Valedictorian of his class and president of the Honor Society, Pete Cubberley continues to be a leader in the face of some of our greatest challenges. For the past five years, he has been Medical Director of the Free Clinic of Greater Cleveland, where the volunteered as a physician for 25 years. Dr. Cubberley was instrumental in setting up the HIV/AIDS care program at Kaiser/Permanente and continues to devote much of his professional time to the care of persons with this disease. A 1957 graduate of Allegheny College, he served four years in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. He earned his medical degree from Western Reserve University in 1961. Dr. Cubberley is currently active in raising money for the AIDS Walk. He also participates in AIDS Healing weekends.
KATHARIN ALCORN KELKER
Co-Valedictorian of her class, Kathy remembers Dale Richmond’s Senior Government Day as one of her most influential experiences at Chagrin Falls High School. She became active in student government at Hiram College, where she became the first female senator elected. Enroute to an M.S. degree in special education from Eastern Montana College in 1980 and an Ed.D. in adult and higher education from Montana State University in 1993, Dr. Kelker has influenced thousands of families. She is Executive Director and Co-Founder of Parents, Let’s Unite For Kids (PLUK), a parent training and information center which, since 1984, has imparted information about assistive technology to consumers and professionals in the education, rehabilitation and medical fields. Kathy is the author of Taking Charge: A Handbook for Parents of Children with Emotional Handicaps. She has received several awards for her work, including the Development Disabilities Service Award for her significant contributions to the quality of life for the disabled citizens of her state, and the Professional of the Year Award from the Montana Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children.
A. LEE CRAWFORD
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.
GEORGE CLEMENS
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.
DONALD L. BULLOCK
A student of deep and varied interests, Don Bullock’s list of achievements stretch from the halls of Chagrin Falls High School to the far reaches of outer space. While still a student at CFHS, he visited the United Nations with the Junior Council on World Affairs, being among the first group from the United States to visit the Soviet Legation Headquarters. An early fascination with chemistry and his love of the great outdoors, steered him to the forestry program at Michigan Technological University, where he earned a degree in physics in 1957. By 1963, he had acquired an M.S. in Applied Physics and Ph.D. in Physics, both from UCLA. Currently, Don is Chief Scientist for Lasers and Optics in the Space and Defense Sector of TRW, Inc. He has been with TRW since 1961. His innovative, technical accomplishments have served to advance our country’s defense and space programs. In 1972, he independently designed the optical resonator for the first high-power chemical laser, the Baseline Demonstration Laser (BDL). He has 16 publications and several patents. In 1989, Don was awarded the TRW Chairman’s Award for Innovation, recognizing his performance enhancing contributions, and laser weapon systems. In 1990, he was elected to TRW’s Space and Defense Technical Fellows Program.