Ohio State Presents Reese Medal, Gerlach Awards
This year's recipients of The Ohio State University's Everett D. Reese Medal and John B. Gerlach Sr. Development Volunteer Awards were honored at a September 27 celebration. The honorees are:
Reese Medal
Betty F. Schoenbaum, Charleston, W.V., and Sarasota, Fla.
Gerlach Award
Anne K. "Nancy" Jeffrey, Bexley, Ohio
Robert F. Reusché, Lake Forest, Ill.
Donald H. Schriver, Weatherby Lake, Mo.
Robert H. Watkins, Cincinnati, Ohio
The Reese Medal, established in 1984 as the university's highest honor in recognition of exceptional service in private philanthropy, was named in honor of the late Everett D. "Ev" Reese, who exemplified the type of volunteer for whom this award was created. Ev, who earned a B.S. degree in business administration from Ohio State in 1919, was a founding member of The Presidents Club in 1963 and served as chair of its executive committee for 15 years. A banking executive, philanthropist, and former Ohio State instructor in commerce, he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Ohio State in 1971. A member of The Presidents Cabinet (now known as The Orton Society), he helped to create one of the university's first endowed faculty chairs, the Everett D. Reese Chair in Banking and Monetary Economics. Along with Seward D. Schooler, he initiated the Schooler-Reese University Lecture Series, which has brought a number of prominent national and international speakers to the university.
The Outstanding Development Volunteer Award was created in 1996 to recognize and reward those volunteers who show the utmost in dedicated involvement and personal investment in fund-raising efforts at Ohio State. In May 1997, The Ohio State University Foundation Board of Directors decided unanimously to name the award in honor of the late John B. "Bernie" Gerlach Sr. Gerlach, one of the most active and dedicated supporters of Ohio State throughout his lifetime, was chair of the Columbus Regional Campaign, a component of the 1985-90 University Campaign that raised $178 million from area donors. He was also co-chair of the recently concluded "Affirm Thy Friendship" fund-raising campaign; chair of The Ohio State University Foundation Board, of which he was a founding member; chair of the Fisher College of Business Campaign Committee; an active member of The Ohio State University Alumni Association, Inc.; and recognized by The Presidents Club. In 1982, he led efforts to establish the John J. Gerlach Chair in the Fisher College of Business, in memory of his father. In addition, he and his family provided generous support to a number of other areas, including human ecology, the arts, and athletics, as well as to countless civic and charitable causes throughout Central Ohio.
“Bernie Gerlach and Ev Reese set very powerful precedents for volunteers at Ohio State. Their legacies continue to live on and on,” said Jerry A. May, vice president for development and president of The Ohio State University Foundation. “This year's five honorees have all demonstrated the epitome of dedicated involvement and personal investment in fund-raising efforts on behalf of Ohio State. They are truly an inspiration; I am thrilled that we are able to recognize them with these prestigious awards.”
2002 Reese Medal Recipient:
Betty F. Schoenbaum
An alumna of Ohio State's College of Commerce (now the Max M. Fisher College of Business), Betty F. Schoenbaum is president and trustee of the Schoenbaum Family Foundation, Inc., which grants funds to numerous charitable and civic organizations, primarily in West Virginia; one of its major accomplishments is the Schoenbaum Human Services Center of Sarasota, Florida, dedicated in March 1990. A strong supporter of community and educational causes worldwide, Betty serves on the boards of the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation, the Jewish Community Foundation, the American Jewish Committee, the Florida West Coast Symphony, and the Women's Resource Center; is a member of the Selby Gardens Advisory Council; and is honorary chair of the Sarasota United Way Campaign (Women's Division), as well as honorary fund-raising chair for the Goodwill Foundation in Sarasota. She is also a member of the Critical Difference for Women Program National Network, in addition to her role as an Ohio State University Foundation Board director.
