June 2012 - Toni Dreher Callan

     The ads on television have started for coverage of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Every time I see them, I think back to when I did an interview with 1988 Montpelier grad Toni Dreher who had direct connection with a previous summer Olympic games. That got me to thinking that catching up with Toni would be interesting to Leader readers.

     Toni, now Toni  Callan, attended The Ohio State University after high school, and that started her on the road to the Olympics and her “far from home” life in Colorado.

     “I went to OSU.  While I was there, I worked for the men's gymnastics team and through them met someone who worked for the U.S. Olympic Committee,” explained Toni. “I found out they had an intern program, so I applied and got hired in their National Events department.  My internship ran August through December 1992, and I returned to Columbus to finish up in June 1993.  After that, I packed up my car and moved to Colorado.  I actually ended up getting re-hired in the National Events department and that's what started 15 years of Olympic involvement.”

     Toni remembered the article in the Leader, her hometown newspaper.

     “I was working in NYC when you did the article about my involvement with the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. I worked in Colorado Springs a couple of years when the opportunity came up to work in the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) fundraising office in NYC.  We did a LOT of events leading up to the Games and we had a huge event after the Games with 100 Olympians at a dinner in Madison Square Garden.  I loved living in "the city"… I had a great group of friends … but I also knew it wasn't my forever place.”

     “There was a job opening back in Colorado Springs where the USOC is based so I packed up the U-Haul and moved again.  (Obviously, the idea of moving and finding a new home has never bothered me much.)  I worked for the USOC until 1998 when I went to U.S. Fencing-- the national governing body for the Olympic sport-- as their National Tournament Director.  In 2000, I spent 10 weeks working at the Olympic Games in Sydney and then doing some travelling in Australia.  Wow!  Australia is awesome!  All I can say is if you get a chance to go, you definitely should!  I didn't have a job to come home to after Australia but I thought that was a small price to pay after such a great experience.”

     ‘But I found a job in yet another area of the Olympic movement at USADA.  USADA is the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and they do the drug testing for all the Olympic sports.  I was Manager of Event Testing which meant I organized the testing that was to be done at various National Championships, Olympic Trials or other major events that required testing.  I was on staff at USADA until 2002 but I continued to work for them as a contract employee until 2008.  I worked at the Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City too.  At that point, I was married and felt like I'd had a great run with my Olympic life and wanted to turn my attention to family. My daughter was born in 2002 and my son in 2004.”

     No longer involved with the Olympics, Toni has taken a career turn recently. “I went back to design school in 2008 and I just finished on May 11.  I am working for a commercial design firm here in Colorado Springs and taking on some kitchen & bath projects on the side.  It is a complete departure from the Olympic world but I'm really enjoying the work and the flexibility too since being a mommy is still my first job. Josie is nine and just finishing 3rd grade. Right now she's in dance, guitar, student council and girl scouts.  Jack is seven and finishing 1st grade. He's into boy scouts, baseball, and he says he's ‘dying’ for some golf lessons, too.”

     Life in Colorado is obviously different from the flatlands of northwest Ohio.

     “Colorado is considered ‘high country desert’ so it's pretty arid but that means no humidity and not so many bugs as NW Ohio.  I'd fallen in love with the mountains during my internship and even with the weather. It can be crazy with 2 feet of snow in April, but winters are typically pretty mild which makes the outdoors really accessible year-round.  I've taken up skiing since being in Colorado, a sport which I'd never even thought of back home.”

     And did growing up in Montpelier help or hinder Toni’s life journey?

     “I certainly don't think it's hindered my journey!  I know it made me curious to see what was beyond.  The world's a big place and I wanted to see it.  I've travelled a lot within the US and I've seen a good bit of the world, too.  I've tried to keep a small town mindset though in my travels and in meeting new people, and by that, I guess I mean being open and friendly, understanding that they may speak another language but we're all pretty much the same.  I've also found that I have an expectation of knowing my neighbors. That definitely must be from growing up in a small town!”

May 2012 - Travis Briner

     One of the best things about writing this column is I get to catch up with some old friends and former students. It is even better when those former students also happen to be good family friends. Such is the case with Travis Briner.

     Travis and my son Grant were in the same class growing up, played against each other in little league before becoming Loco teammates in football and basketball, and Travis was always welcome in our home. I had Travis in class as a seventh grader, was his junior high and senior high Sunday School teacher at First Methodist, sang with him in church choir, and we even took him along on some family vacations.

