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.”

Mark McCool - November 2011 Column

             Most of the people I have interviewed for this column have found that being “far from home” means discovering new experiences that Montpelier could not provide. For 1991 graduate Mark McCool, the road that started at home has become the road that has taken him to places of awesome wonder and danger.

            Mark’s Montpelier life was at a home in the middle of a wooded plot at the end of a dirt road. “I just would spend all day in the woods exploring. I knew whatever I was going to do in life it was going to be in the woods.”

            Mark credited MHS science teacher Cindy Sutter with guiding him to her alma mater, Lake Superior State, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  There it was Professor Sally Childs who helped him focus on a career in park management. She helped Mark land a job working as a volunteer backcountry ranger in a remote corner of Yellowstone National Park. Like an extension of his childhood, Mark found himself living and working at the end of a 36-mile dirt road.

            “I fell in love with the job of being a ranger,” Mark explained. “Most parks have resource management, interpretation, maintenance, resource & visitor protection, cultural resource, and administrative divisions.    I chose to pursue a career be a ranger in the Resource and Visitor Protection division.  To me it was a no brainer, resource protection rangers got to do all the exciting emergency operation stuff like law enforcement, search and rescue, wildland and structural fire, and emergency medical services.    I also realized that Resource Protection Rangers lived at ranger stations in our National Parks and managed operations which included backcountry and wilderness management.  Out of all the places to live in the United States I couldn’t ever think of a better place than our nation’s National Parks.”

            Mark worked as a season park ranger for seven years (five at Yellowstone and two at Olympic National Park) before he was finally assigned to a permanent position at Glen Canyon National recreation Area in southern Utah … this time at the end of a 90-mile road in the middle of a desert.

            After a year he was transferred back to Olympic National.  “I spent six years at Olympic as the Sub-District Ranger at the Hoh Rain Forest, which is a World Heritage site, this time at the end of an 18 mile road.    The Hoh is the wettest place in lower 48 and receives 14 foot of rain annually.  Yes, 14 foot!  The forest was magical and I was able to manage a 200,000 acre wilderness area including the glacier covered Mount Olympus, which is the tallest mountain in the Olympic Range.”

            “After six years hiking up the mountains in the Olympic Range I decided, or at least my body started to decide, that I needed a change. In July of this year I transferred to water based park on Lake Superior called Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin.   This summer I have spent most of my days patrolling the 27 islands by boat and saving kayakers from drowning in big water.   Yes, at the end of a five mile road.  The roads are getting shorter, I might add.”

The awesome scenery Mark sees each day is also coupled with danger … danger he might not have encountered growing up in Montpelier. “There have been several experiences that have thought I would never do growing up in Montpelier.    From being charged by a grizzly bear in Yellowstone to leading a rope team up a glacier.   I have saved many lives as ranger and have seen my share lost, some that were rangers very close to me.   What we do is very dangerous, but that is what I like about the job.   I think what I enjoy most about being a ranger is helping people.”

Mark does say his Montpelier background played a role in preparing him for his life as a ranger.  “I was definitely influenced by the teachers and coaches at Montpelier.    Athletics started me on a path of leadership that has definitely helped me throughout my life and career.    It also established a lifestyle of fitness that I have maintained throughout my career.”

Mark keeps a special place in his heart for Coach Hip Klotz. “He was a wonderful motivator and I learned a lot about leadership from him.”

Mark’s family has moved from that home at the end of the road, so he does not get back to Montpelier often. However, a trip last year was special for him. Coach, and longtime friend, Robert Houk invited him to attend a game and stand along the sidelines. “I saw the memorial for Hip Klotz on the field.   We were playing Hilltop, and Coach Mike Bumb, who I played with, had his team honor Hipper by touching the memorial.   It brought a tear to my eye.   I sure do miss Hip.  He was a good man and changed many young lives.”

Those who have had their lives saved or who have been helped out of tough spots by Mark would probably say the same things about him.

Some roads lead home.

And sometimes home is where the road leads you.

Deidre (Deedy) Donaldson - October 2011 Column

When she was a child, Dr. Deidre Donaldson was simply known as “Deedy.” That nickname, like the simplicity of her youthful life in northwest Ohio, is many years behind her. While a successful career in pediatric psychology on the south shore of Massachusetts and the responsibilities of being a wife and mother of two have taken her “far from home,” Deidre has the fondest memories of her youth in Montpelier.

When I was selecting a subject for this month’s column, Deidre came to mind. When Barb and I moved to Montpelier in the late 1970’s we were friends with her parents and watched Deidre and her brother Steve grow up. Deidre also has a Leader Enterprise connection as her grandmother Milly Taylor was a longtime Leader employee, although she had retired before I came on the scene.

