Dave Scheiber: "Bulls Tales" and USF Magazine
A click on any title below will take you to the full story.
It meant a lot to me to bring this story to the attention of our USF community and the public at large. It's about an incredible young man named Mike Radomski whose life ended far too soon. The USF assistant sports information director was known for his outgoing personality, passion for USF Athletics and an optimistic spirit that touched everyone in his path. Tragically, Mike was killed in a car crash last fall after staying to work late at work. Stunned co-workers soon found a fitting way to memorialize Mike with a special scholarship in his name. Here's the story of how he made a difference in the world – and how his "Live Like Mike" legacy lives on today at USF.
One of the rewarding aspects of my job at the USF Foundation was to learn about – and then get to promote – awareness of important programs such as this one: The Teacher Leadership Academy at the David Anchin Center. The TLA empowers young teachers to take the lead, build confidence, feel more engaged and devise the best ways to connect with students. The TLA has made a profound impact at traditionally struggling Mort Elementary School in Tampa – elevating the performance of students and creating a vibrant sense of community and commitment to success.
|
The USF Diabetes Center delivers cutting-edge treatment and world-class research into Type 1 diabetes. This is the story of how the Center came to be and how it serves so many patients and families throughout the Tampa Bay area and beyond. You'll meet people making a difference in their lives like Clinical Director Dr. Henry Rodriguez, Dr. Jeffrey Krischer, the world's No. 1 diabetes research, and former Major League baseball player and Sam Fuld, who was diagnosed with T1D as a child and whose annual camp gives hope to hundreds of young people dealing the difficult condition. The story carries extra meaning personally: My son was diagnosed at age 9 with T1D and has benefitted greatly from the state-of-the-art care of the USF Diabetes Center.
This is the unusual love story of Brandon and Virmary Rodriguez. It recounts how they met as undergraduates on campus, and how Brandon got a fortuitous second chance with a passing glance. The story also entwines USF's Latino Scholarship Program and the difference it has made for so many . The life-changing program helped Brandon immensely when he was a USF student. Now, Brandon and Virmary have endowed their own Latino scholarship to lend a helping hand to students in need
|
This is another story filled with meaning – how five young women (four of them USF alumna and the fifth the sister of one of them) survived trauma of being young children during the intense strife of the Bosnian War. I chronicle the long, difficult journeys they and their families made to new lives in America as immigrants-turned-U.S. citizens – leading them, in most serendipitous fashion, to meet eventually at USF. Once there, fueled by the powerful role education always played in their lives, they decided to band together and create the WLP/New American Scholarship to help students coming to USF as refugees – just as they had once been.
Ruth and Jerry Bell are dedicated to creating educational opportunities for African-American students at USF. Years ago, the couple endowed their own scholarship to help promising students afford the multiple costs of school – with the goal of helping them stay on track and in college. More recently, the Bells played a leading role in the creation of the USF Black Leadership Network, funded by Helios Education Foundation's major gift of $2.2 million. The story also traces the inspiring individual tales of Jerry, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneer, and Ruth, an executive with LifeLink, and what they have meant to minority students at USF.
|
Ernie Kretzmer made it out of Nazi Germany with his family before it was too late, and went on to become a successful, MIT-educated engineer in the United States – always surrounded by the classical music that was part of his life since childhood. His passion for the genre led him to become an avid listener and supporter of WSMR (the popular classical station of WUSF) – and to make a transformative gift last year to the station that ensures that the music will play on. This story appeared in USF Magazine.
|
USF alumnus Larry Tritle's world was shattered when his wife, Margaret, died in his arms of a heart attack in 2000. They had fallen fell in love just before Tritle was sent to fight in Vietnam, and this USF Magazine story follows their eventual path to California, where they worked as university professors before her sudden death. Margaret was known for her special touch in motivating students, who adored her. His $500,000 gift will create scholarships and support standout teachers in USF's College of Education.
|