      So catching up with Travis for this month’s column was a whole lot more pleasure than business.

     It hardly seems like ten years have passed since graduation, but alas it has. And that freckle-faced redhead has become a college graduate, found success in his career, and enjoys life as a husband and father.

     “I started my college career at Defiance College where I studied Sport management while playing football for the Yellow Jackets,” explained Travis from his home outside St. Louis. “After two years at Defiance College, I chose to transfer to Wright State University where I graduated in 2007 with a degree in Organizational Leadership.”

     But like almost everyone featured in this column, the road did not lead back to Montpelier after graduation for Travis. Instead he headed to southwest Illinois and a position in the district office of the Boy Scouts. Why the Boy Scouts and why Illinois?

     “The classic, not what you know, but who you know story,” said Travis.  “I was not a Boy Scout in Montpelier, or ever for that matter.  However, my wife’s uncle, Tim Garber, was the CEO of a local Boy Scout Council in the Metro-East St. Louis.  Knowing him over the years, he asked if I would be interested in working for him out of college, and it’s hard to turn down a job immediately out of school.”

     Travis’s official title is district director of the Lewis and Clark Council, Boy Scouts of America.

     “When I typically tell people that I work for the Boy Scouts, they immediately think of our program (character, leadership, citizenship, knots, camping, etc.), which is a good thing, but my role in the organization is very different.  I am the last person that you would want teaching young men those skills.  As a professional in our organization it is my responsibility to ensure that those who do have the skills to lead young men to be better citizens, and leaders of high character, have the resources they need to be successful.  We organize and lead volunteer committees that ensure quality of programs, growth in our membership, and that ensure that the funding needed to support the programs is available.  Essentially, it is my job to bring resources to the table in the form of money, manpower and membership while supporting the volunteer leaders who put the program to work.”

     “In my five years, I have helped recruit thousands of new Scouts to the program, raised well over $500,000 in direct support, and have recruited many doctors, lawyers, business owners,  presidents and vice-presidents to our organization.  My short-term career goal would be to get into a development position in a different Council somewhere in the Midwest, which would require my wife and me to move out of the St. Louis area. My long-term goal is to become the Chief Scout Executive of the Boy Scouts of America (the CEO of the entire organization)—shoot for the stars, right?”

     Travis said his Montpelier upbringing has been as asset for him in his career.

     “I credit growing up in Montpelier for a lot of my journey. I talk about it all of the time.  This past week I received what I believe to be the best compliment of my career, and for those who know me, you won’t be surprised.  I was talking with a bank president at one of our events and he told me, ‘if BS was electricity, you’d be a powerhouse.’  Growing up in Montpelier in a community that is interested and engaged in its youth put me in a position to be around and talk with people from many walks of life.  I told this guy that it is my philosophy that I didn’t need to know a lot about anything, rather a little about everything.  Going to St. Joe’s grain elevator with my dad and grandfather as a child, working for the city in high school, hanging around guys like Greg Shoup, Rick Richmond, Chuck Moore, and so many others (like yourself), allowed for me to learn a little about a lot of different things, not only in those various career fields, but in life in general.”

     And his personal life has turned out pretty well, too. “My wife (the former Jackie Lemmon) is a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and she works in St. Louis at a nursing home where she does therapy with the residents.  Ultimately, she would like to go back to school to get her master’s degree in Occupational Therapy to become an Occupational therapist, which would allow for her to prescribe the treatment, instead of recommending a treatment.”

   And Travis and Jackie have a new young son, Knox. “Knox is nine months old and is doing great!  When people tell you that having children will ‘change your life’ I really didn’t understand what they were talking about.  However, it didn’t take long to figure it out.  He is my new favorite person.  Jackie and I have been very blessed with Knox; he eats well, sleeps well, laughs all of the time, rarely cries, and is excited to see us in the morning and when we pick him up in the afternoons.  Probably the best part is he does well in the car during the six hour drive to Montpelier.”

     With his parents (Bob and Kelley) and other family members still in Montpelier, Travis and family do make the trip back home when they can. “We do get back to Montpelier a few times a year, usually around the holidays or long weekends.  Obviously, there are some brick and mortar changes in Montpelier, with the new school, and the others now gone, but ultimately, Montpelier is the same town that I left ten years ago, and that’s a good thing, too.  The best part of going ‘home’ is that I can go to the grocery store, church or to Rowe’s for an omelet that I couldn’t possibly finish, and see people I know, and we talk like we had a conversation last week.  It really does give you the feeling of home even though I haven’t lived there for a decade.”

