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President's Letter |
Piatek Angles His Way to Victory
Joel Piatek, (B’95) of Harsen’s Island, Mich., beat out thousands of hopefuls to win his own one-time fishing show on The Outdoor Channel. “I really owe it to my friends and family for encouraging me to audition and doing such a tremendous job at getting the word out,” said Piatek, whose fans urged supporters to cast their vote for the sales-account executive and passionate fisherman. Piatek was introduced to ice fishing at the tender age of 4. Today, he prefers the abundant variety of freshwater fish in Lake St. Clair. To find contestants, two “Motor Moose” teams made stops at festivals, expositions and community celebrations. Each contestant stepped up to a microphone and camera, told a personal fishing story and explained why they would make a good fishing show host. On his audition tape, recorded during the 2005 Woodward Dream Cruise, Piatek explained his plan to take viewers on an all-day “Freshwater Triple Crown” expedition an idea he said would illustrate the different types of fishing to be done on Lake St. Clair. Piatek became a semi-finalist based on his video, which was then posted on www.outdoorchannel.com, where viewers rated it and others. At the end of the season, five finalists competed for the grand prize, with Piatek coming out on top. His show had its world premier this past September at a gala viewing party in conjunction with a National Hunting & Fishing Day event in Detoit. Piatek told the Detroit Free Press that he went to Ferris because he “could hunt deer and turkeys 10 minutes from town, and it was only a short trip over to the Pere Marquette to fish for steelhead. My dad once told me, ‘You’re not fooling me. I know you’re majoring in steelhead fishing and goose hunting.’ I loved going to school there.” Is there a future in front of the camera for Piatek? Who knows - a producer saw the job the 2004 winner did and hired her as a full-time outdoor show host. Wheelchair Athlete Honored
The United States Tennis Association has honored Curt Bender (T’06) and his wife, Lynn, for their work in wheelchair tennis. Bender picked up the game in 1992 thanks to a friend who got him hooked on the sport. “I never thought about wheelchair tennis,” Bender says. “But after I tried the sport, I liked it - soon after, I started playing competitively.” Bender was paralyzed from the ribcage down after an automobile accident in 1989. “I’m really thankful to be alive,” he says. Bender says Lynn is his biggest supporter. “We met playing at a tournament. She is my mixed doubles partner, and we have a really good relationship both on and off the court,” says Bender. Wheelchair doubles is just like any other tennis match. The only different rule is that players are allowed two bounces. In August of 2005, Bender played an “up-down” exhibition doubles match with fellow wheelchair athlete Dan Bolhouse and tennis greats Taylor Dent and Mark Philippoussis at the RX Optical/National City USTA Boys Nationals Exhibition in Kalamazoo in front of more than 3,500 fans. The Benders have championed the “up-down” format of pairing able-bodied and wheelchair players through the Grand Rapids Wheel Chair Sports Association tennis team, which has a winter league and several of the players compete in USTA sanctioned tournaments across the country. Material from Ferris’ student newspaper The Torch, is included in this article. Woodring Defends Her Tour de Leelanau Title
Former Ferris cross country and track standout Mackenzie Woodring (T’00) successfully defended both her individual and team titles at the second annual Tour de Leelanau bicycle road race in Michigan’s scenic Leelanau peninsula. Woodring completed the women’s 66-mile-long course in winning fashion last Sept. 16 after overcoming a number of obstacles both physical and emotional to claim her second title. In May of 2006, a cycling accident left her with a fractured spine and multiple broken bones in one hand. A month later her sister, Sunshine, died of complications from a fall. Woodring’s first-place individual finish also led the way for the Priority Health Cycling team in the event. The United States Cycling Federation-sanctioned Tour de Leelanau is Michigan’s biggest cycling race. The race began near the town of Glen Arbor and ended near Peshawbestown next to Leelenau Sands Casino, which sponsored the event. The peninsula’s terrain makes for European-style turns along a course that provides for 4,000 feet of climbing. More information is available at www.tourdeleelanau.com. Photo courtesy of Tour de Leelanau
Letter From (and to) China
Ferris State University provided the start to my chemistry career, which recently took me to China. I completed my Industrial Chemistry degree and Applied Mathematics Degree more than 20 years ago. I have worked at Dow Corning Corporation since then, and also finished my master’s degree in chemistry. My chemistry degree supports my position as a global transportation expert. In that capacity, I oversee transportation reviews that incorporate the physical/chemical hazards of a material and the regulations determining what label and package must be used and what information must appear on the Safety Data Sheet and the Shipping Papers. Dow Corning Corporation’s transportation compliance is a global team with daily communications between far-flung areas. Their strong commitment to regulatory compliance took me to China to train new Dow Corning colleagues there. I spent two weeks in Shanghai lecturing and providing guidance, and returned extraordinarily impressed with the commitment and professionalism I encountered. On a personal level, everyone was very friendly. In the marketplaces of Shanghai, bargaining is still an art and everything is custom-made. Several pearl necklaces I bought were strung while I waited! Despite the incredible interaction of cars, bicycles and motor bikes that Americans so often see on television, I never once witnessed an accident. It is an amazing culture. “Xie Xie,” (Thank-you!) for the wonderful experience. Bartow Adds a World Series Championship to Resume
Brian Bartow (B ’85) reached a career milestone last fall in his role as director of media relations for the St. Louis Cardinals. Bartow and the Cardinals won the World Series title over the Detroit Tigers by a 4-1 margin, winning the last three games in St. Louis to wrap up the team’s first World Series championship since 1982. Bartow was a student assistant in Ferris State’s sports information office for two years as an undergraduate and served as the statistician and public address announcer for Bulldog baseball while working toward his bachelor’s in Public Relations. The Battle Creek native first joined the Cardinals as an intern in 1985 and is highly respected in major league baseball circles for his professional touch and personable style. |
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