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Otterbein Legacy Family Initiative

Share Your Family Story and Make a Difference for Future Generations

Ted And Eileen Huston — Ted Huston ’57, with his late wife, Eileen Fagan Huston ’57, on graduation day at Otterbein, in front of Cochran Hall.

Since 1847, generations of Otterbein family members have called our beautiful campus home. Otterbein Legacy Families hold a special place in the history of our alma mater, and a special place in our hearts, too. As traditions and pride are passed from generation to generation, every Legacy Family weaves its own unique Otterbein story.

“With 15 members of our family attending Otterbein, dating back to the 1930s, it is a pleasure to participate in this special Family Legacy Initiative supporting the rebirth of the Campus Center.”
– Dr. John T. Huston ’57, P’85, P’89

We’d like to help you tell your story.

As part of the Campus Center Renovation Project, we’re creating a unique opportunity to showcase our Otterbein Legacy Families by giving our multi-generational families an opportunity to make a lasting impact. In the same way that families provide love, support, and a sense of belonging, we are committed to providing these same ideals to our students at Otterbein.

For more information, contact: Kathleen Bonte at kbonte@otterbein.edu or 614-823-2707.

Learn more at: www.otterbein.edu/21stCenturyCampusCenter

Deadline to participate is June 30, 2025!

Alumni, Families, and Friends Celebrate Equine Program’s Success and Future

Otterbein’s equine community came together in September to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Equine Science. The 2024 Equine Gala was an inspirational evening that highlighted the impact of the program on students, alumni, and families, and the experiences that have created rewarding careers, lifetime memories, and friendships.

To say that Otterbein’s Equine Science program has changed the lives of many of its students would be an understatement. Greg Schmid ’09, DVM, served as the event’s emcee, and shared, “It’s really wonderful that we’re all here to support the health and wellness initiatives for all the amazing horses at the barn.”

Schmid shared the influence that staff and faculty members had on him, including business manager Kari Briggs ’03, MBA’11, department chair Dr. Sherri Birmingham ’01, and professor emerita Dr. Maria Calderone, who also received the inaugural Industry Leader Award at the event.

In addition, several influential alumni and donors were honored at the gala, including the Plaumann-Wilson Family, who received the Philanthropic Impact Award.

Rebecca Knopf ’15 was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award and shared, “The things I learned from the equine program at Otterbein, I use every day in my work at Square Peg … every horse has something to teach you.”

Jocelyn Pierce ‘09 and emcee Greg Schmid ’09 with Otterbein horse, Ted.

Rebecca Knopf ’15 with rider at Square Peg.

John Lindberg, president of the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation, which named Otterbein’s facility 15 years ago and received the 2024 Mary B. Thomas ’28 Commitment to Otterbein Award, shared, “Austin Knowlton had a passion for horses. This project always had a lot of synergy with our Foundation, and I think Mr. Knowlton would be very, very proud that the Center has his name on it, and that we’ve been able to support Otterbein.”

There was a spirit of appreciation and generosity in the air at the Gala, with attendees and supporters giving back to the program that made a difference in their lives. The event raised more than $90,000 through donations and a silent auction, which included a $25,000 gift from the Austin E. Knowlton Foundation. Equine artist Alexandra Lederman ’18 donated a commissioned piece of art, and Jules Richter ’24 served as the event photographer. Lifetime equestrian and Otterbein trustee Karin Yaffe Stump ’80 thanked the countless alumni, volunteers, donors, faculty, and staff who helped to build the program over the years. “Working and living with horses is a special lifestyle. Horses teach discipline, resilience, determination, and grit — skills that are essential to navigating our lives.”

Equestrian and Otterbein Trustee Karin Yaffe Stump ’80 rallied the gala attendees to support the program.

Oil on canvas painting donated by Alexandra Lederman ’18.

To learn more, visit www.otterbein.edu/EquineCenter15.

Stay in the loop about Equine program news by updating your contact information at www.otterbein.edu/alumni/update.

