A couple of the speakers at the Concussions 101 conference in Hamilton on the weekend were graduates from the school of hard knocks.

Both head athletic therapist Chris Puskas of the McMaster Marauders and Scotty Martin, a member of the Vanier Cup-winning Mac football team of 2011, say they still suffer post-concussion symptoms. Their advice is to take injuries to the brain very seriously.

Held at McMaster Innovation Park, Concussions 101 was hosted by the alumni associations of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Canadian Football League. It was billed as a what you need to know as an athlete, trainer, coach or administrator.

Before coming to Mac, Puskas was the head therapist of the CFLs Hamilton Ticats for 14 seasons. He also worked for the Toronto Argonauts for three seasons. Playing sports in the Sudbury area while growing up, he estimates by todays standards he probably had nearly a dozen concussions. He was hospitalized twice and knocked unconscious on another occasion.

RELATED: Concussions 101 takes heads to heart

We didnt know then what we know now, Puskas said in an interview after the four-hour information session attended by about 50 people. When I look back on it and think of all the bell-ringers that Ive had and played through

Im not sure I would treat my athletes any differently, but experiencing it yourself certainly makes you aware of how severe the consequences can be. Its kind of scary.

According to 41-year-old Puskas, he was feeling rough for about four days recently after diving for a ball while playing soccer with his children. He says he regularly experiences the cumulative effects of his concussions.

Little things every day, he said, like bending down to tie my shoes or looking up over my head. I cant lay flat. My head has to be elevated if Im lying on my back. Or, if I was even to get hit lightly by the kids when theyre having a pillow fight, I would be off for a period of time.

RELATED: New technology battles concussions

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Conference at McMaster discusses serious issue of concussions

Grant Holz has received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School.

He is a 2003 graduate of Stevenson School and is the son of Dr. and Mrs. Walter Holz of Monterey.

Christopher Hardee has graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y.

Hardee is a 2007 graduate of Pacific Grove High School and is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Hardee of Pacific Grove.

The Pacific Grove High School Alumni Association awarded scholarships to the following: Lauren Dykman, Cyril Ilagan, Julie Kim, Skylar Lewis, Emily Long, Cassie McClenaghan, Aubrie Odell, David Oh, Krista Ross, Robyn Bursch, $1,000 each; Jackie Kerrigan-Prew, Christina Taschner, $500 each; Rebecca Long, $300.

Coast-Tel Federal Credit Union awarded $500 scholarships to the following: Michelle Crocker, Freddie Frumkin, Veda Frimkin, Lauren Hampson, Henry Mirassou and Brooklyn Titus.

Military briefs

Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Matthew C. Lopez graduated from basic military training, earning distinction as an honor graduate at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.

Lopez is a 2009 graduate of Palma High School and is the son of Richard and Gloria Lopez of Gonzales.

Class Notes, Military Briefs and Births appear weekly on a space-available basis. Verification is required for Class Notes and Military briefs. Mail items to Class Notes, The Herald, P.O. Box 271, Monterey 93942, or fax to 372-8401. For information, call

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Class Notes, Military Briefs

Paul Joseph Feeley, a former Baltimore County public defender and a Towson attorney, suffered a fall at his Timonium home and died June 15 at St. Joseph Medical Center. He was 86.

Born in Baltimore and raised on West Fayette Street and on Guilford Avenue, he was a 1942 Loyola High School graduate.

He attended Loyola College for two years, joined the Army's Air Corps and trained as a bombardier. He spent most of wartime in Walla Walla, Wash., in training, family members said.

After the war, he resumed his studies at Loyola College and earned a degree in 1948. He was junior class president and played varsity basketball. Mr. Feeley remained active in the school's alumni group and was the college's alumni association president in 1960.

Mr. Feeley earned a degree at the University of Maryland School of Law in 1952 and began his private law practice, including criminal law, in 1958. He was named an assistant state's attorney for Baltimore County in 1959 and held the post until 1962. He then became assistant county solicitor.

"He was outgoing and an effervescent kind of person," said former Baltimore County Councilman Francis "Frank" Barrett of Mays Chapel. "Whether in school, in the law courts or playing ball, he was methodical."

