Five individuals were inducted into the McClain Hall of Fame and 10 other school district employees were honored by students during the 18th annual McClain Alumni Association Academic Excellence Awards and McClain Hall of Fame Induction.
Inducted into the hall of fame were: Chris Beatty, Winston Howard Duckworth, Raymond “Dutch” Purdin, Rosalee Cockerill Yeaworth and Sue Frizell Zint.
Also during the ceremony, the top 10 students in the senior class each nominated one teacher or other staff member who has had a profound impact on their time in school.
This years students and those they nominated were: Terry Bowles – Kasandra Hutchinson; Jack Gill – Drew Hamilton; Ethan Johnson – Michael Sykes; Veronica Olaker – Tim Gossett; Maria Onusko – Joellen Gossett; Zachary Perie – Rachel Poynter; Taylor Polley – Trevor Arnett; Madison Shoemaker – Chris Fitzpatrick; Nicholas Wells – Mike Francis; and Trenner Wile – Karissa Yates.
“The awards are designed to provide a public forum for the recognition of excellence in student achievement,” the alumni association said in a prepared statement. “This program was established in 1999 to recognize McClain’s top academic students and give them the opportunity to honor special teachers and mentors who care enough about their profession and their students to do the best job that can be done.”
Each of the students talked about the mentor, then each of the mentors talked about the student who nominated them.
Following is a brief bio on each of the hall of fame inductees:
Chris Beatty, MHS class of 1990 – He started his career with Walt Disney Imagineering as part of the apprentice program. Through the years his talents have enabled him to rise to the position of executive creative director for Disney, plus a creative lead for the “Star Wars” portfolio. He is also a part of the Creative Sky Blue Team that dreams up concepts for the attractions, shows and entertainment for Disney theme parks and resorts. In addition to these responsibilities, Beatty is currently an associate professor at UCLA where he teaches the Art and Design of Theme Entertainment.
Winston Duckworth, MHS class of 1936 – He started his research career as a member of the adjutant general and inspector general staff in the U.S. Army. At the conclusion of World War II he was transferred to the newly formed U.S. Air Force where he conducted jet and rocket research at Wright Field in Dayton. Eventually, he was employed by the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus where he rose to be a member of the technical council – Battelle’s highest technical position. This enabled him to work on numerous research projects for the U.S. Navy and the Atomic Energy Commission.
Paymond Purdin, MHS class of 1955 – His athletic talents enabled him to earn All-Ohio honors in football and basketball at McClain, and he was also a state finalist in track and field. His football career at Northwestern University under the coaching of Ara Parseghian led to numerous statistical school and Big Ten Conference records for his time period. He played several years of professional football for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
Roselee Yeaworth, MHS class of 1947 – She began her nursing career at Cincinnati General Hospital and rose to the position of assistant head nurse. During that time she was a faculty member and eventually the assistant dean of the University of Cincinnati Graduate Program for Nurses. She then took a position with the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing where she became a professor and dean of the program. Her duties included managing the four campuses of the nursing program. Her accomplishments resulted in her being named professor emeritus and dean emeritus upon retirement.
Sue Zint, MHS class of 1964 – She began teaching in the Columbus Public School System and later returned to work at the Greenfield Exempted Village Schools. Starting as a kindergarten teacher, she progressed to become the first female principal in the school system and later the first female superintendent of the Greenfield schools. Her concern for children led her to establish a “Secret Santa” program for area students. As an additional benefit to Greenfield students, she was instrumental in the creation and completion of the elementary playground known as the Imagination Kingdom.
Other current members of the hall of fame include: Steve Iseman, Paul E. Orr, Judith Felson Duchan, Heather Baird Tomlinson, Sue Reisinger, George H. Ford, Eileen Tway, Sandra Shaffer McNeil, Wilfred Konneker, Paul Eugene Cope and Dennis Washburn.
Reach Jeff Gilliland at 937-402-2522 or on Twitter @13gillilandj.
