Mark Frisone feted for 30 years at Family & Community Services | Along The Way

Mark Frisone, who in his 30 years as director of Family & Community Services, has built the agency into one of the largest nonprofit organizations in Northeast Ohio, was feted by board and staff members, trustees of Access Pointe and his family recently.

Having obtained a law degree, Mark opted for a career in social services and joined Family and Community Services, which at the time was part of Catholic Charities.

If Mark was the administrator, the inspiration in those days was Sister Jordan, a Dominican nun from Akron, who found people in Portage County in need and decided to serve them. When the Youngstown Diocese wanted to exert control, Mark and Sister Jordan kept their independence and went to work, their efforts eventually leading to a series of mergers with smaller social agencies for which Family & Community Services became an umbrella organization that handled funding, accounting, finance, and other administrative chores.

Twenty-two mergers over the course of 30 years and Family & Community Services has grown from an agency whose funding was under $500,000 into an organization with a budget of approximately $40 million whose 600 employees work in 23 counties in Ohio plus Mercer County in Pennsylvania and four counties in Michigan. Family & Community Services is regularly listed in Crain’s Cleveland Business as one of largest nonprofits. Its main office is on Oakwood Street in Ravenna in the building that once housed the Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 office. There are offices in Kent and in other counties.

Sister Jordan died in 2002, but her vision continues. Mark also is the director of AxessPointe, an agency that provides medical services to those who might otherwise not be able to access them. Mark’s wife, Jean, a nurse at Akron Children’s Hospital, is just as energetic.

The two have 10 children and several grandchildren and the word is the children and grandchildren stole the show dancing at the 30-year party to honor their father. A good athlete, Mark helps coach high school football and basketball where his leadership has made a positive difference in the lives of teenagers

I asked his assistant, Ann Face, if Mark, at age 60, is going to retire.

“We won’t let him," she said. "Mark is too important to the rest of us working at Family and Community Services.”

Debbie Mann chairs the volunteer board overseeing Family & Community Services. She presented Mark with a Don Drumm work art that said, “Go Forth and Do Good,” the slogan of Family & Community Services. The Portage County commissioners, led by Tony Badalmenti, presented Mark with a plaque and Ravenna Mayor Frank Seman also presented a plaque. Terry Montz coordinated the event at the Kent State Hotel and Conference Center.

Pete Mahoney now a Hall of Famer

Pete Mahoney, the respected former Kent State coach and administrator, was recently inducted into the city of Phoenix High School Hall of Fame. Pete played linebacker at Alhambra High School, the then largest high school in the city with an enrollment of approximately 3,500 students in 1976, the year he graduated. Alhambra inducted Pete into its Hall of Fame long ago. In his junior year, he was selected Team captain and First Team All-Division at the inside linebacker position and he made Second Team All-State.

Arizona’s system of public schools differs from that of Ohio and the Phoenix Union High School District has 11 high schools within it. His senior year and repeating as team captain, Pete was named first team all Phoenix Division, first team All-State by the Arizona Republic and the Phoenix Gazette, the 1975 Silhouette Award Winner by the Arizona Football Magazine, and he played in the North/South All-Star game at Phoenix College. He also was Linebacker of the Year in the state of Arizona and a finalist for Player of the Year for the state of Arizona.

Pete received a full-ride scholarship to the University of Arizona where he played both center and linebacker on varsity, lettering all four years. In his junior year, he played for the University of Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl against the University of Pittsburgh. He graduated with a degree in history and a minor in special education.

After his playing days, Pete stayed at the University of Arizona serving as an assistant coach with the offensive line from 1981 to 1983. From 1983 to 1986, Pete was with the United State Military Academy at West Point where he was tight ends coach.

Pete came to Kent State during the Glenn Mason era serving as line coach and staying on after Mason as an assistant coach for a series of head football coaches that included Dick Crum and Pete Cordelli. From 1994 until 2001, Pete worked as an administrator serving as Kent State’s athletic facilities director.

From 2001 to 2012 he served as associate athletic director for external relations and from 2012 until 2014 he served as community relations director. He retired from Kent State in 2014 and went to work for Family and Community Services, where he represents that organization in the community. Pete and his wife, Colleen, married 34 years, reside in Stow. They have a daughter, Bridget and a son, Peter, both grown.

Arizona’s Ron Scott, a high school coach and administrator for 42 years, 32 of them in the City of Phoenix school system, nominated Pete for his recent honor calling him “one of the best linebackers in the history of Alhambra High School.” Pete and Colleen flew out to Phoenix for the ceremonies which were held at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix.

Remembering Dr. Charles Bush

Sad to note the passing of Dr. Charles Bush, the Columbus cardiologist, who grew up in Kent and after attending St. Patrick Elementary graduated in class of 1959 at Kent State High School as a co-valedictorian.

Obtaining his Doctor of Medicine degree at Western Reserve University College of Medicine, he relocated to Columbus and served as resident and chief resident for internal medicine at Ohio State University Hospitals. He was a cardiologist at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center and Ross Heart Hospital, where he also served as medical director. He is survived by a son, Charles Andrew (April) grandsons, Eli and Ethan; a son Christopher Aaron (Marne), grandsons, Akasha and Banyan, granddaughters, Vivi and Charli and a brother, Richard. Bush’s father, Professor George Bush, taught chemistry at Kent State and his mother, Alma, was a devout member of St. Patrick Parish in Kent. Professor Bush was quiet and thoughtful. Mrs. Bush was the talker who kept things lively and fun.

I was a high school classmate of Charlie’s, but he was intellectually on a higher level. Our classmate, Dennis Meacham, who became a prominent architect in Columbus, told me that Charlie was a towering figure in the Columbus medical scene. Charlie had published more than 100 articles in his field. An avid Buckeye football fan, Charlie was also a kind, thoughtful person, sensitive to the needs of others, and willing to go the extra mile.

David E. Dix is a retired publisher of the Record-Courier.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Mark Frisone feted on 30 years at Family & Community Services