospace projects including designing an auxiliary power unit for NASA’s Lunar Excursion Module (Lunar Lander). He had many interesting trips to study the interface of the power unit with the actual Lunar Module hardware, including a visit to Mission Control at NASA Houston and Grumman Aircraft. It was a real experience actually for Paul to climb around on Lunar Modules that would ultimately land on the Moon. For most of his career, he worked on the design of Nuclear reactor control systems, mostly for the Navy nuclear fleet.  He prepared thousands of pages of technical reports with detailed design and analysis studies. His intricate designs and manufactured products are still used today in every Naval Nuclear submarine, destroyer and aircraft carrier. Paul has seven patents to his name on the mPower Modular Reactor project.

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John Bourisseau

Class of 1964

Community Service Award Honoree

John’s first career was as an educator.  He taught 1st grade at Orange, worked as a school psychologist for the East Shore Regional Resource Center and for 20 years, was a school psychologist for Mayfield Schools.  For 6 years he taught a course for CSU entitled, Working With Parents of Exceptional Children.His second career was as a volunteer.  For 15 years John was active as a trustee for the CFHS Alumni Association serving on the Scholarship and Athletic HOF committees.  For many years he chaired the Athletic HOF and was Master of Ceremonies at the Banquet. John was inducted into the Athletic HOF in 2013 with his teammates who never lost a football game throughout their 4 years of high school.  John and his wife Mary, have participated in 25 summer work camps with the Federated Church youth group—most recently in Puerto Rico. For many years John helped Mary run the youth lacrosse program expanding it from a 7th and 8th grade program down to the 3rd and 4th grades. John served as the President of the Cleveland BoyChoir for four years.  John was selected as the Chagrin Valley Jaycees citizen of the year in 2017, has been President of the Chagrin Falls Historical Society Board of Trustees for 10 years, the emcee for the Alumni Choir Memorial Day concert, the Village of Chagrin Falls 4th of July celebration and is the Judge Advocate General for Chagrin Falls American Legion Post 383, where he has the privilege of being the Master of Ceremony for Memorial Day services at the cemetery.  John was a member of the Bentleyville Village Council for 10 years, serving four years as president. John also was an active participant in the Win-Win campaign.

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Kathy Keeler

Class of 1965

Kathy Keeler ‘65 had an illustrious career as a Professor of the School of Life Science at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and since has maintained her passion as a plant expert in a variety of pursuits.  Her specialties range from ant-plant interactions to grass genetics to studies of prairie plants.  In the 1980’s she was at the forefront in contributing to the analysis of genetically-engineered organisms.  Kathy wrote analytical pieces and used summaries in the literature to bring existing information to bear on the emerging field.   At that time, she also pioneered a flow cytometry technique that has now become the standard. Flow cytometry is the staining of a cell for a particular compound and passing individual cells in front of a laser that measured the stained material.  In the classroom, Kathy taught everything from general biology to advanced evolution for new graduate students, with the courses centering around ecology and evolution. Her career as a professor spanned over 30 years and for the first decade she was the only woman professor in her department of over thirty individuals.  In 2013 she was frustrated that the great stories of plants she saw traveling, of frangipani, bougainvillea, mountain ash (a giant eucalyptus), weren’t easy to find. The result was Kathy beginning the blog, A Wandering Botanist. It allows her to write about plants as entertainment—odd biology, curious folklore, largely-forgotten stories of their role in history. This has led to speaking in Colorado and sometimes on tours, and books that relate those stories on paper.  Since her retirement as a professor, she still continues to write and has recently published three books: Curious Stories of Familiar Garden Plants, Curious Stories of Plants from Around the World and NoCo Notables: 15 Northern Colorado Plants Worth Knowing based mainly on the blog.

