OSUSD Newsletter

February, 1999
Volume  6   Number 2
September, 1999

Published quarterly by
The Ohio State Alumni Club of San Diego
P. O. Box 16102
San Diego, CA 92176

---

CALL FOR VOLUNTEER  "Football" GREETERS

OK, you friendly Ohio folk out there.  NOW,  is the time to remember your roots and help us out at Moondoggies during football season.  We need 2 people to "man" the sign-in table at each game (or two per each half IF we get enough) as folks enter "Buckeye-land".  The goals are to share the fun of meeting NEW people, alleviate burnout of those who never actually get to see a play NOT on replay, and to allow those of you interested an easy opportunity to get involved.
    So what do ya say?  If we get enough, we can all be a part of this club as we share the Buckeye spirit and get to know one another.  Please call Jera at 858-689-9577 ASAP to set up the fall schedule.  THANKS!
 

Check Out Our Web Site

http://www.osusandiego.com/

On the website, you'll find a listing of upcoming club events, our Buckeye hotline number, club resources, links to many areas of interest around the University and about the University, including the football team.  For example, you'll find links to other Ohio State Alumni Clubs, to The Ohio State University or you can take a tour of the Ohio State campus.

You can even read copies of The Lantern or the Columbus Dispatch daily.  There are also "Buckeye Fanatic" sites like OZONE .
Thanks Don for your great leadership in creating this wonderful resource for our club.

Buckeye Night at the Q

On a chilly May evening the alumni club held its annual trip to the Q to watch the National League Champion Padres battle the visiting Cincinnati Reds. Prior to the game a “bring your own stuff” tailgate party was held. There was enough food to feed the football team and a great time was had by all. As for the game, the highlight was the Padres' Eric Owens stealing home. This thrilling play sparked the Padres to victory. However, regardless of who you were cheering for, everyone had a great time. This annual event will be repeated next year, so if you missed the fun come on out in 2000!
If you have any questions or suggestions about future ballgames contact:
Ed Olander 619-565-6056

Student Recruiting On A Roll

After inviting two of our new freshmen students to the first football game at Moondoggies last fall, the alumni group fired up a bigger and better committee to rebuild our local recruiting program.  Watching the Buckeyes wipe out Penn State and seeing how our members were inspiring the next members of the class of 2002, we put together what should be a very effective team of recruiters for the coming years.

The first objective was to completely update all of the information on the local schools and to give them up to date information on Ohio State.  Gary spent long hours in the county
Office of Education researching names of counselors, phone numbers and up-to-date
addresses.  We narrowed down a target list of the most potential schools to visit and made that the first priority to accomplish.

By the time Thanksgiving came around and the fall recruiting season was completed, we personally visited 12 public and private high schools and presented at least 4 evening college fairs.  Phone contacts were made to the other non-visited schools and mailings went out to all of the remaining schools.  Believe it or not, there are over 85 public high schools in San Diego county and another score of private ones.  They can all now say that Ohio State has invested in their seniors.

A lot of work was done this year and it should pay off more than ever in the future.  A special thanks to all those who volunteered to help during the hectic fall season and especially to Bob Bates who was our roving ambassador to the High School classes.  David Happ has agreed to head up a program for us to keep in contact with enrolled students and keep them involved with our San Diego Alumni club.  Drew Osborne, Mark Basford,
Mark Eckert, Jera Ratliff, Nancy Fink, Shelly Zimmerman, and Dave Happ all helped out at the College Fairs. Telephone contacts were made by Carol Miller, Bob Bates, Nancy Fink and Drew Osborne.  It takes a lot of people to do this rewarding job and we sure thank the many volunteers.  It will take many more this coming fall, starting in August.  If you can help please feel free to give us a call: Dave Fenner 575-1543.

Get Involved!

One of the key factors contributing to the success of any alumni club is membership involvement in the planning and execution of club events.  This has been particularly true for our club.  If you have a little time to either lead or participate in the planning of a club event, or if you're interested in becoming a club officer, please check the appropriate boxes on the enclosed membership form.  You'll find the experience very worthwhile and your efforts will be greatly appreciated by your fellow Buckeyes.

If you're a secondary high school teacher and would be interested in helping our alumni club in our student recruitment efforts, please contact Dave Fenner.  It has been our experience that clubs with significant involvement from the secondary high school teacher ranks produce much greater results in their recruiting efforts.  This is especially true for out-of-state clubs like ours.
 

