President- Jim Joyce ’78
Jim and his wife Peggy are both ‘78 grads and have lived in Bay since returning from college. Jim has been in the Information Technology industry for 40 years; Peggy is a Speech and Hearing Pathologist. Jim served as VP for the Foundation for the past eight years and Peggy has been recording secretary. Jim earned degrees in Management, Marketing and Finance at Northwood University. Peggy completed undergraduate studies at Ball State and her MS at Kent State.
As “graduates” of Westerly and Bay Middle School, they loved their time at Bay High, where they dated. Jim played football and Peggy was a cheerleader. They were proud to have their two children, Meghan and Mike, attend Bay schools and are loving their time with their granddaughter. Both have served as ‘78 class reps for many years.
Peggy was president of Bay Junior Women’s Club and was active in preschool PTA/PTA. Jim has been on the board of Bay Men’s Club, was a commissioner of Bay Men’s and Thurman Munson baseball for over 15 years, a member of the Rockets Renovation committee, Cub and Boy Scout leader in 729, helped lead fund raising efforts for the renovation of Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, and served as a board member/chair of their church for six years. He was involved in helping build the Legends of Rock program for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, on the board of Bellflower Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse, and was Advancement Chair for Boy Scouts of America. They remain close and active with many of their lifelong friends from Bay.
Vice President- Eve Ershek Uhland ’76
I am a graduate of Bay High class of 1976. I moved to Bay Village in 1973 from Pennsylvania. I started at Bay High my sophomore year and was involved in the JV volleyball team, yearbook club, and Science Club.
I have made lifelong friendships and still keep in touch with many of my classmates. I am the class representative for the alumni association for my class and have spearheaded the 10th, 20th, 30th, and probably the 50th class reunions. I also have a brother and 2 sisters that also graduated from Bay High.
I still reside in the Greater Cleveland area and have lived in North Olmsted since 1980. I have been a licensed real estate agent since 1990 and work with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. I have two children, Jacquie and Jeffrey, and two granddaughters and two grandsons.
I am very lucky to have them all living in the area. I have been very active in various school and community groups in North Olmsted and enjoy being active with the Bay High Alumni Foundation. My husband Greg and I have been married since September 1992 and we love to travel.
Treasurer- Bill Smith CPA/ABV ’71
Bill has been involved in BAF since 2017 and has been Treasurer since 2019. Bill grew up in Bay and attended Glenview, and was in the last ninth grade class in the old Junior High. He is a 1971 graduate of Bay High and played on the soccer team. Bill has a BBA and MBA degree from Ohio University and taught the Accounting Technology program at the OU Lancaster branch for a year.
Bill is a retired partner of Meaden & Moore, Ltd, one of the largest regional firms in Northeast Ohio. Bill provided assurance and business advisory services to emerging middle-market, closely held and publicly traded companies in numerous industries including, manufacturing, distribution, service, and not-for-profits. He was the Firm’s Partner in Charge of the Assurance Group and the designated audit quality partner for the AICPA Non-Profit/Government Auditing Quality Center. He was also in charge of the firm’s training programs and developed and instructed many of the courses. Bill is a CPA and has an ABV (Accredited in Business Valuations). He is also a member of the Ohio Society of CPAs, American Institute of CPAs, and AICPA – Business Valuation and Forensic & Litigation Section.
Bill was a member of the Rotary Club of Cleveland, Edgewater Yacht Club, past Treasurer of Avon Oaks Country Club, and Finance committee of Fund for our Economic Future of Northeast Ohio (FFEF). Bill enjoys golfing, bicycling, boating, and enjoyed volleyball until a career ending injury. Bill has lived in the area since college and stays in touch with many of his classmates and has helped with his class reunions. He is honored to apply his finance skills to help BAF.
Secretary- Becca Karl Gadbois ’93
Becca moved to Bay Village in 1980, right before she started kindergarten at Westerly. She continued through the Bay School system and graduated from Bay High in 1993. She went on to attend Ohio State for two years, and then moved to Southern California where she earned a degree in Finance, Real Estate, and Law at Cal State University, Long Beach. She met her husband, Tom, in Long Beach and they were married in 2002.
