Worthington City Schools Distinguished Alumni

Worthington City Schools Distinguished Alumni Award was an award for alumni from the Thomas Worthington High School and the Worthington Kilbourne High School (both in Worthington, Ohio). The awards were established in 2006, last presentation was in 2009.
2006
:Dr. George H. Bonnell, Jr. (1913-1997) - 1931 - was a World War II veteran who returned to Worthington and joined his father in the practice of medicine, with their offices in front of the family home on the SE corner of the Village Green. In 1975, Dr. Bonnell closed his Worthington office and became the first faculty member in the new Department of Family Medicine at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Bonnell served on the Worthington Board of Education beginning in 1952. During his 20 years of service, he was instrumental in the growth of the district by eight new buildings. Dr. Bonnell served on the WHS Athletic Board from 1952-1972, was a team doctor for WHS for two decades, and was a founding board member of Swiminc.
:Bob Foster (1930-2008) - 1948 - is a Korean Conflict veteran and spent his career in Public Service. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1955. For thirteen years, he was on the Distinguished Foreign Visitors and Presidential detail of the Secret Service, where the expectation is that you will step in front of any bullets or take out anyone intending to harm those you are protecting. He was with the Kennedy children in DC when John F. Kennedy was shot in Dallas, and in the films of the funeral procession, he can be seen walking behind the family. After retiring from the Secret Service, he was appointed U.S. Marshall for the southern district of Ohio. After 13 years as Marshall, he was appointed Sergeant of Arms for the Ohio House of Representatives, serving in that position for six years. Since being named to this position in 1993, John has launched a strategic plan based on the company focusing on its core strengths in the steel industry. He has positioned the company for worldwide growth through numerous international acquisitions and recently unveiled a new brand identity program. His impact in the company through the years has contributed to the company’s recognition by Fortune Magazine as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For.” Worthington Industries operates under the philosophy of “We treat our customers, employees, investors and suppliers, as we would like to be treated.” John has authorized the support of Worthington Industries for Summer Institute, high school weight rooms, Summer School, PCC, the Worthington Bicentennial, and the Gary Smith Classic, to name a few. He has served on numerous boards including Leadership Worthington and the Worthington Educational Foundation. Claire holds a graduate degree in international affairs from Columbia University and a B.A. in Russian Studies, also from Columbia. that designed and remodeled many buildings and additions including Colonial Hills Elementary School, Kilbourne Middle School, Brookside Elementary School, Worthington Hills Elementary School and the Dow Nelson Field House. Paul served as a member of the committee to incorporate the City of Worthington in 1953 and was an early leader of the Worthington Cardinal Boosters. He also served as president of the Worthington High School Alumni Thirty Year Club. Paul and his late wife, Harriet, also a WHS graduate, raised three sons who graduated from WHS- Dan ’62, Stan ’65, and John ’70. Paul still resides in Worthington.
2007
:George T. Harding IV, M.D. - 1946 - graduated from La Sierra University in 1949 and received his MD from Loma Linda University in 1953. He continued his postgraduate psychiatric education at The Ohio State University and Harding Hospital. George served as a psychiatrist in the US Army Medical Corps from 1955-57. He joined his father, uncles, brother and nephew in the operation of Harding Hospital which his grandfather had established in 1919 in Worthington. He served as Director of Residency Training from 1962-1981 and was President and Medical Director from 1973-1994, further developing the integration of spirituality and religion within the Bio-psycho-social-spiritual approach to Psychiatric treatment. He was a founding member of the Franklin County Mental Health and Retardation Board, the first in Ohio, and an ongoing advocate for mental health and the mentally ill. He served as President of the Ohio Psychiatric Association and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Board of Regents, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. George has been a clinical professor of Psychiatry at The Ohio State University since 1975 and a professor of Psychiatry at Loma Linda University in California since 2004. He negotiated the merger of OSU/Harding in 1998 which integrated the operations of Harding Hospital into The Ohio State University Medical Center. George has authored numerous scientific papers and publications. He and his wife, Joan, have five daughters, all of who attended Worthington High School. They currently maintain residences both in Worthington and California. Chic has three children and lives with his wife, Kay, in Crownsville, Maryland.

:Dana Tyler - 1977 - graduated from Boston University’s School of Management with a degree in marketing and broadcast journalism. She began her career at WBNS-TV in Columbus before moving to WCBS as a weekend anchor and reporter. In 1990 she became a part of history when she and the late Reggie Harris became the first African-American anchor team in the New York market on WCBS-TV. Throughout her tenure at WCBS, she has worked among the most famous and some of the most legendary faces in New York City. In 2003 Dana received Emmy Awards for coverage of an Instant Breaking News Story for anchoring the “New York City Blackout” and for Outstanding Single Newscast, “CBS 2 News at 11: City Hall Shooting.” In 2006, she received a New York Association of Black Journalists Award for her reporting on “The Color Purple.” An integral part of the CBS 2 news team for more than 16 years, Dana was honored by McDonald’s at the Museum of Television and Radio as one of the 2007 Black Broadcast Legends. She also has received numerous Emmy nominations for her work. Dana participates in numerous station and charity events. After several years as a classroom volunteer, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of Learning Leaders, the nearly 15,000-member volunteer organization dedicated to New York City’s 1.1 million public school students. Dana currently co-anchors the CBS 2 News at Noon and 6 PM weeknights with Jim Rosenfield. In addition to anchoring, Dana takes viewers inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art in her weekly report “CBS 2 at the MET” every Sunday morning.