Help Needed for Adopted Kosovo Family

On July 29, 1999, Gary Rectenwald, President of the Ohio State Alumni Club of San Diego, adopted a Kosovo family comprised of 2 parents and 6 children (4 boys, 2 girls).  The family arrived in San Diego after returning to their home in the capital city of Kosovo, only to find that their home had been destroyed and that all property, including their car, was stolen.  There is no insurance in Kosovo to cover these loses.  They returned to the camps in Macedonia and then elected to come to the United States to start a new life.  The family arrived in San Diego with no money, no luggage/clothes and with no English-speaking family members.  Gary has taken this on as his full time job and has taken a leave of absence from his current employer in order to care for this family.  The intention of the family is to start over and make a new life in San Diego and not return to Kosovo.  This cannot happen without a lot of help from a large number of people.

The mother is 34 years old and the father is 39 years old.  The boys are 5, 10, 11 and 14.  The girls are 8 and 13.  One of the girls has a congenital heart problem, suffers from severe stunting and has hearing problems.  She will require a large amount of medical attention from pediatric specialists.

The problems, challenges and joys of doing this have been significant for Gary and his new "extended family."  The family is dependent on Gary for (a) English lessons, (b) determining their physical and psychological health needs, (c) financial needs, (d) finding new housing, (d) finding a job for the father in the construction industry, (e) placing the children in schools, (f) finding adequate transportation to shuttle around a family of 8 people, (g) clothing for family members. and (h) Networking with other local Kosovo familles.  Gary's top priorities today are financial assistance, donating a car or van, a factory or construction job for the father, offering a 3-bedroom apartment or home at an affordable rate and international long distance calling cards.

If you would like to offer assistance in any of these areas, please call Gary at (858) 454 4758 or e-mail him at SDBUCKEYE@aol.com.  ANY assistance, in any form, would be greatly appreciated.

RAFFLE  ITEMS NEEDED

Last year at the OSU vs. Michigan game we raised over $700 for our scholarship fund and hope to do even better this year.  First,we need items to raffle off...any nice item will do...perhaps a sponsorship with your company for services such as airfare, a dental cleaning, or free concert tickets.  Maybe you are a gifted craft person and can whip up a scarlet and gray one-of-a kind Buckeye necklace.  The raffle items don't have to be expensive, just thoughtful and creative. Call Jera at 858-689-9577 to donate an item before November 20th. so we can begin to sell tickets at the November football games at Moondoggies in PB.

Call for Members

Yes, it is that time of the year again.  It is time to report with your fellow Buckeyes to the best local Alumni Club in the west!  It is the football season but you don't have to only be interested in sports to participate in this club.  We have worked hard to bring a variety of activities to our members and an unlimited number of benefits.

Dues-paying members will receive the quarterly newsletter that is our lifeline for events, be eligible for special events such as A Bowl ticket lottery, and be able to share in the true Buckeye spirit that has built this club into one of the finest in the nation!

Please do not confuse your local membership with that of the OSU Alumni Association in Columbus.  Although we share goals and a unified philosophy for Ohio State we are certainly separate organizations.

Anyone out there who is interested in helping with club events, has ideas or magical skills PLEASE do not hesitate to step forward and claim YOUR club and get involved.  Just leave a message on the Hotline directly or call any officer and we'll be glad to have you aboard.  Remember this is YOUR club and the more "Buckeye Brains" we have the better we will be!

If you are interested in becoming a new member please fill out an return the enclosed membership form with your dues.  If you are currently a member now is the time to send in your renewal dues.

Lets ALL get involved!!
 

Gulls Hockey

Last year marked the alumni club's first trip to the San Diego Sports Arena to watch the San Diego Gulls play one of their rivals in the West Coast Hockey League. We are planning another group night for this upcoming season. The date is yet to be determined, although we are looking at January, 2000.  Full information will be available during the football season, watch for flyers at Moondoggies.  Prior to the game we will meet at a restaurant near the sports arena for dinner.  Last year we met at Olive Garden and had a great time.  This is a great chance to get out with your fellow Buckeyes and to experience one of the most exciting team sports.  If you are interested contact Ed Olander at 619-565-6056.