Becca worked in commercial real estate finance for several years but, upon the birth of her daughter in 2007, decided to become a stay-at-home mom. A son followed in 2010. She became an active volunteer at the kids’ school and served on the PTA board for seven years, in various roles including treasurer and president.
Becca and her family moved back to Bay in April, 2021 to take care of her mother. She currently works part time bookkeeping for a few friends with small businesses, as well as billing and admin for a marriage and family therapist. While she greatly misses her California family and friends, she is enjoying being back in “The Bubble” and getting reacquainted with her hometown.
Trustee- Paul Hartranft ’64
Paul is a 1964 graduate of Bay High. He and his family moved to Bay in May of 1954, a famous year in Bay history. He spent his summers at Culver Military Academy. Upon graduation he attended Ashland College where he studied accounting. Following college, he married Cathy who also is a Bay High grad from the class of 1966.
Paul has been in the accounting industry, serving various manufacturing concerns for more than 50 years. He is also the longest serving Bay Village Auxiliary Police Officer. Paul also coached in Bay Men’s Club baseball for over 20 years.
He has served in multiple roles for Bay Alumni Foundation since its inception, from secretary to president. He has also been a board member of the Bay Education Foundation for ten years. Paul is a wealth of knowledge to the board and members on all things Bay Village and Bay Alumni Foundation. Paul often shares great memories of his classmates and times at Bay High. His two children, Chrissy and PJ, are both Bay High graduates as well. He has one grandson who will also be a Bay grad in the next few years.
Trustee- Judy Kelly Krueger ’66
Judy moved to Bay Village in 1955 and went through Bay schools as a member of the Class of 1966. She still loves her roots to Westerly School and is nostalgic for the high school at the corner of Wolf and Cahoon. She attended the current high school as a junior high – grades 7 through 9. But the best years were spent in that wonderful old high school building and attending football games behind that school.
Judy went to Ohio University and met her husband Bill at her first “real” job at Consolidated Natural Gas in Cleveland. They raised their family in Bay Village where their daughter, Kelly ‘90, and son, Greg ’93, attended Bay schools. She became involved in the schools right away – was an officer in Pre-School PTA, Westerly PTA and PTA Council. She was Ward 4 chairman of school levy campaigns for many years as she was determined to keep the schools funded and successful.
Judy had many jobs over the years but, once her children were out of school, her career path changed and she became a manufacturer’s rep in the industrial textile business. Being a “travelling salesman” took her all over Ohio, West Virginia, Michigan, western Pennsylvania, and parts of Indiana. As a member of the Industrial Fabrics Association, International Sleep Products Association, and Screenprint Graphic Imaging Association took her to trade shows all over the country. She was called upon to do talks and training for industry suppliers and customers over the years.
Becoming involved in BAF after her husband died has allowed Judy to re-connect with Bay schools in a different way. Finding old friends, meeting alums from every decade, and sharing memories while trying to help the schools has been a great bonus. Her involvement has been varied: as class rep, planning reunions for her class; then BAF treasurer and, most recently, as President for 3 years, Judy has enjoyed being involved in every part of BAF. She is passionate about the mission – and is grateful for the organization.
Trustee- Al Nelson ’62
I am a proud graduate of Bay High School class of 1962. My activities in HS involved bowling, hockey, and baseball. I was also on class council my senior year.
My family moved to Bay in 1950 from Chicago. I lived in Bay Village for over 55 years of my life save for college and the U.S. Navy. My wife, Lynne (secretary in BV Schools), and I have been married and lived in Bay for over 50 years. We now reside in Avon Lake (17 yrs.). I have two kids and I am proud to say both are Bay High graduates: my son, Mark (class of ’87), lives in Avon and is a Baldwin-Wallace grad; my daughter, Kari (class of ’98), lives in Bay and is a John Carroll grad.
