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Chagrin Falls Alumni Association

Keeping Tiger Pride Alive

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WILLIAM STANTON

Class of 1936

Standing tall among his classmates, the splendid young actor had an uncommon wit which would carry him to even greater heights. Multi-talented Will Stanton appeared in football games, track meets, and operettas during his years at Chagrin Falls High School. Since then, he has appeared in Reader’s Digest, Saturday Evening Post, and the New Yorker. Chagrin’s most prolific writer moved with his family to Chagrin Falls before he had reached school age. Growing up in Chagrin Falls during the Depression, he always remembered the kindness and understanding of its people during those difficult times. One of his three books, “Golden Evenings of Summer.” was based, in part, upon his memories of Chagrin Falls. An episode from the book was made into a Walt Disney movie, “Charlie and the Angel,” starring Fred MacMurray. Will’s humorous stories and poems have been published in many magazines including Atlantic, Life, Look, McCall’s, Redbook, and Good Housekeeping. A 1941 graduate of Princeton University, he now lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

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CHARLES A. HUBAY

Class of 1936

 As a youth in Chagrin Falls Schools, Charles Hubay made his rounds with a violin in his hand. Remembered for his compassion towards others as well as his immense talents, the brilliant young musician became a surgeon, professor, and medical researcher of special distinction. Graduated from the former Adelbert College and the medical school at Western Reserve University, he joined the full time faculty at University Hospitals in 1950 and remained there throughout his career. Dr. Hubay authored more than 150 research papers. His work included studies of organ transplantation and rejection, and the treatment of advanced breast cancer. He served as president of the Cleveland Surgical Society, Case Western Reserve University of Medicine Alumni Association, and the Central Surgical Association. He was a guest editor of the American Journal of Surgery. Dr. Hubay never forgot the inspiration provided by his music teachers, Albert Freeman and Zoe Long Fouts. He established for the Fouts-Freeman-Hubay Award, which is presented each year at Chagrin Falls High School to the outstanding senior in the field of music. Born in Chagrin Falls in 1918, Dr. Hubay died at home in South Russell in 1991.

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GORDON D. NICHOLS

Class of 1924

The enduring appeal of Chagrin Falls is due, in large part, to the inspired efforts of citizens such as Gordon Nichols. The breadth of his influence is unparalleled. He was born in Chagrin Falls in 1906 and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Adelbert College of Western Reserve University, where he earned a master’s degree in law. He conducted a private practice until 1937 when he became a corporate lawyer for Oglebay Norton Steamship Company in Cleveland. Gordon was mayor of Chagrin Falls from 1940 until 1950. He later served as president of the Chagrin Falls Board of Education, and, in 1967, the high school library was named for him. He was a founder of the Chagrin Valley Recreation Center and served that organization for 42 years. The recreation building on the high school grounds also bears his name. An actor earlier in his life, he was active in the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre for 50 years. Twice president of the Chagrin Valley Chamber of Commerce, he was, in 1975, named director for life of the Ohio Chamber of Commerce. Following his retirement from Oglebay Norton, Gordon commuted to Mason City, Iowa to further his education in yet another discipline —auctioneering. This skill he used for fundraising events for volunteer organizations in his community. He died in Chagrin Falls in 1990.

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MARGARET S. TERPENNING

Class of 1970

Margaret Terpenning’s love of learning was surpassed only by her love of people. Remembered for her warm heart as well as her unbridled determination, she was graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Denison University in 1973. She earned her medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1978, where she also completed a fellowship in the Division of Geriatric Medicine. From 1982 until 1984, she studied infectious diseases through another fellowship at UCLA and the Wadsworth VA Medical Center in Los Angeles. Dr. Terpenning has lectured across the United States on various aspects of medical care for the elderly. Her studies of infectious diseases in the elderly have been published in the leading medical journals. In 1984, she was appointed Assistant Clinical Professor of Geriatrics and Internal Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Since 1988, she has been Assistant Professor, Division of Geriatric Medicine, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She also serves as Clinical Director, Geriatric Research Education at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and as Assistant Research Scientist at the Institute of Gerontology. In 1991, she was elected to the American College of Physicians Fellows Program. 

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HELEN ver DUIN PALIT

Class of 1966

Before graduating from Chagrin Falls High School, Helen ver Duin delivered food as a carhop and waitress. Today, she is recognized as a worldwide authority in non-profit food distribution. A third generation social-service worker, Helen ver Duin Palit operates on the premise that there is enough extra food in every city to feed every person. She is the founder and executive director of City Harvest, a nonprofit organization that provided millions of free meals to hungry and homeless people in New York City since its inception in 1982. New York City’s Mayor Edward Koch said of her program, “It is an extraordinarily simple yet brilliant idea.” The world is now taking notice of this Chagrin grad’s innovative concepts. Each day, numerous large cities with programs patterned after City Harvest, collect thousands of unused food from restaurants, supermarkets, caterers, and corporate dining rooms, and then distribute it to soup kitchens, senior citizen centers, drug rehabilitation centers, and any other agencies that feed the poor. Helen has appeared on television in the U.S., Canada, and Japan. President Bush recognized her as his Fourth Point of Light in his ‘Thousand Points of Light’ National Community service Program in 1989. She has been featured in Business Week, Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Family Circle, Weekly Reader, New York Times, and Christian Science Monitor. A graduate of Texas Tech University, Helen was awarded Iona College’s Doctorate of Humanitarian Letters in 1987.

Email Us:

If you have an updated address, phone number, or email, then please include that in the message area below.

    Contact Info:

    alumni@chagrinschools.org

    440.247.4387

     


    CFAA Alumni Director:

    Brian McKenna '88

    Office Manager:

    Jana Young ‘82

    Find Us:

    Chagrin Falls Alumni Association

    400 East Washington Street
    Chagrin Falls, OH 44022

    We invite you to join the growing numbers of volunteers who are helping to ensure a bright future for the CFAA and Chagrin Falls Schools. Whether it is through your time or resources, all of us appreciate your generous gifts. To become more involved, contact the Alumni Association. We look forward to your comments, questions, and suggestions. Don’t forget that we appreciate your help in making the CFAA run successfully with the donation of your annual dues of $20 or more.