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Chagrin Falls Alumni Association

Keeping Tiger Pride Alive

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ROBERT PAUL DYE

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1947

Moving from Cleveland’s innercity to Chagrin Falls changed Bob Dye’s life. And nowhere were the changes more apparent than in school. By the time he was graduated form CFHS, he had been editor of the Echo school newspaper and assistant editor of the Zenith yearbook. After earning an M. A. in English from Western Michigan University in 1958, Bob embarked on a career in communications which would render him several prestigious awards for his accomplishments. A life member of the Hawaiian Historical Society, he has written three books and has three others in progress. For his 1996 effort, “Hawaii Chronicles: Island History from the pages of Honolulu Magazine,” he received an award from the Hawaii Book Publishers. His publication was also nominated for the Kamakau Award, for the best book of the year. Bob has written numerous articles and reviews for various newspapers and magazines. He is a contributing political editor to Honolulu Magazine and has been a political and election night commentator for KHNC-TV in Honolulu. In business, he is director of University Health Care Associates also in Honolulu.

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MARGARET ENGEL

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1969

The breadth, depth, and sheer quality of Peggy Engel’s literary works were recognized long before this former majorette marched to Washington. A 1973 honors graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism, she won several awards for investigative reporting for the Lorain (Ohio) Journal and the Des Moines Register. She was the youngest person to win a Nieman Fellowship to Harvard Univand ersity, where she studied law and occupational health at Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and M. I. T. In 1981, Peggy joined the Washington Post, where she was a reporter and editor. Her work was nominated four times for a Pulitzer Prize. An adjunct journalism professor at Georgetown University, she has been published in magazines such as Esquire, Ladies Home Journal, and Glamour. She has appeared on the Today Show Larry King, As the executive director of the Alicia Patterson Foundation, she guides a program that awards fellowships to some of the country’s best reporters, editors, and photographers. Among her books is “Ballpark Vacations,” a guide to America’s exceptional baseball parks. Her investigative reporting for this project included her husband, two children, 25,000 miles, and nearly 100 major and minor league ballparks.

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CARLYLE S. “BRICK” HARRIS

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1914

Carlyle “Brick” Harris’ contributions to Chagrin Falls and its schools may have been second to none. He was chairman of the first zoning commission that drafted Chagrin’s original zoning ordinance in 1932. He was instrumental in establishing the Rec Center and the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre. He also helped secure the land which is now Riverside Park. His generosity, often anonymous, made child’s play in Chagrin Falls safer and more fun than it would have been otherwise. He paid for repairs and upkeep of the swimming pool and tennis courts at the Rec Center. In the 1960s, he and his sister, Madeline, made it possible for several improvements to be made to the football field, including the fence which surrounds it, new visiting team bleachers, and a press box. In 1936, Mr. Harris was elected to the Chagrin Falls Board of Education, on which he served for 20 years, 16 of them as president. He was assistant fire chief of the Chagrin Falls Volunteer Fire Department for more than 60 years. In 1967, the football field and stadium were named in his honor.

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JERALD A. FINCH

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1945

Stringing for The Exponent for a buck a story during high school was just the beginning of an outstanding career in journalism for Jerry Finch. Today, he is ombudsman and senior editor of the Richmond-Times Dispatch, Virginia’s largest newspaper in circulation. He joined the paper in 1955 as a copy editor, eventually becoming managing editor, a title which he held for 20 years. In 1995, he received the George Mason Award of the Society of Professional Journalists for his outstanding contributions to Virginia journalism. In 1993, he was awarded the Isaiah Thomas Newspaper Preservation Prize of the American Society of Newspaper Editors. Jerry was graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1950 with a degree in journalism. There, he was the first president of what was to become the Sigma Delta Chi journalism honorary society. During World War II, he served overseas in the U.S. Army Air Forces.

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WALTER H. ETTINGER, JR.

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1970

Walt Ettinger’s climb to the top of the medical profession is replete with accomplishments. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1978, he has taught at Wake Forest University School of Medicine since 1985. He has more than 100 of his articles and reviews published. His three books include “Fitness After 50: It’s Never too Late to Start,” published in 1996. Twice he has been listed in “The Best Doctors in America” (Geriatric Medicine), in 1994 and 1996. In 1993, he received the Henry Christian Memorial Award for outstanding abstract in aging research. Currently, Dr. Ettinger is Director at the J. Paul Sticht Center on Aging at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