“My Grandma Milly did work at the Leader for many, many years,” explained Deidre.  “I have memories of going to a couple of the old office locations and picking her up for lunch or checking in with her.  I also had old Leader Enterprise stationery for doodling as a kid and used many a roll of newsprint for sign-making in cheerleading and art.”

Once she started sharing memories, they just started flowing: “ … watching the high school football team in the Class A state playoffs in 1973 … visiting my parents at work (Mohawk Tools, Inc. and the Post Office) …  model airplane club with my father … Girl Scouts at the Presbyterian church … the St. Joe River Canoe Races … the sounds of the active rail yard and trains late at night … ice cream at Howe’s Restaurant (and the Dairy Queen prior to that) …  Wermer’s Pet Shop … Trautman’s 5 and Dime…  working as a lifeguard at the Montpelier Pool …  the ‘new’ Superior Middle School.” 

 “I graduated from Montpelier High School in 1985.  I had some of the same teachers as my mother and father!  I have many positive memories of Montpelier.  It has changed over the years, but it will always be my home.  I have vivid memories of many, many experiences around the town.”

Like many of Montpelier’s best and brightest, all the joys of small town life were not enough to keep her here.  On the advice of friend and fellow lifeguard Amy Meier, Deidre headed to Miami University for her first degree, then headed to Bowling Green State University (like many others from her family) where she earned both a Master’s Degree and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in clinical psychology.

Ready to begin her career, Deidre headed to Massachusetts. “I always thought Ohio was a great state, yet I was eager to expand my horizons beyond those of Ohio.  I think the fact that my parents had the opportunity to do so …  and that I was born in Ireland … was always such a big part of my life early on.”

And in Massachusetts she has found considerable success in her career.

“For nearly 15 years, I have worked for May Institute as the Director of Pediatric Psychology Services.  In that capacity, I have been contracted to a local community hospital setting on the south coast of Massachusetts to manage their outpatient pediatric specialty services.  I oversaw the creation of that hospital program and have since acted as chair of the department which currently has about 30 staff members, several consulting physician specialists and annually serves approximately 2,000 children with special healthcare needs and their families.  As part of my role, I supervise masters’ and doctoral level students write professionally and occasionally still see patients.  My clinical interests include pediatric psychology (the application of behavioral principles in helping manage often complex medical and developmental issues), coping with medical disorders, family adjustment to illness, psycho-oncology, adolescent suicide, sleep problems, feeding disorders, and neurodevelopment.”

Still, Deidre knows how much her Montpelier roots have grounded her.

“Now that I have ‘grown up’ and reside elsewhere, I truly have great respect and pride for my upbringing. I grew up in a time and place where respectful behavior and personal relationships were important and nurtured within the community. I didn’t always understand the value of that growing up, but I have a deep appreciation and am thankful for those values today.”

Deidre and her husband Bob Paschke have two young children. They live about 18 miles from downtown Boston.

Dan Burcham - Column for September 2011

If you lived in Montpelier in the 1990’s there was a sight you could see almost every day of the year: the Burcham family (Richard and Lori and their kids Brooke and Dan) running either up or down the Platt Street bridge on their route around town. . Brooke now lives in Savannah, Georgia, but it is Dan who has run “far from home” to a new life in Singapore.

Dan’s road to Singapore went through Ohio University where he quickly came to the conclusion that he did NOT want to study journalism. 

“I remember feeling frustrated with the coursework I was taking, and I had to take stock of what I was going to do with my life,”  Dan related. “At some point, I kind of realized that what I enjoyed the most was spending time in the natural environment. I had this epiphany of sorts about the amazing beauty and complexity of natural systems, and I have always enjoyed being outdoors working with my hands. I guess I had known that for a while, but it took me some time to make peace with my blue-collar reality. In high school, I worked for Violet Bible and helped out with her yard work a lot, and I spent several summers helping with the landscape maintenance at Riverside Cemetery. I always enjoyed that kind of work, and I made up my mind to pursue that simple enjoyment. “

Dan left Athens to study horticulture at Ohio State.  “During my first quarter in Columbus, I took some plant materials identification courses and I immediately understood that I found my calling.”

He also found his way to Brazil for a study abroad trip. “I had a crash course in cultural fluency, language, and food. It really helped me grow up from being a small-town kid with a limited view of the world.” The trip helped him focus on his love of both nature and travel, leading to his bachelor’s degree in  2007 with a major in horticulture and a minor in international studies.