April 2012 - Dirk Suter

     When Dirk Suter  graduated from Montpelier High School in 1978 he thought he had his life pretty well planned out … go to college, become a mortician, and move back home to Montpelier to work in the funeral home business with the Thompson family. A plan that would not take him far from home.

     And it almost went according to plan.

     “One summer I needed a summer job, and through my buddy Mike Hebblethwaite I heard Thompson’s Funeral Home was looking for help.  The Thompsons are such good people; Jim and Gene are great role models.  They had a good life, good business, well thought of by the community, so I found the “what” I was going to do.” explained Dirk.

      “After college and mortuary school I went back home and got settled in working for Jim.  But I began to feel like a fifth wheel, just didn’t seem to fit in Montpelier anymore.  After my Dad died, my Mom moved to Houston and married my step Dad (Dick Cheadle).  Houston is home to one of the largest funeral companies in the world so I thought I’d try the big city.”

      “The funeral business in Houston was a big change.  The locations that I worked at each handled more funerals in a month than Thompsons handle in a year.  After two years in Houston I realized that the funeral business just wasn’t for me.  I had always been interested in law enforcement, but my Mom didn’t want anything to do with that.  She worried enough about her brother working for a police department outside Detroit.  I kind of slipped it past her, didn’t go over well with her or my new wife, but it was a good fit for me.”

     Maybe the women in Dirk’s life were onto something.

     “I worked as a patrolman in a rough area on the northwest side of the city.  I was involved in a shooting in the early 90’s.  After everything calmed down, while I was waiting for everyone to show up (the investigators, IAD, the DA’s office, the firearms examiner, my lieutenant, my lawyer) I remember thinking “how did a guy from Montpelier end up here?”

     A few years later another incident brought about another change.

     “While I was still in patrol, we arrested a murder suspect and I later testified about my part in the case.  I met with the assistant district attorney, Kelly Siegler, prior to trial.  She encouraged me to consider working in the homicide division.  She said that in her opinion the Houston homicide division was one of the best investigative divisions in the country.  She went on to make quite a name for herself as one of the best prosecutors in the country.  Most detectives I knew agreed that if you did it, you didn’t want her on your case.  She probably put more murderers in prison than anyone else while she was with the DA’s office.  When I got my transfer to homicide I spent a year as a desk officer then went to the domestic violence unit as an investigator.  That was interesting but very frustrating. “

      Again, the women in his life promoted another change.

     “In the beginning I planned to put in my 20 years or so and retire from the department and then maybe move to corporate security.  I got my MBA in management from the University of St. Thomas while I worked the nightshift in patrol and homicide.  My wife was never a big fan of me being a cop.  She kept quiet for about 6 months after I got my degree.  Finally she asked if I was even going to look for another job.  She pointed out that if I didn’t at least look, I’d never know if there was a job that I would enjoy as much or more, making more money.  I found a job as a bank fraud investigator with Wells Fargo Banks.  It was everything I loved about being a police investigator and she didn’t worry about anyone fighting with or shooting at me.  It was a nice raise too.  While I was there I was approached by a friend with Reliant Energy about an investigator position with them.  I really liked Wells Fargo, but it was too big of a raise to turn down.”

     “Over the last few years the company sold the Reliant name and the Texas retail electricity business and we’ve merged with another similar company to become GenOn Energy.  GenOn has 40 power plants across the country, most of them are in the Pennsylvania area, and two are in Ohio.  I am a manager in corporate security.  On those days when I miss being a cop, my wife reminds me that I haven’t been shot at since I was a patrolman and I haven’t been in a fight since I left the department.”

     Dirk is also a devoted family man.  “My wife and I have two boys, our oldest is a junior in high school, hoping to go to the Naval Academy and make a career of the Navy, our youngest is a 7^th grader, thinking he’d like to go to Stanford to be an engineer.”

     “I don’t get back to Montpelier too often; however, I was recently honored with my photo placed on the ‘wall of fame’ at the high school for my trip to the state track meet back in 1977.”

     But Montpelier does hold some good memories.