:, RN, PhD(c), CNOR, FAAN, Class of 1967, is a perioperative nurse educator and consultant working with perioperative nurses, professional organizations, healthcare facilities, industry, and legislative groups. She has served as the Laser Program Director for Mount Carmel Heath and Grant Medical Center in Columbus. In 1997, Kay was inducted as a Fellow in the prestigious American Academy of Nursing. Kay has served on many nursing boards and in 2003 was the recipient of the AORN Award for Excellence and the Ohio Nurses Association's Excellence in Political Action Award. She has authored the book, Lasers: The Perioperative Challenge and planned and assisted with the first laser surgery on a dolphin at Sea World. Kay lives in Lewis Center, Ohio, and lectures in the United States and throughout the world on laser, surgical, healthcare, and nursing issues.

:Jim Kammerud, Class of 1978, is a director, writer, producer and animator. He began his career by co-founding the Character Builders animation studio in Columbus in 1986 with Jeff Smith, where he worked as an animator and storyboard artist for Bebe's Kids as well as Space Jam. In the late 1990's, Jim began working for Disney and directed and designed the new characters in The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea. He co-wrote and co-directed 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure and served as co-writer and co-producer of Tarzan II (2005). Recently he directed The Fox and the Hound 2, an all-new sequel. He won a DVD Exclusive Award for Best Director of a DVD Premier Movie for 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure, and was nominated for Best Screenplay as well. He also was nominated for an Annie Award for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Feature Production for the same film. Jim resides in Worthington, Ohio. for her spirit, service and tenacity as a firefighter. Marilyn has made firefighting her life because it allows her to experience camaraderie, adrenaline-laced physical challenge and the reward of helping others.
:Thomas C. Sawyer, PhD - 1963 - President of Opinion Consultants, a national market research and communications consulting firm which he founded in 1997. After earning his doctorate from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, he began his career in 1972 as minority counsel of the U.S. House Communications Sub-Committee. He became executive vice president of the Ohio Association of Broadcasters in 1975 and returned to Washington in 1983 to accept the position of vice president, Washington Operations, NBC, Inc. Tom has taught part-time at several universities and co-authored two textbooks on communications. He did his undergraduate and masters work at Ohio State University and was named Outstanding Senior Man at OSU in 1967. He was chairman of the board of the Ohio State University Alumni Association from 1995-1997 and served on the Advisory Council to three OSU Presidents. Tom and his wife, Debbie, reside in Columbus.

:Pete Kight - 1974 - Is considered a pioneer in financial services technology and today is vice chairman of Fiserv, Inc., a Fortune 500 company. Upon graduation, Pete left for California to become a college decathlete and in 1981 returned to Worthington to found CheckFree in his grandmother’s basement on Alrojo Street. In 2007 that business was sold to Fiserv for $4.4 billion. Today if you pay bills online, access your accounts online, direct deposit your paycheck or use an ATM, chances are you are using infrastructure that his company built. In 2007, Kight received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and was the first recipient of the Peter J. Kight Lifetime Achievement Award from Bank Technology News. He is a member of the board of directors of a variety of organizations. In recent years, his interest in wine and the science of grape growing led him to acquire an estate winery in California. He and his wife, Terri, are primary supporters of the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Atlanta, where they currently reside.

:Dimitrious Stanley, Class of 1993, is currently a sports analyst for Buckeye Football Fever. During his years at The Ohio State University, he was a stand-out wide receiver helping the Buckeyes win four bowl titles including the 1997 Rose Bowl where, after running 72 yards in the third quarter, he caught two third-down passes as part of the remarkable final one minute fourth quarter drive and touchdown that put the Buckeyes on top 20-17. After graduating from Ohio State, Dimitrious played for the NFL Miami Dolphins and AFL New Jersey Red Dogs. In 2000, he created the non-profit organization Camp Mind Games. Driven from the discipline he learned through years of coaching and hard work, he shares his wealth of knowledge as a personal trainer with Snap Fitness in Grandview Heights. For the past seven years, Dimitrious has served as the commentator for the Battle of Worthington, the basketball game between selected middle school students and Worthington Special Olympics Stars. His compassion, enthusiasm and humor make the event a truly joyous and moving experience for players and spectators.

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