The Woodward Alumni Hall of Fame Association
Dr. Susan Elizabeth Orosz Inducted 2013 - Class of 1972
With the reins firmly held in her fur lined gloves and with a quick snap of the driving whip, Dr. Susan Elizabeth Orosz's beautifully restored 1890 sleigh drawn by her horse, Belle, swiftly glided over the shallow swales and headed for the snow covered path that would wind its way through the welcoming woods of her youth. Retracing many of the same paths of her childhood, Susan fondly remembered her earlier years as a child driving her pony drawn cart across many of the same fields adjacent to her grandparent's acreage. Susan's interest in sleighs and carriage driving realized a recent Sunday Pictorial in the BLADE and a cover article in the magazine, CANAL. As an active member of the Black Swamp Driving Club, Susan held a sleigh clinic for over 70 enthusiasts at her parent's farm during a surprise snowstorm. One of the topics was sleigh safety and fur blankets for wet snow. Susan's pastime culminated in a horse and carriage display at Walnut Hill with the former head coachman to the Queen of England, Hull Thompson as Susan’s passenger.
Her parent's farm was located across the Maumee Bay from her Point Place home on 119th Street.
Kleis Elementary and Point Place Junior High, along with lasting friendships that were formed quickly and easily, followed Susan to Woodward in 1968. Chris, Mark, Ed, Jim, Carol, and Rosemary became involved in many of the same extra activities that defined their high school years. From teaching themselves to play bridge with a vengeance during lunch, to a project that converted Woodward’s interior courtyards to a green space with plants, trees, and shrubs; Woodward nurtured their growing curiosity. Years later, reflecting on her group’s fund-raising for the now-demolished football stadium, Susan said: "I'm not sure I can ever eat another large, thick, chocolate bar."
Susan fondly recalled Paula Dorsek, Elaine Markopoulos, Keith Biler, James Bounds, David McMurray, and especially Dan Duvendack as teachers that inspired, promoted, and demanded excellence in their classrooms. Continuing, Susan said: "Especially Mr. Duvendack, his enthusiasm and explanation of biology helped me to find those courses easy in college, and more importantly, the knowledge base allowed me access to science . . . . My Ph.D. in Human Neuroanatomy and my D.V.M. with an emphasis in avian medicine can all be traced to those great teachers."
Susan's Curriculum Vitae since graduation from Woodward has been nothing short of impressive. Magna Cum Laude in Biology from Heidelberg College in 1976, Ph.D., in Human Neuroanatomy from the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine in 1980, and also a D.V.M. from Ohio State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984. Believing in education, Susan taught Avian, Exotic Animal and Wildlife Medicine for 14 years at the University of Tennessee's College of Veterinarian Medicine. Working with her daughter at Clay High School, Susan arranged and assembled an on-going project with Pet Supplies Plus to condition young parakeets to be comfortable in captivity.
Susan served as a past president of the Association of Avian Veterinarians and was honored last year with what her mentor, Dr. Echols, refers to as the highest honor in avian medicine, the Dr. T. J. Lafeber Avian Practioner Award. Susan is currently one of four American Veterinarian’s that are Board Certified in Avian Medicine and Surgery, and her practice is located on Monroe Street's Bird and Exotic Pet Wellness Center.
If you get a chance this evening, ask Susan about her dinner at Toledo’s exclusive Tile Club with her father Julius Orosz.