In late 1971, Alan H. Murrell, the Maryland Public Defender, named Mr. Feeley to the post of Baltimore County Public Defender, then a newly created position.

"At the time it was a controversial concept to provide counsel to the accused and alleged criminals who could not afford a lawyer," said a friend, Tom Toporovich, former secretary to the Baltimore County Council who lives in Dundalk. "Paul was conscientious in his new and exciting task. He was low-key and believed in getting the job done without fanfare. He was a remarkable guy in a family of remarkable public service."

In 1984, he stepped down from the post. In a Baltimore Sun interview at the time, he recalled that some of those he defended "had an absolute lack of remorse for anything they've done." He continued, "They are so callous, so young, incredibly so, and they talk about murder the way other people talk about shoplifting."

He married Anna Barthelme, a longtime friend, in 1972, and became a stepfather to her children. They celebrated 25 years of marriage before her death in 1997.

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Paul J. Feeley, public defender

DANBURY -- Anthony Rizzo Jr., president of the Rizzo companies, is the new chairman of the Immaculate High School Advisory Board, as of July 1.

Rizzo, who has been on the board since 2003, succeeds Gerard Robilotti, who will become vice chairman.

"This is an honor," Rizzo said Thursday. "I believe Immaculate is an incredible school and I am honored to follow the previous chairmen, Nancy Dolan, Ted LaBonne and Gerry Robilotti. We have an incredible number of professionals who have lent their expertise to the school."

Rizzo said making sure technology and the facilities continue to be upgraded and that the enrollment continues to grow will be key issues for the board to focus on going forward. Immaculate is a Catholic college prep high school that serves nearly 400 students from about 23 towns in the Danbury area.

Rizzo, 46, is the chief executive officer for both A.M. Rizzo Electrical Contractors, Inc., and the Rizzo Corporation. He and his wife, Patty Rizzo, have a son, Anthony III, and daughter, Chelsie, who graduated from Immaculate and a son, Ryan, who will be a senior in the fall. Patty Rizzo helps run the school's gala benefit.

"This is about the kids," Rizzo said. "They benefit from our time and they are our future. By doing things for the students, you are helping them to develop."

Kathleen Casey, president of Immaculate High School, said Rizzo has been a wonderful member of the board in leading the development committee.

"Tony brings his business experience to the board, and has been a phenomenal steward for the school," Casey said. "Tony is committed to Immaculate, and has been a great role model for the kids as a successful businessman and someone who gives back to the community."

Casey and Rizzo said the four new board members this year each bring individual strengths to the panel.

Thomas Saadi, an Immaculate graduate from 1988 and a member of Danbury's City Council, will aid in the mission in reconnecting alumni to the school, Casey said.

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Immaculate High announces new leaders

Tulsa Community College honors select alumni for their professional and personal successes, as well as their significant contributions to business, industry and the community.

This year's honorees were from Tulsa, Sapulpa, Sand Springs, New York City, Russia and more.

One honoree, Gulnara Taragachova, traveled from Russia's Sakhalin Island to attend this year's event. As part of her work with Parker Drilling, and now Baker-Hughes, she has traveled the globe - from major European cities to exotic locations including Galapagos, Tanzania and South Africa.

After a video showcasing the honorees, TCC President Tom McKeon presented awards to this year's Best of TCC including Amanda Bargas, clinical resource nurse at Saint Francis Health System; Rhyan Barlow, manager in training of Capital One; Angela Brown, prevention education coordinator of DVIS/Call Rape; Sarah Dicks, youth minister with Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Parish; Maja Djukic, assistant professor at New York University College of Nursing; Kimberly Glynn, director of ministries at Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Parish; and Isaac Hiriart, director of TCC's Education Outreach Center.

Also: Britton Howerton, an interior designer with Selser Schaefer Architects; Linda Jack, a charge nurse with Select Specialty Hospital; Karen Johnson, a risk associate with Capital One; Chauncey Kila, a masonry instructor at TulsaTech; Angela Lawrence, co-owner and managing director of AcrobatAnt; Gail L. McPherran, charge nurse at St. John Urgent Care Centers, Inc.; Christina Morrison, fiscal officer/HR director of Tulsa County Sheriff's Office; and Kristin Pearson, inside sales specialist at Hilti.