I graduated from Bowling Green State University and received my Masters from Cleveland State University in secondary administration. I taught in the Bay Schools for 32 years as a 7/8 Health and Physical Education teacher. I have coached 8th grade boys basketball, varsity girls basketball, and jv/asst varsity boys’ baseball. I was also ski club advisor at the Middle School. In the summer I was an asst pool manager at Avon Oaks CC (5 yrs.) with Rich Voiers, and the pool manager at Lakewood CC (20 yrs.) and Bay Pool (5 yrs.).
I am currently an active trustee with the Bay Alumni Foundation. I am a past president of the BAF, formally the Bay Alumni Association, about 10 years. I am the recipient of the Ann Williams Spirit Award, and the BAF Alumni Distinguished Educator Award. I was inducted into the Bay HS Sports Hall of Fame on the 1980 baseball team as a coach (state runner up). While president of the BAF in 2001 I initiated, started and coordinated the Tri-Bay Golf Classic fundraiser outing for the Bay Alumni Foundation, The Bay Village Education Foundation, and the Bay Athletic Boosters.
Reflecting back on my many years growing up and living in Bay Village including attending Bay schools, I could not have received a much more rewarding experience in life. One of the most unique experiences was the fact that I attended grades 7 through 12 in the old high school building. It afforded me the opportunity to observe upper classmen as role models. One of these examples was the Varsity Club. After I was awarded my first varsity baseball letter as a sophomore I was “in” the club. Proud couldn’t describe the feeling. My parents, the Bay Village community, the people, the churches all had a wonderful role in developing me as a person. I remain a humble ambassador of Bay Village and its way of life.
Trustee- Tom Phillips ’65
I am a trustee of BAF. I have lived in Bay Village for 72 years. I am a 1965 graduate of Bay Village High School where I played football and wrestled. I have two sons; both are graduates of Bay High as well. I am Director of the Osborn Learning Center of the Bay Village Historical society and I am also a trustee and treasurer of the Northern Ohio Inter Museum Council.
I graduated from Ashland Collage with BS degree in Business Administration. I worked at US Steel ( US/Kobe Steel) for 30 years in production, quality control, QS 9000 auditor and ran a bar mill. I was elected as Bay Village Citizen of The Year, due to my efforts to save and move the Fuller House, via a barge on Lake Erie, to its present place in the Metropark in Bay Village, as well as saving the Osborn House and having it moved to its present location next to the Rose Hill Museum, and making it the Osborn Learning Center where the visual histories of Bay Village can be seen.
My time at Bay High was one of the best times of my life- the comradeship, the Friday night football games, the sock hops, the dances at the Community House, and the feeling of belonging. The class of 65 was a close class and is having our 55th year reunion, of which I am helping to organize.
My wife, Peggy, and I attended Ashland College. We met on a blind date. I was pledging a fraternity, Phi Delta Theta, and I needed a date. The first date was all I needed, and the rest is history. We were married in June of ’71 and we just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary.
Trustee- Lee Rohlke ’78
Lee is a ‘78 Bay High grad and a lifelong resident of Bay Village. Growing up he attended Forestview elementary and Bay Middle School. Lee and his wife, Leanne (‘77), dated in high school where he played football, basketball, and baseball, while Leanne was a Rockette. Their six children – all Bay High graduates – were involved in nearly every form of activity and were/are also highly active in the community.
Lee served as president of Bay Alumni Foundation from 2014 to 2017 and is a member of the Bay High School Athletic Hall of Fame. On most Friday nights and Saturday mornings you would find Lee on the sidelines at the Bay games leading the “chain gang” – managing the down markers for the games. If he wasn’t on the high school sidelines, he was on a field somewhere coaching kids in Bay in all different sports.
As president of BAF, Lee was instrumental in starting the high school senior field day tradition, extending the BAF social media reach, welcoming new graduates to BAF during their celebration, and significantly expanding the BAF presence during homecoming weekend.
Lee has been in the environmental consulting business for several decades. Leanne is an administrator at Bay High and recently retired as head advisor of the Rockettes, a role she held for the past 12 years.