By Don Rutledge
FPS Staff Writer
Four Carrollton High School graduates who have distinguished themselves in their respective professions have been selected for induction into the 2025 Carrollton Schools Alumni Hall of Fame (HOF) along with one staff member.
They include:
Michael Chiurco – Class of 1986, honored in education/sports coaching, nominated by Lynn Dunlap.
Gene Dunn – Class of 1981, honored in entrepreneur/community service, nominated by Vaughn Cogan.
Wendy Gotschall – Class of 1988, honored in medical/medical education/community, nominated by Cindy Triplett-Dominick.
James Owen – Class of 1976, honored in aviation/philanthropy, nominated by Cindy Bowen.
Outstanding Staff Member
Jamie Hawk, a behavioral specialist at Carrollton Middle School, also will be recognized as the Outstanding Certified Staff Member at the banquet. Hawk was nominated by Sue Sargent and peers.
Tickets
Tickets are now available through April 8 for $35. Prepayments of cash or checks made payable to CSAF are preferred. Cash or check payment may also be made at the door that night if you are from out of the area and have pre-ordered tickets.
The banquet will be held on Friday, May 2, at Carrollton High/Middle School, located at 205 Scio Road SW. Tours of the school facility and social time will begin at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 p.m., followed by the program at 7:15 p.m.
Locally, tickets may be purchased from board member Marcy Borland at Fusion Ceramics, 160 Scio Road SW, Carrollton, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Susan Cogan at 330-627-2804; or from these other Carrollton Schools Alumni Foundation board members: Darrell Shafer, Ellyn Dunlap, John Davis, Courtney Rinehart, Pam Busby, Tammy Ohler, Jackie DeWitt, Emilie Ayers, and Sarah Stoffer.
2025 HOF Inductees
Following are the nomination letters submitted by the nominators for each of the four HOF inductees and the Outstanding Certified Staff Member.
Michael W. Chiurco
Carrollton High School Class of 1986
Michael Chiurco attended Carrollton Schools, graduating in 1986. He was a four-year letterman as an athletic trainer in football and wrestling, as well as a two-year letterman in baseball as an athletic trainer. Michael received the coaches’ award for football and wrestling his senior year.
After high school, Michael attended The Ohio State University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1991. While at Ohio State, he was a student trainer from 1986-1990. After graduating, he became a student assistant football coach from 1991-1993, then volunteered as an assistant football coach at Ohio State.
Michael next spent two years at Canton South High School as a teacher and assistant varsity football and wrestling coach. Gateway High School was Michael’s next stop, where he taught special education while serving as the offensive football coordinator and head varsity wrestling coach.
Michael held various coaching and teaching positions, including at Tusky Valley, New Philadelphia High School, and Cuyahoga Falls High School, before joining the Indianapolis Colts as a scouting assistant in 1999. From 2001-2003, he served as an area scout for the Colts.
From 2013-2017, Michael was an assistant football coach with the Arizona Cardinals. He then became head football coach at Seton Catholic High School in Chandler, Arizona from 2018-2019. In 2019, he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he was part of the 2020 Super Bowl-winning team.
Michael has been involved in nine NFL playoff appearances, two conference championship games, and one Super Bowl win.
Michael lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, with his wife, Jocelyn, and their 15-year-old son, Andrew.
Congratulations to Michael W. Chiurco!
Gene Dunn
Carrollton High School Class of 1981
Gene Dunn is a successful and unique 1981 graduate from CHS. He has had a very interesting life, including competing worldwide in arm wrestling, where he has won 35 state titles, 19 national titles, and five world titles, earning him the nickname “Armbender.”
Gene is also a pro stock semi-truck puller, with 35 wins and two consecutive championships in the Ohio State Truck and Tractor Pullers association.
In 1989, he started his own recycling business with just $500 and a pickup truck. Over the past 36 years, he has grown his business significantly.
Gene and his employees have been actively involved in charity work, including:
-Delivering a semi-truck load of water to East Liverpool after the train wreck.
-Sending a partial load to Logan County after tornadoes.
-Delivering three semi-truck loads and campers to hurricane victims in North Carolina.
-Hauling toys for Toys for Tots and volunteering with the organization.
-Congratulations to Gene Dunn!
Dr. Wendy Gotschall
Carrollton High School Class of 1988
Dr. Wendy Gotschall has had a distinguished career in medical practice, education, and leadership, including serving as Health Commissioner for Carroll County.
Wendy began working at Aultman Hospital while attending nursing school. She later earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from Malone College, a Master of Science in Nursing Administration (MSN) from the University of Akron, and a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) from Walsh University.
She has served on the Carrollton Exempted Village School Board for 12 years and teaches in the MSN and DNP programs at Walsh University.
In addition to her professional career, Wendy is passionate about mental health ministry. She helps lead Bible study groups at a women’s prison in Cleveland and is organizing a Women’s Conference at Ohio FFA Camp Muskingum on March 29.
Congratulations to Dr. Wendy Gotschall!
James Owen
Carrollton High School Class of 1976
Jim Owen’s first flight lesson was at age 15, and he earned his Private Pilot’s License at 17.
Jim pursued a career in aviation, eventually joining FedEx in 1983, where he worked as a captain on multiple aircraft, including the Boeing 727, 757, 767, 777, and DC-10. He retired in 2023 after 40 years of service with over 20,200 flight hours.
Jim has received the FAA’s Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award, the highest honor issued for 50+ years of safe flight operations.
Jim and his wife, Gina, live in Knoxville, Tennessee, where they actively support Haven House, a shelter for battered women and children.
Congratulations to Jim Owen!
Jamie Hawk
Outstanding Certified Staff for 2025
Jamie Hawk, a behavioral specialist at Carrollton Middle School, is recognized for her dedication to students with behavioral needs.
Jamie, a 2001 CHS graduate, is married to Tim Hawk Jr. and has two daughters, Kaelyn and Finley. She enjoys camping, church activities, and coaching volleyball and Special Olympics golf.
Her peers describe her as selfless, adaptable, and always putting students first.
Congratulations to Jamie Hawk!