MR. CLEVE (JIM) RICKSECKER
CLASS OF 1971

According to Cheri Slinger, one of a group of friends who nominated him, Cleve (Jim) Ricksecker, "...not only made significant contributions to his high school and his classmates, but he has continued to live an exemplary life of leadership, innovation, commitment and dedication to his community over the last 4 decades. His many accomplishments have left an impressive civic legacy in Columbus, Ohio.

Upon graduating from GHS, where Ricksecker was a class officer, Student Council President, football letterman, and a member of Varsity G, Glee Club, and Thespians, Cleve earned a Bachelor from The College of Wooster and a Doctor of Law from Capital University. With his law degree in hand, Ricksecker became the first full-time admissions officer at Capital University. While there he headed the financial aid officer, created a comprehensive affirmative action program, and developed the school's first career counseling office (Slinger).

Ricksecker then began "a career that truly followed his passion for civic and charitable affairs of an urban community" (Slinger). Between 1987 and 1991 he served as the General Manager of the Columbus Arts Festival. Under his leadership the festival became profitable and was recognized as one of Ohio's premier street festivals.

The next three years, Ricksecker advocated for public transportation, creating the first public transit advocacy group in Columbus and serving as its president. Slinger said Ricksecker "produced educational materials and generated media about the social and environmental importance of public transit." And as evidence of his commitment to public transportation, she noted Cleve has "remained carless for almost 4 decades!"

From 1992-1997 Ricksecker served as the Executive Director of the Short North, helping to bring vitality and life to this area. New events such as the Holiday Hop, Gallery Hop, and Jazz series started. The area, rehabbed structurally under his leadership, has become a "place where people really wanted to go."

Slinger noted each new position gave Ricksecker the opportunity to work toward bettering the urban community and reported he "developed plans for use of the land along the Olentangy and Scioto Rivers" in his position as Executive Director of the Riverfront Commons Corporation.

His biggest contributions came when he organized the Capital Crossroads SID (2000) and the Discovery SID (2007) "to support the development of downtown Columbus as a clean, safe, and vibrant beautiful place to live, work and play" (Slinger). With Jim's leadership the 2 Special Improvement Districts created and implemented a plan to give all downtown workers free public transport passes, thus making Columbus, the 14th largest city in the country, the first major US city to do so. (The Guardian 2017, Rockefeller Foundation)

Upon his retirement in 2020, Ricksecker was lauded by fellow community leaders. Matthew Miller, Chair of the Discovery SID Board, called him ".a tremendous leader who has done so much good for all of downtown Columbus" and Kermit Whitfield, Chair of the Capital Crossroads SID said "It is hard to overestimate's his positive impact on Columbus during his long career of service."

CLASS OF 1971

CLASS OF 1971

As mentioned previously, high school is the starting point for the brothersgoing separate ways. Dave enrolled in Cooperative Education (COE) program, which allowed students to work half days. As a senior in the COE program, Dave began at First Federal while still in high school. He worked his way up from the mundane task of alphabetizing signature cards to working as a teller and then on to being appointed to a branch manager's position in Lexington, OH.

After 5 years there he returned to Galion as a loan officer and became vice president in 1998 and president and CEO in 2014. Dave retired on January 31, 2020.

As a way of celebrating their retirements, Dan and his wife Shelly and Dave and his wife Susanna planned a trip to Walt Disney World and were being joined by their children and grandchildren.

In nominating the Beaches, Rick Gow said of his long-time friends and former classmates:

Both of them began working in the fields that would eventually become their life long careers in high school.. .It is outstanding that both of them have served the Galion Community during the entirety of their respective careers while also advancing to the highest levels of their industries. [B]oth of these men are more than deserving for this honor based on their service, accomplishments, and involvement in the great community of Galion.

MR. LEO JOBE
(POSTHUMOUSLY)
CLASS OF 1973
DISTINGUISHED STAFF MEMBER

The word that best characterizes Mr. Jobe is COMMITMENT. He was committed to the schools and youth of Galion and the community of Galion itself.

Jobe was a thirty-five year employee (1961-1995) of the Galion School District. The head custodian at the high school for many years, Jobe mentored many students during his career. One of the students who had worked under Jobe while still a student was Lupe Campo, a 2021 Hall of Fame Inductee. (Campo eventually succeeded Jobe as Head Custodian.) While employed as a custodian, Mr. Jobe introduced the district's non-teaching personnel to O.A.P.S.E., serving as president of the local chapter for 27 years.

Eventually, Jobe "moved up the ladder" and became the district's Director of Maintenance and Transportation, a position he held for four years prior to his retirement. Leo demonstrated his continued commitment to the district by running for and being elected to the school board in 1996 and ended his term as president in 1998.

Also, while employed in the school district, Mr. Jobe decided he wanted to graduate from high school. To accomplish this he began taking the necessary classes and earned his diploma in 1973. Two of his classmates were his son Dr. Terry Jobe, a 2022 Hall of Fame Inductee and the aforementioned Mr. Lupe Campo.

Not only was Mr. Jobe committed to schools but to Galion's youth as well. For example, he started the T-ball program in Galion and coached at that level for many years. Later, he coached at the Babe Ruth level and led the AMCO team to an undefeated season in 1969. Another example is his serving as the announcer at the Junior-Senior Prom for many years. In this role, Jobe read the names of the couples as they entered the gymnasium for the dance. (He probably didn't really "read the names" since he already knew all the students in the building by name.)

And Jobe was also committed to the community. He attended St. Paul UMC where he chaired both the finance and trustee committees. As a member of the Community Center Board, he was instrumental in the merger the Community Center and the YMCA. (Thus the name Center-Y.) An active member of the Booster Club, Jobe served several terms as president.

