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Think about news regarding your education, career, weddings, babies, other family news, reunion stories ... and remember, we like to feature our alumni news on Bearalums.com, too. Photos are welcomed and encouraged!

To send news to us:

Each year at our annual UAAA Fourth of July Block Party, we honor an Outstanding Alumnus and a Distinguished Alumnus. Ideally, we like to honor these alums during their reunion year so that their classmates can share in the excitement.

This year, classes whose graduation years end in 3 and 8 will be celebrating reunions, so hopefully our honorees' classes will end in 3 or 8.

An Outstanding Alumnus is an alum who has generously dedicated his or her time to the service of the Upper Arlington Alumni Association and its mission.

A Distinguished Alumnus is an alum who is honored for his or her personal educational or career achievement.

See the list of alumns we have honored in past years here.

To nominate an Upper Arlington High School alumnus ofr one of these honors, please complete the form below or print this Nomination Form and mail it to us. Thank you!

On Sunday, April 21, the Upper Arlington Public Library hosted a welcome reception for our new UA Schools Superintendent Paul Imhoff and his family.

Mr. Imhoff comes to us from Mariemount Schools near Cincinnati. Mr. Imhoff will begin serving as superintendent position this summer, when Dr. Jeffrey Weaver retires.

Read more about Mr. Imhoff here.

Ruth McNeil, UAEF Trustee and UA Library Community Relations manager, sent these photos of the event to us to share with you. Click each photo to enlarge it.

From the Dispatch (April 20, 2013):

The music being played recently on the porch of the North Market wasn’t necessarily responsible for turning heads. It was more likely the instrument: a keyboard strapped to the handlebars of Eugene Beer’s mountain bike.

“No one else has a keyboard rigged to a bike,” said Mary Martineau, director of marketing for the market, just north of the Arena District. “He’s definitely one-of-a-kind.”

The musician’s brightly colored shoes were equally distinct: The tips featured piano keys.

Beer — a retired electrical engineer, an avid cyclist and a longtime pianist who lives in the Clintonville neighborhood — has combined his backgrounds into a musical persona: the Piano Peddler. The 61-year-old straps about 45 pounds of equipment — an amplifier, a speaker, a CD player, a battery pack, an MP3 player and a keyboard — to his two-wheeler, creating a “piano bike” that he typically plays standing up but, occasionally, while riding.

Beer strives to keep his music kid-friendly and “danceable.” He plays about 50 songs by memory — from jazz to calypso.

The North Market has been booking Beer occasionally on Saturday mornings for more than a decade; he also appears at festivals, walk-athons and other events. Beer has modified almost every piece of equipment on his bike; he also repairs the gear when it’s damaged by rain or travel mishaps. His pride and joy: his “sawed-off keyboard.”

“It was too long to fit on the bike, so I literally sawed it off with a band saw,” he said. “ Some people have a sawed-off shotgun; I have a sawed-off keyboard.”

Beer has played the piano since his mother signed him up for lessons at age 8. The Piano Peddler, though, has been around only about 15 years — rooted in a suggestion from his brother, who had seen a cyclist in a race in Idaho with a stereo system powered by a generator hooked to his bike. Beer tried the first version of his piano bike in an exclusive show for a woman he was trying to impress from the Ohio State University Dance Department. “I rolled up, and I was blasting salsa music,” he recalled. “I rode right up to her, and I said, ‘Teach me salsa, please.’ ”

They ended up dancing outside through the woman’s lunch break, he said, but the relationship ended there.The spontaneous ride-up, though, has become Beer’s technique for promoting himself as the Piano Peddler. “The cool thing is that it advertises itself. It’s easy to get gigs.” Those performances at times have led to jobs as a regular pianist, too.

The Upper Arlington Civic Association (UACA) held a float-builders' workshop on April 11 and revealed this year's parade theme, which is "Boulevard of the Stars." The graphic design was submitted by 2011 alumnus Ben Berens.

This theme has a lot of possibilities for neighborhoods and REUNION CLASSES who wish to design exciting floats that will once again make the Upper Arlington Fourth of July parade the greatest one in the nation!

Read about the parade, class reunions, and find float submission forms and more here.