Otterbein Names New Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Otterbein University has chosen Floyd Akins as its new vice president for institutional advancement. Akins will lead a team of staff in the offices of Development, Advancement Services, Engagement, Events & Conferences, and The Point.

Conferences, and The Point. “Otterbein has been in my sights for a while for its culture, the mission of the institution, and now because of its energetic and enthusiastic president who wants to take Otterbein to the next level,” said Akins. Akins has more than 35 years of experience in higher education. He most recently served as vice president for advancement for the University of Toledo, where he oversaw a team of more than 40 staff and led the foundation’s second largest fundraising year, bringing in $36 million for the university in FY23.

Akins impressed the Otterbein community with his record of success in leading and mentoring teams to tangible results in fundraising and relationship-building. As associate vice president for advancement at Michigan State University, Akins led a team that raised $232 million in FY21. As assistant vice chancellor for development for The University of Tennessee Foundation, his team increased the Corporate and Foundation Engagement (CFE) fundraising total by more than 200% over three years.

He is familiar with the higher education market in central Ohio, having worked as senior associate vice president for university development and vice president of The Ohio State University Foundation from 2010-2012.

“It’s hard to find someone with a proven record of success in principal gifts, major gifts, corporate and foundations relations, and advancement services. Floyd Akins has all that. It’s exceedingly rare to find someone with that resume who shares Otterbein’s values. Floyd has that, too, and we are fortunate to have him join our leadership team,” said President John Comerford.

Our sincere gratitude to these alumni and friends who have recently made generous gifts to Otterbein – Spring 2025

Roger and Betty Neff P’83, P’85 made an additional gift of $25,000 to the Roger H. and Betty A. Neff Endowed Scholarship for Education, which supports students pursuing Global Studies (formerly International Studies) or studies that reflect a global perspective.

Otterbein Sociology Professor Emerita Eva A. Sebo and Ohio State University Electrical and Computer Engineering Professor Emeritus Stephen A. Sebo founded The Eva and Stephen Sebo Endowed Scholarship in Sociology, Criminology, and Justice Studies to support junior or senior students studying this field. They also founded The Stephen and Eva Sebo Endowed Scholarship in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) to benefit outstanding, incoming full-time undergraduate students with high academic achievement in these fields.

Mark Plaumann P’22 and Marilyn Wilson P’22, parents of Mason Plaumann ’22, were instrumental in the support of the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Equine Science 15th Anniversary Gala. They also continued their support of the Otterbein Fund and the Plaumann Family Equine Endowment to provide resources for the Equine Science program and Equestrian Team. This support fully funded the equine endowment, the first of its kind for the program.

Marilyn Harpster P’99 provided $10,000 to further invest in the Dr. Joseph and Marilyn Harpster Engineering Award, which supports full-time undergraduate students pursuing an Engineering degree.

The Teresa A. Petch ’51 Endowed Fund was created through a $25,000 gift from Dr. John E. and Deidre L. Finnegan to honor Petch, an accomplished educator and musician who performed with the Cleveland Choir and the Canton Civic Opera. The scholarship benefits undergraduates pursuing a degree in the area of Music.

Kathleen Fernandez Hillibish ’71 has arranged for a generous gift to support the Hillibish Unrestricted Annuity, the Hillibish Endowment Annuity to benefit the Courtright Memorial Library, and the Otterbein Fund. Fernandez Hillibish said the well-rounded education she received at Otterbein served her well in her chosen occupation as a history museum professional.

The Kathryn Irene Briggs Starcher Trust provided Otterbein with $120,000 for the Kathryn I. Briggs and Ronald R. Starcher Scholarship, which will support one student at a time for four years of studies at Otterbein.

Dr. Richard J. Smolen and Karen Hohnhorst Strand ’68 each provided funding to establish the Smolen/Strand Scholarship in honor of Susan Hohnhorst Smolen ’66, Richard’s late wife of 57 years and Karen’s sister. Susan was a proud Theta Nu sister and educator. Her family will support rising juniors or seniors majoring in Education in perpetuity through this $50,000 scholarship.

