Dr. Craig M. Baudendistel, class of 2001, was nominated by his parents Sherly and Jack Baudendistel. Since graduating high school, he has earned his Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, and Doctoral degrees in the ñeld of Mechanical Engineering from Wright State University (WSU). His dissertation during his graduate studies focused on energy-based methods for fatigue crack growth along bimaterial interfaces.
Baudendistel graduated from Minerva High School at the top of his class, earning a full tuition valedictorian scholarship to WSU. As class president and senior captain of the football team and a member of numerous school clubs, his most notable achievements included the WHBC Scholar Athlete of the year in Stark County, the Robert H. Hines award for academics, and one of the first to march in the band dressed as a member of the football team his sophomore year. He was also able to excel in his pursuit of an engineering degree by interning at PCC Airfoils his senior year and attending Kent State and Walsh Colleges for post-secondary college credit.
Upon graduating from WSU with his Bachelor’s degree, Craig was awarded with the Outstanding Student in Mechanical Engineering and Dean’s Commendation for his senior design project involving the Society of Automotive Engineer’s Offroad Mini Baja Competition. Inducted into the Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society as a sophomore, he completed his undergraduate career Summa Cum Laude.
Baudendistel continued his higher education at WSU after turrning down scholarships at Virginia Tech and Clemson Universities for the chance to teach at the college level during his graduate studies at WSU. Upon earning both a competitive fellowship and research scholarship through the Dayton Area Graduate Studies Institute, he was given the opportunity to take classes from, not only WSU, but the University of Dayton, the Air Force Institute of Technology, and Sinclair Community College. While doing so, he performed experimental research at the Air Force Research Labs RL) at Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAF B). He has since been published in national journals and conference proceedings.
Craig’s love of teaching has been fostered since junior high where he was a karate instructor at the local YMCA. During his undergraduate years, he was employed by WSU as a calculus/algebra tutor in addition to his co-op job at WPAF B. In graduate school, Baudendistel earned two Outstanding Teaching Awards in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (CECS) as the instructor for Mechanical Design I and teaching assistant for Introductory Engineering Mathematics, Finite Element Analysis, and Strength of Materials classes.
Since graduating with his PhD, Craig has continued teaching as an adjunct professor in multiple capacities. In addition to WSU he instructs a college level course at local high schools supporting the dual enrollment program at Bellbrook High School and the Dayton Regional STEM School.
Craig is currently employed by Universal Technology Corporation as a research engineer at WPAF B working for the Structural Analysis Group in the Engine Integrity Branch.
Married to entrepreneur photographer Erika Jane Ingebo, the Baudendistels volunteer through their local house church affiliated with Apex Community Church in support of the Xenia Women’s Center, Xenia Famiy Violence Prevention Center, and other local Xenia families. They also support Apex through the coffee ministry and media team operating the sound system for the praise band. Both are extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve others and give complete credit for any and all successes to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Ruth Ann Englant Betz, class of 1948, was nominated by Michael Gallina, class of 1978, and Lynnette Gallina, class of 1982. Betz' family moved to the Minerva area from Canton a month before her tenth birthday. Ruth Ann has been a loyal fan of Minerva--the town, the schools, and the people. She is intelligent, compassionate, and generous. These traits have served her well throughout her life.
Betz was a good student showing promise early in life. She bypassed the last half of fourth grade and skipped to the middle of fifth grade. In high school she showed leadership by serving as a cheerleader. She was also the lead in the senior class play and served as class secretary. During high school she worked during summers at the Minerva Dairy. After graduation, she was employed by the Minerva office of the Natural Gas Company of West Virginia. In 1955, she entered Kent State University's cadet teacher program. While attending Kent summers and nights, she began her teaching career at West Elementary in January of 1958. She received her Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Kent in 1964. While there, she was inducted into Kappa Delta Pi, an international honor society for educators. Her interest in art led her to taking classes at the Canton Art Museum. At West Elementary, she taught seventh and eight grades, and was advisor to the cheerleaders, Jr. Hi Y and Jr. Tri Hi Y.
With the building of the new Minerva High School, the seventh and eighth grades in Minerva moved to the old high school building on North Market Street. This became Minerva Junior High and later, Frances Hazen Junior High. At the junior high, Betz taught eighth grade and continued advising the seventh and eighth grade cheerleaders. She served as cheerleader advisor for seventeen years. During this time she taught several subjects, but her main teaching assignments were English and Ohio History. For a time, she served on the negotiating committee of the Minerva Local Teachers' Association. She was also secretary of the Minerva High School Band Boosters. She retired from teaching in 1986.
For years Betz has served our local community. For the past twenty-two years, she has volunteered at the Haas Museum of the Minerva Area Historical Society where her main duty is cataloging new acquisitions. She also serves as trustee of the organization. Since 1991 she has been the treasurer and trustee of the Minerva Education Foundation and Alumni Association where her duties are many. She has served as the Minerva High School/Dr. William Powell Scholarship liaison for Tiger Woods Foundation. She has also served on the Alumni Hall of Fame Construction Committee. As a member of Kappa Delta Pi, she was secretary of the Stark County Chapter, and served in many other capacities. Her work with the Church of God over the years has included initiating a church library, serving on several fund-raising committees, and creating floral arrangements for the church's Basket Shop.
She lost her husband to a brain aneurysm in 2003 after fifty-two years of marriage. Her daughters, Diane Granger and Debby Wolpert, son-in-law, David Wolpert, grandchildren Andy (Sheri) Wolpert, Melissa (Shawn) Eaton, Doug and Matt Granger, and great-grandsons, Trent and Calvin Wolpert and Grant and Alec Eaton are the joy of her life.
