Inside a booth in Scripps’ state-of-the-art reporting lab, Russell N. Baird dictated facts to his journalism class via telephone.
Headed to the Chubb Hall library, Mary Ellen Baird rode her tricycle down the brick pathways of College Green, excited to check out some new books.
Tagging along with her grandma to work, Krin Goodwin scrambled onto President Ping’s chair and tapped on his adding machine.
As evidenced by these snapshots of memories, the Baird/Goodwin family has closely intertwined itself with Ohio University, boasting graduates, employees, current students and professors. Joined by the marriage of Margaret A. Baird and John B. Goodwin, the family honors their collective alma mater with rewarding careers — often in education.
In 1952 Russell N. Baird moved to Athens to work as a journalism professor. Fifty-eight years later, he and his wife Cecilia still live here. “This is a place where my family was grounded,” says Krin, Russell’s granddaughter. “It’s just such a foundation.”
Not only did Athens cultivate the Baird family, but it also provided employment, education, companionship and frequently — educational careers. “We all seem to filter back to some sort of educational pursuit in our professional lives,” says Krin, a former academic advisor at Auburn University.
The most obvious example, Russell, became an important member of the journalism faculty, co-authoring five books and receiving a Distinguished Teaching in Journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists in 1982. Today, Russell still ties himself to the journalism school, offering a yearly scholarship for a high school newspaper editor to attend Ohio University; also, the graphics laboratory in the basement of Scripps Hall now bears his name.
Russell’s six children — all of whom attended Ohio — dedicated a bench in Emeriti Park to him and his wife, for their years of service to the university. “Our dad was quite well liked and respected by students,” says Mary Ellen Baird, Russell’s daughter. “And we can go visit the bench and feel the strong connection to him and this place.”
Herself a successful educator, Mary has worked in all tiers of K-12 education for 34 years as a teacher, principal and superintendent in Falls Church City Schools in Virginia. She says that after she graduated with her bachelor’s degree in government, a friend of the family — who happened to be the head of the education department at the time — encouraged her to get a master’s degree to assist with the teaching shortage.
Recently Mary was able to relive a particularly special college memory. In 1966 a group of students from Japan visited OU, and Mary stayed in the dorms with them. A few years ago, she made the cross-globe journey to visit those same students. “Forty years later and around the world I was connecting back up with them,” she said. “We stayed in their homes, and they showed me their country.” Out of 19 students who originally visited, Mary reconnected with 14 of them.
Another family member reconnecting with fellow Bobcats, Krin has made efforts to strengthen an alumni chapter in her hometown of Toronto. With the help of her husband, J.D. —another Ohio alum — Krin has corralled some alumni now residing up north. As her husband works closely with the university Alumni Association, the couple stay rather involved with the happenings around campus.
In August the family had a reunion, in which they educated the youngest members of the clan about Bobcat spirit. The Bobcat family tree reaches back to 1950, when Thomas Spencer, Krin’s great-uncle graduated from the university. “We’re hoping to recruit some of the next generation to continue the tradition,” says Mary.
The obvious pride and enthusiasm for their time at Ohio shines through the many members of the Baird/Goodwin group. Their lives pay tribute to their family’s rich history, and the perpetual power of a legacy.
— Gina Edwards
For a complete Baird/Goodwin family tree, follow this link.
Are you a fifth-generation legacy? The university would like to recognize those families that can trace their Ohio University history as far back as five generations. Send an e-mail to ohiotoday@ohio.edu.
The Devine family: An Ohio first
When then-freshman Wendy Weeden Devine, BSED ’74, signed up for Ohio University’s field hockey team in 1970, she was unaware of the legacy that she would one day create — a legacy that would change university history and impact her future children.
During her time at OU, Weeden developed her athletic prowess while earning university-wide and national recognition. Then in 1979 she received a surprise telegram informing her that she would be the first woman inducted into the university’s Athletic Hall of Fame, an accolade in which she still revels today.
“I don’t think the full magnitude hit me until WOUB and other radio stations started calling,” she says. “It was such a tremendous honor.”
After graduation Weeden spent a period of time away from campus. She married and had five kids, three of whom have attended Ohio.
One of those Bobcats is Meghan Devine, a senior studying French and public relations. While she is proud of the legacy her mother created, she hasn’t felt pressure to replicate her mother’s accomplishments. “I never felt like I had to follow in her footsteps, because you really can’t begin to compare to that,” she says.
Devine adds that having such strong ties to the university is a really unique experience. “I feel like we have a piece of OU that belongs to us,” she says.
Weeden describes her family’s legacy as both an honor and a privilege. She says that the experience of watching her children roam the same campus she once did is an extremely powerful emotion, akin to an awakening.
“Until you’re able to experience it, you can’t understand how powerful it is,” she says.
The Risaliti family: Scholar’s honors
Seldom can an incoming freshman say that she isn’t nervous about coming to college. Laura Risaliti, the first recipient of the Ohio University Alumni Association Legacy Scholarship, finds herself in this miniscule percentile thanks to her family’s long-standing ties to the university.
“I’ve heard all about it from siblings and parents,” she says. “They have told me about all the little things that not everyone knows.”
With three older siblings having attended the university, Laura was a regular at Sibs Weekend activities and has many fond memories of move-ins, move-outs and visits. She says that choosing to attend Ohio seemed obvious to her, as it already felt like her second home.
This homey feeling resonates throughout her family, as the Risaliti clan boasts nine proud attendees. Laura says that the common thread of their alma mater is a significant symbol for her family. “(My family) was so honored for me or excited that I put forth effort to get a scholarship,” Laura says.
As Laura mentally prepares to walk through College Gate this fall, she looks forward to all of the new friends and opportunities upon which she is about to embark. But what experience does she most “eagerly” await?
“I’m excited for sweating up Jeff Hill. I’ve heard that is fun.”
— Gina Edwards
Applications for the 2011-2012 Legacy Scholarship are due Feb. 1.
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