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DR. ELIZABETH G. RODGERS

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1919

Elizabeth Rodgers was born in Chagrin Falls and has devoted much of her life’s work to the historical preservation of her birthplace. A passionate overseer of Village Council proceedings, she authored the book, CHAGRIN : : . Whence the Name? Her writings have painstakingly detailed the history of the Village of Chagrin Falls, including the origin of its name. Dr. Rodger’s remarkable energy and considerable talents resulted in numerous professional accomplishments. In 1936, she earned a Ph.D. in physical education from Columbia University. She was a high school teacher and professor at several colleges, including Madison College in Harrisonburg, Virginia, the University of Colorado, and State Teachers College in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Much of her research in physical education has been documented in journal articles. More than 60 years ago, she developed the first standardized achievement tests for athletic skills and information. While a student at Chagrin Falls High School, Elizabeth Rodgers excelled in both academics and athletics. She was an outstanding basketball player and track and field athlete. For many years, she held the school record for the softball throw.

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GEORGE CLEMENS

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1940

Much of the growth and improvements at Bessie Benner Metzenbaum Center in Chesterland can be traced to the leadership of its first superintendent, George Clemens. A graduate of Hiram College and Kent State University, he was an elementary schoolteacher in Chagrin Falls for three years before embarking on a long career in special education. In 1965, he was appointed Director of Retarded Childrens Program in Geauga County. During that same year, Metzenbaum Opportunity School opened its doors to 59 children, and George was named as its first superintendent. During his tenure, Metzenbaum Sheltered Industries came into existence. Four residential houses and a new pavilion and greenhouse were also constructed. He was instrumental in beginning the Middlefield Care Center, an Amish birthing center. But, of course, it is his former students and staff members who remember him fondly. George’s best remembrance of Chagrin is of all the people who helped him with his education. As a student at CFHS, he was very active in athletics, captaining the 1939 football team. In 1987, he retired from education after serving 22 years as Metzenbaum’s superintendent. Today, he volunteers at Metzenbaum and welcomes its children to his farm during field trips.

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RICHARD DRAZ

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1950

A former sailor in the United States Navy, Richard Draz weaved his love of people, water, and physical education into a coaching career paralleled by few. A graduate of Kent State University, he has been referred to as “a living legend” in the swimming and water polo circles of southern California. From 1962 until 1986, he was the head swimming coach at Crawford High School in San Diego. He has received numerous awards. In 1986, the National High School Athletic Association presented him the “National Coach of the Year” award for being the top swimming coach in the United States for that year. In 1990, the National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association honored him with the “National Outstanding Service” award. He is listed in the book, America’s Greatest Coaches, by Michael Koehler. His dual meet record at Crawford in boys swimming was 253-38-1, which included 21 undefeated league championships. His boys’ water polo teams were 334-106-1, which included 13 league titles. Since 1986, he has been the head swimming coach and head water polo coach at San Diego Mesa College. Richard remembers the caring and supportive attitude the Chagrin teachers had for their students, qualities which he has carried proudly as a teacher-coach in his adopted homeland.

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JOANNE GRIFFITH ROOT

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1951

When she was a student at Chagrin Falls High School, Joanne Griffith worked on the school newspaper, The Echo. Today, she is still working on a newspaper — her own. After a two-year stint as a reporter for a suburban newspaper in Worcester, Massachusetts, Joanne founded the Holden Landmark, in the basement of her home in Holden, Massachusetts in 1976. Her weekly newspaper now serves 7300 paid subscribers in five towns across the Wachusett region of the state. As editor and publisher of The Landmark, her staff has garnered many awards from the New England Press Association and the Massachusetts Press Association. Included were a second place award for General Excellence in 1989, and first place awards for Editorial Writing in 1985, 1988, and 1992. She is also President and Treasurer of The Holden Landmark Corporation. In 1994, Joanne was a finalist for the Business Person of the Year award from the New England Women Business Owners. This year, she was appointed to the board of directors of the New England Press Association.

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DAVID J. FARRIS

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1953

David Farris traces his success to the supportive atmosphere of the Chagrin Falls School System. Much involved in athletics and drama during his years at CFHS, his successes have reached dramatic proportions. Since 1987, he has been Chief Operating Officer of Beneficial Corporation, a $15 billion, New York Stock Exchange-listed financial services holding company. He is also President and Chief Executive Officer of Beneficial Management Corporation, a subsidiary. Subsidiaries of the company provide financial services through their various consumer-finance, banking, and insurance operations located throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Ireland. A graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Graduate School of Business, he is a director and past president of the National Home Equity Mortgage Association. He is a chairman of the New Jersey Ballet Company, and also chairman and a trustee of CHEMcare, a Westfield, N.J. support group for cancer patients undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment. After being graduated from CFHS, David stayed close to home for a while. He earned his undergraduate degree in business from Kent State University, and he was president of the Chagrin Valley Jaycees. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Kent State University Foundation.