     “ I remember summer nights lying in bed, the windows open, in the background hearing the sounds of the locomotives moving through the rail yard, and my Dad listening to Ernie Harwell call Detroit Tigers games.  I remember the smell of the maple leaves burning, back when we all raked them into big piles and burned them along the curb of the street.  I remember Wasi’s voice on the P.A. at the football games and all the fun we had doing the plays and musicals with him.”

     Far from home, but home is never far away.

March 2012 - A Belden "Deadline" Adventure

     One of the nice things about being a columnist rather than a reporter is you occasionally get the chance to write about yourself. This month I’ll use my column space to catch readers up on a few of the “Far from Home” things happening to the Beldens here in Nashville.

     A year ago, in the first column I wrote in this series, I mentioned that one of the more interesting things I had done since moving to Nashville was to spend one day working as an extra in a movie. Well, the movie is entitled “Deadline,” and it made its world premiere here in Nashville in February. Opening night was the full fanfare glitz of a Hollywood opening night, red carpet and all. And I was right there on the red carpet along with my lovely wife Barbara, my son Grant, and his date Tania Peguero.

     To give you a little of the backstory, “Deadline” is the first motion picture ever filmed entirely here in middle Tennessee. Through his business connections, Grant and Tania were friends with the film’s executive producer, who mentioned to them that the film could use some “extras” to appear in the critical courtroom scene at the climax of the film. I happened to see an article in the newspaper also noting the need for extras, and applied for a spot, not knowing Grant and Tania were already booked as part of the cast of extras.

     We spent one day last winter filming in the country courthouse in Pulaski, TN. We were told to bring several possible outfits with the criteria being to look like “impoverished residents of Alabama, dressed up for their day in court.” I couldn’t find what I wanted at Goodwill, so I came dressed in my school clothes, and the costume director said I looked “perfect for the part.” Grant put on a sports coat and a bright red tie … and that red tie will make him highly visible in the movie.

     We worked a 12-hour day. Our official pay was one cold piece of pizza and a warm bottle of water for lunch, but our unofficial pay came from the thrill of actually being in a movie.

     “Deadline” is based on true events, although the setting and various details have been fictionalized. It involves the murder of a 15-year African-American boy which goes uninvestigated and unsolved for almost 20 years. The case is reopened by a pair of reporters, who need to fight their publisher for the chance to work on the story because it is not in their paper’s circulation area. The scene we filmed was when the shooter is brought to justice is court … and surprising details come out.

     Now … jumping back to the red carpet premiere. Over 1,000 people attended the gala opening night. Since our scene is right at the end of the movie, we had a long nervous wait to see if any shots of us had made the final cut.

     We were not disappointed!

     Again and again and again the three of us popped up on screen.  In shots of the balcony, we are seated in the center of the front row. (Look for that bright red tie.) When witnesses testify, look for me over the shoulder of the witnesses (on the right; bald head, and glasses … often just out of focus, but sometimes clearly seen), and Grant over the shoulder on the left. Poor Tania was seated between us, so most of her screen time is blocked by the witnesses! All in all, I am on screen 26 times, and Grant can be seen 35 times. We do some Oscar-worthy work looking “serious and outraged.”

     Grant, however, gets an even bigger screen presence. As the defendant is led from the courthouse, Grant (who is standing beside co-star Eric Roberts) gets full face … in focus … close-ups!
And stay until the end of the credits. All of the extras get screen credits!

     Because “Deadline” in an independent film, it does not get the national buzz of a studio release, but initial reviews have been strong. Instead of being released nationwide all at once, it is being released city-by-city in special events sponsored by local newspapers. The northwest Ohio opening is sponsored by The Toledo Blade on Monday, March 26. Ticket details have not been released, but you can go to www.deadlinefilm.com for more information. After the premiere night it is supposed to open for a limited run in each host city, so hopefully some Ohio friends can catch it in Toledo. It is supposed to open “nationwide” in mid-April, but I don’t know if it will play anywhere closer than Toledo.

     Next month I will come down off cloud nine, deflate my over-inflated star-shaped ego, and get back to featuring someone new living and prospering “far from home.”

February 2012 - Sarah Binning

     There are many roads that take Montpelier grads “far from home.” For 2006 MHS graduate Sarah Binning, who had the desire to be a famous writer, the road to her future began with a trip to the movie theater.