Betty and her late husband, Alex (B.S. marketing, 1939)-founder of Shoney's restaurants and former Foundation Board director, member of the Fisher College of Business Campaign Committee, and chair of the Campaign for Athletics from 1985 to 1990-have been among Ohio State's most giving and dedicated supporters. The Schoenbaum Hall of Champions in the Woody Hayes Athletic Facility recognizes their gifts to the Department of Athletics, which include endowed scholarships. Betty has also provided generous support to the Fisher College of Business, where she established endowed scholarships and helped to fund Schoenbaum Hall, the college's new undergraduate building. She has also established an endowed scholarship for students in the College of Education. In addition, she is a supporter and founding member of the committee to establish Ohio State's Critical Difference for Women Program, which provides assistance to women who wish to return to college to pursue their postponed higher education goals. Recently, Betty made a significant commitment to the College of Human Ecology, to support a center for early childhood development, to be located in Weinland Park, an underserved neighborhood near the Ohio State campus. Through their involvement and support, the Schoenbaums have always been profoundly effective ambassadors for Ohio State. They have hosted many gatherings of university visitors, alumni, faculty, and supporters at their home and Betty continues to host or co-host such annual gatherings in Sarasota.
In recognition of their extraordinary service to Ohio State, Betty and Alex were joint recipients of the university's Distinguished Service Award in 1990, the first time this prestigious recognition has ever been awarded to a couple. Betty received an honorary doctorate degree in humanities in May 1999 from the University of Charleston (West Virginia) and an Honorary Doctor of Business degree from Ohio State in March 2001. She resides in Charleston, West Virginia, and Sarasota, Florida.
Past recipients of the Reese Medal:
Jeanne Bonnet & John G. McCoy; Thekla Reese Shackelford; Howard E. LeFevre; Josephine S. Failer; Arthur E. Shepard; James E. Chapman; Edward Jennings; Gay B. Hadley; John H. Herrick; Shirley Brooks-Jones; George L. Smith; Seward D. Schooler; Melvin L. Schottenstein; John B. (Bernie) Gerlach Sr.; Beatrice J. Cleveland; Ralph E. Kent; and John W. Berry Sr.
2002 Gerlach Award Recipients:
Anne K. "Nancy" Jeffrey
After attending Skidmore College, Nancy Jeffrey moved to Columbus with her husband, Robert (Tad), in 1956. She began working as a volunteer at Columbus State Hospital, joined the Mental Health Association, and has since campaigned tirelessly for better mental health services in the Columbus community.
After working to pass the Community Mental Health Services Act, Nancy became chair of the committee that established the Columbus Area Community Mental Health Center. She chaired the center's board, helped to found Franklin County's Alcohol, Drug Addiction, and Mental Health Services (ADAMH) Board, and chaired the committee that successfully passed the first levy for mental health services in Franklin County.
A member of the Harding Hospital Board since 1974, she has served as chair of the joint OSU/Harding Hospital Board of Trustees, formed in 1998. She helped to lead efforts to establish the fund-raising campaign for the George T. Harding, III, M.D., Chair Fund in Psychiatry at Ohio State-recruiting volunteer leaders, helping to strategize fund-raising efforts and, with Tad, committing personal support.
At Ohio State, Nancy and Tad, who has served on the Dean's Development Council for the College of Humanities, are recognized by The Presidents Club. They have supported such diverse programs as the Fisher College of Business, WOSU Stations, the Grace Sills Professorship Fund in Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing, and the Chadwick Arboretum.
A dedicated community leader, Nancy became the first woman president of United Way in 1971, chaired its 1972 campaign, and was the first woman to receive its highest honor, the local Alexis de Tocqueville Award. A former member of The Columbus Foundation's Governing Committee, she also served as the Metropolitan Human Services Commission's first president and on the boards of the Capitol South Urban Redevelopment Corporation, Action for Children, the Columbus and Franklin County Housing Commission, and the Columbus School for Girls. She also helped to found the Community Shelter Board, which presented her with the Mel Schottenstein Leadership Award in 1999.