Also: Travis "T.J." Potts, a firefighter and paramedic with the Tulsa Fire Department; Ronald Randle, a manager of Biomed/Safety/Security at Cancer Treatment Centers of America; Nick Rhoades, an architectural intern at Selser Schaefer Architects; Rick Rumsey, the police chief of Sapulpa; Jackie Selph, a family support worker with Parent Child Center of Tulsa; Amy Smith, an interactive designer with AcrobatAnt; Shannon Robbins, director of professional services with Visiting Nurses Association of Tulsa; Samara Stephenson, resource and referral specialist with Community Service Council/Child Care Resource Center; Teresa Stiles, lead respiratory therapist at Select Medical; Gulnara Taragachova, a quality control manager at Baker-Hughes; Fontella Vail, a utility billing supervisor for the city of Jenks; Kristy Wellstead, an advantage case manager at Life Senior Services; Paul Wheeler, president of Accent Realtors; and Trena Zickefoose, office manager of the Sand Springs Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Signature Quartet and Rick Fortner provided the evening's entertainment.

Other special guests attending the event included Larry Leonard and Ron Looney of the TCC Board Regents; Mary Shaw, TCC Foundation Board chairwoman; and Foundation board trustees Teresa Burkett, former state Sen. Ted Fisher and Steve Turnbo.

Also there were members of the TCC administrative cabinet including Peggy Dyer, John Gibson, Flo Potts and Sean Weins as well as Tulsa Tech Board President Tim Bradley, Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith and Saint Bernard's Parish Pastor the Rev. Msgr. Patrick Gaalaas.

Corporate table sponsors for the 2012 Best of TCC Awards Dinner were Accent Realtors, AcrobatAnt, Cancer Treatment Centers of America, Capital One Auto Finance, Karen Keith and Pat Malloy, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux Parish, Selser Schaefer Architects, Tulsa Community College, and TulsaTech.

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People & Places: Tulsa Community College honors Best of TCC alumni

Dr. Arthur Ebbert Jr., professor emeritus of medicine at Yale who was widely regarded as the soul of the medical school during the more than three decades in which he served there, died on June 7 in Hamden, Connecticut. He was 89.

Ebbert joined the Yale faculty in 1953 as the assistant dean of postgraduate education and was promoted to associate dean in 1960. He became the School of Medicines first deputy dean in 1974 and served in that role under five deans until 1987. He also founded and edited the Alumni Bulletin and later Yale Medicine between 1953 and 1986. With one assistant, he assembled the important events and stories that were meant to keep alumni informed of the progress at the school and remain connected to it, recalls his successor as editor-in-chief, Dr. Michael Kashgarian 58. Classes were small when the Alumni Bulletin was started, and Ebbert knew many of the alumni on a first-name basis, dating back to when he, along with Dr. Thomas R. Forbes, constituted the admissions committee for the school. His familiarity with alumni and their interests shaped the content of the Alumni Bulletin and later Yale Medicine and served as a stimulus for the success of the alumni association and class reunions, colleagues say.

Ebbert was also known for his uncanny knowledge and understanding of the workings of the School of Medicine, leading to the common response Ask Art Ebbert for many administrative queries, recalls Dr. John E. Fenn, who, as the chief of staff at Yale-New Haven Hospital, worked closely with Ebbert and was his neighbor in recents years at the Whitney Center in Hamden.

Dr. Gerard N. Burrow 58, former dean of the medical school, remembers Ebbert from the 1950s when he applied to the school.

He interviewed for medical school, which formed a bond and friendship that strengthened [over the years], says Burrow. Serving as deputy to five deans, Arthur provided wise counsel on a background of profound institutional memory and was an anchor who stabilized the school during periods of change. On a personal level, he was the embodiment of a southern gentleman and a model citizen, in the very best sense.

