2014 Distinguished Alumni Luncheon

 Welcome             Dee  Stone,  FHFE  Exec.  Director  

 

Program  MC       Dan  Carroll,  Chopper  9  News  Specialist                  

Our  Distinguished  Alumni  

• Michael  Brandy  • Pete  Delois  • Mike  Craycraft  • Stephanie  Cone  Laing  

 

Distinguished  Staff  

• Mike  Hall,  AHS  Principal  1985  to  2003    

Distinguished  Service  Award  

• Jeanne  Johnston  Miller    

Award  Presentation                   Forest  Heis,  FHFE  Board                              President                              

 

Special  thanks  to  Dan  Carroll,  Sue  Price,  Stanley  Jones,  and  the    Forest  Hills  School  District.  

             

 

Michael Brandy

AHS 1974      Michael  moved  to  Anderson  from  New  Jersey  during  his  high  school  years  and,  like  many  of  his  classmates,  he  got  an  after-­‐school  job  on  Beechmont  Avenue.  He  worked  at  the  Ontario  Gas  Station,  which  he  eventually  managed.  (He  

even  gave  an  educational  speech  to  Mr.  Harris’  speech  class  about  pumping  gas  because  back  then,  nobody  pumped  their  own.)    He  went  on  to  earn  a  business  degree  from  the  University  of  Kentucky  before  embarking  on  his  corporate  career  with  stints  at  General  Mills  and  The  Kroger  Company  where  he  rose  to  Marketing  Director.  At  the  same  time,  earning  his  MBA  at  Xavier  University  helped  him  develop  a  passion  for  entrepreneurship,  especially  as  a  result  of  a  business  startup  course.  George  Hudson  (also  an  AHS  Grad)  encouraged  him  and  suggested  he  write  a  business  plan  for  his  New  Life  Water  Company  as  a  class  project.  That  exercise  taught  him  he  wanted  to  start  his  own  business,  and  in  1984,  he  started  Brandicorp,  a  hospitality  and  commercial  real-­‐estate  company  celebrating  its  30th  year  in  business  this  year.  Some  professional  awards  include  “Best  Hotel  Opening”  for  Marriott  Rookwood,  Subway  Franchisee  of  the  Year,  and  an  Arby’s  5-­‐Star  Award  Winner.    Beyond  his  business  interests,  Michael’s  charitable  passion  is  Matthew  25  Ministries  and  The  Center  for  Humanitarian  Relief  where  he  has  served  as  Chairman  of  the  Board  for  15  years.  He  is  also  a  faithful  member  of  Mt.  Washington  Baptist  Church.  Personally,  he  is  blessed  to  have  a  wonderful  family  with  which  he  enjoys  spending  his  time.          

