By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Six local difference makers were celebrated Sunday when the Wood County Commissioners presented the 2024 Spirit of Wood County Awards.
This year’s winners introduced the world of showing livestock to individuals with developmental disabilities, helped ensure Bowling Green’s downtown business district stayed strong, and stepped in to fill voids in the Perrysburg community. Others provided leadership in the county administration, education sector, and liberty through law and the courts.
“The awards were established to recognize citizens at the local level whose daily actions embody the principles set forth in the Northwest Ordinance, which established Ohio,” said Bowling Green State University President Rodney Rogers. “Their contributions to their communities make it such a great community.”
Agricultural leadership: Amanda Barndt
Sara Burrell of Pemberville loved the experience of showing a beef feeder at the 2024 Ring of Dreams Livestock Show. She and her parents, Brian and Kay Burrell, nominated Amanda Barndt for the agricultural leadership award as thanks for bringing the show to the Wood County Fair.
The show, which Barndt started in Wood County in 2023, gives individuals with developmental disabilities the opportunity to work with a 4-H or FFA member to show a pig, rabbit, goat, sheep, or beef feeder in the special livestock show.
Kay Burrell said the Ring of Dreams provides “maybe a once-in-a-lifetime experience” for individuals who are rarely around animals.” They also build teamwork skills and friendships by working with 4-H or FFA members to learn how to show the animals.
“Amanda Barndt’s leadership has initiated an excellent show that exhibited an inclusive environment for participants,” she said. “Her initiative has also embodied the spirit of kids helping kids that may never had an opportunity to show an animal at the fair. Our family appreciated the experience for our daughter.”
Barndt told the audience, she was honored for receiving the award, especially when she saw the list of previous winners.
Ring of Dreams started as an idea in 2022 after she had seen a similar event at the Henry County Fair. She sought buy-in from the Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities, the Wood County Fair Board and a group of sponsors for the first year in 2023.
“We were off and running with 42 participants the first year and 54 this year, with 45 mentors. It continues to grow,” Barndt said. Next year is already in the works for July 31 at the Wood County Fair.
Education for Civic Responsibility: Randy L. Gardner
Randy Gardner of Bowling Green received the Education for Civic Responsibility award after being nominated by Rodney Rogers.
Rogers praised Gardner for his longtime leadership in education and his work in and for our educational system that has helped form responsible citizens.
Though he started as a teacher in the Otsego School District, most of his service to education has been as a state legislator. “For 33 years, he has represented Wood County and northwest Ohio in the House of Representatives and Ohio Senate. During his tenure, Randy amassed 10,433 consecutive roll call votes, never missing a vote,” Rogers said.
As chair of the Ohio Senate Finance Subcommittee on Higher Education, he was an advocate for enhanced state support of public education to ensure the success of students and to make higher education more affordable.
In 2019, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education, where he ushered in a series of successes including additional dollars for two and four-year institutions to invest in relevant and meaningful academic programs and an 84% increase in funding for the Ohio College Opportunity Grant Program.
“Randy has absolutely made Ohio a better place to learn, live and work,” Rogers said. “He has taken his passion for education from the classroom to the statehouse where he consistently supported the value of lifelong learning for our economy and democracy.”
“It’s intimidating to see who has won these awards,” Gardner said in accepting the award. He tries to follow the advice of Jim Tressel, former Ohio State University football coach and former president of Youngstown State University, to wake up every day with an attitude of gratitude and to look for ways to help others. “I’ve tried to live like that,” he said, acknowledging how grateful he was that his mother, granddaughter, other family members and friends were present for the ceremony.
Industrial/Economic Development: Floyd D. Craft
Gaylyn Finn of Bowling Green introduced longtime friend and businessman Floyd Craft as this year’s Industrial/Economic Development recipient for playing a direct role in fostering the business climate in Bowling Green.
After a 20-year career with W.T. Grant company, Craft selected Bowling Green as the location to start his own business in 1976, Finn said. He started Ben Franklin’s in the former Woolworth store.
“Since that time, he has played a major role in organizing the downtown merchants in proactive actions that benefit the merchants and the downtown in general,” he said. As a founding trustee of the Bowling Green Special Improvement District, Craft has improved the look of the downtown and made BG stand out as a premier county seat.