     “Around the time I started applying to colleges, I watched the movie ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’,” said Sarah. “Kate Hudson’s character, Andie Anderson, works at a magazine, and I began to think about how fun her job seemed. Andie was paid to meet new people and just talk to them, ask them questions and tell their stories. Could there be a better job? Every day was different and I liked the freedom and creativity that seemed to surround Andie’s job.”

     So how does one turn a job seen in a movie into a real life experience?

     “As I began visiting prospective colleges, I asked more questions about journalism programs. I can still remember the first time I toured Ohio University’s campus. The campus was so vivacious. The beauty of the rolling hills, lush open green areas, brick buildings and roads made me feel so safe and at home. My heart was immediately set on attending Ohio University’s Scripps School of Journalism. But I knew that they only accept about 200 journalism students a year. So I told myself I’d apply and if I got it, then it was a sign that I was supposed to become a journalist. If not, then I’d major in English.”

     By the summer of 2009, Sarah took the advice of her sister-in-law and applied for an internship an opportunity that would take her to Boston. She landed at Teen Voices.

     “Teen Voices is a nonprofit that teaches teen girls from the greater Boston area journalism and leadership skills. We pair the girls with college-aged mentors who help guide them through the editorial process. They produce articles for our internationally distributed print and online magazine.”

     While Sarah loved the internship, Teen Voices was not able to offer her a paid position upon graduation. However, like those many roads that take you “far from home,” there are many roads to getting the job you want.

     Sarah learned it would be possible to return to Teen Voices through the AmeriCorps VISTA program.   “VISTA is a one-year commitment to service. We are accepted to work with a nonprofit organization that fights poverty and promotes literacy and education. We’re paid stipends that are slightly above the poverty level. The idea is that this will create understating and empathy for the populations we serve.”

     The road didn’t stop there. “After my year of service, I was offered a staff position! I now work as the Marketing and Editorial Coordinator.  I continue doing the same marketing work I did as a VISTA but I also get to put my journalism degree to more use. I edit and fact-check articles and I am responsible for posting all our online content (teenvoices.com).”

     Of course, moving from rural Montpelier to metropolitan Boston has been quite an experience. “Moving to Boston was definitely something of a culture shock, but I love and celebrate the diversity of the city. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about so many different cultures and people. People often stereotype New Englanders as ‘cold hearted,’ but during my time here, I've met some of the warmest, kind hearted, open and accepting individuals.”

     Sarah also feels like her Williams County background has helped her as she works with the young women in Boston.

     “Montpelier and Williams County truly has a special place in my heart. I found so many positive role models and mentors during my years there. Mrs. Dee Balser (former MHS music teacher) and Ms. Kimberly Shaffer (the director of Bryan Community School of Dance) played such an important role in my life. But there are so many other people too:  my former teachers Mrs. Lisa Tippin, Mr. Mike Cleland, and Mrs. Jan Morr; Rick Nelson and Nicki Deetz from my years working as a lifeguard at the public pool; Rachel Gendron my cheerleading coach. These are the individuals who recognized potential in me, and helped me grow into my gangly awkward body. They taught me to embrace myself and be my own person.”  

     “And of course, I wouldn’t be who I am today without the love and support of my mom. I would never have had the courage to embark on this journey without her encouragement.”

     Like the character from the movie, Sarah loves her job as a magazine editor in a big city. But she hasn’t given up on that dream to become a famous writer, so another road waits.

      “As much as I love editing, I do miss writing. I’m actually in the process of applying for graduate school. I hope to receive a master of fine arts degree in creative writing. I’d really like to make my dream of becoming a published author a reality.”

January 2012 - Jeff Huston

     As I start a second year writing these columns I realized I had yet to feature an active member of the military. The men and women who serve “far from home” are certainly some of the most memorable as each has a unique story to tell.

     Take Major Jeff Huston of the United States Army. Within the last few weeks, Jeff and his family have moved to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas, the latest stop in a career that has seen stops in Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Benning, Georgia; an ROTC teaching position at Bowling Green; Fort Lewis, Washington; and overseas duty in Iraq.

     Of course, Jeff’s life journey began growing up in Montpelier. I taught with Jeff’s dad, Joe, at Superior Middle School. (Joe and his wife Mary now live in Montana.) Jeff stands out among my favorite seventh grade students because he always had a sly sense of humor that was always given away by a crooked little smirk of a smile.

