Fall 2021 Edition
Alumni & Friends Magazine
OHIO making headlines
Bobcats make the news—and the OHIO community proud—every day. Read about a few of the Ohio University alumni, students, faculty and staff who have made headlines in recent months.
Staff Report | September 23, 2021
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The GOAT of MLB draft picks
In June 1971, Mike Schmidt, BBA ’72, who helped lead OHIO to the 1970 College Baseball World Series, was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies. Fifty years later, The New York Times published “The Greatest Draft Pick Ever,” furthering the legacy of the Baseball Hall of Famer by distinguishing him as the baseball player who did the most for the team that drafted him.
Photos courtesy of the Mahn Center for Archives & Special Collections
From Tiffin Hall to the Shark Tank
Kevin Consolo, BBA ’07, and Chris Pavlica, who majored in telecommunications at OHIO, appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank last May, pitching an investment in their SneakERASERS instant sneaker cleaner. The pair scored a deal with Sharks Lori Greiner and Alex Rodriguez and fulfilled an entrepreneurial dream that started blooming as first-year students in Tiffin Hall.
Coming full circle and making history
Carrie Boldman, BSHEC ’84, made state and industry news in April when she was named Cedar Point’s vice president and general manager, becoming the first woman to hold that position in the park’s 150-year history. It was a full-circle moment for the Huron, Ohio native whose first job was collecting tickets at the park.
Chasing tornadoes with the BBC
Dr. Jana Houser is used to chasing tornadoes; doing it alongside a BBC film crew was a new twist. In May, the BBC’s The Greatest Show on Earth series joined the OHIO associate professor of geography and University of Oklahoma colleagues as they took to Tornado Alley, studying what tornadoes look like as they are forming and how they move across various landscapes.
A new chapter for a famed novelist, former faculty member
OHIO students from 1965-1978 had the honor of learning from Walter Tevis, a novelist whose books The Hustler, The Man Who Fell from Earth, and The Color of Money were adapted into well-known movies. 2020 saw one of his last novels, The Queen’s Gambit, finally get its just due as one of Netflix’s most-watched miniseries. In September, WOUB partnered with Ohio University Libraries and the OHIO Alumni Association to hold a virtual screening of the documentary Walter Tevis: A Writer’s Gambit, followed by a panel discussion.
Photo by Dom Slike / Alamy Stock Photo
A Blue Jay and now a Bobcat
Tim Mayza, MSA ’21, celebrated his OHIO graduation surrounded by Blue Jays, not Bobcats. A pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, Mayza earned his OHIO degree while recovering from a torn UCL. As reported by Sportsnet, his teammates and staff brought the pomp and circumstance to Florida, presenting him a cap and gown ahead of a series against the Atlanta Braves.
OHIO students headed to the majors
It was a banner summer for two OHIO student-athletes. Former Ohio men’s basketball guard Jason Preston was selected 33rd overall in the 2021 NBA Draft and was acquired by the Los Angeles Clippers. The Colorado Rockies selected Ohio University baseball pitcher Joe Rock in the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