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A. LEE CRAWFORD

Chagrin Falls Alumni Hall of Fame
Class of 1959

Mexico City is a long way from Chagrin Falls Village, but one of this capital city’s residents has not forgotten the dedication and commitment of his former teachers in Chagrin Falls Schools. In 1994, Lee Crawford was awarded the Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle, the highest honor that the Mexican Federal Government bestows upon foreign individuals. He was the first U.S. citizen to receive the award since 1936. For ten years, he was director of Packard Electric’s Mexico West Operations. Lee was lauded for his efforts with the people, the environment, and the community. He serves on the board of directors for the United Way of Mexico, and in 1994 was named “International Man of the Year” by United Way. He is currently in charge of the Delphi Components Group of General Motors in Mexico, which includes 48 manufacturing facilities, employing more than 65,000 people. He began his GM career at Packard Electric following graduation from Kent State University, where he studied architecture and Pre-law. Formerly a resident of El Paso, Texas, Lee recently moved to Mexico City.

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ALLEN J. TENNY

Teacher

This quiet, unassuming man was a tough teacher in a noisy classroom. His classroom was the Chagrin Valley Herald, which he founded in 1946. The bylines of his former students grace the pages of newspapers and magazines across the country. Allen “Pete” Tenny, “Mr. Tenny” to most, was hired as a youth by editor William R. Bailey to work a couple of summers in the Chagrin Falls Exponent office. Newspaper work took Mr. Tenny to Illinois and Michigan, where he became assistant city editor of The Detroit Free Press. He returned to Chagrin Falls in 1946 to serve as editor of the Chagrin Valley Herald for the next 22 years. During Mr. Tenny’s tenure, the Herald and its reporters earned numerous journalism prizes. He, himself, won many awards including the “Golden Dozen” award in 1969 for writing one of the 12 best editorials in weekly newspapers throughout the world. After 43 years as a newsman, Mr. Tenny retired as “Editor Emeritus” of the Herald Sun in 1973. He died in Vermont in 1981. 

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JEFFREY EUGENE GROTH

Class of 1975
Football, Basketball, Baseball

Few athletes will attain the levels of athletic excellence enjoyed by Jeff. As a wide receiver and special teams player for the Miami Dolphins, Houston Oilers, and New Orleans Saints, quarterback Ken Stabler said that Jeff reminded him of “a Fred Biletnikoff with speed.” Jeff played for seven years in the National Football League, At CFHS, he was a standout in football, basketball, and baseball, earning All-Ohio honors in baseball and football. In 1978 at Bowling Green University, Jeff was named All-American in football. He also played baseball in college and was selected in Major League Baseball drafts by the Chicago Cubs, the Atlanta Braves, and the Texas Rangers.

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RALPH QUESINBERRY

Teacher, Coach, AD

The accolades were many for “Quiz” during his career as a teacher, coach, and athletic director at CFHS. In 1972, he was named National Athletic Director of the year. He is a member of the Ohio High School Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, the Ohio High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame, and the Ohio High School Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame. His 1947 and 1961 football teams were undefeated. He also coached basketball, track, golf, baseball, and swimming. During his 35 years in Chagrin Falls Schools, Ralph impacted the lives of just about anyone with whom he came in contact. His gym classes became legendary – the unforgettable voice ordering the seemingly impossible tasks. For many a Chagrin youth, Coach’s “basic training” became a lasting memory. Following his retirement in 1980, Ralph L. Quesinberry Gymnasium was named in his honor.

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SUSAN ELIZABETH WISE

Class of 1980
Basketball, Tennis, Track

Soon after she was graduated from CFHS, Sue’s basketball jersey number “42” was permanently retired in honor of her many accomplishments. While her leadership and athletic abilities enhanced the play of Tiger teams in tennis and track, it was on the basketball court where her star shined most brightly. Sue was an All-Ohio basketball selection in 1978-79 and 1979-80 with the 1978-79 team reaching the state semi-finals. She was the Chagrin Valley Conference’s Most Valuable Player in 1978-79. In the 40 basketball games she played on the CFHS floor, 40 victories were recorded. Sue was captain of the basketball team at William & Mary College. In 1989-90, she coached Hope College to a National Division III Championship in women’s basketball. She was named National Division III Basketball Coach of the Year.

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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.