The New Philadelphia City Schools Quaker Foundation selects alumni honorees

The Quaker Foundation’s annual recognition banquet will be held Friday, May 6 at the Performing Arts Center at Kent State University at Tuscarawas. The alumni to be honored are: William C. Andrews, Class of 1970; Eric P. Waltz, Class of 1990; Wendy Sand Eckel, Class of 1976; and Dr. Kathryn J. Noonan Balinger, Class of 2001. Also to be honored are New Philadelphia City Schools teachers, Kara Rodgers and Shannon Smith.

Scholarship Awards will be presented to 82 members of the Class of 2022. Tickets to the event may be ordered by contacting the Quaker Foundation at 330-343-0100. Tickets will also be available for a donation of any amount at the door starting at 6:00PM. Desserts will be served at 6:30PM with the awards program to follow at 7:30PM.

Alumnus of the Year for Lifetime Contribution Award

William C. Andrews is a 1970 graduate of the New Philadelphia Schools. Bill attended Ohio Wesleyan University for two years before transferring to The Ohio State University where he pursued his education in architecture. He received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture in 1975 and a Master of Architecture degree in 1977. In 1978 he founded Andrews Architects, Inc. and remains its chairman 44 years later.

Located in Worthington, Ohio, the full-service architecture and interior design firm specializes in the design of healthcare and senior living projects. Andrews Architects, Inc. has noted expertise in cancer care, orthopedics, emergency services, and surgery centers as well as the design of full continuum-of-care senior living communities. In addition to projects in the state of Ohio, the firm has completed projects in all surrounding states.

Bill and his wife Cathy (Kennedy) Andrews, NPHS Class of ’69, met in high school and married in 1973 upon Cathy’s graduation from nursing school in Akron. They live in Dublin along with their sons, Steve (Missy) and Brian. Five grandchildren complete the family. In 2005 Bill and his two sons started Andrews Builders, Inc., a Dublin, Ohio based commercial construction company. He remains active in the construction business focusing on design/build strategic initiatives. Bill has been a Dublin business leader and community volunteer since 1980 when he and Cathy moved their family to Dublin.

He has served on numerous boards including Dublin AM Rotary, Dublin Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Simon Kenton Council, BSA, Jerome United Methodist Church, as well as several neighborhood civic associations. He served on the Dublin Fire Levy Renewal Campaign Committee in 2016. He presently serves on the leadership board of The Dublin Chamber of Commerce, where he was its president in 2020. Bill was recognized for his volunteerism by being named honoree of the Dublin Fund’s Emerald Ball in 2008 as well as Grand Marshal of the Dublin July Fourth Celebration in 2019.

Alumnus of the Year for Special Achievement Award

Eric P. Waltz is a 1990 graduate of New Philadelphia High School. Following graduation, Eric moved to Florida and began his hospitality career. His first hotel job was at the Sanibel Harbor Resort and Spa as a Room Service Server. While working at the resort Eric received his AA degree from Edison Community College. In 1995, Eric moved to Orlando to continue his schooling as well as his career. Eric attended Valencia Community College for several classes and then transferred to University of Central Florida.

Eric worked in several hotels in Orlando including the Peabody Orlando, The Orlando World Center Marriott, and the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin with a focus on Food and Beverage at all locations. Due to work schedules Eric transferred from UCF to University of Phoenix where he obtained his Bachelor’s degree. In 2002, Eric accepted a position as the AGM for a management company in Lansing, Michigan where he stayed for 18 months until he was transferred to Clearwater, Florida to be the AGM of the Marriott Suites on Sand Key.

Eric married his wife Kelly in 2005 and shortly after accepted his first General Manager position of a full-service Marriott in Cincinnati. Eric’s oldest son, Brody, was born in 2008. Shortly after Brody’s birth Eric accepted his second GM position and moved to New Jersey. In 2010, Eric and Kelly realized that they wanted to return to Florida. Eric’s second son, Beckett was born in Florida in 2010. Eric has been the General Manager of the Sandpearl Resort Clearwater Beach for 10 years.

This resort has received much recognition from both Travel and Leisure Magazine as well as Conde Nast Traveler Magazine as one of Florida’s premier resorts. Eric was instrumental in beginning a charity at the Sandpearl Resort called Troop Rewards. This organization gives complimentary week-long vacations to military personnel and their families returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. The Sandpearl was the first resort to start this by sponsoring 20 families a year. Troop Rewards now has 10 hotels throughout Florida that donate rooms to this organization.

Alumnus of the Year for Distinguished Service Award

Wendy Sand Eckel is a 1976 graduate of NPHS. Wendy earned a Bachelor’s in sociology/criminology at Miami University, followed by a Master’s in Social Work from Syracuse University. Her career as a psychotherapist brought Wendy to Maryland, where she still lives, having recently moved to a small town on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Wendy practiced social work for many years before turning her focus to writing fiction. She put her criminology education to good use in her award-winning Rosalie Hart Mystery Series published by McMillan Books, which includes "Murder at Barclay Meadow" and "Death at the Day Lily Café" — selected best ‘cozy mystery’ by Suspense Magazine. The third book in the series, "Mystery at Windswept Farm," will be released by Level Best Books in August, 2022.

When she’s not immersed in writing, Wendy devotes her time to helping aspiring writers learn the craft of writing, editing, publishing, and marketing. She conducts free workshops in libraries and schools across the country, including the Dover Library. She is also the author of a writers’ advice column published in the Maryland Writers’ Association quarterly newsletter.

Alumnus of the Year — Previous Scholarship Recipient Award

Dr. Kathryn J. Noonan Balinger loves her Ohio roots. She was born in Toledo and moved with her family to New Philadelphia shortly thereafter where she attended South Elementary and eventually graduated from NPHS in 2001. Kathryn obtain her B.A. at Ohio Wesleyan University. She then went on to Norfolk, Virginia to obtain her Master’s in Biomedical Science.

She met her husband at Eastern Virginia Medical School while obtaining her master’s and they both stayed at EVMS to obtain their medical degrees. From Virginia, both Balinger and her husband spent a preliminary general surgery year at Orlando Regional Medical Center before both moving to Pennsylvania to start their general surgery residency at St. Luke’s University Hospital. During her training at St. Luke’s, Balinger was awarded ‘Resident of the Year’ in 2015 and 2016 and was also awarded the trauma hero award at “the Night of Heroes” award ceremony in 2015 and 2016 as well.

Balinger was influenced by her trauma mentors at her time in general surgery and chose to pursue a career in trauma surgery. In 2017, she completed her Trauma/Critical Care fellowship at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. She then took a position as Assistant Professor in Surgery with the UT Health System/McGovern Medical School and was a full-time trauma surgeon in Southwest Houston. Currently, she is employed as a critical care physician with the Memorial Hermann hospital system in Houston. Kathryn Balinger currently lives in Houston with her husband, Chris, and their two German shepherd puppies and two cats. Although she is slowly becoming a full-fledged Texan, she will always consider New Philadelphia her home

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: The NPCS Quaker Foundation selects alumni honorees