At 90 years old, surgeon Denis A. Radefeld hasn’t lost his drive to serve the world.

The doctor will be traveling to the Dominican Republic on Saturday in his 54th medical mission with his wife, Carol.

The Radefelds anticipate working on some victims of the earthquake in nearby Haiti, and look forward to the hard work.

“The Lord guides and directs us,” Radefeld said.

Normally, the couple works a full 14 days in a host country for Medical Missions International.
But this year they will return two days early on Feb. 25.

That’s because Denis Radefeld will receive Leadership Lorain County’s top honor, the Eric Nord Award for excellence in community service, at the seventh annual Difference Makers Gala on Feb. 26 at the Spitzer Conference Center in Elyria.

The honor means a lot, especially since it sheds light on meeting the needs of the less fortunate, Radefeld said.

He was a founding member of the Lorain County Clinic and retired last year from EMH Regional Medical Center as associate medical director.

Radefeld, who served as a medical officer for the U.S. Army in Europe in the aftermath of World War II, said the advancement of medicine in the past 60 to 70 years is amazing.

“It makes it so much easier for the patient to survive,” he said.

Radefeld, of Sugarcreek, said he exercises every day, eats right and is blessed with good health.

If all goes as planned, Radefeld said he hopes he will still be doing medical missions in a decade when he is 100. So far the couple has been on missions to Africa, Asia, Central America and the Carribbean.

“I’ll continue to do it as long as the Lord wants me to do it,” Radefeld said.

Besides honoring Radefeld, the Difference Makers Gala will present Excellence in Leadership awards to Douglas B. Wilber, Terry D. Goode, Kathryn C. Boylan, Gerald E. Skully and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County.

Eric Nord Award: Dr. Denis A. Radefeld

Born in Cleveland, Denis Radefeld attended the University of Rochester Undergraduate School. He began medical school just as World War II was beginning. To remain a student and finish his medical studies, he joined the Army as a student enrollee. After graduation as a 1st lieutenant, he served in Germany and left the service as a captain. After six years in surgical training at Cleveland City Hospital, he began private practice in Lorain in 1952.

After a long history with St. Joseph and Lorain Community Hospitals (Community Health Partners), he was introduced to Medical Missions International (MMI). He and his wife, Carol, did their first project of taking their medical expertise to foreign lands in 1983. Denis serves as operating surgeon and medical director on the projects.

Radefeld is an emeritus board member with MMI and was previously honored by Community Health Partners with the creation of the Denis A. Radefeld Humanitarian Award, which provides funding for a CHP employee to participate in a Christian service activity anywhere in the world. In 2006, he was awarded the Chauncey B. Smythe Award by EMH Regional Medical Center, which is given to an EMH employee who has made a positive impact on the community.

Radefeld remains a board member of the Lorain County Free Clinic, which assists those who have no health insurance.

Excellence in Leadership Awards

Douglas B. Wilber

Doug Wilber, owner of WOBL and WDLW, can be described as one who always contributes to organizations in need.

Chairing the board of Allen Community Hospital for nine years, Wilber was instrumental in maintaining the viability of the hospital by leading the partnership between Allen Memorial Hospital and Community Health Partners.

Sue Bowers, president of Allen Community Hospital said Wilber was “instrumental in gaining Community Health Partners’ support in maintaining a health care presence in southern Lorain County and was an integral part of the rescue and turnaround plan for Allen Community Hospital in 2000.”

Wilbur was chairman of the Allen Community Hospital Board of Directors from 2001 to 2009 and contributes his time and talent on a number of nonprofit boards such as the United Way and initiatives such as Holiday Cheer.

Wilbur is a graduate of Leadership Lorain County’s class of 1986. He lives in Oberlin with his wife, Lorie.

Terry D. Goode

In 1976, Terry Goode arrived in Elyria, courtesy of an assignment as a military recruiter for the U.S. Marine Corps, where he enlisted after high school. After his discharge in 1979, Terry began working for Lorain County Title Co./Lawyers Title Insurance Corp., where he shared in the company’s philosophy of community involvement for more than 30 years.

Leadership Lorain County, GLIDE, Common Ground, United Way of Greater Lorain County, EMH Regional Medical Center and the Workforce Institute are some of the organizations Goode has assisted in an effort to make Lorain County a better place to live and work.