Pete Delois THS 1978

 Pete  began  attending  Anderson  Middle  School  at  the  age  of  13  when  his  family  moved  from  Iowa  for  his  dad’s  career.  Little  did  he  know  that  he  and  his  classmates  would  be  part  of  a  series  of  “firsts”  for  the  Forest  Hills  School  District:    the  first  eighth  grade  class  to  graduate  from  Turpin  Middle  School  and  the  first  graduating  class  of  Turpin  High  School  in  1978.    Like  many  of  his  friends,  Pete  played  3  sports  during  his  high  school  career.  He  wrestled,  played  baseball,  and  was  the  fullback  on  the  football  team.  His  junior  year  he  won  the  sectionals  in  wrestling,  and  he  was  credited  with  scoring  Turpin's  first  touchdown  with  a  1-­‐yard  plunge.  But  his  proudest  moment  as  a  high  school  athlete  was  being  a  part  of  Bob  Berta's  first  Spartans  team  to  defeat  Anderson  High  School.      Pete  graduated  from  Kent  State  University  with  a  degree  in  criminal  justice  in  1983.  While  at  Kent  he  was  a  walk-­‐on  member  of  the  wrestling  team  all  four  years.  His  first  job  after  graduating  from  Kent  was  at  Beech  Acres  Orphans  Home,  and  it  was  there  that  Pete  met  his  future  wife,  Lynne,  and  her  daughter,  Erin.    Pete  and  Lynne  married  in  1989  and  within  a  few  years  had  three  more  children—Rudy,  Sam,  and  Carly.    Pete  enjoyed  working  with  kids,  but  also  knew  he  had  a  mind  for  business  and  sales.  With  his  father's  help,  Pete  acquired  the  rights  to  the  Invisible  Fence  dealership  in  Cincinnati.  Over  the  next  10  years,  Pete  grew  the  company  to  35  employees  in  Cincinnati  and  Columbus.  He  won  Invisible  Fence's  Top  Dog  award  five  years  in  a  row.  Along  the  way  he  started  additional  complementary  businesses,  including  Bone  Appetite,  a  dog  food  drive-­‐thru;  Stork  News,  a  sign  company  announcing  families’  new  arrivals;  Pop  A  Lock;  and  Recreations  Outlet.    Eventually  he  sold  all  his  business  interests  except  Recreations  Outlet—a  family-­‐  oriented  business  that  sells  commercial  and  residential  play  sets,  basketball  goals  and  trampolines.  The  business  has  evolved  into  3  locations  including  2  indoor  showrooms  in  Milford  and  Powell,  Ohio.  Over  the  years  the  showrooms  have  been  a  destination  for  indoor  play  and  children's  birthday  parties.  Recreations  Outlet’s  motto  is  "We  Build  Fun".    Pete  believes  in  giving  back  and  each  month,  Recreations  Outlet  donates  50%  of  its  proceeds  from  Charitable  Play  to  different  charities  in  the  Greater  Cincinnati  area.    He  also  works  with  the  Make-­‐A-­‐Wish  Foundation  to  fulfill  wishes  in  Ohio,  Kentucky,  and  Indiana.  Recreations  Outlet  is  also  a  proud  supporter  of  the  Joe  Nuxhall  Miracle  League.    

 Mike Craycraft  

AHS 1990    Mike  Craycraft  was  born  and  raised  in  Anderson  Township.  He  attended  Maddux  Elementary  School,  was  a  proud  member  of  the  Maddux  Mustang  Unicycle  Team,  and  went  on  to  Forest  Hills  Junior  School.  At  Anderson  High  School,  he  played  soccer  and  his  senior  year  was  named  as  1st  Team  All  Queen  City  Conference,  2nd  Team  All-­‐City  and  2nd  Team  by  the  Cincinnati  Enquirer.    His  first  official  job  in  high  school  was  at  Ulmer’s  Sohio.    

Mike  attended  Xavier  University  for  Pre-­‐Pharmacy  and  continued  playing  soccer  while  being  named  to  the  Midwestern  Collegiate  Conference  Academic  Honor  Roll.  He  was  then  accepted  to  the  University  of  Cincinnati  College  of  Pharmacy  and  graduated  with  a  B.S.  in  Pharmacy  in  1995.    As  a  Clinical  Pharmacist,  his  career  began  at  The  Christ  Hospital,  and  he  has  continued  practicing  mainly  in  hospital  settings  in  Cincinnati  and  Florida.  He  has  also  worked  in  pharmacy  management  as  Clinical  Coordinator,  Operations  Manager,  and  interim  Director  of  Pharmacy  at  two  different  hospitals.      Mike  founded  Craycraft  Consulting,  a  small  business  focused  on  preventive  health  screenings,  such  as  bone  density,  diabetes  and  cholesterol  screenings,  and  Home  Health  Screening,  a  website  featuring  preventive  health  screenings  for  home  use.    Mike  was  diagnosed  with  testicular  cancer  in  2006  and  immediately  started  reaching  out  to  other  survivors  to  learn  about  their  experiences.  In  2008,  he  founded  the  Testicular  Cancer  Society  to  help  reduce  the  burden  of  testicular  cancer  by  increasing  education  and  awareness  and  to  provide  support  services  for  fighters,  survivors,  and  caregivers.    Mike’s  vision  is  a  day  when  testicular  cancer  has  minimal  impact  and  no  longer  takes  away  men’s  lives.    Mike  serves  as  a  Mentor  Angel  with  Imerman  Angels,  as  a  4th  Angel  Mentor  with  The  Scott  Hamilton  CARES  Initiative  at  the  Cleveland  Clinic,  and  as  a  survivor  member  of  the  Anderson  Network  at  MD  Anderson  Cancer  Center.  Mike  also  serves  on  the  Advisory  Board  for  Camp  Kesem  at  Ohio  State  University  and  volunteers  for  Love  Hope  Strength.    As  a  Huffington  Post  Blogger,  he  contributes  on  issues  related  to  adolescent  and  young  adult  oncology.  

