2007 Alter High School Alumni Hall of Fame
Distinguished Inductees
Leo Trick, Faculty and Staff 1967-1981 (Deceased)
The profound influence of former Guidance Counselor and Latin teacher, Leo Trick, resonates years later in students whose lives he touched while at alter. As a teacher, he strived to instill in his students a thirst for learning and brought continual passion and commitment to his classroom. As a guidance counselor, he demonstrated true interest in students with his ability to genuinely listen and challenge them to achieve greatness. Leo frequently helped to broaden their thinking and their aspirations, pushing them to go after their dreams and helping to secure many successful futures after high school.
Leo always modeled what he believed, and he practiced what he taught. He was devoted to his faith, never failing to speak up for what he thought was right. He was even more devoted to his family and loved ones. His dedication to people and to Alter was evident with everyone he met and with everything he did. Leo Trick embodied all the values that serve as the foundation of Alter's education. He was a man of greatness, evident in how he lived and how he died. His spirit continues and his legacy is alive at Alter High School, as well as in his family: his wife, Anne, and their children, Sarah, Emily and Benjamin.
Willie Bruns, Class of 1968
Willie has demonstrated a lifetime commitment to Alter, tirelessly giving of his time and energy to countless events and causes. His notoriety is primarily linked to his yearly work with AlterFest where he has affectionately come to be known as "Mr. Chicken," shouldering the burden of providing the tastiness of his long time Alter tradition of "famous" chicken dinners. His support of the school, however, is not limited to the festival; he also helps at the annual fish fry, at numerous sporting events and with silent auctions and raffles.
Willie's induction into the Hall of Fame extends beyond the thousands of hours he has given to ensure success for the school and its students. Willie, quite simply, personifies Alter's spirit with his endless enthusiasm, friendliness to everyone, and passionate, generous community involvement. His spirit has strengthened Alter High School over many years and we are forever indebted.
Willie has four siblings: Ray, Eileen Bruns '73 Tomsich, John '79 and Joanne Bruns '79 Conley.
Matt Desch, Class of 1976
With a Bacjelor's degree in Computer & Information Science and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Matt began his career at AT & T Bell Laboratories in software product development. He then spent thirteen years at Nortel Networks where he grew his division from $200 million in sales to over $4.5 billion in sales in only nine years, securing a #2 global market position. He is currently Chairman and CEO of Iridium Satellite, a global provider of satellite phone service and was formerly CEO of Telcordia Technologies from 2002-2005. He has been very influential in this high tech industry, serving on many councils and boards, including his current work as Chairman of the Board of Airspan Networks of Florida.
Matt has always been active in community service, most recently volunteering for Angel Flight where he helps ease travel costs for families by flying young patients in his airplane to receive the treatments they desperately need. He also remains very involved at Ohio State with extensive support of their capital project and development of a student leadership program to offer students practical, hands-on leadership experiences.
Matt was second in line to attend Alter after his brother Chris '73. He was followed by David '79, Joe '81, Mike '84, and sister, Tracy '87. He and his wife, Ann, live in Dallas, Texas.
Kelly Callahan Breen, Class of 1985
Two years with the U.S. Peace Corps starting in 1996 on the Western coast of Africa started Kelly's relentless commitment to improving the health of suffering people in the world. She became a field coordinator and later a resident technical advisor for The Carter Center, an establishment devoted to eradicating and controlling diseases in Africa and the Americas. The focus of her work for seven years was in tackling parasitic infections that tend to affect the poorest of the poor. Serving The Carter Center through the United Nation's program, Operation Lifeline Sudan, the majority of Kelly's efforts were spent in South Sudan which had the highest concentration of Guinea worm disease in the world. There, Kelly developed and distributed an amazingly sophisticated, but simple, portable water filter to combat Guinea worm disease. Due largely in part to Kelly's aggressive distribution of 9 million pipe filters and her subsequent work, Guinea worm disease has greatly reduced in Sudan.