     Twenty-five years later that sense of humor is still very apparent as Jeff shares his story.

     “After graduating MHS in 1991, I attended OSU.  For the first year and a half, I took only the core courses while trying to decide on a major.  Near the end of the winter 1993 quarter, I got a credit card bill in the mail.  I owed $500 to Discover and was not exactly sure how I was going to pay it.  (I only signed up for the credit card for the free 2-liter bottle of Mountain Dew, but then did what many college students do – acquired debt.)  Also in the mailbox that day was a brochure for an upcoming Army ROTC open house that mentioned possible scholarships.  I drug my roommate (Matt Allen) to the open house with me and 3 months later we both found ourselves with shaved heads at Fort Knox, KY getting yelled at by drill sergeants and graduating on the same parade field that Bill Murray did for the filming of the movie ‘Stripes’.”

     In 1995, with a new wife (Carrie), a degree in anthropology, and a commission at a second lieutenant, Jeff relocated to Fort Hood, Texas. “Suddenly at the ripe old age of 22, I was a tank platoon leader in charge of 16 men and 4 M1A1 Main Battle Tanks, worth in excess of $10 million.  It was a very exciting job for a recent college graduate.  There’s nothing like shooting 120mm rounds from the main gun of a tank and getting paid to do it.”

     Several military (and civilian) stops … and three children (Jackson, and twins Max and Caroline)…. later, Jeff found himself back in active duty. “I was activated for 2 years (August 2004-2006) at Fort Benning and served as the Company Commander of Bravo Company, 2^nd Battalion, 54^th Infantry Regiment, an Infantry Basic Training Company.  It was an awesome assignment and responsibility, extremely challenging and rewarding.  I was in charge of 12 Drill Sergeants and 220 men who volunteered not only to serve in the Army at the height of the wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan, but to serve in the Infantry, knowing that they raised their hands to deploy and fight.  It was my job to prepare them in 14 weeks and to instill in them the seven Army values:  Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage and how to fight and win on the battlefield as a grunt.  I’ve often said that I could write a book just about my experiences during that 2-year assignment.”

     It was in 2010 that Jeff was deployed to Iraq. “.  In August 2010, I entered Iraq at a very unique time, at the very end of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the beginning of Operation New Dawn, in which the Department of State (DoS) was in the lead and the Department of Defense (DoD) was in a supporting role.  I was assigned as a Deputy Team Leader for a Stability Transition Team (STT) that supported the Department of State’s Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Wasit Province, Iraq.  (I know, that’s a mouthful.)  What that means is that I worked directly with DoS diplomats and coordinated/provided military support for their missions around Wasit Province working with high-ranking Iraqi government officials and economic leaders.  Even though during Operation New Dawn there were no American combat troops in Iraq, I was part of a Regiment that was called an “Advise and Assist Regiment” that was comprised of infantrymen and cavalrymen with their associated combat equipment, i.e. tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles.  While Afghanistan got most of the media attention, Iraq was still anything but a safe place, as evidenced by the 6 men from my squadron killed by enemy fire.  We redeployed to Fort Hood, TX in August 2011 as the last major drawdown from Iraq was taking place in order to meet the December 31, 2011 deadline for all U.S. troops to be withdrawn from Iraq.”

     An avid Ohio State Buckeyes fan, Jeff notes that OSU-Michigan rivalry existed in Iraq, too. “A Michigan fan lived a few doors down from my containerized housing unit (CHU), which is basically a long trailer with partitions to make 15’ x 15’ living quarters.  The morning of the OSU-Michigan game, I woke up to find my door painted blue with a big ugly yellow “M” on it in oil-based paint.  Secondly, one of my cousins wrote to the OSU athletic department and told them that I was an OSU alum serving in Iraq and a huge Buckeye football fan.  I received in the mail a personalized autographed poster from Jim Tressel.  This was in mid-May 2011 while he was in the middle of the scandal that ultimately cost him his job and he still took to the time to reach out to a fan.”

     Jeff still thinks about his early ears in Montpelier. “I don’t get back to Montpelier that often.  The last time I was there was for my nephew, Ryan Heller’s graduation in 2009.  I would have loved to have gotten back for our 20-year reunion, but I was still in Kuwait redeploying to Texas.  I did, however, receive a very nice “Thank you” card signed by my former classmates.”