Virginia Phillippi Longmire ’55 gave a generous donation to support Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project. This renovation improves the safety and accessibility of the second floor of the Campus Center, as well as culinary offerings for the Otterbein campus.

Jennifer Nichols Day ’89 has supported the Otterbein Fund with a gift of $35,000.

Alan R. Goff ’75 and Coral Harris H’23, longtime partners in Otterbein’s priorities, generously donated to the Promise House, the Rolling Green Fund, and Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project. Goff and Harris are active on campus as members of the Lifelong Learning Community (LLC), patrons of Otterbein arts performances, and volunteers with the Courtright Memorial Library and other projects.

Trailblazer Alumna Bequeaths $900,000 to Otterbein Endowment

Dr. Carol Thompson

During her time as an Otterbein student, the late Carol Thompson ’61 fully embraced every opportunity to get involved in college life. To say she was a trailblazer is an understatement. As a first-generation college student in the late ’50s, Thompson was on the tennis, basketball, and field hockey teams; participated in choir, Torch & Key, the Women’s Athletic Association; and was a member of Kappa Phi Omega sorority.

In her 1961 50th reunion memory book, Thompson shared, “My years in the quiet peaceful village were four of the happiest years of my life. The educational experience in the classrooms exceeded my expectations. My student work experiences contributed greatly to my education; it was one of my jobs that exposed me to the possibilities of graduate school. My extracurricular activities helped me to grow in leadership abilities, and the intercollegiate sports I played provided many joyous hours of participation and skill development.”

After completing her degree in Education at Otterbein, she later obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees in Physical Education from the University of Illinois and The Ohio State University, respectively. A true lifelong learner, she spent 37 years in higher education at Baldwin-Wallace University, teaching, coaching, and eventually earning the role of associate academic dean.

Thompson passed away in July 2023, and in October 2023 the University learned of her incredible $900,000 gift to Otterbein’s endowment through her close friend, Carol Heskett, trustee of the Carol Thompson Trust. This transformational gift, and Carol Thompson’s legacy of seizing every opportunity as a first-generation college student, will live on through generations of Otterbein students to come.

The Roush Family Foundation has donated an additional $250,000 to support the Campus Center Renovation Project and $50,000 to support improvements to the Rike Center court floor and bleachers. During a recent hard-hat tour, Foundation members and guests felt it was important to honor the legacies of the Roush Family Foundation founders and to invest in Otterbein’s current and future students in this way.

Nancy Jean Smith ’72 committed $30,000 to establish the Nancy Jean Smith Endowed Scholarship in Arts and Humanities. Smith spent 30 years as a local public librarian and takes joy in the lifetime of inspiration she acquired for art and the humanities from former Otterbein art history professor Lillian Frank.

Dr. Fred E. ’79 and Deborah Webber ’80 Benedict donated $25,000 to support Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project.

Brian E. ’93 and Gwendolyn Swigart ’93 Nichols pledged $35,000 to support Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project.

Alan Waterhouse ’82 and Dr. Beena Wycliffe donated $11,847 to be split evenly to support the Otterbein Fund and the Waterhouse Family Scholarship, which honors the legacy of Alan’s father, George Alan Waterhouse, by providing financial support to students from Richland County.

A gift has been bestowed to the Otterbein Fund from the estates of Robert and Ruth Osbahr, parents of Nancy Osbahr DeBell ’77 and Mark Osbahr ’81, and parents-in-law of Fred DeBell ’76.

Gretchen Freeman Hargis ’77 and Trustee Jonathan R. Hargis ’79 contributed $50,000 to conclude their $100,000 total commitment to support Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project.

Chris ’77 and Karen Kaiser donated $28,550 to support the Campus Center Renovation Project, the Deborah and Mark Thresher Family Scholarship, and the Otterbein Fund.

