Fairborn School District to Induct Six in Hall of Honor

By Joe Giessler Staff Writer

FAIRBORN — The Fairborn City School District has added six alumni Hall of Honor inductees to the 138 past honorees.

The new members will be honored in a ceremony April 25.

Although the inductees have spread across the country since graduating, each inductee traces his accomplishments back to Fairborn schools.

– Richard H. Helms graduated in 1968 from Fairborn High School. He attributes his successful career to being on the football team and senior class president.

“It was the foundation. Those educators and coaches had a big impact on who I turned out to be … they taught me how to come back from a loss,” Helms said.

“I recall fondly our moments on the gridiron,” he said.

He was a member of the CIA for almost 30 years, but rarely considered it work.

“I’d have done it for free, there’s nothing like being in that organization,” Helms said. He resides in McLean, Va.

– Ronald C. Russell graduated in 1963 from Fairborn High School.

“I’m sure there were a couple of teachers that made an impact on me. They helped develop my love of math,” he said.

“The teachers at Fairborn helped support the belief that I could be anything I wanted to be.”

Russell, who resides in Fairborn, graduated from Miami-Jacobs Business College in 1966. He co-founded Mesarvey, Russell & Co. of CPAs in 1972 and is president of the family-owned Russell & Co.

“I hope to bring peace of mind to a lot of retirees and other people in my industry … it’s about helping people to thrive and not be taken advantage of,” Russell said.

– BJ White-Olson graduated in 1972 from Park Hills High School, where she was a member of the newspaper staff.

She has a sign on her desk that reads “Every job is a selfportrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence!”

“I’m not sure who originated this quotation, but I learned these words of wisdom while at Fairborn Park Hills High School and have taken them to heart in all that I do,” White-Olson said.

White-Olson, who resides in Centreville, Va., has devoted 34 years to the Air Force financial management community.

She is currently director for Budget Management and Execution for the U.S. Air Force.

While she has numerous career achievements, she also has a great personal victory.

“Being a breast cancer survivor has given me the unique opportunity to help others who are diagnosed with the disease, and to address medical professionals as an advocate for early diagnostics,” she said.

– Bryan C. Baugh graduated in 1990 from Fairborn High School, where he was a member of the newspaper staff. He then attended the Columbus College of Art and Design.

In 1996, he moved to California and became a storyboard artist in the television animation industry.

He has worked on many projects, including “Men in Black,”"Stuart Little” and “Jackie Chan Adventures.”

In 2006, he joined Walt Disney Television Animation doing storyboards for the show “My Friends Tigger and Pooh.” He is the creator, writer and artist of his own comic book series titled “Wulf and Batsy,” which will preview in 2008. He lives in Ventura County, Calif.

– Judy Kyle Hobbs graduated in 1956 from Fairborn High School, where she was a three-year class officer, coeditor of the yearbook and a member of the National Honor Society

“Fairborn schools have always been a real important part of my life,” Hobbs said.

She received a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education in 1960 from Ohio State University.

She taught elementary classes in Fairborn schools for 10 years and was the 1994 East School Teacher of the Year.

Hobbs said the very dedicated teachers at Fairborn helped her decide she wanted to be a teacher.

She is a very active volunteer in her community. She resides in Jamestown.

– Thomas P. Spahr graduated in 1983 from Fairborn High School as valedictorian. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1987 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 1999, he founded the Spahr Foundation, a charitable organization donating to worthy causes.

In 2004 he became vice president and secretary of Jex Technologies Inc. and is LLC president of Libra Ventures and a member of the board of directors of MicroStrategy Inc. Spahr lives in Oakton, Va.

Contact this reporter at jgiessler@ DaytonDailyNews.com.

(c) 2008 Dayton Daily News. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.