Moonlight Kayaking

The third annual Moonlight kayaking was held on August 1st.  The evening started with a pizza dinner at the Mission Bay Aquatic center.  Following dinner our guides for the evening gave instruction in the proper use and handling of the kayaks.  Even the first timers soon were comfortable paddling around the bay

The evening was beautiful.  A full moon and a warm ocean breeze provided a very enjoyable setting as we toured around the bay.  The night was highlighted by the spectacular Sea World fireworks which were made all the more enjoyable by our view on the water.

We are already looking forward to next year, so mark your calendar now and watch the newsletter for the date.
 

Basketball Games

Moondoggies, huge crowds of scarlet and gray clad fans, cheering and yelling, Gary playing fight songs, in March?  That's right, the surprising 1998-99 Buckeye Men's basketball team made it all the way to the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 1968, and the new and renovated Moondoggies proved that it's not just a place to watch football. The Buckeye presence was made known for all games.  The locals were joined on Saturday March 27th by the Ohio State Women's Crew team, that was in San Diego for a big meet.  The huge crowd cheered on the Buckeyes against the Connecticut Huskies.  Although the Buckeyes fell short they gave us a wonderful season to remember.  Thanks to Coach Jim O'Brien and his team for a great run and good luck next year.

Moondoggies Again Contributes $1,000 to Local Scholarship Fund

For the second year in a row the Club would like to extend MANY THANKS to Moondoggies for their generous contribution of $1,000 to our local scholarship fund in February, 1999!!  Moondoggies annual contribution is based on 20% of receipts from OSU Football TV parties held each Saturday throughout the fall.  Your attendance at our weekly parties significantly helps our club reach its annual objective of $5,000 to our local scholarship fund.  We look forward to seeing you every Saturday!!
GO BUCKEYES!!

Annual Meeting

Due to a scheduling conflict, the Annual Meeting was postponed.  The guest speaker was to have been Dr. Jon Woods, Director of the world-famous Ohio State University Marching Band.  The re-scheduled date has not been determined as of this printing, but will probably be early December.

Dr. Woods is in his 15th year as Director of "The Best Damn Band In The Land" and is the longest serving Marching Band director in the Big Ten Conference and one of the longest serving in the nation.  Dr Woods served as associate director for 10 years before becoming director.  In addition to his awesome and demanding responsibilities for the Marching Band, he also serves as conductor for all Athletic Bands which provide music for various campus sporting events.  As a faculty member in the School of Music, his teaching responsibilities include graduate music courses, graduate advising for master and doctoral students and secondary instrumental methods.  A recipient of the School of Music Distinguished Teaching Award, Dr. Woods is recognized nationally as a clinician and adjudicator for both marching and concert band festivals.  He received his Bachelor's Degree from Indiana University, his Master Degree from Penn State and his Ph.D., from ummmm, "that school up north".

Dr Woods' presentations are always very exciting and visually stimulating.  So please keep the early December time frame open and check the Buckeye Hotline for more information.

Message from the President

This has truly been another outstanding year for the Ohio State Alumni Club of San Diego.  Overall, membership continues on the rise and individual member participation in planning club events has also increased.  We've also significantly stepped up our efforts in student recruitment and increasing our local scholarship fund.  Dave Fenner, Bob Bates and many other volunteers have raised our recruitment and outreach efforts and results to unprecedented levels.

Many new Ohio State grads continue to move to San Diego - we've added many new members this past year.  Welcome to all of our new members and thanks to all grads for continuing your membership and supporting our club again this year.

1998-99 included many exciting activities for our club.  Once again, we packed Moondoggies every Saturday for our weekly football TV parties - we received every Ohio State game by satellite last fall.  Our "Parade of Lights" in conjunction with Anna Gerber's 100th birthday party was truly memorable.  Our annual Angels-Indians and Reds-Padres games continue to be great events.  Moonlight kayaking continues to be a popular event as well.

 Our club's goals for 1999-2000 are to:
 1.  Significantly Increase Local Scholarship Fund - we need a Scholarship
      Chairperson(!!)
 2.  Significantly increase Student Recruitment Activities and Results
 3.  Increase Membership
 4.  Increase San Diego Community Involvement
 5.  Be responsive to our membership
 6.  Get more people involved as committee members and increase participa  tion in club events
 7.  Recruit future alumni club leaders

Truly great Ohio State alumni clubs focus heavily on the key areas of student recruitment and scholarship fundraising.  Our club is, once again, increasing our focus in both of these areas this year because we need to make significant improvements.  Thanks to Dave Fenner, a local secondary high school teacher, for continuing to chair our student recruitment.  Dave needs a lot of help.  Please contact Dave if you're interested in volunteering some of your time to this very worthwhile effort.  It doesn't take much time and it is a very rewarding experience.

