St. John’s inducts 6th class to Hall of Fame

Published:  Tuesday, December 1, 2009 (3 months, 1 week ago)
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Staff reports

DELPHOS — Four St. John’s High School alumni were inducted into the sixth Hall of Fame class Sunday.
Inductees include:
Dr. Daniel L. Rode – Professional Achievement
The 2009 recipient of the Hall of Fame’s Professional Achievement remembers St. John’s as “a nicely competitive environment where one could strive to do one’s best academically.” And strive academically, he did.
Dr. Daniel L. Rode, Ph.D, graduated from St. John’s in 1960, earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from the University of Dayton in 1964, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Case Institute of Technology in 1966 and his doctoral degree in applied physics from Case Western-Reserve University in 1968.
Dr. Rode began work at Bell Telephone Laboratories as a member of the technical staff and two years later became supervisor of the group that built the first 100,000-hour reliable semiconductor lasers used in the first fiber-optic communications systems in Atlanta and Chicago.
He entered the world of academia in 1980 and is currently serving as a professor of electrical engineering and director of the Optoelectronics Research Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis. He has authored or co-authored more than a hundred books and scientific articles, and was the first to solve the Boltzmann Equation, which describes how electrons move around in semiconductor crystals used for electronics.
His knowledge and expertise has taken him around the world as a presenter at many prestigious universities. He has been a fully-funded visiting scientist and lecturer at the Max-Planck Institute for Solid-State Physics in Stuttgart, Germany, and served as an advisor to the United States Energy Research and Development Administration (now Department of Energy). He is also a founding member of the Executive Committee of the International Conference on Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing (“GaAs Mantech”) and served as the treasurer of GaAs Mantech for 18 years. He is also an advisor to the United States National Science Foundation.
Dr. Rode said his interest in science was piqued at St. John’s.
“DSJ exposed me to good teachers, especially Srs. Rosella and Leona,” he said. “One of my best memories was the time Lloyd Smith taught us how to use the acetylene torch! I have never lost my interest in chemistry and materials science since then.”

Bob Ulm — Service to Mankind
Someone meeting Robert J. “Bob” Ulm for the first time may wonder how much a man, blind since he was 9 months old, is able to do. After talking with the 1974 St. John’s graduate for about five minutes, that same person may wonder, “what can’t Bob do?” The answer to the latter question is “almost nothing,” and the 2009 recipient of the Service to Mankind has an extended list of accomplishments to prove it.
St. John’s offered Bob a place to learn at a time when most blind children were educated in a residential school in Columbus.
“The teachers and administrators at St. John’s gave me many opportunities to develop as a person and didn’t cut me any slack or give me any special treatment,” Bob said. “They forced me to do my best and challenged me to exceed what was expected.”
Bob went to work for WDOH radio in Delphos before he graduated and remains with the station today as news director and sales representative for WDOH and four other Maverick Media radio stations. He has utilized his career as a way to learn about the community and discover ways to make a difference.
“The legacy of service to others was a very important part of my years at St. John’s and those were lessons I have tried not to forget,” he said.
His drive to help others is tenacious. He’s been vital in the success of the American Cancer Society’s local Relay for Life, has led the campaign to purchase city lots for Habitat for Humanity homes, and helped with the relocation of the Delphos Postal Museum.
He has spoken to thousands of Delphos students through D.A.R.E. presentations, commencement speeches, service dog demonstrations and cancer survivor testimonials. He’s helped clean the Miami Erie Canal and emceed about every event in Delphos at least once. In his spare time he plays piano at the nursing homes and helps cub scouts learn the art of being a ham radio operator. He’s been roasted for charity, drenched with a fire hose solely for entertainment of others, and shaved bald on stage for a good cause. Few people in this city have been untouched by Bob’s service.
His vision of what Delphos can be led him to public office, and he has served as city council president for eight years. He believes in the goodness of his hometown and the people in it, and works diligently to do what’s best for its citizens.
He’s been named Man of the Year by the Delphos Herald and is a Jefferson Award winner.
Bob rarely forgets a name or a voice and has many memories of St. John’s.
“I fondly remember the sounds of voices of the numerous nuns and lay teachers who helped to shape me; Charles Geddert, my Braille teacher in first grade; the encouragement of my wrestling coach, Bob Marvin; the trips to away basketball games; helping with our senior class play with Kathy Hoffman (now Kathy Ulm); waiting word from some other announcer of a fog delay or snow cancellation; winning my first election as senior class president; pushing the limit as far as John Gunder would allow in TV programming class; hoping someone in algebra class would talk to themselves with the right answer to a problem; the smell of Spanish rice in the cafeteria; and running into the girls in the hallway (literally).