Trustee Emeritus Dr. John T. “Ted” Huston ’57, P’85, P’89 gave $37,050 to support the Campus Center Renovations and the Promise House. With lead gifts from Ted, along with Michael ’86, P’16, P’21 and Lisa Collins ’86, P’16, P’21 Huston and John P. ’89, P’04 and Lisa Rindfuss ’88, P’04 Huston, the Huston family is joining together to give as a legacy family to support the Campus Center. Fifteen members of the Huston family have attended Otterbein.

The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation donated $25,000 to benefit the Department of Equine Science in honor of the gala celebrating 15 years of excellence at the Austin E. Knowlton Center for Equine Science.

The Vida S. Clements Foundation granted a total of $165,000 to support The Point; the Rike Center Bleacher Renovation Project; the Sports Film Digitalization Project spearheaded by the Courtright Memorial Library staff; the Deborah and Mark Thresher Family Scholarship; the “O” Club; and the Vida S. Clements Endowed Scholarship to support full-time students.

The Otterbein “O” Club has continued its long legacy of supporting students with a recent $75,160 gift to fund the Rike Center Bleachers Renovation Project and the assistant sports information position.

Former Otterbein Trustee and Chair Cheryl Herbert provided over $100,000 to establish the Cheryl Sinden Endowed Fund for Student Success. This gift will support several aspects of the Otterbein READY career and professional preparation program, including the first-ever Otterbein READY Day.

Dr. David L. Ward ’74 gave $100,000 toward the founding of the David Lee Ward ’74 Endowed Scholarship. Ward is an accomplished scientist and physician who credits the scholarship he received at Otterbein in shaping his future. He is proud to create the same opportunity for students to realize their educational and professional goals.

James A. and Kathleen Rutherford P’99 provided $50,000 to further build the James A. and Kathleen Rutherford Endowed Scholarship, which places a special emphasis on fostering the education of first-generation students.

The John B. and Olive S. Cook Foundation granted $12,300 to provide funds to support the Riley Auditorium Lighting Project and the Olive S. Cook ’24 Memorial Endowed Award to facilitate graduates in the fields of Music and Music Education.

Morton J. H’00 and Barbara K. H’23 Achter donated $70,000 to support the new lighting project in Riley Auditorium and the purchase of equipment to facilitate experiential learning for the Nursing IV students. Morton is a retired professor emeritus of Music and former chair at Otterbein whose passion helped develop the Musical Theater program, and Barbara was the founding chair of the Nursing program at Otterbein.

WELCOME to our new team member supporting Grants and Sponsored Programs in Institutional Advancement!

Megan Reamsnyder

Assistant Director, Grants and Sponsored Programs

Grants, Corporate, and Foundation Support

Grants help to provide essential funding for new programs, research, and other areas that directly impact our students. Otterbein faculty and administrators have received five grants totaling $2,803,905 since the fall issue of Towers from the organizations listed here.

United States Department of Education

Title III Cardinals First Program

AMOUNT: $1,794,331

These Title III funds support the creation of the Cardinals First Program to hire a program director, resource navigator, and an additional academic success coach to expand the student success support for first-generation students. Through this program, Otterbein will also hire additional tutors and provide training and support for tutors who work with first-generation and second-year students taking high intensity classes to increase retention; increase faculty development options; provide mentor training and supplies; and purchase software to track the success of the students.

Ohio Department of Higher Education

Choose Ohio First STEM and Engineering Scholarships

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TWO GRANTS: $896,816

In December, Otterbein received two scholarship-based Choose Ohio First Grants. Our Cardinal STEM Scholars: Continuing to Build Ohio’s STEM Pipeline Scholarship Program was awarded $779,961 in fiscal year 2025 Choose Ohio First funding. This grant will provide STEM Scholarships from fall 2026 through 2030 to 75 students in five cohorts of 10-15 students. Based on the financial needs of the students, scholarships will range from a minimum of $1,500 to a maximum of $9,081. With the addition of Otterbein dedicated matching funds, this equates to scholarships in the range of $8,000- $22,000 per student in STEM disciplines.