         

Stephanie Cone Laing THS 1987

 

A  proud  Ohioan,  Stephanie  was  raised  in  Anderson  Township.      She  attended  Wilson  and  Newtown  Elementary  schools  and  spent  her  middle  and  high  school  years  at  Turpin.      After  high  school,    she  attended  both  the  University  of  Cincinnati  and  Northern  Kentucky  University  before  taking  leave  of  the  Midwest  and  running  away  with  the  “circus”  that  is  the  film  industry.        After  heading  to  Los  Angeles,  Stephanie  worked  on  several  films  including  Milk  Money,  which  starred  Melanie  Griffith  and  Ed  Harris,  and  Don  Juan  DeMarco  with  Johnny  Depp  and  Marlon  Brando.    Next,  she  produced  Tracey  Ullman's  HBO  comedy  variety  series,  Tracey  Takes  On,  for  four  seasons,  winning  her  first  Emmy  in  1997.    During  their  decade  of  working  together,  Stephanie  and  Ullman  founded  the  groundbreaking  online  shopping  website  PurpleSkirt.com  which  was  twice  featured  on  Oprah’s  “Favorite  Things”.    When  her  youngest  child  turned  one,  Stephanie  went  back  to  TV  to  work  on  the  HBO  series  Little  Britain,  followed  by  Documental.  When  presented  with  the  opportunity  to  join  the  producing  team  of  HBO’s  Eastbound  and  Down  in  2009,  she  found  herself  working  alongside  the  riotous  Danny  McBride,  director  David  Gordon  Green,  Will  Ferrell,  and  Adam  McKay.    She  was  later  named  an  Executive  Producer  of  the  show  during  the  4th  season.    Soon  after,  she  added  Veep  to  her  resume,  a  comedy  powerhouse  that  perfectly  suits  her  style.  Later,  between  seasons,  she  worked  on  Season  1  of  Cinemax’s  Banshee.  She  expanded  her  repertoire  during  this  time  to  include  directing,  most  notably  as  the  2nd  unit  director  on  both  Veep  and  Banshee.    Stephanie  directed  an  episode  of  Veep  in  Season  4.        Though  her  love  for  producing  is  apparent,  Stephanie’s  three  children—Watson,  7,  Patterson,  9  and  Maclaren,  11—remain  her  most  important  focus.    She  is  also  passionate  about  her  philanthropic  work,  whether  it  means  raising  money  for  ALS  patient  care  at  the  Forbes  Norris  Clinic  in  San  Francisco,  holding  acoustic  concerts  in  Los  Angeles,  directing  PSAs  for  The  Clinton  Foundation’s  “Too  Small  to  Fail”  initiative,  or  directing  additional  PSAs  for  Library  For  All,  where  she  is  a  member  of  the  board.      

Forest Hills Staff Honoree  

Michael D. Hall AHS Principal 1985-2003

   Mike  and  family  moved  to  Anderson  Township  in  1982.    Mike  had  been  hired  to  be  the  Forest  Hills  School  District’s  Administrator  of  Athletics,  Health,  and  Physical  Education.    In  1984,  he  became  principal  of  Little  Miami  High  School  and  in  1985  he  was  selected  to  be  principal  of  Anderson  High  School.  