In 1974, Nancy became the second woman to receive the George Meany Award, established in a partnership between local labor and the United Way to recognize outstanding service in the areas of health, welfare, and recreation. She received the Robert S. Crane Trusteeship Award from Leadership Columbus in 1994, The Columbus Foundation Award in 1995, and the YWCA Women of Achievement Award in 1996. She was named Outstanding Philanthropist by the National Society of Fund Raising Executives in 1998 and holds an honorary degree from Otterbein College. Nancy and Tad have four grown children and reside in Bexley, Ohio.
Robert F. Reusché
A 1949 graduate of Ohio State in business administration, Robert "Bob" Reusché is the retired vice chairman of the Northern Trust Company, a large multi-state trust and banking corporation headquartered in Chicago. After earning an M.B.A. degree from the University of Chicago and serving in the United States Army, he joined the Northern Trust Company in 1952 and held a variety of posts, all on the trust side of the business. At the time of his retirement in 1990, Bob had headed the company's trust department for 19 years. During the course of his career, he also served on a number of association boards related to the trust business.
Bob has been a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago since 1986. Also active in community affairs, he is a former chairman and life trustee of the Ravinia Festival Association and has served on the Lake Forest High School Board of Education and the board of St. Ignatius College Prep in Chicago. Currently, he is a trustee of the Policeman's Annuity and Benefit Fund of the City of Chicago; a director of the Bowman Home at the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Hospital; and is active in the Nature Conservancy's Illinois and West Virginia chapters. He also serves as a senior advisor to The Chicago Community Trust.
At Ohio State, Bob served on the Fisher College of Business Campaign Committee from 1995-2000 and joined the university's Foundation Board of Directors in 2001. Sharing a strong belief in the importance of a liberal arts/humanities undergraduate education, Bob and his wife, Mary Westbrook Reusché (B.S., business administration, 1950), created the Robert and Mary Reusché Humanities Scholar Endowed Scholarship Fund and are among the founding members of the College of Humanities Dean's Advisory Committee. In addition, they have committed their energies, leadership, and personal support to the Fisher College of Business, cancer research at the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, and many other areas of Ohio State. Bob also devotes his time and expertise by speaking to student groups and working with university staff to develop fund-raising strategies and scholarship program initiatives-opening doors to support from other sources and working to advance Ohio State's fund-raising efforts in the Chicago area.
Bob was a lacrosse player during his days as an Ohio State student, helping to establish lacrosse as a competitive sport at the university and assisting as a player-coach from 1947-49. He was also a member of the 1946 swim team that won Big Ten, NCAA, and NAAU championships. Bob and Mary have three grown children and reside in Lake Forest, Illinois.
Donald H. Schriver
A 1969 Ohio State graduate in agricultural economics, Donald H. Schriver is executive vice president of Dairy Farmers of America, Inc., the nation's largest dairy cooperative, based in Kansas City, Missouri. He was formerly executive vice president and CEO of Milk Marketing Inc. (1992-97). After growing up on a Lorain County, Ohio, dairy farm, Don served two years of active duty as a lieutenant in the United States Army, including one year in Vietnam; he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Honor Medal First Class. He has since spent a lifetime in agribusiness and the cooperative business.
Don is past chairman of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, on which he still serves. In addition, he serves on the National Milk Producers Federation, the U.S. Dairy Export Council, and as chairman of SECO & Golden 100 of Deland, Florida. He is also a past president of the Ohio Council of Cooperatives (OCC).
At Ohio State, Don is recognized by The Presidents Club and is a life member of the Alumni Association, serving on its Advisory Council. An active advocate on behalf of the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, he is past chairman of its Resources Board and its "Share the Vision" Campaign (1995-2000), which resulted in 90 new endowed scholarship funds, three endowed chairs, and 39 research or program funds. He served on the Dairy Science and Dairy Program Advisory Committees for the Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) in Wooster and on the Agriculture Development Board, the Food Science and Technology Building Campaign Committee, the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) Support Council, and the Vice President's Advisory Council.