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Lisa Gorretta

Class of 1972

Lisa has had a successful career as a businesswoman, entrepreneur, consultant, professor, president, and official to name a few. Upon graduation from OSU Lisa went to work for the family manufacturing company.  They added a horse products division to Gorretta Machine and Mfg Company called “Paddock Products” that designed, produced and marketed stable equipment. When the company was sold Lisa started a tack shop in all products for the Sport Horse enthusiast. It was nationally recognized as one of the top 100 tack shops in the US. After selling that business, she started her consulting firm, The Paddock Group LLC, specializing in equestrian based businesses. She specializes in equestrian retail but also works with startup companies bringing new products to the market.  Lisa does some career coaching for young professionals finding their pathway as trainers, instructors or officials. She has served as an Entrepreneur in Residence and as an Adjunct Professor teaching Management of Equestrian Activities for Lake Erie College.  Another important aspect of her career is that of show official in the sport of Equestrian. She has been a Technical Delegate for the United States Equestrian Federation for the Dressage discipline for over 35 years. She is considered an expert, nationally and internationally, in equipment and rules and regularly conducts continuing education forums for dressage judges and technical delegates on competition rules, equipment and professional conduct, ensuring that competitions are run in compliance with current rules, thus providing a level playing field for all competitors, with the welfare of the human and equine participants considered at all times.  She has officiated at several major international competitions, notably serving as the assistant Chief Steward for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada and the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil. Lisa is also an active volunteer in sport governance, serving as Co-Chair of the Dressage Sport Committee and as a member of the Board of Directors for the US Equestrian Federation. She serves currently as the President of the United States Dressage Federation, a 33,000 member non-profit organization based at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington Kentucky and dedicated to the sport of Dressage and the recognition of the achievements of its members. She is the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the US Dressage Finals, a national head-to-head dressage competition for Adult Amateur and Professional competitors.

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Dave Mullins

Class of 1989

The norm is neither for a Chagrin student to play in a punk band nor ascend to be an Oscar nominated director, but Dave Mullins has done both and has had success throughout his career.  Leaving Chagrin and his punk rock band Roygbiv, Dave set off to obtain a BFA in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design. He would jump right in as an animator at such studios as Walt Disney Animation, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and MGM.  He would make his way over to Pixar and work on such films as Monsters Incorporated, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, Inside Out, Coco, Cars 3, Mater and the Ghostlight, Brave, and Finding Nemo. He worked his way up to Directing Animator for the film Up and Animation Supervisor for Cars 2, The Good Dinosaur, and Incredibles 2.  The Pixar team has won numerous awards on these films and Dave would see his greatest individual success as the writer and director of the 2018 Oscar Nominated Short Film LOU.  In addition, Dave spends a lot of time teaching animation and filmmaking at the California Institute of the Arts, Academy of Art San Francisco, Animation Mentor and Gnomon School of Visual Effects, Games and Animation to name a few.

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RICHARD W. EVANS

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1951

Owner of Evans Printing Company for 26 years, Dick’s talents and altruistic endeavors have been duly recognized by the communities in which he lived and worked. In 1968, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the Chagrin Valley Jaycees. Sun Newspapers selected him as “Citizen of the Year” for Solon in 1992, the same year he was named to the Solon Chamber of Commerce Hall of Fame. Numerous paper companies have presented him awards of excellence in printed communication. Dick was president of the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce in 1967 and in 1994. He is a life member of several local organizations including the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre, Valley Art Center and the Chagrin Falls Historical Society.

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JOEL M. JONES

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1955

Joel’s splendid academic performance at Chagrin Falls High School was but an early chapter in a life replete with scholastic achievement. Since 1988, he has been president of Fort Lewis College, the public liberal arts college for Colorado. For the previous 19 years, he was a professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico, where he received his Ph.D. in 1966. He earned his B.A. from Yale University in 1960 and his M.A. from Miami of Ohio in 1962. Dr. Jones has published more than 50 scholarly articles, chapters of books, and reviews covering such topics as American social/ intellectual history, environmental studies and cultural diversity. In 1972, he received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Educational Press Association of America.

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PETER VAN NORT

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1955

An outstanding student and all-around athlete at Chagrin Falls High School and in college, Peter is currently the president and chief operating officer of H. B. Zachry Company, an $800 million a year construction and maintenance company in San Antonio, Texas. He was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1959. As a junior there, he completed the year as the top academic performer in a class of 850. As a senior, he was selected to be Brigade Commander, the highest ranking student military position. Peter was the first person in the history of Navy to be commissioned into the Engineering Duty Corp directly from the Naval Academy. Early in his career, he worked with Admiral H. G. Rickover, managing the application of nuclear power in ships.

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ROBERT J. HARMON

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1964

Bob credits his former teachers in Chagrin Falls for giving him the foundation from which to launch a successful career in medicine. In addition to his current appointment as Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Dr. Harmon heads the Division of Child Psychiatry there and is Director of the Infant Psychiatry Program. He has been the recipient of a Research Scientist Development Award and serves on the editorial board of several journals including the Infant Mental Health Journal, of which he is Associate Editor. Dr. Harmon is a lecturer on infants and family and has authored or co-authored more than 80 publications. He was recently elected to the Governing Council of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,

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DONALD R. SCHREGARDUS

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1968

It is only natural that playing along the Chagrin River and mixing chemicals in Neal Wheatcraft’s chemistry class are among Don’s fondest memories of his old hometown. In 1991, this former Eagle Scout was named director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency by Governor George V. Voinovich. As the top ranking EPA officer in the state, Don administers all laws and regulations dealing with environmental protection. He manages an agency of 1100 employees and a $70 million per year budget. Don has earned several prestigious awards for his work including the U.S. EPA Bronze Medal in 1989 and the EPA Superior Performance Award in 1976, 1982, 1983 and 1988.