Otterbein also received $116,855 for a Choose Ohio First Fiscal Year 2019 Completion Grant. The 2019 Choose Ohio First Grant was a multi-year grant, but as it was a new program, it was not fully funded through the entire academic career of the student cohorts receiving these Engineering-based scholarships. This continuation grant provides funding to complete the scholarships for the students.

Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO)

Community Waste Reduction Grant

AMOUNT: : $12,758

Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) awarded Otterbein for a Community Waste Reduction Grant to purchase new recycling receptacles for the Dining Hall in Phase Two of the Campus Center Renovation Project. The grant will also provide recycling training and education to students, staff, and faculty as well as an analysis of current campus recycling efforts and creation of a campuswide recycling plan.

Columbus Foundation Shackleford Field of Interest Fund

Otterbein READY Experiential Learning Experiences

AMOUNT: : $100,000

This grant award supports the Otterbein READY program and removes economic barriers to experiential learning opportunities in central Ohio, such as support for students with unpaid internships in their field of study.

The Vance Family: A Legacy of Giving Back

The Vance family: (L to R) Evey ‘51, P’80, Kathryn ’80, Patti, (the late) Robert ‘49, P’80, and Rick.

Family Members Reminisce on Otterbein Memories with Office of Engagement’s Dana Madden Viglietta ’96

Every Otterbein legacy family has a story about how their Cardinal roots began. For Evelyn “Evey” Bender Vance ’51, P’80 and her late husband, Robert Vance ’49, P’80, their story began with a serendipitous meeting that inspired a lifetime of giving back. Evey had known Floyd Vance, class of 1916, from school and happened to see “Vance” on Robert’s name tag at a local Methodist church singles event, and immediately knew he was a part of a special Otterbein legacy family.

Robert Vance With Dr. Floyd Vance Pic — When visiting campus, a highlight for Vance family members is visiting the Presidents’ Gallery in Towers Hall. Above: The late **Robert Vance ’49, P’80**, in front of the portrait of his father, Floyd Vance, class of 1916.

Robert’s father, Floyd, was one of the longest-serving staff and faculty members, having served in 10 different roles over 43 years at Otterbein — including principal of the academy, dean, treasurer, business manager, director of admissions, foreign student advisor, director of placement, chairman of credits committee, French professor, and registrar — before serving as the 16th president of Otterbein from 1957-58, then returning to the registrar position and retiring in 1964.

Evey came to Otterbein from New Philadelphia, OH, at the recommendation of a friend from church and majored in education. She was a member of Sigma Alpha Tau sorority.

Robert grew up in Westerville and, after serving in World War II, earned his degree in Chemistry at Otterbein. During school, he was in Pi Kappa Phi fraternity, band, and played football and softball. Robert went on to earn master’s and doctorate degrees in Chemistry from the University of Illinois.

Robert Vance As A Young Chemist — **Robert Vance ’49** was a research chemist at General Electric’s Appliance Park in Louisville, KY. In later years, he also established and directed the analytical laboratory of the Kentucky Department of Water and worked at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Station.

Evey’s late brother, Ralph Bender ’59, and sister, Nancy Bender Carlton ’64, both followed in her footsteps to attend Otterbein. Much later, one of Evey and Robert’s three children, daughter Kathryn Vance Latosky ’80, also graduated from Otterbein.

“I lived in Hanby Hall and was in (Epsilon Kappa Tau) sorority,” said Latosky. “Taking walks around Otterbein with my friends is one of my favorite memories. I would sometimes walk to the Otterbein cemetery to look for my grandfather’s headstone.”

In some funny family history, Evey and Robert’s son, Rick Vance, shared that the cow taken up to the fourth floor of Towers Hall as a student prank many years ago actually came from his dad’s farm in Westerville. Rick now owns some pieces of Otterbein history handed down from his dad, including an old desk and office items. He’s especially grateful for the legacy of giving back that his parents passed down to their children.

