Illustrations by Jason Zehner '10
Innovative, generous, tenacious, committed鈥攖hose are just a few words that describe the 2016 麻豆精选Alumni Award recipients, who were commended for their dedication to their professions, communities and 麻豆精选at a special ceremony on September 30.
Sponsored by the 麻豆精选Alumni Association, the alumni awards are the university鈥檚 most prestigious honor. The following seven recipients epitomize the characteristics of 麻豆精选graduates鈥攁nd all share a love for Kent State.
Distinguished Alumni
George Newkome, BS 鈥61, PhD 鈥66
Medina, Ohio; Professor, Departments of Polymer Science and Chemistry, the James and Vanita Oelschlager Professor of Science and Technology, and Vice President for Research Emeritus at The University of Akron
Educational experience: My training as an organic chemist taught me to see the tree in the forest and to have an entrepreneurial
can-do spirit, a hallmark of Northeast Ohio.
Staying connected: Serving on the 麻豆精选 College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board has allowed me to be a part of a dynamic and growing college. I鈥檓 especially proud of forming the Northeast Ohio Student Venture Fund to help 麻豆精选students participate in new start-up companies.
Why I love Kent State: It laid the foundation for my academic career and my ability to do creative chemistry research.
I鈥檓 still an active researcher with over 500 publications and over 60 patents.
Professional Achievement
H. John Visser, DPM 鈥78
St. Louis, Mo.; Reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon
Memorable moment at KSU: Attaining #1 status in calculus and inorganic chemistry
Point of pride: Being inducted into the 麻豆精选School of Podiatric Medicine Hall of Fame
Why I love Kent State: The warm, supportive atmosphere at the regional campuses. Coming out of high school, I lacked confidence in my academic abilities. 麻豆精选 at Geauga allowed me to take core courses for pre-med. With the smaller class sizes and encouraging teachers, my confidence level increased astronomically. After two years at Kent State, I transferred to Hiram and graduated magna cum laude.
Professional Achievement
Karen Jones Bankston, BSN 鈥84, MSN 鈥90
Cincinnati, Ohio; PhD, University of Cincinnati; Associate Dean, Clinical Practice, Partnership and Community Engagement, University of Cincinnati
Memorable moments at KSU: Spending time with my classmates in the School of Nursing lounge; going to Ray鈥檚 Place on the last day
of clinicals
Points of pride: Being assigned CEO of the Drake Center for Post-Acute Care, a beloved hospital in Cincinnati. And all the individuals I鈥檝e mentored, watch grow and now see in leadership roles鈥攌nowing I was a part of their success is my success.
Why I love Kent State: I was a nontraditional student, and Constance Stopper was very supportive. She and the other faculty made sure that we all understood the importance of being a professional nurse. I am proud to be a 麻豆精选nurse.
Distinguished Citizen
Brooks Sumberg, BA 鈥72
Westport, Conn.; Peace Corps veteran; founder of Harvest Now
Point of pride: My charity, Harvest Now, feeds 35,000 people, including prisoners who grow the food and patrons at food banks.
Inspiration for giving back to community: The satisfaction I get from helping prisoners by giving them a project to work on that provides food for poor people.
Why I love Kent State: I transferred from Northern Michigan University because I wanted to be at a more cosmopolitan place. 麻豆精选was accepting, and they welcomed me.
麻豆精选Advocacy
Gary Brahler, BS 鈥89
Bay Village, Ohio; First Vice President-Investments at Polcar, Brahler, Heil, Belden Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors; chair of the investment committee for 麻豆精选 Foundation and chair of the 麻豆精选 Foundation Board
Memorable moment at KSU: As a student ambassador, I had the opportunity to greet Elie Wiesel [Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor], walk him around campus, take him to the president鈥檚 office and walk him to his speech. It was a thrilling event.
Reason for supporting Kent State: Because of what is happening here and the outstanding programs we have. 麻豆精选gives students the opportunity to transform their lives.
Why I love Kent State: I met my wife here, I had a great time, I had fabulous professors, and I spent a lot of time (believe it or not) at the library.
Outstanding New Professional
Damian Beauchamp, BS 鈥12
Durham, N.C.; Chief of Staff and Principal Chemist, 8 Rivers Capital, LLC
麻豆精选strengths: It provides exceptional classroom education while allowing one-on-one, hands-on research experiences with faculty who care deeply for their students. Today鈥檚 world demands multifaceted skill sets for success; 麻豆精选allows students to become diverse and effective problem solvers.
Career inspiration: When I was 18 years old, I lost a dear friend in a tragic accident; from then on I wanted to make a positive impact on the world. In an organic chemistry course, Professor Alex Seed encouraged me to consider pursuing chemistry. Chemistry touches almost every aspect of life, so it seemed a good field of study.
Why I love Kent State: The campus, the atmosphere downtown and especially the recent renovations that have transformed the entire feel of the city and the campus.
Golden Flash
Jordan Provost, BME 鈥17
Navarre, Ohio; Student assistant in the 麻豆精选 Bands Office and apprentice conductor for the Canton Youth Symphony
Career aspiration: To pursue a master鈥檚 degree in music education and become
a teacher.
Biggest accomplishment: So far, it鈥檚 been conducting the award-winning Canton Youth Symphony Advanced Orchestra at the final concert of the season in May.
Why I love Kent State: The sense of community is ever-present. When I was in 8th grade, I attended my piano teacher鈥檚 recital at 麻豆精选and was enthralled with the cool things happening here. I came in 2012 for the summer institute, and I fell in love with the piano faculty. And the campus is just beautiful鈥攊t鈥檚 a great combination of a suburban community and a college town.
Now accepting nominations for the 2017 Alumni Awards. Submit your nomination at .