Another former medical school dean, Dr. Leon E. Rosenberg, recalls how he did his best to convince Ebbert not to step aside as deputy dean in 1987. He turned me down with the same kind of grace, decency, and institutional loyalty that he exhibited in everything he did for the school, says Rosenberg. I missed his wise counsel, and told him so on many subsequent occasions.

More than 600 faculty and hospital colleagues, university administrators, and friends attended a reception in his honor when Ebbert stepped down. There, Rosenberg referred to his 34-year career as the Ebbert Era and praised him as the soul of the medical school.

Born in 1922 in Wheeling, West Virginia, Ebbert grew up there, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and later in New Rochelle, New York. He received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from the University of Virginia. His academic honors included election to Phi Beta Kappa, the Raven Society, and Alpha Omega Alpha. After a year as an intern at the University of Virginia Hospital, he went on duty in July 1947 as an Army medical officer. He served almost two years in Japan, reaching the rank of captain. He was discharged from the Army in April 1949 and returned to the University of Virginia for post-graduate training in internal medicine. On completion of the three-year program, he joined the University of Virginia faculty as an instructor until coming to Yale.

Ebbert was designated an honorary member of the Association of Yale Alumni and served on the associations executive board and as its representative to the University-wide Association of Yale Alumni. He was also a fellow of Silliman College and an active member of the Beaumont Medical Club. Shortly before his retirement from Yale, the third-floor lounge of the Jane Ellen Hope Building was designated the Arthur Ebbert Lounge in recognition of his lifelong contributions to the medical school. A scholarship fund in his name was established in 2004 for medical schools at the University of Virginia.

Ebbert loved the medical library at Yale and supported it in many ways. He established an endowment fund for the collections in honor of his parents, was a longtime trustee of the Associates of the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library, and served as membership chair.

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In Memoriam: Arthur Ebbert Jr.

The UW School of Veterinary Medicine will host a Scientific Symposium to Celebrate 101 Years of Veterinary Medical Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on Saturday, June 23.

The sessions, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., will be free and open to the public and will cover a variety of topics, ranging from shelter medicine to influenza to canine and feline vaccines and foreign animal diseases.

For more information on symposium sessions and the schedule visit here.

The event will highlight the research of current faculty and students at the School of Veterinary Medicine, as well as alumni who have continued their work in industry, government facilities, or other schools across the world.

In addition to the talks, held in the Microbial Sciences Building and the School of Veterinary Medicine, there will be a pathology open house, hosted from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the School of Veterinary Medicine. The anatomical and clinical pathologists facilitating this open house will offer one-on-one "consultations," presenting interesting cases and unusual specimens up close.

The symposium will cap a three-day-long reunion that includes the Century Celebration on Thursday and Friday and the Alumni Reunion Picnic on Saturday. For more information about the symposium, including a full program of the talks offered, see the symposium and reunion website.

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Symposium marks 101 years of veterinary sciences at UW-Madison

Newswise Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine announces the appointment of the inaugural holder of The Richard B. Fratianne Professorship in Surgery Christopher P. Brandt, MD of The MetroHealth System. The new professorship is named in honor of Dr. Fratianne, the founder of the MetroHealth Burn Unit and a national leader in the care of patients with severe burns. Both Drs. Brandt and Fratianne are Case Western Reserve faculty and double alumni, and local medical leaders who trained and practiced in Northeast Ohio throughout their careers. Their influence extends from the region to the world-over through the patients, families, and surgeons they've healed and taught.

Dr. Brandt has dedicated his career to the care of patients injured with severe burns. He is an excellent choice to serve as the inaugural Richard B. Fratianne Professor of Surgery, says Alfred F. Connors, Jr., MD, professor of medicine at the School of Medicine, chief medical officer and senior vice president of medical affairs, The MetroHealth System.

A burn and general surgery specialist, Dr. Brandt is a national leader in surgical education. He is a professor of surgery at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine and chair of MetroHealths Department of Surgery where he has served for more than 22 years. In addition, he serves as the associate director of the MetroHealth Comprehensive Burn Care Center.