 As  Anderson  principal  for  18  years,  Mike  saw  more  than  5000  students  graduate  from  AHS.    During  his  tenure,  Anderson  High  School  was  regularly  in  the  news  for  its  academic  achievements,  its  athletic  prowess,  and  for  bucking  the  trend  to  change  the  Redskin  mascot.    Mike  got  more  than  the  usual  amount  of  press.    He  wrote  three  books  for  the  U.S.  Drug  Enforcement  Administration  (DEA)  and  more  than  350,000  copies  of  his  “Team  Up  For  Drug  Prevention”  were  published  and  distributed.    He  was  a  consultant  for  the  DEA’s  Drug  Prevention  Programs  for  Athletes  and  since  1984,  has  been  in  34  states  and  three  foreign  countries  addressing  seminars  and  school  assemblies  on  the  perils  of  drug  abuse.    Under  his  watch,  Anderson  was  named  a  Blue  Ribbon  School  of  Excellence,  was  recognized  by  the  U.S.  Department  of  Education  at  a  White  House  ceremony  for  Drug  Free  Schools,  and  was  a  multi-­‐year  winner  of  the  Ohio  High  School  Athletic  Association’s  Sportsmanship,  Ethics,  and  Integrity  award.      After  leaving  Anderson  in  2003,  he  became  the  founding  principal  of  Miami  Valley  Christian  Academy  High  School  and  later  served  as  the  principal  of  a  Cincinnati  intercity  charter  school.    Currently  he  is  “retired”  and  volunteers  four  days  per  week  for  different  organizations.    Mike  and  his  wife,  Ann,  have  three  daughters,  Barbara,  Susan  and  Deborah  (AHS  1984).      

 

Distinguished  Service    Jeanne  Johnston  Miller  

AHS  1959    

Jeanne  attended  Anderson  schools  since  kindergarten  and  graduated  from  Anderson  High  School  in  1959  as  an  “outstanding  senior”.    She  was  involved  in  almost  every  activity  Anderson  offered  including  band,  chorus,  National  Honor  Society,  and  cheerleading.      After  high  school,  she  attended  the  University  of  Cincinnati  for  two  years,  majoring  in  primary  education.    She  married  Bob  Miller  in  1960  and  they  had  four  children,  all  AHS  graduates:  Chris  ’80,  Jenny  ’83,  Rob  ’86,  and  Becky  ’87.    Jeanne’s  commitment  to  the  Anderson  Alumni  Association  and  the  AHS  Class  of  1959  is  long  and  continuous.    She  helped  organize  the  Anderson  All  School  reunion  in  1980,  which  was  attended  by  over  1500  Anderson  graduates.    This  successful  event  led  to  the  formation  of  the  Anderson  Alumni  Association  in  1990,  and  Jeanne  became  its  president.    She  went  on  to  chair  the  All  School  Reunions  in  1990  and  1995.    Jeanne  is  still  involved  in  the  Anderson  Alumni  Association  today,  and  when  there  is  a  question  about  the  early  years,  Jeanne  is  the  person  to  call.      In  addition  to  her  commitment  to  the  Alumni  Association,  Jeanne  has  chaired  her  Class  of  1959  reunions  every  five  years  for  eleven  reunions,  the  most  recent  of  which  was  in  September  2014.    Jeanne  has  volunteered  for  many  other  organizations  as  well,  including  the  Brownies  and  Girl  Scouts,  Sherwood  PTA,  Forest  Hills  Bond  Issues,  Children’s  Hospital,  and  various  nursing  homes.    Jeanne’s  contributions  to  our  community  caused  her  to  be  recognized  as  an  “Honored  Citizen”  for  the  Anderson  Bicentennial  in  1993.    Jeanne  considers  herself  a  “jack  of  all  trades,  master  of  none”.    She  has  worked  as  a  beauty  salon  shop  girl,  dental  assistant,  apartment  manager,  short  order  cook,  bank  teller,  an  accountant  for  a  family  business,  and  as  a  professional  ticket  seller  for  the  Reds,  Bengals,  UC,  and  Cincinnati  Gardens.    Her  most  important  job,  however,  has  been  her  role  as  wife,  mother,  and  grandmother  to  her  eight  grandchildren  and  three  great-­‐  grandchildren.      

Distinguished Alumni & Staff

Past Honorees

2013

Dr. Howard Bell AHS 1966

Bob Coughlin AHS 1979

Michael Fortin THS 1981

John Hayden AHS 1975

Kristin Sherwin Meyer THS 1990

Laura Phelps-Sweatt THS 1998

Richard Wesp FHSD Staff 1954 to 2011

To nominate an Anderson or Turpin Distinguished Alumni or

staff member to be honored next year, go to www.fhfe.org and download the nomination form.