Leslie Lehr, Class of 1977, is the award-winning author of the novels 66 Laps and Wife Goes On, and humorous parenting books including Welcome to Club Mom. Her essays have appeared in the anthology Mommy Wars, The Honeymoon's Over, and Arianna Huffington's On Becoming Fearless. She was the screenwriter for the romantic thriller Heartless and sold the script Club Divorce to Lifetime.

With a B.A. from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and an MFA in Creative Writing from Antioch University, Lehr is a popular panelist at literary and film conferences around the country. She is a member of PEN, The Authors Guild, WGA, Women In Film, and The Women's Leadership Council of L.A. In addition to private manuscript consulting, she has mentored many writers to publication in her novel writing classes in the world-renowned Writer's Program at UCLA Extension.

On a personal note, Leslie wishes to thank her Upper Arlington High School friends for their support during her journey through treatment for breast cancer. While she's currently limited in her travels, she is doing a book club tour via Skype. And yes, part of the book is set in Columbus.

Please visit her website, www.LeslieLehr.com, for more information.

ABOUT "WHAT A MOTHER KNOWS"

How far will a mother go to protect her daughter?

An unsettling, emotional and suspenseful novel of the unshakable bonds of motherhood, in which Michelle Mason not only loses her memory after a deadly car crash, but can't find her 16-year-old daughter, the one person who may know what happened that day. But the deeper Michelle digs, the more she questions the innocence of everyone, even herself.

A missing daughter, a lost memory, and a desperate need to find the truth propel Lehr's achingly moving suspense drama. Dark and unsettling, but with a ray of hope like a splash of light, and a knockout ending you won't see coming.
  

In a letter to the editor of the UA News, Jim Pepper, Class of 1976, expresses his gratitude for the support and encouragement he received before, during, and after a successful double lung transplant in October, 2012.

Here is Jim's letter:

To the Editor:

I would like to take this opportunity to let the community know that April is Donate Life Month, and how important being an organ donor is for someone waiting for an organ transplant.

I was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of the lungs, in August 2011. There is no cure and no treatment for this disease other than a lung transplant.

I received a double lung transplant at the Cleveland Clinic on Oct. 21, 2012. I am very grateful to the individual and family who made the decision to be an organ donor, which allowed me to have a second chance at life.

I urge everyone to become an organ donor. It is such an easy process. You can answer "yes" to being an organ donor when you renew your driver's license or you can go to lifelineofohio.org and register online to be an organ donor.

I am very blessed to have been given a second chance at life, and it is only possible because this individual chose to be an organ donor. Please consider becoming an organ donor today.

James E. Pepper
Upper Arlington
   

Rod Ebright, Class of 1970, reports that to better stay in touch with its members, the Class of ’70 has created a Facebook group, Upper Arlington High School Class of 1970.

If you are a member of the class and have a Facebook account, please visit this group page to be added to its roster.

It may still be the middle of winter and the Fourth of July may seem far away, but the Upper Arlington High School Classes that end in "3" and "8" and busy planning for their CLASS REUNIONS, to be held during the Fourth of July weekend. Reuniting this summer are the Class of 1943, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, and 2008.

One way to make sure that you will be contacted about your class reunion is to CHECK AND UPDATE, if necessary, your contact information with UAAA. We keep a complete database of everyone who ever graduated from Upper Arlington High School, and Bearalums.com has a database of more than 23,000 home addresses and more than 7,800 email addresses for our alums.

Because email addresses change frequently, please check to make sure that yours is current on your class page! If you would like for us to change it, please email Ellen here.

If you have moved since your last reunion, please email Joanie with your new address and phone number or call the UAAA office at 614-487-5007, ext. 1120.

Please visit the Reunions 2013 page of Bearalums.com to see who is coordinating your class reunion, and then click your class year to see your class reunion page, where details of your reunion events will be posted. Many classes now have Facebook pages where alums can interact and plan their reunion parties together!

The Upper Arlington Civic Association Fourth of July activities will be held on Thursday, July 4, beginning with the parade at 9:00 am and ending with the Party in the Park at 5:00 PM and fireworks at 10:00 PM

UAAA BLOCK PARTY

Be sure to come to the UAAA BLOCK PARTY on July 4, right after the parade. Look for the big yellow and white tent on Northwest Boulevard behind Barrington Elementary School. We'll have special tables set up for reunion classes, and you'll see your classmates as well as other UA neighbors! At 11:00 we'll present our Outstanding and Distinguished Alumnus Awards. Bring the kiddos to see Luke the Juggler and play in the Bounce House!