He also serves on the boards of Lorain National Bank, Lorain County Community College, Team Lorain County, Lorain County Chamber of Commerce as well as being elected a lifetime director for the North Coast Building Industry Association.

Goode said entrepreneurship will help the county recover and thrive in coming years with advances in fuel cells, wind and solar energy among other industries.

The skilled work force is the county’s greatest resource along with LCCC and philanthropy, Goode said.
Goode has been married to Lois “Annie” for 35 years, and they have a son, Michael. Goode is a graduate of the Leadership Lorain County class of 2004 and is a past board chairman.

Kathryn C. Boylan

Kathryn C. Boylan, health commissioner for the city of Elyria, has made a positive impact on the public health issues facing not only Elyria but all of Lorain County. She has demonstrated her passion for health and well-being in her nearly 24 years of service.

But Boylan has made an impact in the community beyond her role as health commissioner.

She has been honored by the YWCA and Lorain County Children Services for her dedication to public health.
Boylan is a member of the National Children’s Study Steering Committee for Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties and a member of the Community Health Needs Advisory Committee and is a board member and volunteer for the Lorain County Free Clinic.

Boylan’s service to the community has included roles such as teacher, adviser, mentor, steering committee member and cable television host.

Seventeen years ago, she formed a committee to host the annual Bloom Where You Are Planted, a health consortium for women that continues today.

A registered nurse, Boylan holds a master’s degree in Education from the University of Cincinnati.

She said her mother was a nurse and inspired her to help others.

Boylan credited her staff with making her job incredibly rewarding.

“I have excellent, excellent people doing what they do,” she said.

Boylan is a graduate of the Leadership Lorain County class of 1986 and a member of its Leadership Society. She and her husband, Timothy, live in Elyria.

Gerald E. Skully

Gerald “Jerry” Skully, executive director of United Way of Greater Lorain County has dedicated his career to bettering lives and improving communities in Lorain County.

During his 17 years as executive director, United Way has raised more than $53 million in campaign contributions and has funded programs serving more than 70,000 people annually.

Skully has been instrumental in the development of initiatives to advance opportunities in Lorain County such as the Association of Non Profit Organizations of Lorain County, the Elyria Rotary Club, REACHigher and HealthCare Lorain County.

Before joining the United Way, Skully held leadership positions with Cuyahoga and Summit County Health and Human Service Organizations and Lorain County Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services. He once served as a parish priest in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese. He also taught the hearing and visually impaired and developmentally disabled.

Skully was born on Cleveland’s East Side and attended St. Ignatius High School, Glen Ellen College, St. Charles Borromeo, St. Mary’s Seminary, the University of Akron, John Carroll University and Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead School of Management.

He holds degrees in philosophy, theology and business, with additional graduate studies in education, counseling and classical languages.

Skully is a contributing columnist for The Chronicle-Telegram and hosts a weekly program, “Building a Caring Community,” on radio stations WOBL and WDLW. He is a graduate of Leadership Lorain County’s class of 1990 and has served on its board.

He and his wife, Joan, have three children and six grandchildren.

While he is retiring as United Way director, Skully said he doesn’t plan to sit in a rocker anytime soon.
“I’d like to keep contributing to the betterment of society and people’s lives,” he said.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County

The initiative to bring youth mentoring to Lorain County grew out of concern shared by participants of the Leadership Lorain County Class of 1994.

Time and again, class members heard about the needs of youth in our community, especially the need for one-on-one mentoring.

So the class got organized, conducted a needs assessment, selected a director, created a plan, and in April 1996, opened the doors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County.

Since then, Big Brothers Big Sisters has continued to grow and fulfill its mission of helping children reach their full potential through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring with measurable impact.

In its 13-year history, Big Brothers Big Sisters has grown from 26 volunteer/child matches the first year to 253 in 2009.

Its executive director, Lise Day, said the organization has had an impact on thousands of children, youth, parents and volunteers.

But the child comes first and foremost, she said.

“Because of a volunteer taking time to get to know a child, to care about a child and really being open and vulnerable to a child changes how a child thinks about his or herself,” Day said.

One of her favorite memories is of a foster child who had a hard time getting his mind around the fact his Big Brother was helping without pay and in fact spent money on his “little brother.”

“The kid just sat there and said, ‘This is the only person helping me who’s not paid,’ ” Day said.

Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.

---

Print this story
Report an inappropriate comment

---

In order to comment, you must agree to our user agreement and discussion guidelines.

Need help? Email Us.

---