Jimmy Carter himself, among many others, has recognized and applauded her work. Since 2003, Kelly has worked for the international heath programs of The Carter Center as Assistant Director in Program Support . She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, Robert Breen.
Athletic Inductees
Greg Laravie, Class of 1973
As a three-year varsity starter, Greg averaged 15.8 points and 12.4 rebounds per game during his basketball career at Alter. He held the career records for rebounding and field goals made until 1992, as well as for scoring until 1979. His impressive athletic abilities and leadership as co-captain in 1973 helped Alter earn its first District Championship with 20-3 record. His list of accolades included: Greater Dayton League Player of the Year in 1973, first team All Greater Dayton League, Southwestern Ohio District second team, Honorable Mention All-Ohio in 1972 and 1973, as well as District 15 Coaches first team in 1973. With individual game highs of 37 points and 23 rebounds, it's easy to see why he was named team MVP in both 1972 and 1973.
Greg went on to play at Middle Tennessee State University where, as a freshman, he averaged 23 points per game on the junior varsity team and became a three-year letterman. There he earned his B.S. in Criminal Justice. He received his M.S. in Criminal Justice Administration in 1989 from Xavier University. He is a Major, presently assigned as the Operations Division commander at the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. Greg is also a youth coach and is the girls basketball director at Bishop Leibold School, as well as a member of St. Henry Parish and St. Vincent DePaul Society.
Greg and his wife, Ginny, have two children: Rachel (11) and Dominic (8).
Mark Thuney, Class of 1976
Mark racked up eight varsity letters at Alter, earning three in football, three in track and two in wrestling before graduating in 1976. In 1975 he was the Discus and Shot Put Sectional champion, was a Co-Captain of Alter's first undefeated football team, was 1st team All-State and was recognized as Southwest District Lineman of the Year. He was named to the All Area football team in 1974 and 1975 and the Dayton Daily News named him "Male Athlete" of the year in 1975. Mark was also the Heavyweight Sectional Champion in 1976. He left Alter with a four-year, full scholarship to the University of Notre Dame where, in 1977, he played on the National Championship Team.
Mark coached Alter's "feeder" 7th grade football team for many years. He and his wife, Teri, sent all three of their sons, Matt, Zack and Jake, through Alter. He still resides in Dayton and is Vice President of Axis Interiors, a commercial flooring company.
Marcia Thuney, Class of 1979
Marcia accumulated an impressive eleven varsity letters while at Alter, earning three in volleyball, four in basketball and four in softball, as well as numerous All District and All Area honors in each sport. She was selected MVP in both volleyball and basketball her senior year, sports in which she also shared captain responsibilities. Due to her multi-athletic talent and achievements, she was the recipient of the Gerald Bart Award in 1979. Upon graduating from Alter, she continued on to play softball for two years at the University of Dayton.
Marcia lives in Sidney, where she is the Transportation Supervisor at NK Parts. Her father and step-mother are in Centerville, and she has two brothers, Michael and Mark.
Randy Leen, Class of 1994
Randy has been playing golf since the age of eight and has done so professionally since college at Indiana University. While at IU, he was a three-time All-American, was three-time Big Ten Player of the Year, was named the Male Athlete of the Year in 1997 and won the university's Les Balstad award for Outstanding Achievement in 1997. Additionally, during his days at Indiana, he was a member of the victorious Walker Cup Team in 1997, was on the Low Amateur U.S. Open in 1996, was a semi-finalist for the U.S. Amateur in 1997, and was a three-time runner-up in Ohio Amateur.
Most recently, he was the leading money winner from 2003 to 2006 in the Grey Goose Gateway Tour, the nation's third largest men's professional golf tournament. In 2002 and 2003 he finished in the top five on the money list of the Developmental Players Tour. Prior to that he was a member of the Nationwide Tour for two years.
Randy showed signs of his pro potential while at Alter, earning First Team All-State honors three times, and winning the state tournament in 1994. Randy lives with his wife, Jennifer, in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
