EUGENE ‘GENE’ GULISH
1955
Graduate
Doctor
Nominated by: Dolores Glauser ‘55 I
was born in Curtice, Ohio on January 10, 1937 and lived with my grandmother for
six years until she died. I then moved
in with my parents a brother and sister. My parents subsequently had two more children. In addition to having a restaurant they owned a small farm. I think I was not the best of farmers in my father’s eyes and he would often say “I know your brother will be a farmer, but I don’t know what you’re going to do.” Up until the time I came along no one in my family had ever even finished high school. I went on to Clay High School and did well academically. I became interested in education, largely because of the influence of some of the teachers I had in high school. I went on to the University of Michigan, starting in Education, planning to be a high school biology teacher. However, as time went by, I felt that I would rather teach in a university. I knew I would have to get a doctorate degree to do this. I liked biological science, but I knew I was a procrastinator. So instead of going for a PhD, whose program would be less structured, I applied to and was accepted at the Ohio State University Medical School. I knew in medical school the program was structured and I would finish in four years, and then I planned to go on to teach as some university. I did finish medical school at OSU in four years, earning a Master’s Degree in Embryology and a Doctor of Medicine degree. I graduated from Ohio State I 1964, earning the Nu Sigma Nu Outstanding Senior Award. I went on to do my internship and residency at Los Angeles County – USC Medical Center. During the course of my medical training, I realized how much I like clinical medicine. I like it as much as I liked teaching. Therefore, my vocational path changed. After my internship at USC-LA County, I stayed to do an orthopedic residency at that facility. This is a four-year commitment. I was one of six candidates selected for the residency program out of about 1000 applicants. The longer I stayed in my residency, the more I realized how much I like helping people get well. And although, I still, to this day, love to teach I am obsessed with getting people well orthopedically and, even now, love to see their lives turned around with a new hip or knee that I have replaced on a broken bone which I have fixed. While in my residency; I met Christina Pallais and did something I had no plans of doing – we got married. Chris is a registered
nurse. I met her on the orthopedic ward
at Los Angeles County Hospital. We have
been married for 51 years and have five children, and ten grandchildren. On finishing my residency, I was drafted into the Army as a Major and was sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana. I practiced my specialty there. It was during the Vietnam War. I had a ward of 90 beds. I was often the only fully trained orthopedic surgeon on the base. The wounded soldiers were returned quickly from Vietnam and, needless to say, I remained very busy during the two years which I was in the military. But it was a great transition from my residency and a great preparation for my eventual entrance into private practice. I was awarded the Army Commendation Medal on my discharge. By
the time we left the military in 1971, we had two daughters; Heather 2 and
Erin, age 1. I started a private
practice I Sebastopol California. I was
initially in practice alone and was very busy. It was a time of great changes in orthopedic surgery. Arthroscopic surgery was introduced. This allowed the orthopedist to do major
surgical procedures through a minimally invasive incision. Virtually any joint could be
arthroscoped: the knee, the hip, the
shoulder, the ankle. Procedures which
previously would require long incisions and days in the hospital could now be
done through a 1 cm incision as an outpatient. And at the other end of the spectrum, total joint replacement was
introduced. This was a major
breakthrough for patients with end-stage arthritis of the hip, knee, shoulder,
ankle, or even the elbow. I performed
the first total knee replacement North of San Francisco in California and the
second total hip replacement. My
practice became busier and busier and finally a second and then third
orthopedic surgeon came into town. We raised our children in Occidental, CA. In 1992 I got a letter from a doctor in Paris, Tennessee. He stated “You need to come to this community. They are in desperate need of an orthopedic surgeon.” They offered me a free trip to the area. I had no plans on leaving Sebastopol but took them up on the trip. We arrived in Paris and I immediately fell in love with the area and the people. Before we knew it, we were doing what we had no plans on doing – moving to Paris, Tennessee from Sebastopol California. I started my practice in Paris in 1994 and have lived here since. Although I am 82 years old, I still practice three days a week. I have done many mission trips in Africa & Haiti. So things are generally good. Our children are healthy and, I think, contributing to our society. Our grandchildren are a delight. But our greatest tragedy occurred on October 1, 2017. Our daughter Heather and her husband Sonny were in Las Vegas at the concert where the horrible shooting occurred. Sonny was shot and killed while protecting Heather. He died in her arms. That is a tragedy one of us will ever get over. It is the job of the dad to buffer his children against such grief. But all I can do is grieve with her. We know we will never get over this tragedy, but hopefully will learn to live with it as time goes by. I plan to completely retire this year. Think I’ll do it?