In conjunction with Dick Newlove, Craft has purchased vacant buildings and helped find tenants to keep the downtown storefronts filled,” Finn added. He also was instrumental in starting the Black Swamp Arts Festival and worked to ensure the festival would see a second year after a rained-out first year.
Craft said he chose Bowling Green to start a Ben Franklin’s store after visiting the town and talking to local residents and business owners. “The thing that made me interested in Bowling Green was the university,” he said. “I thought it was a good fit.”
He also was happy to see plans for building a parking lot behind the Main Street stores was a positive. “Having accessible parking really encouraged me to select Bowling Green,” he said, “And I never regretted it. It’s a beautiful community.”
Liberty Through Law/Human Freedom: Alan Mayberry
Nominator Matthew Reger, Wood. County Common Pleas judge, said when he was elected, Alan Mayberry welcomed him to the county courts and was kind and generous.
Mayberry, who retired to Florida with his wife, Lisa, spent 40 years in the Wood County legal system, first as a prosecuting attorney for Bowling Green and then as an assistant prosecuting attorney for Wood County, under the leadership of Betty Montgomery.
When she was elected to the Ohio Senate, Mayberry was appointed county prosecutor and served in that role until he was elected Wood County Common Pleas Judge. He served in that role from 2003 until he retired in December 2020.
According to Reger, Mayberry prosecuted 23 murder cases as a prosecutor and handled thousands of other cases, “honing his style and technique and becoming one of the best litigators in northwest Ohio.”
Though he gained the reputation of being “Maximum Mayberry,” Reger said “Alan was fair minded in everything he approached.” He also was “a wonderful example of a person dedicated to family while meeting the demands of a very important position.”
“It was great working with so many administrators when I first walked into the county court hours in 1980, working with Betty,” Mayberry said, He admitted following in the footsteps of Montgomery and Charles Kurfess was not easy, “but it wasn’t work if you enjoyed what you were doing. It was always a pleasure.”
Self-Government: Andrew Kalmar
Andrew Kalmar came from Troy, Ohio, to Bowling Green as a student at BGSU and never left, said Wood County Auditor Matthew Oestreich, who nominated Kalmar for the award that is given for exemplary service to the people through government.
From 1989 to 2000, he was director of the Wood County Park District and was then hired as Wood County Administrator to replace former administrator Dick Edwards.
Oestreich said Wood County Commissioner Doris Herringshaw “appreciated his consistent, steady leadership and ability to develop collaboration and cooperation across the county with professionalism,” as well as his patience and respect for others that created a calm environment in stressful situations.
He was credited for significant economic development and key improvements to county facilities. “Through his leadership, he led the county through uncharted waters of the health pandemic and helped the county maintain an adequate cash balance and respectable bond ratings,” Oestreich said.
“I’ve been a part of this presentation since 1989 when I was at the park district,” Kalmar said. “Who knew 35 years later I would be recognized with one of these awards?”
He praised the “extraordinary people” he got to work with over the years including previous and current county commissioners, county department employees and citizens of Wood County.
“Wood County government works well because it is led by extraordinary people and filled with extraordinary people,” Kalmar said. “Wood County is a great place to live because it is filled with extraordinary people.”
Lyle R. Fletcher Good Citizenship: Rick Ruffner
Rick Ruffner epitomizes the pioneer spirit of American citizenship who has a concern for his neighbor’s welfare, though his activities often go unrecognized, said his nominator Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn.
He has a long history of being involved in his communities, but Wasylyshyn focused on what he has done since coming to Perrysburg and opening O-Deer Diner 14 years ago. In addition to starting a weekly car show from May through October that features up to 600 cars, Ruffner has raised more than $40,000 to benefit the Perrysburg After Prom.
“He sets up everything for the car show, and asks local businesses to donate gift cards that are handed out to ticket holders every 10 to 15 minutes during the car show,” Wasylyshyn said.
He also helped organize a Veterans Day Parade, started a Christmas parade and gives free ice cream cones to the summer reading program and safety town participants each year.
“When there’s a void, he steps up and does what needs to be done,” he said.
“I feel blessed to have been born and raised in Wood County,” Ruffner said. “I wouldn’t be here if not for my wife, who has stood by me and supported me all these years. We have such a partnership.”
He praised the educators and leaders of Wood County who have set the standards. “I feel fortunate for everyone I’ve met through the years,” he said. “Thank you for the award. I’m pleased to be among those honored today.”
