Induction Class of 2003

Class of 1986

Elizabeth Morgan, an outstanding student-athlete while at Finneytown, is now a doctor working among native Americans in New Mexico.

While at Finneytown, Beth excelled in basketball, soccer, and track, graduated fourth in her class, and worked as a soccer referee and one-on-one with aspiring soccer players. She also played in the orchestra, band and marching band, and earned the B’nai B’rith, J.R. Graham, and Army MVP Soccer Awards. She was soccer regional champ in the early 1980’s, and was inducted into the Communiplex Women’s Sports Foundation Hall of Fame in Cincinnati in 1987.

At Brown University, where she graduated in 1990 with a B.S. in Women’s Studies, Beth earned four varsity letters in women’s soccer, made the 1st Team New England Region four years in a row, was MVP in 1989, and Ivy League Player of the Year the same year. In her senior year she was recognized as one of the 30 best soccer players in the United States.

She went on to play with the National Championship Semi-Pro Indoor Soccer Team at Lake Placid, New York in 1992, and has competed as a Category II cyclist in several professional races. In 1986 and 1987 she was on the U.S. Women’s Olympic Sports Festival Soccer Team and was elected to the top 20 players for construction of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team.

Beth graduated from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine in 1999 and works as a family practice physician in New Mexico and Washington states. Also, she is Clinical Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico in the Family and Community Medicine Residency Program.

Class of 1980

Emmett Roper, Jr. a successful athlete, earned eight varsity letters in baseball, basketball and football at Finneytown, and served as the volunteer team physician for Finneytown High School for a decade.

While in high school, “Chip” was NAIA All-District as a sophomore and was named Preseason All-American in 1982. He earned four varsity letters at Bluffton College and received a B.S. degree from the University of Cincinnati. He went on to earn a medical degree from Ohio State University in 1994. While at U.C. he was a research assistant, and while at Ohio State he served as a resident physician in Internal Medicine.

As attending physician, Chip was the Medical Director at Mr. Auburn Health Clinic and worked in Georgetown Ohio, two underserved areas. He also has been affiliated with the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati, worked in emergency medicine at Brown County General Hospital, and worked for Executive Medical of Ohio. Currently he works in Internal Medicine at Internists of Fairfield.

Chip has coached since 1983, and was the team physician for Finneytown High School from 1991-2001. He served as coordinator of the Sara Kent Foundation from 1999-2001, and is a board member of the Greater Cincinnati Health Collaborative.

His awards include the Medical Staff Award from the University of Cincinnati in 1994 and the Brotherhood Speaker Award from New Life Baptist.

Steward of Finneytown

George’s contributions to the Finneytown School District began in the late 1950’s and are still evident today.

George Richard Ruebel was born in Cincinnati on August 30, 1922. He graduated from Cincinnati’s Hughes High School in 1940 and continued his education at Yale University. World War II interrupted his college years, and he enlisted in the Army Air Corps. During the war years, George was stationed in the United States as a flight instructor for various aircraft. He graduated as an instructor for advanced single engine fighters at Williams Field, AZ, trained on the legendary B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, and finished out his military career on the B-29 Superfortress bomber in Roswell, NM.

George married his high school sweetheart, Violet, and moved with her and their first son, James, to Yale where George finished his degree in 1946. They moved back to Cincinnati where he joined his father running the family business, S.A. Ruebel Company.

While his three sons were in Finneytown schools, George was an active parent, supporting and bettering the school by joining the Boosters Association working one-on-one with the school district on various building projects. Sons James, Richard and Michael graduated from Finneytown in 1963, 1966, 1977, but not before George and the S.A. Ruebel Company would build FHS a brand new track and football field. His company did layout and construction of the high school athletic fields an s track and the baseball field at Brent. The whole community gladly pitched in money and muscle on the projects and even built the bleachers and paid for the lights themselves with the help of Mac McNulty.

Steward of Finneytown

Louise was a pioneer in the field of school public relations in Cincinnati in her 22-years working for the Finneytown Local School District. She used her journalism background to inform residents and promote district projects and activities in a positive, professional manner.