Dr. Brandt will use the support of this professorship to enhance research and education in care of burned and injured patients in our community and to attract and retain high-caliber burn and trauma surgeons to Cleveland. Equally important, the professorship honors Dr. Fratiannes legacy of healing the bodies, minds, and spirits of patients suffering from burns and trauma, adds Dr. Connors.

Dr. Fratianne is director emeritus of the Comprehensive Burn Care Center at MetroHealth and professor emeritus of surgery at the School of Medicine, but his legacy extends well beyond those borders. He founded MetroHealths nationally recognized burn center in 1970 and revolutionized burn treatment with a holistic approach. He is also founder of the hospitals Level I Trauma Center and served as the first medical director of Metro Life Flight. In all, Dr. Fratianne has provided more than 40 years of compassionate care and leadership at MetroHealth. To learn more about Dr. Fratianne, visit http://donate.metrohealth.org/fratianne.

Advances in research and education are made possible by the generosity and foresight of donors who understand the impact made by physicians of this caliber and the need to retain them in Northeast Ohio to benefit local patients. This professorship is a mark of great distinction for these physicians, as well as our institutions, said Pamela B. Davis, MD, PhD, dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs, Case Western Reserve University.

More than 75 donors made gifts to The MetroHealth Foundation in honor of this professorship. The largest gift to MetroHealth from the estate of Colonel Thomas C. McNeal helped reach the $1.5 million needed to establish the professorship at Case Western Reserve University.

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About Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine Founded in 1843, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine is the largest medical research institution in Ohio and is among the nations top medical schools for research funding from the National Institutes of Health. The School of Medicine is recognized throughout the international medical community for outstanding achievements in teaching. The Schools innovative and pioneering Western Reserve2 curriculum interweaves four themes research and scholarship, clinical mastery, leadership, and civic professionalism to prepare students for the practice of evidencebased medicine in the rapidly changing health care environment of the 21st century. Nine Nobel Laureates have been affiliated with the school of medicine.

Annually, the School of Medicine trains more than 800 MD and MD/PhD students and ranks in the top 25 among U.S. researchoriented medical schools as designated by the U.S. News & World Report Guide to Graduate Education.

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CWRU Professorship in Surgery Honors MetroHealth Burn Care Pioneer

By Glenn Graham The Baltimore Sun

11:50 a.m. EDT, June 19, 2012

Two benefit basketball games featuring Dunbar and Edmondson alumni will take place Saturday, July 14 along with an after-party to raise money to help cover medical costs for legendary high school basketball and football coach Pete Pompey, who hasAlzheimer's Disease.

The basketball doubleheader will take place at Edmondson in the afternoon with players from the 1980s classesof the respective schoolsplaying at 1 p.m. followed by the 1990s classes playing at 3 p.m. Cost is $10.

Dunbar will host an open bar after-party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.Cost is $20 and includes a light buffet. Dress is all white.Pompey, who needs 24-hour care,was a physical education teacher, athletic director and coached football and basketball for three decades at Edmondson and Dunbar.

For more information, contact Rhonda McNair at 443-205-8794; David Lewis at 443-850-1423; or Donta Jones at 443-677-6167.

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Benefit for legendary coach Pompey set for July 14

By JENNIFER NESBITT

ThisWeek Community News Thursday May 3, 2012 1:12 PM

A community leader, a doctor and a physicist were added to Westerville South High School's Alumni Hall of Fame Friday, April 27.

Rick Bannister, a former school board member and leader of multiple school levy campaigns; Dr. Stephanie Chu, a University of Colorado team physician and assistant professor; and Grant Plummer, a physicist, were recognized as the 2012 hall of fame class.

They were selected by the students in South's Superintendent's Advisory Committee.

Bannister is a graduate of South's class of 1983.

A graduate of Ohio State University, Bannister serves as the assistant director of the Ohio State Bar Association and is in charge of the association's daily operations.

He has served as president and vice president of Westerville's board of education, as treasurer of the Westerville South Athletic Boosters and as chairman of at least six Westerville school levy campaigns, including the March Issue 10 campaign.

Bannister also is the "Voice of the Cats," announcing football and basketball games.

Bannister said he owes his success and his dedication to the school community to the members of the school district.

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Three join South Alumni Hall of Fame