His next stop was for a master’s degree at the University of Delaware, a program that included work with the famous Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia. “They have an MSc program to train young horticulturists to assume leadership roles in the field of public horticulture, which is basically the cultivation of plants in spaces for public use and enrichment. In this field, you might work in a botanic garden, municipal park, nature center, zoological park, or any other public landscape. By then, I was mostly interested in arboriculture and urban forestry as a career. This is basically the cultivation of street trees in cities and towns for their environmental, social, and economic benefits.”

A graduate program trip to Asia led to a fascination with the garden city-state of Singapore.  “I took up a position in the National Parks Board, a Singapore statutory board, after I graduated from Delaware. Here, I’m conducting research on tree health issues. I’m working with others here to characterize the diseases of tropical street trees, develop diagnostic instruments, and seek treatment solutions. In one project, we’re attempting to use a beneficial microorganism (a fungus) to treat wood decay lesions in street trees. In the long term, we should be able to improve their health and increase their service life. It’s really exciting work for me to be involved in, and I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity. “

I asked Dan how a Montpelier upbringing prepared him for adult life in Singapore.

“Would it be bad to say that virtually nothing I experienced in Ohio prepared me to live in Singapore? Living successfully abroad as an expatriate isn’t so much a skillset as it is an attitude. It requires a lot of patience and openness. Singapore has four official languages, including Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English, which is the business language. It is incredibly diverse. The young Singaporeans speak a kind of creole language that mixes English, Chinese, and Malay words. They call it “Singlish.” It took me a long time to understand.”

“There were other stumbling blocks, including the “squat pot” in public toilets or the broad affinity for durian fruit that smells akin to rotting gym socks. However, Singapore is also a very easy place to live. It has a world-class public transportation system, cheap taxis, and delicious restaurants. I didn’t know Chinese food at all until I moved to Singapore. Now, I don’t know if I could live without xiao long pao (steamed soupy pork dumpling) or dan dan mian (spicy peanut sauce noodles). It’s also very safe. I don’t have to worry about wandering in any dark alleyways or anything.”

It hasn’t been all work in Singapore for Dan. It was there that he met his girlfriend Jui. “She’s a self-employed entrepreneur from Thailand, and she’s been living here in Singapore much longer than me.”

Dan said he is looking forward to a visit from his parents. “I've planned a lot of sightseeing in Singapore, and we'll go to Thailand for several days as well. I can just see the culture shock on their faces now”

Maybe they will all take a run together.  “I run a few times a week and ride my bike to work every day!”

(Dan asked that I include his email address: danielburcham@gmail.com, noting he would enjoy hearing from Montpelier friends and Leader readers.)

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David Belden was a longtime Montpelier educator and a former managing editor of The Leader Enterprise, now living near Nashville, Tennessee. He can be contacted at david.belden@comcast.net.

"Far from Home" for August

Hopefully those who are in the Montpelier area are buying The Leader Enterprise each week, but for those who can't get their hands on a print copy, here is my "Far from Home" column for August featuring Chris and Michelle McCrea.

There were some years - when I was the sports editor of The Leader Enterprise and the football/basketball announcer for the Locomotives – which I enjoyed more than others. Winning teams always made the job “easier,” but any time I could write about the good kids that Montpelier had produced it was worth the effort, despite any team records.

Looking back, one of the most enjoyable times I spent writing and announcing was the boys’ basketball season of 1991-1992. The team was led by Mike Bumb and Chris McCrea and during the season each was able to join the “1,000 Point Club.” What made it even more fun was that both young men were just such nice guys.

Mike Bumb did not wander “far from home” as he has stayed in the Montpelier area. He and his wife Andrea and their girls were our neighbors when we lived on John Street and have always been special folks to Barb and I. Mike, of course, is now well into a successful career coaching and teaching at Hilltop.

Chris McCrea, however, did decide to go “far from home,” so this column will catch up with Chris and his wife Michelle (Wolf), also a Montpelier High School graduate.

The first stop for Chris was the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated from West Point in 1996 with a degree in economics. Michelle headed to Athens, Ohio, and graduated in 1996 with her degree in elementary education.

“In 1996 I was commissioned as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was assigned as a PATRIOT missile officer in the Air Defense Artillery Corp,” Chris explained.  “Michelle and I were married three weeks after I graduated West Point, and three weeks after that we shipped off to El Paso, Texas.”

The road got a little farther from home when Chris and Michelle were sent to Germany and stationed at a PATRIOT Missile Battery.

“Michelle and I spent the next three and a half years living in the small Bavarian town of Ansbach and while there took the time to travel most of Europe and parts of the Middle East before being sent  back to the states to finish out my tour of duty. It was a wonderful experience as a young couple. Michelle taught fifth grade at the local American military base, while I worked on my newly assigned missile battery. It was a wonderful time for both of us.”

