Ohio Veterans HOF Induction is Nov. 5
WAYNE COUNTY, OH, Oct. 22, 2020 — The Ohio Department of Veterans Services (ODVS), the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Executive Committee, and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Foundation will honor the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame 2020 Class during its annual Induction Ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 5, at 10 a.m. In lieu of a traditional public ceremony, this year’s event will be conducted virtually and will feature a compilation of individual recognitions of all 20 members of the class.
Due to safety measures in place during the current pandemic, ODVS reached out to all of the honorees and their families to determine the most meaningful way to safely present them with their Hall of Fame medals and plaques and to allow the newly inducted members to help share their stories before loved ones. During those recognitions, a video with congratulatory remarks by Governor Mike DeWine was shown, and ODVS Director Deborah Ashenhurst served as emcee. The ODVS staff recorded these memorable and very personal ceremonies, and highlights of those moments will be evident throughout the approximately hourlong induction program.
The unveiling of the official 2020 Hall of Fame Induction will occur online on both OhioVets.gov and the Ohio Channel website, OhioChannel.org. See below for details.
EVENT SCHEDULE:
2020 Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Inductee Ceremony
viewable at OhioVets.gov and OhioChannel.org
Thursday, November 5, 10:00 a.m.
The complete list of 2020 Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame Inductees follows:
Paul G. Butler, Navy, Clinton County
David W. Chilson*, Navy, Wood County
Richard D. Ellsworth, Army, Licking County
Timothy A. Espich, Army/OHARNG, Clark County
Kimberly D. Frisco, Air Force, Greene County
William C. Graybill, Army, Brown County
Glenn H. Grismere, Army, Warren County
Kenneth P. Jakubec, Marine Corps, Mahoning County
Thomas J. Jenks, Army, Cuyahoga County
James D. Kaster, Army, Cuyahoga County
Daniel R. Kirkpatrick, Air Force, Greene County
Babe Kwasniak, Army, Cuyahoga County
David C. Lange, Navy, Carroll County
Jane M. Lengel, Army/OHARNG, Franklin County
David G. Meyer, Ph.D., PE, Air Force, Montgomery County
Carolyn E. Nagy, Army, Lucas County
Connie Pillich, Air Force, Hamilton County
David M. Ridenour, Army, Wood County
James P. Schear, Navy, Stark County
Alan R. Wallace, Navy, Fairfield County
*Awarded posthumously
Bios for all 20 class members, additional information on the Hall of Fame and past inductees – able to be sorted by class, county, and alphabetically – can be found at OhioVets.gov.
The Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame was established in 1992 by former Gov. George Voinovich to recognize outstanding professional achievement, service to the community, and selfless acts of veterans following their military service. Charter members of the Hall’s Class of 1992 include the six Ohio military veterans elected President of the United States and all Medal of Honor recipients from Ohio. Honorees include astronauts, volunteers, community leaders, safety officers, veteran advocates, and former government officials.
The Class of 2020 was chosen from among 136 nominations. The inductees, who range in age from 44 to 95, span 16 different Ohio counties and four major branches of the United States Armed Forces – the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. This year’s class joins 895 Ohio veterans who have been inducted since inception and represent all eras, branches of service, and walks of life.
More information is available at OhioVets.gov, or you can contact our department at HallOfFame@dvs.ohio.gov.
Posted by By Dan Starcher, public communications specialist for the Wayne County government.