While such a list of activities would be enough to keep anyone more than busy, it does not capture even half the ways in which Betz continually helps people. Above all else, she is a true giver. She constantly provides love, support, and affection to her family, friends, and acquaintances.
Leonard Boerner, Class of 1923, was chosen by the Minerva High School Advisory Board as the second person inducted into the Minerva High School Alumni Hall of Fame. "He spoke his mind and stepped on a few toes in his time, but what ‘mover and shaker’ hasn't. It's an occupational hazard for people who get things done. Add to that, his professional career was spent as the owner-editor of a newspaper, and one can appreciate why Leonard Boerner didn't please all the people all the time. But moving, shaking, or working as editor, the former editor of The Minerva Leader always had the best interests of his hometown at heart.” “And that is why," as Dr. John Shaffer, principal of Minerva High School said, "Boerner was chosen as the inductee for 1985."
Civic duty has played a large part in the life of the 79-year-old Boerner, and so has Christian duty, as witness the 52 years of perfect Sunday school attendance he's been credited with.
At Minerva High School he played football, basketball, ran track, and was the Stark County foul-shooting champion. He was also art editor for the Crescent. As a student, he worked after school as a printer's devil for The Minerva News, and after high school graduation, he continued to work there in various capacities until 1937. At that time he established his own newspaper, The Minerva Leader, and remained as publisher-editor until he sold the business in 1974 to the Alliance Publishing Co. For the next five years, he and his wife, Helen, who worked with him at the newspaper, continued to work at The Leader through the transition period. In August of 1979, they officially retired.
During his business career Boerner continually served the community. He was a member of the Board of Education and served as president for many years. During his time on the board, Mary Irene Day Elementary School was built. He has served as president and secretary of the Minerva Community Association, and was a Minerva councilman. He was president of Minerva Rotary Club in 1935. Boerner was instrumental in bringing TRW Metals Plant to Minerva, and was a moving force in the sale of the Municipal Power Plant to Ohio Power.
Boerner's Alumni Hall of Fame induction follows other honors in his community-oriented life. Besides being named a Paul Harris Fellow by Minerva Rotary Club, he received the Jaycee Distinguished Service Award, The American Legion Auxiliary Award, an award from the Carroll County Historical Society, and a commendation from the U. S. Navy Department.
In leading to his introduction as an inductee, Dr. Shaffer recalled Boerner's statement to him, "You do what you have to do--what must be done--and you move on," and that, said Shaffer, "is something we can learn from."
Ellen L. Donaldson Brown, class of 1963, was nominated by her cousin, James Donaldson, also of the class of 1963. A native of New Franklin, she attended school there, then attended Minerva High School where she sang in Leonard Welch's Choirs and played piano with the Stage Band.
She began her formal piano lessons with Beth Hoobler Bates of Minerva at age 7, then at age 13 transferred her classical music studies to Mount Union College, where she studied piano, music theory, and pipe organ with Fred Williams and Arthur Lindstrom. Her first choral experiences were in her mother's choir at St. John's Lutheran Church in New Franklin. Her career as a church organist began as a teenager, and later advanced to studies in organ, choral conducting and arranging with David N. Johnson at Arizona State University. In 1967 she received the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Mount Union; in 1974 the Master’s of Music degree from Arizona State University; and in 1992 the Arizona Community College Lifetime Teaching Certificate.
Brown is an exceptionally versatile director, teacher, pianist, organist, accompanist, and arranger with an enthusiastic outgoing personality. In his nominating letter Donaldson wrote, "Ellen is a person of exemplary character and talent. She has a passion for life and is loved and respected by all who know her."
Brown's life has been a happy collection of musical activities. She says that no life is truly complete without an art with which to express oneself--and she's chosen the Art of Music! She was a choral arranger, accompanist, music theory assistant and college chapel organist while a student at Mount Union College. She was an elementary music teacher for Lorain City Schools from 1968 to 1971. She was and a pianist and singer with Glenn Brown's Jazz Ambassador Band from 1984 to the present. While teaching in Lorain, she and Glenn played with a Puerto Rican Band and presented 17 two-piano jazz concerts for the Lorain City Elementary Schools. From 1996 to 2001 she was a concert organist for the American Guild of Organist annual scholarship benefit marathon, and entertainer for Fiesta Bowl Events at the Arizona Biltmore and the Phoenician Resorts from 1995 until the present; and worked as a freelance accompanist and arranger for the McGuire Sisters Singing Trio and New York City Opera stars Robert Hale and Richard McKee. Brown has been pianist for various shows including My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, Guys and Dolls, The Fantastiks, and West Side Story. Concerts with her husband Glenn as a two-piano jazz team have included being the opening act for The Mills Brothers at the Chandler Center for the Arts. Her work as a church musician has included playing and/or directing at The Christian Church in Lorain, Ohio; St. Peter Lutheran in Mesa, Arizona; The First Church of God in Phoenix, Arizona; Beautiful Savior Lutheran in Tempe, Arizona; and the United Methodist Church of Paradise Valley, Arizona. In addition she has served as accompanist to the Desert Foothills Chorale, the Phoenix College Chamber Singers, and the Phoenix Police Department Honor Chorus, which included performances in Washington D.C.
An adjunct faculty member at Phoenix College since 1999, she has taught piano, organ, music theory, and aural perception. She is also accompanist for the Phoenix College Concert Choir and the McConnell Singers Women's Chorus, with whom she tours annually. She is a member and past dean of the Central Arizona Chapter of The American Guild of Organists and has been a featured presenter in two Pipe Organ Encounters, and AGO national educational project promoting the pipe organ to teenagers.
In 1971 she assisted her husband establishing his business, Glenn Brown Piano Rebuilding, and for many years has been an active member of the business. The Browns live in Tempe, Arizona, and are the proud parents of two adult sons, Aaron and Matthew.