Ronald S. Cohen
1954

While Ronald Cohen was at Jefferson High School , he was a three-year member of the Jefferson baseball team and played on the Lafayette American Legion state championship teams of 1953 and 1954. He was Salutatorian of the Class of 1954. Upon graduation Ronald enrolled at Indiana University – Bloomington , where he graduated in 1958 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in business with honors and a major in accounting.

Ronald joined the CPA firm of Crowe, Chizek & Company in South Bend upon graduation from Indiana University . Ronald practiced as a CPA with Crowe, Chizek his entire 45-year career except for a brief stint with the U.S. Army artillery. At his retirement in 2003, the firm had grown to be the eighth largest CPA firm in the country. He served for 12 years as the CEO of the firm and six years as Chairman of its Executive Committee. Subsequent to his retirement from the firm, Ronald continued to act as an arbitrator and expert witness in complex commercial disputes.

Ronald was active in professional accounting organizations and served for seven years on the Board of Directors of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, including a year as its Chairman. In 2006, he was awarded the Institute's Gold Medal for Distinguished Service, the highest award granted by the Institute. In addition, Ronald served on the Executive Council of Horwath International, a worldwide association of CPA firms, for 16 years. Seven of those years, he was Chairman and on the Board of Directors of the International Federation of Accountants as the U.S. Representative.


Richard M. Rea
1977

While at Jefferson High School, Richard was in the Marching Band, Symphonic Band, Boys Glee Club Choir, Acapella Choir (president his senior year), musicals, Male Jazz Quartet, soloist for Christmas show and Senior Vespers convocation, Theatre Crew, swim team manager (received varsity letter and conference champion patch and jacket), J-Club, Broncho Broadcasters, and sports director. He broadcast all home varsity and junior varsity football and basketball games and did stringer reports of Jeff games for WLFI-TV 18 Friday night sports. He was awarded a PTA scholarship.

Richard attended Butler University earning his Bachelor of Science in radio and television in 1981. While at Butler , Richard served as Sports Director for WAJC doing play-by-play of the 1980 NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four hosted by Butler at Market Square Arena in Indianapolis. Prior to that assignment Richard was already working at commercial radio stations in Lafayette and Indianapolis.

Richard made the jump to television as a student intern at WISH-TV, in the fall of 1980. While at WISH, he reported, anchored, and administered a sports department which doubled from four to eight members during his tenure. He also earned numerous awards for his reporting from the Associated Press, United Press International, and Indianapolis Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. His work also received two local Emmy nominations. Richard has traveled to numerous sporting venues nationally covering IU, Purdue, Pacers, and Colts games. Richard helped launch Indy's first regular Saturday and Sunday night expanded sports programs at WISH as a producer and anchor. He also produced and hosted several sports specials dedicated to coverage of motor sports and the 1991 PGA Championship.

Richard moved to WTHR in 1998. With Richard as the Sports Executive Producer, the expanded Sunday night show quickly moved over the top as the show of record for sports hungry fans. Richard recently celebrated 25 consecutive years in the local TV news business, a milestone surpassed only by Indy sports legends Tom Carnegie and Don Hein.

In November 2006 Richard accepted a position as Director of Communications at Methodist Sports Medicine Center , central Indiana 's original and most experienced sports medicine practice. He has served as emcee of the Indy 500 Last Row Party, Indiana Fellowship of Christian Athletes awards dinner, Butler University Spring Sports banquet, Lafayette Jefferson High School's Build the Future campaign, and the Possibility Network luncheon series featuring former NBA great Isiah Thomas.


Glenn S. Richie
1982

While at Jefferson , Glenn was named team captain or co-captain eight times and earned six Most Valuable Player awards. He had four state finalist appearances in cross country and track and field, three 800m conference and sectional championships, and two city 800 championships. He was a starter on the Jeff basketball team that won two sectional and regional championships and received the Jill Burnhart scholarship award for excellence. Throughout his athletic career, Glenn was a multi-sport phenomonen, earning nine varsity letters in cross country, basketball, and track and field.

Immediately after competing in the Indiana State High School Track and Field Championships, he shipped to Army basic training. While at basic training, he was awarded the Commanding General's Award for Military Excellence, the Trainee of the Cycle Award. After basic training, Glenn attended Indiana State University on a track scholarship where he was an 800m indoor champion and seven-time indoor and outdoor conference finalist. While at ISU, Glenn served as team captain for three years. The highlight of Glenn's career came in 1986 when he raced the 500m in the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis . During his freshman year, he enrolled in the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology ROTC program as one of 30 freshmen. In May 1984, age 19, he was the only cadet of the 30 to complete the program and receive an early commission. Glenn has served our nation for over 25 years and is still on active duty. Those 25 years included a combat tour during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm and a variety of other command staff positions.

Glenn is a graduate of the Joint Professional Military Education School, the Air Command and Staff College, USAREC Commander's Course, the Field Artillery Captains Advance Course, TACFIRE School, Maintenance Officer Course, Airborne School and the Field Artillery Basic Course.

He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Indiana State University and his Master's degree in computer resources and information management from Webster University .