Inspired by Robert and Evey’s love of chemistry and education, the family endowed two funds at Otterbein in 2023: the Robert F. ’49 and Evelyn Bender ’51 Vance Endowed Scholarship in Science and the Robert F. ’49 and Evelyn Bender ’51 Vance Endowed Scholarship in Education. Both are providing impactful scholarship support for students in perpetuity.

The family recently sponsored a Habitat for Humanity home to honor Robert and Evelyn’s longstanding volunteerism and impact.

In addition to their generosity to Otterbein, Robert, Evey, and their family were (and continue to be) dedicated to many community causes. One such cause was Habitat for Humanity in their hometown of Louisville, KY. Rick recalled a Habitat trip to the Philippines with former President Jimmy Carter where he, his parents, and 2,000 volunteers helped build 120 houses in one week. The family invited President Carter to come to Kentucky to help with another Habitat project, and he agreed — a highlight of their family memories.

Robert volunteered weekly with Habitat until the age of 90 and recently, their family sponsored a Habitat house in honor of Evey and in memory of Robert — a special way to give back to their community and celebrate a lifetime of giving back.

Otterbein and Antioch Universities Create NCAA Athletics Consortium

The NCAA has approved Otterbein’s request to create an NCAA athletics consortium between Otterbein University and Antioch University-Yellow Springs. The request was endorsed by the Ohio Athletic Conference. Through the consortium, students enrolled in online graduate programs offered through Antioch University who have NCAA eligibility can compete on Otterbein’s teams, whether they attended Otterbein as an undergraduate or not. The consortium agreement will be reviewed and renewed every four years. The NCAA is also reviewing old legislation to address similar situations within the changing landscape of higher education.

Remembering Student JOSH TAYLOR

The campus community lost a valued friend, teammate, and classmate when second-year student Josh Taylor passed away tragically on Jan. 2.

Taylor was a member of the men’s wrestling team and a graduate of Lakewood High School in Hebron, OH. Nearly 100 of his teammates, classmates, coaches, faculty, and staff attended his memorial service to support his family and share their memories. The men’s wrestling team is breaking their huddle with the chant “JT” in his memory this season.

READY DAY Scheduled for Sept. 24, 2025

Starting in fall 2025, all Otterbein students will shift their class and lab studies to an entire day dedicated to their professional preparation.

Otterbein’s READY Day will guide students through programming and opportunities personalized for their year of study with some common experiences shared by all. Developed after several years of discipline-specific career jumpstart programs, students gave the READY Day concept very high marks specifically acknowledging:

The benefit of connecting with alumni in their field of interest.
Learning and practicing networking skills in real time situations with professionals.
The chance to explore internship and employment opportunities.

Student Success and Career Development is looking for alumni volunteers, sponsors, and donors. Email ready@otterbein.edu, call 614-823-1624, or visit www.otterbein.edu/READY.

Otterbein Recognized for Student Voting

Student voters have earned Otterbein another recognition from the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, this time as a 2024 Most Engaged Campus for College Student Voting.

Otterbein is one of 471 colleges and universities recognized for outstanding efforts to increase nonpartisan student voter participation in the 2024 election. The results were released Nov. 16, 2024, and are based on statistics gathered from the 2020 election by the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement. In 2020, Otterbein’s student body had a 74% voting rate compared to the national average of 66% for college students.

Coalition for the Common Good Establishes New Graduate School

The Coalition for the Common Good named Diane White, Ph.D., as the founding dean of the Antioch Graduate School of Nursing and Health Professions. The creation of this school represents an important step forward in the collaborative efforts of the Coalition for the Common Good. It will be the future home of Antioch’s graduate Family Nurse Practitioner and Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner programs, as well as the Master of Science in Athletic Training, all of which will be transferring from Otterbein University. The Master of Science in Allied Health, which already transitioned from Otterbein, is enrolling students now. A new Nurse Anesthetist Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree and a Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics are currently under development.

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