We are very pleased to announce that John Kost '74 is once again sponsoring the Block Party! Our generous alum has now underwritten the Block Party for 12 consecutive years! There is no way for us to adequately express our appreciation to John for this amazing support. Not only does he fund the event for the community, but also he makes the arrangements and takes on all the responsibilities!

John was named the UAAA Outstanding Alumnus in 2003, but he deserves the award every year! His continuing service to our Alumni Association is deeply appreciated and we are fortunate that he takes such joy in providing this community activity for all of Upper Arlington on our most fun holiday: The Fourth of July! THANK YOU, JOHN!

Save the Date!

The UAHS Class of 1971 is planning a group 60th birthday celebration to be held on Friday, July 5 at classmate Jan Dubose's bar, DiMarco's, which is located at 5240 Godown Road, Columbus OH 43235. See MAP.

From the City of Upper Arlington and the Upper Arlington Historical Society:

2013 Wall of Honor Inductees Announced

The Upper Arlington Historical Society and City of Upper Arlington are pleased to announce that the Committee has selected former OSU Professor George Haddad (1918-2010). Additionally, James T. Miller has been selected for inclusion on the Wall of Honor for 2013 - 100 years after the sale of his land to Ben and King Thompson triggered the early beginnings of Upper Arlington.

Professor Haddad received recognition in Canada, Europe and the United States as an accomplished pianist and teacher. In addition to his many professional accomplishments, Professor Haddad gave back to his community of choice through many activities in support of the arts. He worked with the Upper Arlington Cultural Arts Commission for several years, and received the Community Arts Award from the Upper Arlington City Council. He performed with the Upper Arlington Civic Orchestra, volunteered for the Upper Arlington Civic Association, performed at Upper Arlington High School, gave master classes and recitals through the LifeLong Learning Program and performed at a fundraiser for the James Lantz colloquium.

Moreover, the George Haddad Piano Scholarship was established at The Ohio State University, where he was a full professor/artist-in-residence and Professor Emeritus. He was inducted into both the Musicians Hall of Fame and the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame. He played with many major orchestras, won the Presidential citation for excellence in teaching at OSU, and was the first winner of the Prix-de-Canada. Professor Haddad was an alumnus of the University of Toronto, Julliard, and the Paris Conservatory.

Dr. Haddad's three daughters, Connie Haddad Frecker '69, Diane Haddad '73, and Carolyn Haddad Dougherty '75 are UAHS alumni. Two of Dr. Haddad's four grandchildren are also UAHS alums: Ben Frecker graduated in 1995 and Tyler Frecker graduated in 1997. His other grandsons, Josh and Jake Dougherty, graduated from Hilliard Davidson High School in 2005 and 2008 respectively.

2013 Wall of Honor Ceremony
Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 3:00 pm
Municipal Services Center, 3600 Tremont Road

In his debut novel, The Man Who Fooled SAVAK, Douglas Roberts '66 weaves an engaging tale of love, romance and suspense around true events that are even more relevant today as they were 40 years ago in Tehran. When the ebook version was released, the Arab spring had not yet happened. World events demanded a print version of this exciting tale. The release date is set for February 1, 2013.

The Man Who Fooled SAVAK, inspired by true events in the early 1970s, captures what it is like to live in a dictatorship with the Shah's secret police monitoring your every move – an atmosphere of fear that still pervades today in many countries in the Middle East. This is an activist novel, with a preface protesting the imprisonment of Jafar Panahi.

“The book is as relevant today with the current events in the Middle East as if it were written in the 1970s,” said Anthony S. Policastro, publisher of Outer Banks Publishing Group.

“It is rare that a book comes along and reminds us of the some of the basic freedoms and human rights we take for granted living in a Democracy,” Mr. Policastro added.

The story is about a G.I. stationed in Tehran during the Vietnam War, who falls in love with an Iranian girl and who later launches an elaborate plan to get his finance and her mother out of the country. They hope to reunite with their father and husband who escaped death from the Shah’s secret police, SAVAK, ten years earlier.

What is amazing is that Douglas Roberts recalled many of the events in vivid detail with the help of a few of his friends, who were also stationed in Tehran at the time of his tour in the 1970s. And recent events in Iran have kindled his memories of his time in Tehran and his passion to write, The Man Who Fooled SAVAK.

