Warren to add 11 to Hall of Fame

Tours of Harding, which will be closed at the end of this school year, will be offered during the dinner.

STAFF REPORT

WARREN — Eleven people will be inducted into the Warren High Schools’ Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame Class of 2008, bringing the number to 145 members.

The 15th annual awards dinner, “A Last Look at Warren G. Harding High School,” will be May 3.

A buffet dinner will be served from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the Harding gymnasium followed by the awards program at 8 p.m. in Konold Auditorium.

Tours of Harding, which will be closed at the end of this school year, will be offer during the dinner. Tickets are $30 per person and the deadline for reservations is April 18. Reservations forms can be downloaded through the Warren City School District Web site at http://www.warrenschools.k12.oh.us. Click on the “Alumni Hall of Fame” link found on the homepage to access the form. Forms are also available at the board of education offices, 261 Monroe St. N.W.

Those being inducted:

Charles R. Cole of Malibu, Calif., graduated from Harding in 1948. He graduated from the University of Toledo in 1956 and spent the next 12 years in sales and management, becoming executive vice president. In 1968, he became chief executive officer and board chairman of his own company, Tratec. Developing training and educational films, Tratec won the equivalent of several Oscars. He also is a venture capitalist who provided more than $100 million to start high technology startup companies. Cole was an adjunct professor and lecturer at the University of Southern California. He served on the board of advisers of the UCLA Graduate School of Management, was also on the boards of more than 20 companies, chairing five of them.

Fred A. Culver died in 2007. He was the first black valedictorian at Harding, having graduated in 1950. He was the first black to earn the Eagle Scout Award in the Warren area. On a full scholarship, he attended Amherst College, graduating with an bachelor’s degree in political science in 1954. He served in the Air Force with the rank of captain in the reserves. Culver received his law degree in 1960 from The Ohio State University and was admitted to the bar in Ohio and California. In San Francisco he worked for the Matthew Bender Legal Publishing Co. and had extensive involvement drafting the amendments to California’s workers’ compensation laws. In the Warren area, he practiced law as an attorney for Northeast Ohio Legal Services and General Motors Legal Services.

Dr. Nicholas C. Kreatsoulas of Poland was a four-year member of the student senate, four-year member of the football team and earned a 12-year award for perfect attendance. He graduated from Harding in 1982. He attended Kent State University, where he graduated cum laude in 1986 and received his doctorate of osteopathic medicine from Northeast Ohio University College of Medicine inn 1990. He is president and chief executive officer of NDK Consulting, a company that assists emergency rooms in providing care to patients. In 2008, he was appointed vice president of medical affairs and chief medical officer at St. Elizabeth Medical Center. Dr. Kreatsoulas is also an assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at Northeast Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM).

James R. Lewis of Warren is 1950 graduate of Harding, where he was the student body president and the vice president of his graduating class. Lewis graduated in 1958 from Youngstown State University with a bachelor of science degree and master’s degree in education in 1965 from Westminster College. He spent his career in the Warren City School District as a teacher and principal, having received Warren schools’ Outstanding Educator Award in 1966. He was an instructor in the College of Education at Youngstown State University. An active volunteer in the Warren community, he served in leadership positions for the YMCA, Second Christian Church and many high school athletic organizations. He received the Ohio High School Association Award for Exemplary Contribution and Services in 2003 and was inducted into the Warren Sports Hall of Fame 1991.

Paul G. Nader of Warren is a 1943 Harding graduate. After serving in the Army Air Corps from 1943 to 1946, he received a bachelor’s degree in 1949 from Western Reserve University. He studied law at Western Reserve University and Cleveland-Marshall Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1953. That same year, he opened the law firm of Nader and Nader with his brother. He has been involved in many Warren civic organizations as a member of the W.D. Packard Band, Warren Football Association, Trumbull County Bar Association, YMCA, Boy Scouts, Kiwanis Club and Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce. He is a founder of the Avalon Lakes Golf Course and also was instrumental in the planning and development of the Avalon Inn.