After a stint in Yorktown, PA, where their first daughter, Annie, was born, Chris left the military in 2001 as his five year tour was completed.

A return to northwest Ohio was slated, and Lima was the next stop for the McCreas.  Chris took a job as a Plant Manager with BOS Gases in their hydrogen production division. “Never thought in a million years I’d be in the chemical business or doing any type of engineering related work, but it’s kind of funny how things work out.

While in Lima, Chris received a master’s degree in finance from the University of Dayton, and he and Michelle welcomed a second daughter, Olivia.

The family of four hit the road again in 2005, heading back to Texas to work for The Linde Group selling large scale hydrogen plants primarily to multinational and petrochemical firms.

“Michelle and I currently live in Kingwood, TX, a northern suburb of Houston. I now work as a business manager serving Linde’s refining and petrochemical customers, and Michelle is again teaching fifth grade at the local elementary school here in Kingwood. Oil, gas, and energy firms are the large employers in the city, and most of our neighbors, friends … everyone really, is touched by this sector in some way. One never realizes how many people and how much effort it takes to bring oil up from the ground, and in turn, put gasoline in your car. The scope of the effort is truly amazing.”

Chris said he and Michelle and the girls enjoy living in Texas, although they always enjoy a trip back home to see family and friends.

“Our lives are filled with the usual family and work related activities – school functions, kids’ activities, and work … the usual. We hope to someday start traveling again like we did when we were a bit younger, however, given the constraints of work and family, we may have to wait a bit longer.

July 2011 - Featuring Charmayne Cooley

Last month I told you that this column would feature people with a Montpelier connection who are now “far from home.” This month we travel all the way to Cameroon in Africa for our visit with Charmayne Cooley.

Charmayne is a 2002 graduate of Montpelier High School, and is the daughter of Larry and Christy Cooley of rural Montpelier. Her journey from Montpelier to Africa took her through Gambier, Ohio, where she graduated from Kenyon College with a degree in American Studies. She stayed in Gambier, working by day as a higher education administrator in the school’s admission office, and working nights as a certified paramedic and firefighter.

While that may sound like an interesting start to life for most people, Charmayne looked for something more.

“Despite loving my job and my friends, I still didn’t feel personally fulfilled,” she explained. “In an attempt to ‘force my own hand,’ I resigned during the summer of 2009. I knew that the future had something else in store for me, and I needed to explore what that was. At the age of 25, I felt at a crossroads in my life – too old to be young and too young to be old.”

A trip home to the family farm in Montpelier led her to a box which contained an old Peace Corps catalog she had picked up during her college years. Things moved rapidly from that point, and in the summer of 2010 she learned she had been assigned to be a community health educator in Cameroon for the next 27 months.

“My group of community health and agroforestry volunteers arrived in-country in September and began 11 weeks of training together while living with host families. Our training included French language immersion, technical classes, as well as general medical/safety lessons and discussions on the cultural context,” she noted. On December 1 she was officially sworn in as a Peace Corps volunteer in front of the country director and the U.S. Ambassador to Cameroon.

“Cameroon is an incredibly diverse place, often called ‘Africa in Miniature.’ For a country the size of California, the variety is immense,” Charmayne explained. “The geography ranges from Sahel desert to lush forest, religion is divided between Muslim and Christian, and each region boasts its own traditional custom, dances, and foods. I have been assigned to Bapa, a small village in the mountainous western region. This area is francophone (French speaking), but Cameroon has approximately 250 languages.”

In her duties as a community health educator, Charmayne works to sensitive people on major health issues like malaria, cholera, HIV/AIDS, mother/child health, and nutritional deficiencies.

Charmayne said her rural upbringing in Montpelier was a good preparation for this setting. For example, “As I’m sure most people can attest, news travels fast. We’re all familiar with the gossip wheel that exists in small-town America, and that principal is carried over here. In other words, if I buy six tomatoes at my weekly market, I am sure to be asked about it by some village mamas. Of course, there’s always the phenomena of casually observing the unexpected – like the random chicken that always manages to wander into my kitchen, wake me up at 4:00 a.m., or share a taxi ride with me!”

Charmayne said she appreciated being able to share her Peace Corps experience with the Leader readers because parts of the Peace Corps goal is not only helping people, but helping to promote a mutual better understanding between the peoples served and the American people.

While at Montpelier, Charmayne was very active in the band, choir, Locomotion, the musicals, student council, and many may remember her as the resident piano accompanist during her high school years. “I can’t say I do much with music these days, though I’ve always had a love of music – which has made me appreciate the stuff I hear in this country. In the span of one hour, you can go from hearing traditional call-and-response chanting, to Nigerian pop, to Celine Dion circa 1996. I even heard Christmas music blaring out of speakers in the regional capital last week!”