We're also looking for an energetic volunteer to head our Scholarship Committee.  Please call me if you're interested.  We're looking for new and innovative ways to increase local alumni contributions to our Scholarship Fund.  Proceeds from our events go directly into the scholarship fund.  Direct contributions to our local scholarship fund are tax-deductible when the check is made out to The Ohio State Alumni Association and sent to us.  There is a box on the form to make a pledge this year - please consider making a donation.  Thanks, in advance, for your support in this area - we really need EVERYONE's help!

A very special THANK YOU goes out to Ted Reiff for serving as our Club Treasurer for the past 8 years.  Ted was one of our "original" club officers when the club was restructured in 1991.  Thank you Ted!!  Also, I'd like to express my sincere THANK YOU to Kim Best who has served the past year as club secretary.  Kim, along with her husband Carl, have been outstanding supporters of the club for many, many years.  Many thanks Kim.  Vickie Stone and Jim Biddle are now the Secretary-Elect and Treasurer-Elect for our club -official club officer elections will take place at our December, 1999 annual meeting with guest speaker, Dr. Jon Woods, Director of the Ohio State Marching Band.

In order to increase membership and participation in club events, we're again asking for your ideas for adding new and different club events.  We're trying new things every year and we'd like to continue to add events to our annual calendar.  Your input is greatly appreciated.
            Gary Rectenwald
 

The 9th Ranked Buckeye Football Team Returns to Moondoggies

We're excited to be returning to Moondoggies for the 1999 Buckeye Football season.  The atmosphere and food provided by Moondoggies in 1998 was outstanding and they donated over $1,000 toward our scholarship fund.  With Moondoggies recent renovation this year should be even better.

Through the great support of Moondoggies' management, we were able to watch all twelve Buckeye Football games last year and hope to do the same this year.  Thank you Moondoggies!

Check the Buckeye Hotline or the club's Web Page for last minute game times and more info.  For directions call Moondoggies 858-483-6550.  Hope to see you there!
 

For All Your Buckeye Information
CALL
The Buckeye Hotline
(619)685-2056
24 Hours/Day
365 Days/year

 

Membership Survey

Suggestions for future Club events:____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the most important area that our club needs to improve?______________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who would you like to have for a guest speaker at future Annual Meetings?_____________________________________________

Any other comments_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
 

 OSU Women's Crew Compete on Mission Bay

Third year Coach Andy Teitlebaum brought 22 members of the OSU Women's Crew Team to compete in the San Diego Crew Classic on Mission Bay March 27th and 28th.  They brought two shells (“eights”) that came from Ohio via Michigan on Michigan's trailer!  The racing teams came in fifth and third in the 2000 meter race which qualified them to compete in the Petit Finals.

The team joined our San Diego Alumni Club at Moondoggies on Saturday afternoon to watch the Buckeye Basketball team battle it out with
UConn.  This was the Women's Crew's second trip to the Crew Classic and we hope they'll visit us every year!

Back to the Big 10 party

This years annual Back to the Big 10 party (15th year) will be Sept. 23, at 5:00pm.  The party will be at the same place as last year's, Characters Bar & Grill in the La Jolla Marriott.  Cost for this event is $15.00 when paid before September 4th and $20.00 after September 4th.  The evening will include a buffet dinner, special guests, school contests, lots and lots of door prizes and a very enjoyable evening.  If you are interested in attending please contact:

BettyLanger at (858) 558-2489.

Local Scholarship Fund

Our club's top objective in this upcoming year is to significantly increase our contributions to our local scholarship fund.  Our annual objective is $5,000.  Our ultimate goal is to have an Endowed Scholarship for a deserving San Diego County student each year.

We need your help.  A direct contribution to the fund is always greatly appreciated.   As always, we'll be conducting a BIG RAFFLE at the Ohio State - Michigan football game on November 20, 1999.

Proceeds from all events go directly to our scholarship fund.  To date, we've collected $3,500.  To those who have contributed in the past, we respectfully thank you!!

Do not forget when you order from either College Traditions, Conrads or the Buckeye Sports bulletin tell them you're a member of our club.  A portion of the purchase will be donated to our scholarship fund.

---