Denny Hickey – Service to St. John’s
Some volunteers remain behind the scenes, quietly making a difference without anyone knowing their name. Others, such as Denny Hickey, the 2009 Delphos St. John’s Hall of Fame Inductee for Service to St. John’s, would prefer to remain anonymous but come to the forefront simply by doing things in which they believe.
The contributions Denny has made to St. John’s are varied. He serves the parish as a communion distributor, lector and leader of Communion Services. He also has made a tremendous impact at school. He was instrumental in developing the first computer labs at school and is a former president of school council.
Music is an important part of Denny’s life and he has shared his passion with St. John’s in many ways. He played in the class play pit orchestra for many years and is a member of the alumni band. The high school choir and band benefit from Denny’s talent and treasure and he is the voice of the Blue Jay Marching Band at football games and fair shows.
Denny was instrumental in developing the first soccer teams in Delphos two decades ago and is still active as a referee for high school games.
No matter the need, the 1971 graduate is always willing to assist.
“I’m very honored by this nomination,” Denny said. “St. John’s keeps me involved and in touch with many other parishioners. I enjoy the contacts I have by being involved. I also enjoy being able to contribute to the education of all the students going through St. John’s today. By my service, I feel worth something.”
One of Denny’s nominators summarized him in this way: “Denny has the true spirit of God in him. He gives unselfishly of his time, money and friendship. He loves St. John’s more than anyone I know.”
His humility and passions are apparent in Denny’s fondest memory of St. John’s.
“My best memory was the 1997 State Championship football game. My son, Doug, was playing in the game. My daughter, Kristy, was playing in the band and I was in the booth announcing for the band. It was a great day.”

Mike Bendele — Achievement in the Arts
Vision becomes reality at the hands of Michael Bendele. The 2009 recipient of the St. John’s Hall of Fame award for accomplishment in the Arts is a nationally-known artist blacksmith with works in 49 states and 17 countries. He teaches metalsmithing techniques throughout the United States and has been published in numerous books and magazines.
Michael graduated from St. John’s in 1971 and Bowling Green State University in 1976. Within two years he was dedicated to the exploration of forged metal. He now works primarily with steel, copper and bronze, and is recognized for the organic forms he uses in lighting, sculpture and architectural metal work.
He was an independent artist located at Sauder Village, in Archbold, Ohio, from 1979 until 1997, remaining on in an advisory capacity until 2000.  While there, among many things, he designed and built a 2,300-pound chandelier for Founders Hall.
Michael is a longtime board member of Ohio Designer Craftsman, most recently serving as president. He is also a member of Southern Ohio Forge and Anvil and the Artist Blacksmith Association of North America (ABANA). In 2003, he was invited to participate in a focus group that studied a proposed Ohio Center for the Arts, and in 2006, he was asked to lead a team of blacksmiths to design and assemble the ABANA Conference Ring Project in Seattle, Washington.
Some of Michael’s commissions include: Stations of the Cross for the Mary Crest Chapel at the University of Dayton; Stations and other appointments for the Dominican Sisters of Peace in Columbus; a garden bench for the Ohio Governor’s Residence; the Great Doors, baptismal font, dedication crosses, and candle holders for Delphos St. John’s; sculptures for former Cleveland Indians pitcher Dave Burba and Javier Lopez of the Atlanta Braves; and railings, arbor, and chandeliers for Robert Lutz, vice chairman of General Motors.
Many of Michael’s works are on display far from Delphos, but he still lives and creates his work in his hometown and maintains that Blue Jay spirit.
“St. John’s simply became a part of who I am,” he said. “I believe beyond the content of the curriculum, St. John’s does in fact attempt to provide its students a foundation for what it means to be fair minded and decent people.”

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