Four Tiger alums to be honored as 2023 class of Distinguished Citizens
MASSILLON — Four Washington High School alumni will be honored next month as Distinguished Citizens for outstanding work in their professional and personal lives.
This year's honorees are Frank Laureano Corral, Marva L. (Bell) Dodson, Charles "Chip" Paquelet and Shawn G. Turskey.
In 1986, the Washington High School Distinguished Citizens Committee was formed in 1986 and determined the criteria for the honor. The first class was honored in 1988.
To be considered, the person must be a Washington High School graduate and have achieved local, national or international success in the chosen career field.
WHS Distinguished Citizens:Washington High School alums to be honored as Distinguished Citizens
Frank Laureano Corral
Corral is a 1953 graduate. He served as president of Chicago Heights Steel from 1986 through 2008. Previous to that position he was vice president and plant manager at Keystone Steel and Wire, and Wisconsin Steel and was an industrial engineer at Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel.
He started his career in the steel business in 1966 as a special shapes foreman at Union Drawn.
Active in the community, Corral served as president of the Steel Manufacturers Association and worked with the Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra, the Virginia and Joe Corral Scholarship to honor Chunk Mather, and the Massillon YMCA.
While a student, he played football for the Tigers for the 1950, '51 and '52 seasons and was a letterman. He was selected All Stark County Football in 1952.
After high school, he went on to earn bachelor's degrees from Columbia University and Columbia Univesity School of Engineering.
Marva L. (Bell) Dodson
A 1962 graduate, Dodson earned her nursing degree in 1964 from Timken Mercy Hospital School of Nursing. She began her career as an Aultman Hospital operating room nurse, serving there from 1964 to 1970 before joining Canton Orthopaedics. She later served as Massillon City Schools public preschool program health coordinator from 1991 to 2003.
Today, she works with many organizations and boards, including the Massillon YWCA, Massillon Museum Women's Board, Soroptimist International, United Way of Greater Stark, American Heart Association of Stark and Wayne, Community Hospice of Stark and Tuscarawas Counties, Habitat for Humanity of Massillon, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Massillon Public Library Cultural Diversity Committee, The Prescription Assistance Network, Washington High School Alumni Association, Stark County Health Department Medical Reserve Corps, Massillon Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, St. James African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and the African Methodist Episcopalian Church Ohio Conference.
Dodson has also contributed to a number of historical exhibits, including the Massillon Black history collection "CHARISMA" at the Massillon Museum and the museum's exhibit Missing History of Massillon.
She's been honored with the ABCD Inc. of Canton's Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award, the (Massillon) Mayor's Senior Citizen Community Service Award, One Tiger's Heritage Award for Lifetime Community Service and Achievements, and the Massillon Benchwarmers Lifetime Achievement Award for Community Service.
She was a member of the Canton Regional Chamber of Commerce Leadership Stark County 1990 class and the Stark State College Center for Employee Development and Management in 1986.
Charles 'Chip' Paquelet
Tiger alum Chip Paquelet is honored for his professional achievements in business and finance.
The 1983 grad leads Skylands Capital LLC, a Milwaukee-based investment management firm he founded in 2004. Previous to that he served as a partner at Strong Capital Management, a Milwaukee-based investment management firm from 1988 to 2003.
Paquelet also has managed four mutual funds, including a Bermuda-domiciled hedge fund and two domestic partnerships. He continues to manage hedge funds.
He was a member of the Tiger football team from 1980-1982 and was part of the 1982 state runner-up team. He also was a member of the Tiger Sharks swim team.
After high school, he attended Case Western Reserve University where he played football from 1983 to 1986. During that time, he also studied at Tufts University in France and had an internship at BF Goodrich. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1987 from Case Western. He later earned his master's of business administration at Indiana University in 1989.
Shawn G. Turskey
Turskey graduated in 1984 and went on to earn his bachelor's degree and master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Akron in 1989 and 1990, respectively. He also earned an executive education certificate from the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School and a master's degree in national security strategy from National War College.
He has spent his career in the cyber world in different roles, serving 35 years in support of intelligence and cybersecurity operations with the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command (executive director from 2014-2018) and the Department of Homeland Security. He was a U.S. government senior executive — the equivalent of a three-star general.
He was co-owner and co-founder of Your Computer Nanny from 1992 to 2001.
Today, Turskey serves as a global director in meta financial technologies security for Meta Platforms Inc.
He has received a number of awards and honors, including Joint Distinguished Civil Service Award from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Presidential Rank Award in 2016 from President Barack Obama, and a certificate of excellence from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. The U.S. Cyber Command Joint Cyber Training Center auditorium was dedicated in Turskey's honor in 2016.
While at Washington High, he was senior class president and played basketball for the Tigers from 1982-1984. In 1984, he was named co-MVP.
Events planned to honor Distinguished Citizens
Several events are planned to honor the alumni, including a banquet on March 17 at St. George Cultural Center, 364 First St. SE. Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:30, the program at 8 and benediction at 9 p.m.
The distinguished alumni will get a tour of their alma mater and attend a tea with high school staff members on March 15. The next day they will attend the mayor's breakfast at 7:45 a.m. at the Massillon Museum, a Rotary lunch and finish the day with a narrated tour of the city.
The honorees also will address Washington High students and answer questions during an assembly on March 17.
Reach Amy at 330-775-1135 or amy.knapp@indeonline.com.
On Twitter: @aknappINDE
This article originally appeared on The Independent: Washington High selects 2023 Distinguished Citizens