Louise Arnett Selden was born in Bloomington, IN, and graduated with a double degree in journalism and history form Indiana University. She married George LeGrand Selden, a native of Louisville, KY, and had two children, Nancy Selden (now Millett) and George Selden, Jr. The family moved to Cincinnati when her husband joined Proctor and Gamble as an analytical chemist.

Louise began her school public relations career in Finneytown in 1969 as Administrative Aide to the Superintendent, a part-time job she held until her retirement in 1992. Prior to that she had served as a Public Service Promotions Editor for The Courier-Journal andThe Louisville Time. Louise’s Finneytown responsibilities included creating a total communications program for the school district, writing and editing The Finneytown School District Newsletters and The Annual Report; preparing news releases for metropolitan newspapers; writing monthly in-house Staff-Grams; taking photos for publications; covering all Board of Education meetings; working with radio and TV personnel; writing and designing special brochures.

Louise has been a member of the Association for Women in Communications, Inc. and served as president of the Cincinnati Professional Chapter, and arranged local meetings and workshops for other school communications professionals for the National School Public Relations Association. She and her husband are lifetime members of the Finneytown Schools Education Foundation. She served on the board of the Finneytown Area Summer Theatre.

Class of 1979

Karla has taken her high school science education to great heights with her work in outer space. While at Finneytown, she was a National Merit Commended Student, a member of the National and Spanish Honor Societies, and a winner of a National Merit Scholarship from Proctor and Gamble.

She went on to Rice University, where she earned a bachelor of science degree in Chemical Engineering in 1983, and the University of Southern California, where she earned masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management. Karla has published over 20 papers on Aerospace Batteries, Power Systems, and Spacecraft Designs. For the past sixteen years she has worked in Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA, in Power Systems, Avionics Systems, Spacecraft Systems and Project Management. Currently she is working on development o f radiation hardened electronics and management industrial contractors for JIMO (Jupiter Icy Moons Orbit).

She also worked on the Pluto Kuiyper Express Flight and the Outer Planets/Solar Probe Project.

Several years ago Karla was the keynote speaker for Scope Out 2000 at the Cincinnati Observatory. She delivered the Nick Flerlage Science Lecture on the “The Mysteries of Minor Planets; Twists and Turns Along the Journey,” in which she described some of the engineering problems and other unexpected challenges faced by NASA as they attempt to explore the outer planets.

Class of 1972

Randy was voted “Most Industrious” in his class, and his high school years and all that has followed have proven that to be true. His wrestling, band and theater involvements at Finneytown were only the beginning of interests and commitments which shaped his life.

Randy spent his high school years excelling on the wrestling team and served as captain. He made the Cincinnati Enquirer All-Star Wrestling Team, the Cincinnati Post and Times-Star AAA Wrestling First Team, and won individual wrestling championships and awards while at Finneytown. In 1972, he was UC Invitational Champion Indian Hill Champion, Finneytown Invitational Champion, League Champion, Sectional Champion, District Champion, and State Qualifier. He also wrestled at the University of Cincinnati and coached at Finneytown junior and senior high. He has co-directed the Finneytown Wrestling Invitational since 1987.

Randy’s theatre involvements at Finneytown included performing and working on tech construction, lighting, and sound. At the University of Cincinnati he majored in Technical Theatre and served on the tech crew. Professionally he danced in and choreographed shows at Kings Island in the 70’s, taught and performed on the International Stage, designed the Hanna-Baberra Characters, was the live show supervisor, and designed the effects for the Kings Island train ride.

A tireless entrepreneur, Randy created the first line of Halloween makeup appliances sold nationally and the first line of illusion costumes sold internationally. He has designed costumes for Disney and Dreamworks films. He created the Cincinnati Stinger and Stagecraft Inc., and opened a rental store, Stagecraft Theatrical, in Northside.

Randy lives in Finneytown and continues to support the community with his wrestling and theatre passions.