     While Jeff fondly recalls football on Friday nights and playing golf at Hillcrest, that sly sense of humor and smirk of a smile reappears when he adds … “and giving Madame Boon a hard time for four straight years in French class.”

Ryan Ruble - December 2011 Column

                Dreaming of a white Christmas sounds all well and good … until the reality sets in that there is also plenty of the ice and cold that go along with that white stuff.

                I’m guessing if you asked most longtime hardy northwest Ohio residents what they dream about when they picture a perfect Christmas it might include crystal blue water, warm tropical breezes, maybe a day or snorkeling after a quick round of golf on a pristine course.

                To get that kind of holiday experience life may have to take you “far from home” … maybe to the far reaches to the Caribbean, just off the coast of Venezuela, to be beautiful island paradise of Curacao. That’s where you’ll find Montpelier graduate Ryan Ruble, working hard and playing just as hard in the glow of the equator’s winter sunshine.

                Ryan Ruble, that Ruble boy who grew up driving tractors and making a few bucks selling corn at the end of the family’s driveway on Brown Road, took his rural Montpelier upbringing and gambled that there was more to life if you say yes when opportunity comes to call.

                “After high school I attended The Ohio State University ATI campus in Wooster, Ohio,” explained Ryan. “I chose that school for the familiar rural surroundings and small class sizes, unsure if I was ready for the main campus in Columbus. I majored in Turfgrass Management which, in a nutshell, is how to maintain a golf course … which is not just sitting on a mower or picking up golf balls.  Not knowing much about golf and always curious how they maintained such short grass and immaculate conditions, I wanted to know more. I received an Associate of Science degree in Turfgrass Management and became certified in Commercial Turf Equipment.”

                After an internship at the Montclair Golf Club in New Jersey, Ryan landed a job on a nine-hole golf course In Michigan. “Hungry to get on a more recognized and elate golf course, I had a great opportunity to be involved in a new construction project in Sarasota, Florida as an equipment technician at The Ritz Carlton Members Club. We completed the grow-in in one year and I stayed on an extra year.”

“Not ready to leave Florida, and wanting to learn more about the golf industry, I joined a large Toro distributorship. Wesco Turf services all Toro golf course equipment in central Florida, and I worked as an equipment repair technician. After two years of being off the golf course I had the itch to get back.”

And the road … well, technically no road can reach his next destination … took him a little farther from home.

“I inquired about new projects and developments.  I received a call asking if I wanted to tackle a new project on the island of Curacao at the Santa Barbara Plantation, a 1500 acre ocean front community. The course was nearing completion but had no grass, no equipment, and no name for the course. I flew down for a site visit and I signed on as the equipment manager. The course has been named “Old Quarry,” and it opened in April 2010.”

Ryan obviously found a location and a job he could love.

“My position as an equipment manager on a golf course is exciting every day. At the beginning of the day I could be ordering and figuring out the logistics on shipping replacement excavator tracks on the island. In the afternoon I could be repairing a flat tire on a golf cart, and toward the end of the day I could be running to the local machine shop to have a part made for the next day. We currently have a fleet of over 100+ golf carts and 30 pieces of various golf course equipment, ranging from mowers, backhoes and dump trucks. My main objective is to keep everything running in safe operating condition, which means scheduling preventative maintainence and performing unscheduled repairs. I am unsure of where I see myself in the future, but I am really enjoying the lifestyle here in Curacao. It is always
rewarding taking part in a project and seeing it being developed from nothing to something magnificent.”

Ryan may love the work, but the lifestyle he refers to has as much to do with play. He said scuba diving is something he enjoys almost every weekend. He recently traveled to Europe, taking in some great golf courses in Holland.

“The local language in Curacao is Papiamento which is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish, and African, Dutch is also spoken widely and English is spoken only when requested.”

Ryan said e-mail and Skype have helped him stay in touch with his family back in Ohio. He suggested Leader readers may enjoy checking out his golf course at www.santabarbaraplantation.com, and shared his e-mail address (fltechnician@gmail.com).

And is he dreaming of a white Christmas?

“I don't miss snow, but I do miss the activities that go with it, like snowmobiling and skiing. One of my most memorable Christmases was last year. Some coworkers and friends who were also away from home and missing family had a BBQ on a small remote beach … with no Christmas tree, just feet in the sand, a glass of champagne in hand, watching the sun set.”