News release from the University of Saint Francis:
USF honoring exceptional grads at Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame awards celebration
(August 16, 2013) – The University of Saint Francis will honor outstanding alumni at an Alumni and Athletic Hall of Fame awards celebration on Friday, Oct. 11 in the North Campus gymnasium at 7 p.m. The event is part of Homecoming weekend festivities.
Donald Wisler, who earned a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 1972, is the university’s Distinguished Alumnus. He became executive director of Catholic Social Services in Monroe, Mich. in 1988, and was named executive director for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Toledo in 1991. In 2003, he was appointed president and chief executive officer of Catholic Social Services in Columbus, Ohio, where he initiated parish-based services and services to survivors of domestic violence. He retired in May after a 39-year career.
Distinguished Young Alumna Lisa (Setnicker) Piwoszkin earned a Bachelor of Science in 2008, and later graduated from the College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University in Downers Grove, Ill. She received the Student D.O. of the Year Award and Dean’s Special Commendation Award for Excellence in Service. She is a general pediatrician resident at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Law, Ill., where she focuses on neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric congenital heart disease.
Melissa (Martin) DeBolt has earned the Distinguished Service Award. After completing a Bachelor of Science in nursing in 2010, she began a career at Parkview Heart Institute as a cardiac nurse. Her passion to serve overseas led her to coordinate two benefits for Mission of Hope Haiti, raising over $55,000 for the construction of a hospital.
Douglas McKibben has been named an Honorary Alumnus. At age 31, he bought his first automobile dealership in Fort Wayne, and over the years his Glenbrook Automotive Group has grown to include Glenbrook Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz of Fort Wayne, City Chevrolet, City Ford, Warsaw Buick GMC and Warsaw Chrysler Dodge Jeep. He has served on various boards and in numerous leadership roles, including president of the Indiana Automobile Dealers’ Association President and Fort Wayne Rotary Club. He worked with Tom Jehl, a dedicated Fort Wayne and University of Saint Francis patron, to bring Tom’s vision of the Lifetime Sports Academy to life. He has been a trustee and chaired the Athletic Committee at USF since 1998.
Alumni of Achievement have also been named for each of the university’s schools. From the School of Arts and Sciences, Debbie (Wall) Oetting, a 2000 environmental science graduate, claims the honor. She has 15 years in environmental and safety compliance for industry, and is a safety and environmental specialist for a global industrial gas company. She is a lifelong equestrian and a member of the American Chemical Society and the Indiana Academy of Science.
Jennifer (Klein) Edwards receives the award for the School of Health Sciences. A 2002 graduate of the Physical Therapist Assistant Program, she began her work as a PTA in northeast Indiana. In 2005, she and her husband joined Operation Mercy, a Christian humanitarian organization working in Central Asia. The couple worked for two years in Uzbekistan and then relocated to neighboring Tajikistan for another five years.
Stephany Bourne is the honored alumna from the School of Professional Studies. After completing her bachelor’s degree in elementary and special education and master’s in learning disabilities at USF, she earned an additional master’s in administration. She directed a $3.5 million renovation, with her school recognized as an Indiana Model School of Distinction for school reform. In 2003, the school was named a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School. Her articles on school reform have appeared in the national NCLB newsletter and in professional development books. She retired from Indian Village School this year after dedicating 37 years to urban children.
Jeffrey Crane earns the award for the School of Creative Arts. He earned an Associate of Arts degree at Saint Francis College in 1998. Although he initially planned a career as a creative director or illustrator, a life-altering Photography 101 class with Karen Thompson changed his destiny. He is a professional photographer in his own right and has assisted other well-known regional photographers. He teaches photography at USF, where he instructs students in viewing the world through his particularly creative lens. He hopes to create interesting imagery for many years to come.
Four alumni have earned Athletic Hall of Fame Awards. Cory Jacquay, who earned a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree in 2006 and Master of Science in education in 2011, was a member of the football program from 2002-2005. He set the USF single-season record with 1,980 all-purpose yards while earning the NAIA National Player of the Year Award in 2004. He is a guidance counselor at East Noble High School in Kendallville, where he assists with the football program and is entering his second season as head baseball coach.
Casey Shafer completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2002, and excelled at USF in track and field and cross country. He has earned many all-conference, national qualifying, school record and individual racing titles. His personal 5K best of 14:37 and half-marathon of 1:08:34 place him among the best runners in Indiana. He is vice president of the Fort Wayne Track Club, a founding member of the Elite Training Group (ETG) and manager at Three Rivers Running Company.
Andy Martin graduated in 2005 with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree. He earned all-conference and all-regional golf titles in the Mid-Central Conference (MCC) in 2003, 2004 and 2005, and was low medalist at multiple National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics tournaments. He turned in a 76 scoring average his senior year. He is business manager at a family-owned business, NII Coatings LLC.
Josh Widman completed a Bachelor of Business Administration in 2007. A four-year letter-winner as a Cougar baseball outfielder, he also contributed a year to the USF football team. He set seven school records, including runs-batted-in, hits, runs scored, doubles and at-bats, and single-season records in RBI and doubles. An honorable mention all-American his junior year, he also earned all-MCC honors twice in baseball. He is operations manager for Guardian Automotive in Findlay, Ohio, where he lives with his wife, Carrie, and daughter, Maci.
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