The Eastwood Alumni Association will be inducting three alumni into Eastwood’s Eagle Way Hall of Fame.
The Eastwood Alumni Association is a non-profit organization that exists for charitable and educational purposes. The purpose of the EAA is to promote the education process and environment in the Eastwood School District and to establish an alumni database. The association is also to honor distinguished alumni and citizens of the community.
The three new inductees for 2022 are Dr. Jim Kurfess, Dr. Kreig Spahn and Dr. Ted Bowlus. Since an awards ceremony was not held for the 2021 class recipients – James Opelt, Dr. Michelle Kahlenberg, Bob Frobose Family, and Jim Welling, they will also be honored on Sept. 24, at Eastwood High School.
The evening honorees will be presented with plaques beginning at 6:30 pm. For those interested in attending, more information is on the Eastwood Alumni website: www.eastwoodschools.org/Content2/118.
Following are details about this year’s inductees:
Dr. James D. Kurfess
Dr. James D. Kurfess graduated from Troy-Luckey in 1958 where he excelled in academics and athletics. As a student, he was on the IQ Team, National Honor Society, Basketball, Football, Student Council (Sr.-V.P.), Band, Trojan Yearbook Staff. As a senior, Jim was voted “Most Studious.” Jim was born and raised on the family farm on Dowling Road with his parents John and Margaret and siblings Nancy, Charles, and John.
Following his high school graduation, Jim was awarded a full tuition scholarship to Case Institute of Technology (CIT) in Cleveland, Ohio. He received a BS degree in Physics in 1962; an MS degree in Nuclear Physics in 1963; and was awarded a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics in 1967. In 1967, Jim joined Rice University as a Research Associate and worked on many of the pioneering gamma-ray observations from high altitude balloons.
Jim enjoyed piloting small aircraft and maintained a lifelong passion for sports. His love of sports began as a football and basketball player for Troy-Luckey and continued into his college and adult life. Jim was a guard on the Case Institute of Technology basketball team throughout his undergraduate years and played basketball into his 50s on the team at the Naval Research Laboratory. He also played league tennis and golf well into his 60s. Jim ran in the Marine Corps Marathon each year from 2008 through 2011 until his illness prevented continued participation. The family dog, Russell, served as Jim’s running partner and trainer for the marathons.
Dr. Kurfess was an internationally recognized authority in high-energy astrophysics research with the development of gamma-ray instruments. His scientific career of 40 years was with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), NASA’s Space Science Division. In this capacity, Jim led the NRL team in making significant contributions to the Department of Defense and NASA space missions to understand the high energy radiation environment and the physics of the astrophysical sources of these emissions. In 1978, Jim was selected to be the Principal Investigator of the Oriented Scintillation Spectrometer Experiment (OSSE), one of the experiments to be placed on one of NASA’s great observatories, the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. At the time, this observatory was the largest scientific spacecraft ever developed by NASA.
The Gamma Ray Observatory was launched on the space shuttle Atlantis on April 7, 1991, and redefined the understanding of the gamma-ray universe. In its nine years of operations, OSSE made important contributions to a variety of topics, including the energy spectrum of nuclear lines in solar flares, the radioactive decay of nuclei in supernova remnants, the signature of matter-antimatter (electron-positron) annihilation in the Galactic center region, and the characteristics of high-energy radiation from black holes of all sizes – from galactic, few solar mass black holes to those massive black holes in the core of active galactic nuclei.
As an authority in high-energy astrophysics research, Kurfess was continually searching for new detector materials or measurement techniques that would probe more deeply into the gamma-ray universe. This research resulted in three patents and a publication record of over 180 articles. As a researcher, he was always open to new ideas and a strong mentor to his scientific and engineering staff. He also served his profession as a long-time member of the American Astronomical Society, the American Physical Society (where he was selected as a Fellow), the International Astronomical Union, and the Institute of Electric and Electronic Engineers. He served on numerous committees for the Department of Defense and civilian agencies, including NASA and the National Academy of Sciences.
Jim passed away in October of 2015. He is survived by his wife Mary Deffley; children Victoria and Christopher, stepson John Skaggs; and three grandchildren. Although his career took him away from the farmland of Wood County, he was always quick to share his stories and remembrance of growing up on a farm as well as his time at Troy-Luckey.
Dr. Kreig Spahn
Dr. Kreig Spahn was an outstanding 1982 Eastwood and 1986 Kenyon College scholar-athlete graduate, earning several academic/athletic awards. He graduated with honors in 1990 from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine. For over 30 years, Dr. Spahn has been a well-respected family physician by both his associates and patients, generously sharing his skills and expertise for community service.
Kreig married Beth Behun and together they raised their five children, in which two were adopted from Tanzania. Kreig and Beth currently have three grandchildren. Kreig was born in Luckey in 1964 to Tony and Janice (Siek) Spahn, both were Eastwood graduates. Tony was also a stellar athlete in football at Troy-Luckey.
During his years as a student at Eastwood, Kreig was Class President (freshman and senior years), in National Honor Society and Fellowship of Christian Athletics. Kreig graduated valedictorian in his Eastwood class with 4.0468. This was the highest GPA at that time, before going over 4.0 was possible. Math teacher, Miss Helen Rolfes had said that “Kreig was one of the brightest students she had ever taught.”
Kreig had 10 varsity sport letters at Eastwood in football, basketball and baseball. He was All League 2nd Team (junior and senior) in football and baseball; All League Honorable mention in basketball and baseball plus received All District Honorable in basketball. He is named seven times in the overall current Eastwood football stats. Varsity Magazine named him “National High School Scholar Athlete” Runner-up his senior year (1981-82). He also was named a National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete in 1981.