His military awards and decorations include: Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, and National Defense Service Medal with star, Southwest Asia Service Medal with star, and the Parachutist Badge.

In December 2002, Glenn was promoted to Lt. Colonel and was selected to command the largest geographic recruiting battalion in the United States . His recruiting area covers 46,000 square miles throughout New York , Massachusetts , Vermont , Connecticut , and all of Europe.


D. Richard Smith
1949

While at Jefferson High School , Richard played timpani in the Jeff Band and Orchestra. Also, while at Jeff, he played timpani with the new Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. Richard participated in the Red and Black Review and served as the cymbal player in the Bernard McAdams Marching Band. He was in the senior class play and was active in the Hi-Y. Upon graduation, Richard attended Purdue where Al Stewart named him tenor soloist with Purdue Varsity Glee Club. When he was 11 years old Mr. Stewart used him as tenor soloist in the annual Christmas Convocation. At Purdue, he majored in social studies education. Richard was given the Purdue Musical Organization's “Outstanding Graduate” award as he completed his B. S. degree in 1953.

While serving in the U. S. Army he organized an army chorus and entertainment group that performed on television and sang at the premier of the movie, “The Long Gray Line.” The chorus also traveled to Purdue where it performed at the Elliott Hall of Music under the auspices of the Purdue Glee Club. Richard was awarded the Army Commendation Medal upon his release from active duty. He spent the following year as assistant to the Director of Purdue Musical Organization before entering the Purdue graduate school majoring in speech/communication.

After completing his doctorate at Purdue, Richard taught communication at Albion College . In 1962 he was recruited by Purdue to serve as the number two administrator at the Purdue Fort Wayne campus. In 1965 he was promoted to Dean and Director of the campus serving five years before moving to the office of Regional Campus Administration at Purdue's West Lafayette campus. He was then promoted to Assistant to the Vice President for Regional Campus Administration.

While serving in Regional Campus Administration, he assisted with administration of regional campuses, developed policies for the administration of IUPUI ( Indianapolis ), and assisted in the development of the Indiana Higher Education Telecommunication System (IHETS). Later he served as Assistant to the Provost, Felix Haas, and was then promoted to the Office of International Programs where he helped develop and supervise Purdue's Overseas Development Programs and the junior year abroad.

He worked in Cairo , Egypt negotiating Purdue's contract for a major nutrition study done with Ministry of Health. He also spent time in Mexico and three months in the People's Republic of China setting up exchange agreements.

Since his retirement he serves as a Docent at the New Mexico History Museum (Palace of the Governors) and at the Santa Fe Opera. He also continues to perform on the timpani with the Santa Fe Symphony, the Canticum Novum Chorus and Orchestra, the Los Alamos Philharmonic, and the Santa Fe Concert Band. He also visits two to four college and university campuses a year chairing accreditation teams.


Jack L. Walkey
1964

While attending Jefferson High School , Jack was involved in Spanish Club, Student Council, Key Club, J-Club, football, basketball, baseball, and was a library assistant. Jack was starting guard on Jefferson 's 1964 State Basketball Championship team. Jack attended Ohio State University on a full basketball scholarship playing on the basketball team for all three years and was named a Scholar-Athlete. Jack graduated from Ohio State University in 1968 with a degree in business administration with a major in marketing. While attending Ohio State, he participated in the Army ROTC program, was selected to Scabbard and Blade and Mershon Honorary, and upon graduation, was named a Distinguished Military graduate and commissioned a 2 nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. With a deferment from the U.S. Army to attend law school, Jack then attended the Indiana University School of Law. Upon graduation from law school in 1971, he joined what is now the Ball Eggleston law firm in Lafayette.

Jack's practice is devoted almost exclusively to estate planning, trusts, estate administration, and real estate (including tax-deferred exchanges.) He is a member of the Tippecanoe County , Indiana State (Probate, Trust and Real Property, and Taxation sections), and American Bar Associations (member of Real Property, Probate and Trust Law, and Taxation sections).

Jack is a frequent speaker on estate and tax planning, trusts, and real estate subjects. He has been a contributing author, speaker, chair, and co-chair at numerous Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum seminars for Indiana lawyers on real estate and estate planning topics. He has been an instructor for the Indiana Banking Association to local bank employees on topics of banking law.

He is the author of Real Estate Primer, a popular form book and guide for Indiana lawyers published by the Indiana Continuing Legal Education Forum. He is also past president of the Estate Planning Council of Greater Lafayette and a past president of the Tippecanoe County Bar Association. Jack holds the highest rating (AV) in the Martindale Hubbell director of lawyers and was recently named an Indiana “Super Lawyer” in the area of Estate Planning and Probate Administration.

Jack is presently serving on the City of Lafayette Police Civil Service Commission (past president) and has previously served on the Lafayette City Council. He also served on the Board of Directors for The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette, Tippecanoe County Chapter of the American Heart Association (past president), Lyn Treece Boys Club, YMCA, and the Jefferson High School Booster Club (past president). He was a charter member of the board and is now a life member of Jeff's Golden Broncho Club (past president). He also served on the Lafayette School Corporation's Task Force on Declining Enrollment.