Leo and his wife Jean had three children, Terry (mentioned previously); Vicki (Jobe) Myers, who directs the band's majorettes and coordinates The Tigerettes - a program for junior majorettes; and Ricky, also a Hall of Fame inductee, Class of 2016.

Galion lost a pillar of the community in 2008. While he wasn't born and raised in Galion, the city and the school district became his adopted home. According many of those who knew him, Leo "bled Orange and Blue."

DR. LORRAINE DANKOWSKI JORDAN
CLASS OF 1974

Dr. Lorraine Dankowski Jordan graduated from Galion Senior High School in 1974 with a strong ambition to help others and make a difference. While at GHS, she played sports all year round for four years and was in GAA. She was in the Choir, Glee Club, Vocal Ensemble, Foreign Language Club, Junior Achievement, Senior Advisory Board, and NHS.

Upon graduation, Lorraine entered The Ohio State University, earned her Bachelor of Science Degree, and worked as a registered nurse at Columbus Children's

Hospital. She entered graduate school and received her anesthesia and Master of Science Degree from the College of Medicine-School of Allied Medicine and became a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). This led to a faculty appointment teaching nurse anesthesiology at The Ohio State University and giving anesthesia at The Ohio State Medical Center and Children's Hospital in Columbus. Her quest to teach and conduct research in anesthesia invigorated Lorraine to continue her education while teaching and earning her Doctorate in Philosophy. Dr. Jordan taught, served on university committees, and conducted research while at The Ohio State University. She received funding in areas such as clinical studies and minority recruitment.

In 1988, Dr. Jordan joined the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA) and currently serves as the AANA Chief Advocacy Officer and CEO of the AANA Foundation, serving over 60,000 CRNAs. Her responsibilities include overseeing Federal Government Affairs, State Government Affairs, Practice Wellness, Research, and Publications. She has been involved in regulatory and statutory initiatives at the state and federal levels and has participated in developing anesthesia clinical guidelines to improve anesthesia safety. Lorraine's passion includes patient safety, healthcare quality and outcomes, cost-effectiveness, healthcare policy, and the impact of anesthesia care. Author of over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals, she has edited a book, reviewed material for scientific publications, and lectured both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Jordan has been active in and served in organizations, such as the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC); Chaired the Institute for Quality Improvement, the Interagency Collaborative on Nursing Statistics, the Academy of Health, and the American Academy of Nursing; and Founded and Chaired the Nursing Foundation's Organization. She has also served on advisory boards, such as ABC News and Medical Protective.

When Dr. Jordan was appointed CEO of the AANA Foundation, she returned to school and earned her certification as a Certified Association Executive. With her expertise, she has grown the AANA F, which has awarded over $5 million and provided nearly 5,000 individuals with financial support in their careers in both education and research.

Her many honors include induction as a Fellow in the prestigious National Academy of Nursing, the AANA Foundation Special Recognition Award, The Ohio State University Agatha Hodgins Award in Anesthesia, and The Ohio State University Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award - Nurse Anesthesia. She recently received an award from the International Federation of Nurse Anesthetists for her research regarding patients' perception of anesthesia.

MR. CHRISTOPHER HEYDINGER
CLASS OF 1984

Christopher Heydinger was born, raised and continues to live in Galion. After high school he earned a degree in Wild Life Management (Hocking Tech 1986), graduated from the Police Academy at NCSC (1989), and received his Criminal Justice degree from Hocking Tech (2014). In 2004 he also graduated from the FBI National Academy, which allows him to assist with investigations on the city, county, state and federal levels.

According to Eric Bohach, long-time friend and colleague, Chris "found his passion after high school in law enforcement" and followed that passion for more than 30 years. He began his career in law enforcement in 1988 as a reserve deputy with the Crawford County Sheriff's office. He moved on to become a dispatcher and then transitioned to the jail in 1989. He became a road deputy in 1991, was promoted to the detective bureau in 1998, and became a Detective Sergeant in 2001. During his career Chris handled all kinds of cases from simple traffic stops to murder investigations. According to Bohach, who nominated him, Heydinger was ".. .the go-to guy for every detective in the county when they had a question or needed help with a case."

Retiring after 29+ years, Chris joined the newly established Crawford County Common Pleas Adult Probation Department, serving as a probation officer. According to Bohach "Chris jumped right back into it with no hesitation," despite having given nearly three decades to his "passion." Ironically, Chris now works under Bohach, the man who described himself as a "green" detective and notes that Chris took him "under his wing" and taught him how to do the job as law officer.

Chris and his wife Amy, married since 1994, have two children, a granddaughter, and a grandson; they are Chris' "pride and joy." Heydinger believes in public service and has instilled this belief in his family. Chris and Amy"s son works for the Galion Fire Department; his son-in-law, the Galion Police Departments. Their daughter and daughter-in-law work for Avita. Truly, Chris' belief in community service has been passed down to his children.

Finally, Bohach noted that Chris believes "You can never train enough for a job that can kill you," and learns everything he can about topics of interest or ones that will help him in performing his job well. He is a life long student who may not have an academic PhD, but instead has a PhD in street smarts.

While there are no statistics to support this point, Bohach believes that Heydinger is undoubtedly responsible for saving the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people in the community and county by the number of drug investigations, search warrants, arrests and prosecutions of criminals throughout his career. but those of us that work with Chris know this to be true.

Mr. Christoper Heydinger, one of GHS's finest, has served the area faithfully for years and represents what Galion graduates stand for: hard work, dedication and service.