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Wendy Diamond

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1988

Wendy Diamond is a Social Entrepreneur, Humanitarian, Endangered Animal and Rescue Advocate, World’s Premiere Pet Lifestyle expert, Best-Selling Author, and TV Personality. She is heralded and recognized as a pioneer in the animal world; dubbed “Martha Stewart of the Milk Bone Dish” by The New Yorker, and crowned the “Canine Queen” by Forbes. She founded Animal Fair Media with a specific mission to save disenfranchised animals in shelters, and endangered wildlife globally, by promoting animal welfare and rescue, healthy pet lifestyles, and responsible breeding. Since its beginning, the number of animals euthanized annually has dropped by 58 percent, from 12 million to 4 million. Wendy has authored several best-selling books including: Chicken Soup for the Soul: What I Learned from the Dog, What I Learned from the Cat, My Cat’s Life, My Dog’s Life, How to Understand Men Through Their Dogs, How to Understand Women Through Their Cats and It’s a Dog’s World: The Savvy Guide to Four-Legged Living; A Musical Feast and All Star Feast. With the help of Lucky, her first adopted dog, and Baby Hope the second one, Wendy holds 3 Guinness World Records. Lucky Diamond is The Animal Photographed with the Most Celebrities with 363 celebrities. Baby Hope had the most expensive pet wedding in history raising money for a wing at the Humane Society of New York. Wendy herself received a Guinness for the longest curtsey relay in 5 minutes of 314 curtsies. Recently she launched Women’s Entrepreneurship Day (WED) at the United Nations in 144 countries, which is a day to celebrate, support and empower women entrepreneurs and women owned businesses globally. Wendy has received countless honors and titles including the 2016 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Grand Marshal of Barkus, & Chairwoman of the Katrina Pet Memorial. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for the United Nations Millennium Development Goal Achievers, Grey Muzzle Foundation, Social Innovation Forum/United Nations and World Entrepreneurship Day.

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Mark Gebler

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1975

Community Service Award
Like many fathers in Chagrin Falls, Mark Gebler became involved in the youth programs of his sons (Scott ‘00, Brett ‘02, and Zak ‘05) from Indian Guides to football and wrestling. However, Mark not only took lead roles in these ventures, he continued on with them when his sons went on to high school and college. His volunteerism began with the Chagrin Valley Jaycees where he was Co-Chairman of Blossom Booths and Games from 1983-86. He was also Chairman of Blossom Time Run water stops for 14 years. His efforts were recognized in 1995 with the Chagrin Valley Jaycees Distinguished Service Award as the Outstanding Jaycee. From 1989-93 he was Nation Chief for the Geauga County YMCA Indian Guides. His duties included promoting, organizing events, including field trips for approximately 225 youth members and their fathers. His efforts were also felt in the Chagrin Athletic Association. During the 1990s, Mark was the Head Wrestling Coach and Commissioner of Wrestling building the program from 16 wrestlers to 61. Additionally, he was a Head Football Coach in CAA at this time. He would later volunteer as a football coach on the CFMS staff for 12 seasons. Further, he has continued to volunteer as the Head Statistician for the CFHS Varsity Football Team, a role he began in 1997. Mark had a 36 year career in the postal service with 10 years as the Postmaster of Chagrin Falls. A highlight from his career was overseeing the naming of the Chagrin Falls Post Office to the Sgt. Michael M. Kashkoush Post Office Building. Michael Kashkoush ‘01 died while in combat in Iraq, while serving in the U.S. Marines. Mark continues to volunteer in a number of roles in Chagrin today with his wife Debi Shukys Gebler ‘75.