Past president of the Ohio 4-H Foundation, Don serves on the committee working to raise $12 million to build the Nationwide and Ohio Farm Bureau 4-H Center. His support has assisted building and endowed program funds, scholarships, and leader-ship initiatives, including 4-H and the Leadership Education and Development (LEAD) program. He served on the National Major Gifts Council for Cleveland and worked with legislators to secure funds for OSU Extension programs. He and his wife, Jane (B.S., human nutrition, 1972), have also hosted events, welcoming Ohio State officials, alumni, and supporters into their home.
In recognition of his service, Don received the Alumni Distinguished Service Award from the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences; is past recipient of its Young Professional Achievement Award; and was named to the Alpha Zeta Centennial Honor Roll and the Ohio 4-H Hall of Fame. In addition, the OCC named him its 1997 John Fisher Cooperator of the Year, and he received the Cooperative Communicators Association's Outstanding Young Communicator Award and an Honorary State Farmer Degree from the Ohio Future Farmers of America. He was also recently chosen to receive a Mershon Alumni Award from the Alumni Association. He and Jane have two sons and reside in Weatherby Lake, Missouri.
Robert J. Watkins
A two-time graduate of Ohio State (B.A., history, 1951; J.D., 1953), Robert J. "Bob" Watkins served two years as legal officer at the U.S. Army Transportation School in Fort Eustis, Virginia, before beginning a distinguished law career with Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati. He retired as associate general counsel in 1989.
At Ohio State, Bob has long been a dedicated volunteer on behalf of the Moritz College of Law, serving on its National Council and its Centennial Campaign Committee. He helped to develop the Henry Folsom Page Society, which recognizes the college's major supporters; served as an officer in the college's alumni group; and assists in admission and placement efforts in Cincinnati. Bob and his wife, Helen (B.A., psychology, 1952), support advancement, building, and scholarship funds for the college, including the Robert J. Watkins Scholarship Fund, established in 1991. They also have lent their support to Longaberger Alumni House and the College of Humanities, among other areas of Ohio State. They are recognized by The Presidents Club, for which Bob has served as member and past chair of the Executive Committee. Active in the Greater Cincinnati Ohio State Alumni Club since 1958, Bob served on its board of directors and completed three terms as president.
Bob worked to develop a strong partnership between Ohio State and Procter & Gamble, resulting in fellowship, scholarship, and other support for the Colleges of Pharmacy, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Engineering, Biological Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, and Dentistry; and the Fisher College of Business. Bob and other law alumni at P&G helped to establish funds such as the Procter & Gamble Faculty Excellence Award Fund and, most recently, the Robert J. Watkins/P&G Designated Professorship in the Moritz College of Law.
In assisting Ohio State's Southwest Ohio major gifts office since its inception, Bob has provided support, equipment, and guidance; hosted numerous regional events; and served on the Major Gifts Council for Cincinnati. He has assisted the university's national fund-raising efforts, as well, serving on the Development Fund Board, the National Campaign Committee, and the Steering Committee.
Active in his community, Bob has served on the Executive Committee of the Cincinnati Chapter of the American National Red Cross and as a former director and committee chairman of the Cincinnati Association for the Blind. His professional affiliations included the American, Ohio, and Cincinnati Bar Associations.
In recognition for his efforts on behalf of Ohio State, Bob received the Alumni Centennial Award in 1970 and the Ralph Davenport Mershon Award 1989, both of which honor exemplary leadership and service to the university. His decades of extraordinary ambassadorship and involvement were honored again in 1991 with the university's prestigious Distinguished Service Award. Bob and Helen have two sons and reside in Cincinnati.
2001 Gerlach Award Recipients:
Sandra M. Hermanoff, Bingham Farms, Mich.
*Ed Johnson, Delaware, Ohio
Dee & Bill Pritchard, Sanibel, Fla., & Cincinnati, Ohio
Jack Schrom, Worthington, Ohio
Frank Wobst, Bexley, Ohio
* Awarded posthumously