If you want to preorder the book at a special publisher's discount price of $10.99 plus $4.99 shipping & handling for a total of $15.98 or $5 off list price, send an email to info@outerbankspublishing.com with your name, address, phone number and email address.

On October 6, 2013, Evvie Dunkel Heilbrunn '73 and Rick Whipple '73 will leave from Los Angeles for Katmandu, Nepal, to begin their trek to Everest Base Camp. Evvie and Rick have known each other since their days at Tremont Elementary. Everest Base Camp, or EBC, was on their bucket lists for many, many years -- although they didn't know it. Evvie was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2000 and again in 2011. When she received a diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease in 2009, she gave up her dream of Everest.

After an old friend, Greg Hadder '73 passed away in August 2012, an amazing series of events occurred. Evvie's bucket list item reappeared and became a reality through a chance meeting with Greg's brother. When she told her UA friends about her trip, Rick asked if he could go. While Evvie thought he was kidding, he wasn't. They asked the trek leaders at Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, California, whether Rick could accompany the group, and the answer was a resounding "YES".

Evvie is raising money to fund Parkinson's research. You can read her story, and watch as she and Rick train for their journey, on her web site.. There you'll find pictures and stories and Evvie leads up to her trip to Everest.

You can donate to Evvie's cause at Summit4StemCell.com, where Evvie's page is "Ain't No Mountain High Enough!"

Read the UA News article about Evvie.

On Saturday, November 10, the Upper Arlington Alumni Association held the Golden Bear [Pre-Hibernation] Rock Fest to raise funds for UAAA and to honor the 50th anniversary of the GREAT UA band, THE RAVENS!

The event was held at the St. Agatha Event Center and more than 400 people rocked the night away to The Ravens' classic renditions of "Hang On Sloopy," "Louie Louie," "Money," and many more favorites from the 60's and 70's. They ended the evening with a rousing rendition of "Shout!" with Ravens alumnus Steve Stover adding a special touch with his very own tail feather!

Schmidt's Classic Catering brought their new Sausage Truck to the party and served their fabulous German specialties throughout the evening.

Thank you to everyone who attended the Rock Fest to support UAAA. We extend a special thanks to our wonderful and generous sponsors: Street Sotheby's Realty, The UAHS Class of 1972, City Kids Daycare, The Sullivan Center, and Hot Cards Columbus. Brad Frick and John and Jodi Patton were also generous donors for the event.

We have a Facebook page devoted to the Upper Arlington Alumni Association.

We all know that Facebook is a popular and effective (not to mention FUN) tool for locating and reconnecting with longtime and sometimes lost friends, and we hope to find some of our "lost" alumni through this social medium.

The Upper Arlington Alumni Association is always looking for enthusiastic, active alums who would like to help us with UAAA's activities. These activities include the 4th of July Block Party, the annual selection of Outstanding and Distinguished Alumni, the Golden Bear [Pre-Hibernation] Rock Fest, and determination of content for the Bearalums.com Web site.

It's a casual, non-demanding group, and we'd love to hear from you! If YOU are interested in joining our Board, please contact us.

We are certain that you noticed the large banner ad at the top of this page. John Kost, Class of 1974, agreed to get us started on our new UAAA fundraising campaign by placing an ad on this Announcements page.

We would like to offer you the opportunity to place an ad on one of the pages of Bearalums.com with a link to your web site. Bearalums.com has a steady flow of traffic throughout the year, with the highest traffic from January through July, when alums are involved in reunion planning and are looking up classmates and searching for reunion information. Traffic also spikes when Traditions is sent out (quarterly), as the newsletter contains links that direct our alums to various pages of the web site.

A banner ad at the top of a Bearalums.com page will be viewed by thousands of people each week, as we have several hundred visitors daily. We believe that our alums value doing business with other alums, and it's one more way we can enjoy and benefit from the bond of being UA alums. The ads are priced very reasonably, with DISCOUNTS for UAAA MEMBERS.

Please visit our Ads page for pricing and more details!

Singers of all ages who enjoy choral music are needed to start the new Upper Arlington Chorus, directed by Mark Stull (UAHS '68). We welcome anyone who wants to sing in a chorus. You can be ANY AGE, and you do not need to have any particular Upper Arlington affiliation.