Kreig’s education continued at Kenyon College with a BA with double majors in Math and Biology. He was also an outstanding athlete earning 10 varsity sport letters at Kenyon in football, basketball and baseball. He received all conference honorable mention in football punter (averaged 36.1 yards per punt) and all conference in baseball with .333 career batting average and held home run records. His other awards included: College Academic All-American, 1985; Merit List Scholar; All North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC), 1984 and 1985; Team Offensive Back MVP, 1985; and Team Baseball Captain, 1986. The National Strength Coaches Assoc. (NSCA) named him an All-American Weightlifter. Kreig could bench press 344 pounds and power lift 1369 pounds. He was a graduate assistant football coach In 1986.
During Spahn’s years at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, he was a member of Sigma Sigma Phi, a national Osteopathic Honorary Society. His medical career includes: Chief Resident during his last year (1992-1993) of residency at Akron General Medical Center; had a 22 year medical practice in Cochranton, Pennsylvania; Medical Director of Beverly Healthcare (a nursing home) Meadville, Pennsylvania, 1994 -2010. Kreig was a Neonatal Resuscitation Program Provider, 1997-2004. Since 2016, he has had a medical practice at Table Rock Family Medicine in Glen Alpine, North Carolina, plus is a school physician for Freedom High School and a member of their Sports Medicine Committee. Kreig is also certified for Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers Program, 1997 – present. He was winner of True North Award for patient experience in 2018.
Some of Kreig’s community coaching includes being an Assistant Varsity Football Coach at Cochranton High School, 15 yrs.; head Middle School Football Coach at Franklin Middle School, 3 years; T-ball coach for Cochranton Youth League, 1998-2000; softball coach and assistant baseball coach, 2001; Farm League baseball coach, spring 2002; Vice President of CYL, 2001-2002. He was a volunteer youth soccer coach for Meadville YMCA, ages 6-8, fall 2000.
Three times (2004, 2006, 2007), Kreig went on Medical Mission Trips as an Aide Physician for Nyakahanga Hospital, Karagwe, Tanzania, East Africa. Kreig is a member of Calvary Lutheran Church (Morganton, North Carolina), in which he has served on Church Council, 2018 -2020; serving vice president in 2018 and president, 2019-2020. He served on the Board at Community Health Services, Meadville, Pennsylvania, 1994 -1998. Kreig was Director of Physicians Division of the Meadville United Way Fund October, 1995 -1997.
With the love of sports, Kreig also served in leadership roles as: Board member, Friendship Thru Football, Inc., 1996 – 1998, serving as team physician during the trip to Moscow, Russia, in June, 1997; a board member of Meadville YMCA, 1996-1998; and a board member of Meadville Area Little Gridders, 1997-2003, serving as secretary, 1998-2000.
Kreig has also run 33 marathons and 10 50-mile ultramarathons.
Dr. Ted Bowlus
A lifelong resident of Wood County, Dr. Ted Bowlus graduated from Eastwood High School in 1967. After high school, Ted received a 4-year football scholarship from Western Michigan University, where he majored in pre-med with minors in chemistry and geology. He then attended Kent State University College of Podiatric Medicine from 1972 to 1976 and graduated with honors, followed by a post-graduate residency position in general medicine, emergency medicine and podiatric surgery. After completing his residency Bowlus established a private podiatric practice in Toledo which he later moved to Perrysburg, where he continues to offer foot and ankle care to his patients in both an office and a hospital setting.
While continuing in his private practice, Bowlus was awarded a full tuition scholarship at the Medical College of Ohio (now University of Toledo College of Medicine) in 1993. He graduated in 1998 with a master’s degree in Neuroscience and Anatomy. While earning his master’s degree, Ted was the lead researcher/author in Neuroscience Neuroplasticity and co-authored many published peer-reviewed journal articles in that field of medicine. During his time in podiatric practice, Bowlus has published journal articles about various foot deformities and surgical procedures. Also, after receiving his master’s degree, Ted taught neuroscience to graduate students at the University of Findlay for several years.
Bowlus has been a volunteer member of the Midwest Medical Mission team for many for more than a decade. As part of that group of dedicated volunteer doctors, nurses, and other caregivers, he has traveled to various foreign countries to serve people who would otherwise not have access to adequate medical care. For example, while in the Dominican Republic and Haiti he successfully devised, out of necessity, a single stage severe clubfoot correction that can be used in a third world country in lieu of amputation. Bowlus was also instrumental in bringing several young people to the United States where, with the help of the Sisters of Mercy at St. Charles Hospital in Oregon, Ohio, he was able to perform successful surgeries that would have been impossible to perform in their home countries.
Throughout his adult life, in addition to his medical practice, Ted has demonstrated a deep commitment to Wood County, and he has a longstanding history of serving Wood County in various capacities. Those include being a member of the board of Behavioral Connections (now Harbor), as well as a member and past president of both the Wood County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) and the Wood County Board of Health (1992-2012).
He was then elected to the Eastwood Board of Education, where he served from 2012 to 2016. Dr. Bowlus was elected as a Wood County Commissioner in 2016 and was re-elected to a second term in that office in 2020. He continues to serve to the present time as a commissioner, where he makes the physical, mental, and economic health and welfare of Wood County citizens his top priority.
In addition to his other responsibilities to Wood County and his patients, Ted is also committed to his family which includes his wife Lois, six children, two stepchildren, and four grandchildren. He gives much credit to Lois and his other family members for helping him to achieve his accomplishments.
