A Message from E. Gordon Gee, President of The Ohio State University

Dear Colleagues, Students, and Friends:

The late Stefanie Spielman and her husband and OSU great
Chris Spielman. Photo courtesy pink.osu.edu

I write to let you know that this morning the Comprehensive Breast Center at The Ohio State University is being named in honor of Stefanie Spielman. A cherished alumna and member of our Ohio State family, Stefanie became a tireless advocate for breast cancer research after being diagnosed with cancer in 1998 at age 30. She transformed her own challenge into extraordinary blessings for countless breast cancer patients and their families, becoming a personal source of help and a national source of hope.

Stefanie Spielman was a forceful advocate for early detection and research because she knew those two factors were the keys to curing cancer. In the first six months after Stefanie's diagnosis, she and her husband, Chris, raised more than $1 million for research and patient assistance at Ohio State. To date, the Spielman Funds have raised more than $9.1 million.

As we celebrate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we also celebrate the incalculable contributions of a remarkable person. The work Stefanie began endures through the relentless advocacy of Chris Spielman and their children.

It is our shared vision that the Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center will be the place where breast cancer ends. Many of the nation's leading scientists, researchers, and physicians are working in our world-class facilities to turn that phrase into reality. I look forward to the day we can announce the cure for breast cancer in the building that now bears Stefanie Spielman's name.

Sincerely,

E. Gordon Gee
President

Worth the Drive: "Pro Football in Ohio" at the Troy Hayner Cultural Center

While I know this is obviously a blog about the Darke County OSU Alumni Club, I found it worth mentioning that the Troy Hayner Cultural Center in Troy, Ohio is currently hosting a special exhibit containing artifacts from the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton revolving around "Pro Football in Ohio". The NFL was rooted in Ohio (especially Dayton- GO TRIANGLES!) in the 1910's and early 20's and the exhibit helps tell the story about it. On display (Buckeye related) is a small tribute to Troy native and former Buckeye All-American Bob Ferguson and a game-worn Bengals Archie Griffin jersey.

At a short 25 minute drive, it is worth the price of admission: FREE!

Read more at http://www.troyhayner.org.

Pro Football in Ohio October 7 - November 27 This exhibit will include memorabilia on loan from the Canton Pro Football Hall of Fame related to the five early Ohio football teams, the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals, and from Troy’s pro football players including Kris Dielman, Tommy Myers, Tommy Vaughn, Gordon Bell and others.

Go Bucks!

Scott '05

The Daily Advocate's Coverage of the 2011 Buckeye Bash

The OSU Alumni Club of Darke County would like to thank everyone for another great turnout at this year's Buckeye Bash. While we lost a heartbreaker to Nebraska, there was a lot of fun and camaraderie to go around. Check out this video that was shared by the Daily Advocate's media team....

O-H!

Scott '05

A Message From Archie....

It has been a challenging year for Ohio State football.
The team, administration, and our great alumni and fans have experienced some trying times as we’ve dealt with issues involving our program. We all take a great deal of pride in Ohio State football, and it’s disappointing when it doesn’t live up to the lofty expectations that have been established, whether we are talking about on- or off-field standards.
I’ve been asked quite often about the NCAA violations and allegations made against our program. I wish I had an easy answer that would satisfy everyone, but that is not the case.
The fact is that some serious mistakes were made. As a university, we acknowledge that reality. Those mistakes involve a number of people both inside and outside the program, although I do think the far-reaching nature of the problems has been overstated.
Still, we need to move past the point of meting out blame. As Woody often said, it isn’t getting knocked down that is important, it is how you get up. I have full confidence that regardless of what mistakes were made, we are going to learn from them and take the steps necessary to make sure they do not happen in the future.
We are committed at Ohio State to developing a state-of-the-art, campus-wide compliance program. We will have the best possible protocols and processes in place that ensure we meet our own high bar of success. Buckeyes are about leading, and in this case we will make certain that our compliance standards are impeccable. That is essential.
Since the NCAA investigation process is not complete as of this writing, I can’t share specifics on what will change. I can say that these mistakes have caused people across the university to take a long, hard look at how we handle the business of compliance and the culture of our football program. That self-examination has been fruitful and will lead to some necessary and important steps toward improvement.
In the interim, I know this situation has caused stress for our alumni and fans. Ohio State football is always in the spotlight; and when that spotlight reveals flaws, it can be tough to take. We understand that reality and sympathize with you.
At the same time, I hope you recognize that there are so many reasons to be proud of your university. Unfortunately, the football situation has overshadowed many of Ohio State’s amazing achievements. In some instances, these aren’t being broadly reported in the media, but they show great success in Ohio State’s core work and are evidence that your alma mater is progressing at an exceptional rate.
Here are a few recent and exciting developments, and I would encourage you to share these with others if you have the opportunity:  

• The OSU Medical Center was recently named among the nation’s top-10 academic medical systems, the only Ohio hospital to make the list.
• GE Capital recently pledged $10 million to Ohio State’s Fisher College of Business to help conduct research on middle-market U.S. businesses.
• The university’s new freshman class is the strongest in school history, averaging an ACT score of more than 28.
• Ohio State ranks second nationally in industry-sponsored research and had a record $829 million research expenditures for fiscal year 2011. This is evidence that the university is making good on its status as one of the country’s top research institutions.

There are other facts I could present that show the great work that is happening here. That is why despite the challenges we are facing with our football team, I feel so confident about where we are headed at Ohio State. We will get past these trying times, and we will be better off for it.

It May Be Raining in Lincoln Nebraska, but Greenville's Buckeye Bash is 66 Degrees and ROCKING!

This evening's Buckeye Bash is another AWESOME SUCCESS! I, Scott '05, was around long enough to see a Scarlet and Gray crowd growing larger by the minute to see the very first Big Ten Meeting of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Nebraska Cornhuskers. I took just a few pics, but will welcome any additions...please email them to: osuacofdarke@gmail.com . A huge thanks to the event sponors!

O-H!

Scott '05

Join us Downtown Saturday October 8th for Buckeye Bash!

This Saturday, October 8th 2011 join co-hosts the OSU Alumni Club of Darke County and Main Street Greenville  for a game watch at the "Downtown Buckeye BASH". The event will mark this Saturday's Nebraska-Ohio State showdown and will be held from 6:00pm -11:00pm. The game watch will begin at 8 PM and will be held Downtown Greenville behind The Palace Building, which is located at the corner of 5th and Broadway. There will be activities for the whole family such as: Kids activities (6:00-9:00 pm), Taste of Downtown, Chili Cook-Off (7:00-1st quarter), Reverse Raffle (pre-sale tickets-$500 cash prize), Beer Tent, Best Dressed Buckeye Fan Contest (contest at half time), and an Adult Football Throw Contest. There will also be big screen televisions set up throughout the tents so you will have the best seat in the house!

All proceeds from event support Darke Co. OSU Alumni Scholarships and Main Street Greenville Projects.

The Ohio State Alumni Club of Darke County would like to thank the evening's major event sponsors: Readmore's Hallmark & Second National Bank, Division of the Park National Bank.

For more information, visit: http://www.mainstreetgreenville.org/

We hope to see you there! If anyone takes pictures, share 'em by emailing Scott '05 at osuacofdarke@gmail.com

Go Bucks!

Scott '05