Dr. Eugene V. Nolfi Jr. of Corpus Christi, Texas, graduated from Warren Western Reserve High School in 1971. He attended Washington University in St. Louis, where he received his bachelor’s degree in 1975 and was a four-year football letterman. He returned to Ohio to attend Case Western Reserve University and received a doctorate in dental surgery degree in 1979. Dr. Nolfi retired from the Navy as a captain after serving 20 years and earning awards for meritorious service and achievement. At 47, he attended Virginia Commonwealth University, receiving a specialty certificate in pediatric dentistry and master’s degree in science in Dentistry. He is the owner of Dentistry Just for Kids and serves on the dental Staff of Driscoll Children’s Hospital as chief of the dental staff.

Patricia Selanik Meisner of Upton, Maine, graduated from Harding in 1970. She received a degree in biology from Kent State University in 1974, a master’s degree in biochemistry from Youngstown State University in 1976 and a master’s in business administration from Case. She was a speaker/presenter at the Pasteur Institute in Paris and the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland. Meisner spent 15 years in the biotechnology industry. In 2000, she founded and was chief executive officer of RedTail Solutions, Inc., a provider of on-demand software to middle-market suppliers. She was selected as one of “Five Women to Watch” by Boston’s Women’s Business in 2007 and RedTail was named to Manufacturing Business Technology’s Top 40 Global Innovators this year.

Dr. Richard Shapiro of Girard graduated from Harding in 1955. In 1959, he received his bachelor’s degree from Miami University at Oxford and doctorate in 1964 from Jefferson Medical College. He is a board certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Shapiro holds the honor in Warren of practicing the first corneal transplant and many firsts in the field of cataract implants and surgeries. He is the former chief of ophthalmology at Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital and St. Joseph Health Center. He served as the president of Rodef Sholom Temple, Youngstown, and received its Guardian of the Menorah Award in 2007 for secular and nonsecular activities. Active in community affairs, he is the past president of the Warren Lions Club, a member of Leadership Warren and a former director of St. Joseph’s.

Dr. Ralph E. “Jim” Snelson of Warren is a 1954 graduate of Harding. He received bachelor’s degree in 1957 from DePauw University and doctorate in dentistry from OSU in 1961. He served as president of the Warren Dental Society and founded the Ohio Dental Association, becoming the first dentist from eastern Ohio to serve as president. Dr. Snelson is the recipient of the Distinguished Dentist of Ohio award. He is a former president of the Trumbull 100 and served as campaign chairman for United Way, Boy Scouts of America and Forum Health Trumbull Memorial Hospital’s Capital Campaign for Expansion. In recognition for his community service, he was named as a Community Star, Rotary Club Community Service Award and DePauw University Community Leader Award.

Korey Stringer, who died in 2001, was a 1992 graduate of Harding, where he was a football letterman. He continued his education and football career at OSU. While a member of the Buckeye football team, Stringer was named an All-American. Upon graduation from OSU, he played professional football for the Minnesota Vikings from 1995 until 2001. He received the honor of being selected in 2001 to the Pro Bowl Team. He was an active in Warren civic organizations, including work with children at the Rebecca Williams Community Center, Special Olympics and Warren Little Raiders. His charitable contributions continue through the Korey Stringer Foundation.

Milton Mollenkopf, who died in 1974, will receive an honorary induction into the Alumni Hall of Fame. One of Warren’s highly respected leaders, Mollenkopf spent 50 years associated with Warren schools, 30 of them as the principal of Harding. Born in Bucyrus, he graduated from Ohio Northern University and received a master’s degree from Columbia University. In 1919, he moved to Warren, where he joined the Warren schools as a teacher and in 1922 became the physical education supervisor. He was principal from 1931 to 1961. After retiring, “Molly,” as he was known, was elected to Warren City Council. He served on many board and civic organizations in the Warren community. In 1964, the Warren City Schools’ stadium was named Mollenkopf Stadium as a tribute to his dedication and involvement in Warren’s physical education and football programs.