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TOM ANDERSON

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1966

Tom has had an award winning career as an independent recording engineer, producer, & studio design consultant. After graduating from the University of Denver, Tom went to the Bay area as a musician and in the role of production engineer and assistant engineer. He has worked in primarily all the music genres in his career from jazz, rock, funk/soul, blues, pop, folk, world, & country. During his illustrious career he was in high demand by the top record labels like Warner Bros. and A & M Records. His work has been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards and earned multiple Recording Industry Association of America Gold and Platinum Album awards. Tom has been an engineer on albums for many bands and individual singers including The Allman Brothers, America, Hoyt Axton, The Blackbyrds, Alice Cooper, David Crosby, Pablo Cruise, Alex DeGrassi, The Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, Jerry Garcia Band, The Grateful Dead, John Lee Hooker, The Marshall Tucker Band, Steve Martin, Paul McCartney and Wings, Buddy Miles, Van Morrison, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Poco, REO Speedwagon, The Rolling Stones, Sly and the Family Stone, Rick Springfield, Supertramp, Stephen Stills, Joe Walsh, & Steven Wright. He has also recorded such artists as Jimmy Cliff, Bing Crosby, Buddy Miles, Jimmy Page, Gary Puckett, & Tommy Smothers. A few years ago Tom would relocate back to Chagrin Falls where he runs T A Audio, a sound engineering firm and is a college instructor in the fields of audio engineering, production techniques, sound for film and sound design.

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Scott Lax

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1970

Scott has had a rich career as an award-winning writer, novelist, a produced playwright, an essayist, columnist and features writer, educator, and a film and television writer. Before he became a full-time writer and educator, Scott was a salesman, as well as a professional drummer who drummed with Bo Diddley, among many other musicians. Scott has authored two novels, “The Year That Trembled” and “Vengeance Follows,.” both of which take place in a fictional version of Chagrin Falls. The former was named Vermont Book of the Year, Runner-Up & one of 1998’s “Milestones in Fiction” by the Denver Post. He would later be a source-writer and producer of a feature film based on “The Year That Trembled.” Scott would go on to earn four first-place international film festival awards for his role in the film, including the 2002 Midwest Filmmaker of the Year from the Cleveland International Film Festival.. His adaptation of his novel was produced as a stage play twice at Cleveland’s University School, in 2003 and 2013. His college alma mater, Hiram College, where he delivered the commencement address in 2001, named him along with thirteen others as their “Most Illustrious Alumni.” He has also been recognized as the 1992 Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Bernard J. O’Keefe Scholar in Nonfiction and the 1998 Sewanee Writers Conference Walter E. Dakin Fellow in Fiction. “Vengeance Follows” was called “a minor masterpiece of suspense and human nature by The Midwest Book Review, who also called Scott, “A master wordsmith of the first order.” Scott has also earned awards from the Ohio Professional Writers Communication Contest and the Ohio Excellence in Journalism. Currently, he is on the liberal arts faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where he teaches screenwriting. Scott recently wrote a feature for ESPN on the Cavaliers 2016 NBA Championship, which ran on SportsCenter the day after the final victory.

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William “Skip” Church

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1971

Skip has had a prolific career both in front of and behind the television camera. While still attending Western Kentucky University, he became the youngest sports director of a commercial television station in the country at age 20. (WBKO-TV) He would go on to be a sports anchor, producer, and feature reporter. Skip has been honored with two Emmy Awards, five Emmy nominations, and the Associated Press Sports Feature of the Year. For the past two decades he has overseen his video production company, Skip Church Enterprises. He produces a wide range of programs from national documentaries to corporate videos, with many of his video productions winning a Telly award, an honor for the very best film & video productions. A significant part of Skip’s life has been with giving back. He has served on the Board of Directors in Connecticut for both the Special Olympics & United Way. Skip even hosted the first-ever live televised Special Olympics Event. His civic duty is most notably recognized in regards to drinking and driving due in part to his youngest son Dustin bing killed by a drunk driver in 2004. Skip drafted and promoted the passage of legislation that strengthens drunk driving laws by requiring convicted drunk drivers to use an ignition interlock device that prohibits engine starts for those that are impaired. In the first two and a half years of the program, those devices have prohibited engine starts more than 105,000 times, which averages to 115 less impaired drivers on a daily basis. Skip and his wife Colleen, who is the National President for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, also created a summer day camp for children in honor of their son, called Dustin’s Place.

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If you have an updated address, phone number, or email, then please include that in the message area below.

Contact Info:

alumni@chagrinschools.org

440.247.4387

 


CFAA Alumni Director:

Brian McKenna '88

Alumni Secretary:

Jana Young ‘82

Find Us:

Chagrin Falls Alumni Association

400 East Washington Street
Chagrin Falls, OH 44022

We invite you to join the growing numbers of volunteers who are helping to ensure a bright future for the CFAA and Chagrin Falls Schools. Whether it is through your time or resources, all of us appreciate your generous gifts. To become more involved, contact the Alumni Association. We look forward to your comments, questions, and suggestions. Don’t forget that we appreciate your help in making the CFAA run successfully with the donation of your annual dues of $10 or more.