Charmayne appreciates hearing from friends and those from her hometown. Her e-mail address is ccooleypccam@gmail.com.

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David Belden was a longtime Montpelier educator and a former managing editor of The Leader Enterprise, now living near Nashville, Tennessee. He can be contacted at david.belden@comcast.net.

June 2011 - Featuring Amy Myers

It was three years ago that I wrote my final “Amid the Clutter” column for The Leader Enterprise. I reread that column this morning and discovered I had tossed around … and dismissed … the possibility of continuing to write a column from my new home in Nashville, Tennessee. I reasoned that The Leader is, and ought to be, a “hometown” newspaper. What I failed to realize is that just because you live far from home you are never too far from your hometown.

So here I sit at my computer in Nashville, writing a column for The Leader. After spending almost a quarter of a century writing for The Leader, it is almost like coming home.

Since Barb and I are living in the Nashville area, not far from our son Grant, let me start out by catching you up on our transition to the Music City.

True retirement didn’t stick. I taught for a year, and now I substitute teach and work part of the year as a professional test evaluator, grading essay exams for states across the country. Barb works part-time for the Nashville Visitors and Convention Bureau where she can talk to strangers to her heart’s content.

But Nashville is also an entertainment mecca and it is easy to be pulled in. Barb and I did not retire to Nashville to become “stars,” but, alas, if that is what you are destined to be, you may as well let your life shine!

Barb and I both sing in groups that regularly (well, once a year) sell out arenas all around the country. I never knew what a thrill it could be to sing in front of ten thousand screaming fans. Am I kidding? No way! We both sings in barbershop choruses that rank among the best in the world, and best in the world choruses draw some big crowds. Barb’s chorus released a new CD last week, and I was all over Nashville television in May with a close-up spot in a commercial for my chorus’s annual show at Vanderbilt University.

And I have a movie coming out next year! I am just an extra (as is Grant), but I AM in a movie. We already have invitations to the red carpet world premiere next spring.

Last week Barb and I were invited to a VIP reception where we mingled with the likes of Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman. Okay, Barb won those tickets, but we were VIPs for a day! We sing in church choir with a co-star of the movie “Country Strong” and one of Nashville’s top music video directors.

Last month Grant had a photo spread in “Nashville Lifestyles” magazine.

Yes, we found our retirement niche in Nashville.

But this column isn’t about me ... although I may throw in some tidbits now and then. “Far from Home” is hopefully going to be a monthly feature about folks who once called Montpelier home, but whose lives have taken them in another direction … far from home.

One of those people is former Montpelierite Amy Dohm Myers. Amy graduated from Montpelier in 1990, grew up attending First United Methodist Church, and was Miss Montpelier 1990.

She also lives just down the road from Barb and me in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.

Amy grew up taking advantage of all the good things small town life has to offer. Athletically, she was always a cheerleader. Musically, she played flute in the band, sang in the chorus and Locomotion, and appeared in the high school musicals (“Music Man,” “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” and “The Sound of Music”).

Amy said that all of those high school activities, and the good education she got at MHS, prepared her for her transition of college. “I went to Ball State, and suddenly I was all alone. None of my high school friends were there. But doing all of those things in high school gave me a lot of confidence, and it really helped when I got to college.” She graduated with a degree in deaf education … with honors … and has since earned her master’s degree at Grand Canyon University.

Married to her husband Tim, Amy started her career as a special education teacher in Indiana. (In the interview she graciously said my wife Barb, who spent her career teaching special education at MHS, was someone who inspired her to enter the field).

Three children later (Mariah, Jacob, and Addison) and with the upwardly mobile career of her husband, Amy taught in several school districts in Indiana, from small towns (which she says she loved the best) to a school right outside of Chicago.

And last fall the family ended up in Tennessee. “I love the Nashville area. The weather is great, and the people are so friendly. We have found we really enjoy and take advantage of all the readily available activities.”

And like everyone down here, she has met and has seen the “regular side” of some celebrities, including American Idol singer Bo Bice and members of the Oak Ridge Boys.

Now at home in Tennessee, Amy is again teaching special education at the high school where Mariah and Jacob attend, and she is hoping to attend Middle Tennessee State University to pursue an education specialist degree.

“I don’t get back to Montpelier very often,” she explained, “but my mom still lives in Bryan, so I do make it back to Williams County from time to time.”

And while she says her family loves it here in Tennessee, she does indeed sometime feel far from home. “I still miss that slow moving and relaxed life.”