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JOHN S.
SZUCH
1966
Graduate
Executive
Officer
Nominated by: John Schinharl ‘82 Mr. Szuch graduated from Clay High School in 1966 and then received a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from The University of Toledo, attended the MBA program at the University of Michigan, and completed his MBA at The University of Toledo. John completed the University of Michigan Graduate School of Banking and Financial Services Program and is a graduate of Sheshunoff banking programs. He was employed in various lending and management positions at Trustcorp, Toledo, Ohio from September 1973 through June 1988. As Senior Vice President of Trustcorp he was responsible for the operation of the Metropolitan Banking Division. John was a co-founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Officer of Capital Bank, N.A., a $1 billion banking organization which began formation in July of 1988 and opened for business in August of 1989. Capital Bank merged into Fifth Third Bancorp on March 9, 2001 with a total transaction value of approximately $250 million. Formerly Chairman of Fifth Third Bank of Northwestern Ohio, a $3 billion subsidiary of Fifth Third Bancorp, he is presently an Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors, of Signature Bank, N.A., an $800 million Regional Bank, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio John
currently serves on the Trustee Committee of the University of Toledo
Foundation and is the Chairman of the Toledo Lucas County Port Authority. He is a Trustee and Finance Committee member
of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, and a Trustee and Chairman of the Toledo
Museum of Art Finance Committee. John is
a Trustee of Second Harvest Community Services of Northwest Ohio and a Trustee
and Finance Chairman of St. Ursula Academy. He is a member of St. John’s Jesuit High School Foundation Board, Chairman of their Technology Center’s Fund Campaign and Chairman of their “Setting the Pace” Capital Fund Drive. John Mr. Szuch was an Ernst and Young “Entrepreneur of the Year’ in 1996 and received the University of Toledo Pacemaker Award in 2005.
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Michael
P. Dansack, Jr.
1978
Graduate
Nominated
by: Monica Dansack Partner with the Law Firm Gallon,
Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer Co. LPA Michael P. Dansack, Jr. – CHS 1978 Graduate of University of Toledo College of Engineering, BSIE cum laude, 1982. Graduate of University of Toledo College of Law – JD – 1985 Partner with the Law Firm of Gallon, Takacs, Boissoneault & Schaffer Co. LPA a local Toledo area law firm – 26 years Participation on a bi-weekly basis on WTVG 13 ABC “Ask the Expert” segment for 5 ½ years providing answers to legal questions during the noon newscast. Community Service Mayor, City of Oregon – 1989 – 1993 Youngest person to be elected Mayor in Oregon’s history at the age of 29. Served first 4 year term. Oregon City Council President – 1984 – 1989 Oregon City Council Member – 1983 – 1989 Elected member of Educational Service Center of Lake Erie West Governing Board (fka Lucas County School Board) Feb. 2010 – present. (Served two years as Board President). President
and member of the Toledo-Lucas County Library Board, including 2 years as
President. January 2007 to present. Chairman and Member of the Lucas County Mental Health Board. 1998 – June 2005 Member
of the Harbor Behavioral Health Care Board of Trustees September 2005 to June
2007 Member of St. Charles Mercy Hospital Advisory
Board of Trustees January 1992 to 2007 Member and President of Oregonian Club – (President September 2001 – June 2002) Member of Oregon Plan Commission 1989 – 1993 Member
of Oregon Growth Corporation 1984-1993 Past
member of Bethany House Board Volunteer Activity Volunteer Coach – Oregon Recreation Department – 1978-1985 Volunteer Coach – Anthony Wayne Recreation Announcer – Clay High School Fighting Eagle Marching Band September 1978 – November 1988 Legal Services to Oregon Community
Groups Pro
Bono Services in 2000 to the Clay High School Athletic Boosters Inc., Charter
No. 1190932, including the incorporation of non-profit corporate entity and
application for 501 (c) (3) designation. Pro
Bono Services in 2007 to the Oregonian Club Charitable Fund., Charter No.
1698763, including the incorporation of non-profit corporate entity and
application for 501 (c) (3) designation. Services
in 1997 to Clay High School Stadium Renovation Fund Inc., including the
creation of a non-profit corporate entity. Personal Married
to Monica Kelly Dansack. Daughter is
Emily, a freshman at Notre Dame Academy High School. |