Rehearsals are on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 - 9:00 pm at the Upper Arlington Senior Center in Building #2.

Please come and bring your friends so we can make beautiful music together!

Questions? Please email Mark Stull or call him at 614-488-2836.

UAHS English teachers Diane Haddad '73 and Kevin Stotts are looking for students who have won or were runner-ups for the Matt McCoy award.

This award is given annually in May at the Senior Honors Assembly in memory of Matt McCoy, and it honors excellence in the field of English and composition. Winners are selected based on their Senior Capstone Project performance.

Matt McCoy was a student who graduated in 1988, and he died in a car accident the following year. His parents created this scholarship in his memory to celebrate students' writing. At the time it was awarded to Senior Thesis projects, which evolved into the Senior Capstone Project. Next year will be the 25th year of the award.

Next year marks 25 years of presenting this award. Mr. Stotts and Ms. Haddad hope to have as many former recipients and runners-up as possible to return to UAHS in mid to late May of 2013 for a celebration.

If you were so honored, or if you know someone who was, please contact Diane Haddad or contact Kevin Stotts. Details will be available late next fall.

See this year's program for the Matt McCoy Award, as well as the list of former recipients of this honor.

As part of the Hastings 50-Year Celebration, Principal Robb Gonda has launched an Adopt-a-Chair Campaign to restore the existing chairs in the auditorium.

This campaign is being chaired by Amy Chope Whalen, UA '79 and Lauren Schooley Schuermann, UA '79, daughter of the late John Schooley, Hastings architect and UAHS Class of 1946 alumnus.

TO OUR ALUMS: As the campaign to restore the existing chairs in the Hastings Middle School auditorium continues, we would like to ask you to become a permanent part of the legacy of Hastings Middle School. We hope that as an alumnus, you will take part in this transformation and consider adopting a single chair or a group of chairs. A nameplate will be included on the back of the chair with the inscription of your choice. We believe this is a wonderful way to recognize you, your family, or your business. You may also consider memorializing a special person.

The Upper Arlington Education Foundation has agreed to match up to $10,000 for chairs puchased. Please help this campaign!

Restoration of each chair is $150. The chairs will feature a cushioned seat, and a nameplate will be included on the back of the chair with inscription of the donor's choice. If you do not feel that you can adopt an entire chair, we are extremely grateful for any contribution you can make.

The Upper Arlington Civic Association, established in 1913, has planned and executed community events to bring the residents of Upper Arlington together throughout the year.

UAAA works closely with UACA with regard to the Fourth of July; UACA brings us the parade, the Party in the Park, and the fireworks, all on the 4th. They select the parade theme, the Grand Marshall, and they are the organization who plans every aspect of the well-known and much-loved Upper Arlington Fourth of July parade.

UACA has begun producing a newsletter, and we are going to provide it to you on Bearalums.com. We hope that it will be a helpful tool for all our alums who live in the area and want to be aware of details regarding UACA events, including the Easter Egg Hunt, the Memorial Day Run, the Fourth of July, Labor Neighbor Day, the Golden Bear Scare (Halloween), and the Christmas in the Park events. Print the May, 2012 newsletter here.

UACA also sponsors the Junior Director program, which is open to all young men and women living in UA and who are currently juniors in high school. Each of the eight Junior Directors receives a $1,000 scholarship, and it is a wonderful way for young UA residents to assume leadership roles in our community!

Each spring, UACA asks for nominations for Golden Apple Awards, which honor the most deserving teachers in the public and private schools within UA. Nominations are reviewed by UACA Directors and one Golden Apple recipient is selected for each school. Each winning teacher receives a surprise visit and a plaque, as well as public recognition for their achievements in education.

Read more about the UA Civic Association, their activities, and the ways in which UACA enhances the sense of community and friendship in Upper Arlington on their web site, UACA.org.

Print the latest UACA newsletter here.

Jill Henderson Knowlden, Class of 1974, has set up a new Facebook page called "You know you are from Upper Arlington if ... " and you can go there to reminisce with the rest of us who grew up here and have wonderful, fun memories of our community and schools. The page has become a very popular place for alumni to reconnect and share their fondest recollections of growing up as a Golden Bear.

What special memories do you have of UA - things about it back then that made it unique, or qualities it still has that make it stand out as spectacular?

You can visit the "You Know You're from UA If ..." Facebook page here.