Jessica Herzog (Canary) Graduates with Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Degree      

Jessica Leigh Herzog (Canary), daughter of Keith & Cindy Canary, Rockford, recently graduated from the Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine, Chicago, IL on June 9, 2007.  Jessica received her degree as a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine.  She is currently doing her 3-year foot & ankle surgical residency at Presbyterian St. Luke's Hospital in Denver, Colorado. 

Rockford native, Joseph V. Schmidt, was recently promoted to the rank of Colonel, US Air Force, on April 1, 2007.  His parents, Cletus & Irene Schmidt of Rockford, along with Joe’s wife (Uihwa), son (Robert), and daughter (Sarah) celebrated his promotion during a “Pin-On” ceremony at Robins Air Force Base, located near Macon, Georgia. 

Joe is a 1981 graduate of Parkway High School, a 1985 graduate of the US Air Force Academy, and a 2000 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  He currently serves as Commander, 128th Airborne Command and Control Squadron at Robins Air Force Base, which flies the E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS).  He has commanded the squadron for over two years and has led the squadron through 3 combat deployments supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Joe has over 4000 flight hours in the E-3 AWACS and E-8C JSTARS aircraft. 

Joe and his family are scheduled to move this July to Fort McPherson, in Atlanta, Georgia, where he will serve as Chief, Joint Interoperability Division, US Joint Forces Command.

Top picture: Uihwa Schmidt, wife and Irene Schmidt, mom, participate in the Pin-on ceremony recently of Colonel Joseph Schmidt.

Bottom picture: Uihwa and Clete Schmidt (father) participate.

Andrea L. Fisher, a native of Rockford, recently participated in the Michigan College of Optometry (MCO) annual White Coat Ceremony on January 26^th in Big Rapids, Michigan.  This ceremony celebrates the accomplishment of receiving clinical privileges in the clinic of the University Eye Center.  The guest speaker, Dr. Barbara Horn OD, Vice-President of the Michigan Optometric Association, shared her valuable insight on her transition from student to practicing optometrist and leader in the MOA.  As second year optometry students, the class of 2009 will transition from academic graduate students to clinical interns.  Andrea is a member of Fellowship of Christian Optometrists, Student Volunteers for Optometric Service to Humanity (SVOSH), American Optometric Student Association, Michigan Optometric Student Association and is the treasurer of the Optometry Student Government at MCO.  Andrea is the daughter of Mr. Don and Mrs. Jacqueline Fisher, both of Rockford and a graduate of Parkway High School.

February is Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of legal blindness, affecting more Americans than cataracts and glaucoma combined. In macular degeneration, the light-sensing cells of the macula, which has our sharpest vision, malfunction and may over time cease to work. Macular degeneration occurs most often in people over 60 years old, in which case it is called Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD). Much less common are several hereditary forms of macular degeneration, which usually affect children or teenagers.

            Age is a significant risk factor in ARMD. People in their 50's have about a two percent chance of getting ARMD, while people over 75 have a 30 percent chance. Other risk factors include being a female, smoking, having a family history of ARMD, and elevated cholesterol levels.  Maintaining regular eye examinations is the best way to detect ARMD.  Eye care professionals can use visual acuity tests, field screenings, and dilated fundus examinations to look for ARMD.

Home Town Music Artist, Jordan Ross, Continues Career Path
Returning to Rockford for Concert
by Eric Bills

In the beginning, Jordan Ross (son of Kevin and Kaye Ross and grandson of Jon and Martha Sidenbender and Donna Smith) was just a normal kid growing up in Rockford, Ohio. One of the many talents he had was playing instruments. At the age of 8, he was already playing the piano and was moving on to the guitar. When he became a fifth grader, Jordan learned to play percussion instruments in the school band.  Jordan began singing during his high school years, performing at local festivals, school events, and at church.

 Once he graduated from Parkway High School in 2002, he became a college student at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  Jordan began to focus on his songwriting and playing in clubs, often with other musicians.  He performed in Oxford as well as in the Celina, Van Wert and Delphos areas. Jordan even took his talents to Hilton Head, South Carolina in the summers of 2004 and 2005 performing at vacation spots.  At one point in his second summer, Jordan played 22 shows in 20 days. He also had the privilege of playing with Little River Band and Everclear. “Hilton Head will always be a fond memory,” says Jordan. Another big event took place in the summer of 2005. He had the opportunity to open for Rick Derringer, world-class guitar player who performed in Fort Recovery. In March of 2005, Jordan spent spring break performing at Sumana Lounge in Vail, Colorado.

Following his marriage in May 2006, Jordan now lives in Bowling Green, Ohio where his wife Alison is finishing up her master’s degree in Guidance Counseling. This has given Jordan a chance to meet other musicians and people who have helped his music career.  He can be found most evenings performing in clubs in downtown Bowling Green.

Jordan released his self-titled CD in 2005, on which he wrote the music and lyrics, played the instruments, recorded and produced the tracks. Listeners can hear Jordan’s guitar, keyboard, and electronic drum set. On Saturday, February 24^th, his second CD entitled “Anywhere, USA” was released in Bowling Green. It will be available to fans in the Rockford area beginning March 24^th.

For music lovers who want to know more about Jordan’s recording, here is what he has shared. “The recording of the album "Anywhere, USA" is pretty technical, but I'll explain briefly.  In regards to equipment, I run a Mac Pro with Pro Tools 7.3 and a Digi 002 rack mount preamp.  Also, for tracking, I use a simple KSM32 Shure condensor mic with a Presonus Tubed Preamp for warmth, as well as various other mics on other instruments, such as guitar amps.  I used a B-52 half-stack to record all guitar sounds, ran through an Ibanez tube-screamer for extra crunch.  For acoustic guitar, I used my stage guitar, the Garrison G-20, as well as a Big Baby Taylor.  For all bass tracks I used a Kramer bass, all ran through the Digi 002 rack.  The drums were all electronic, which I used a Roland TD-3 set.  The piano and organ parts were all laid with my Alesis QS8.2 keyboard.  Other than that, all other sounds were just things I had lying around.”

Readers can check out Jordan Ross online at www.jordanrossband.com. For more up-to-date information, go to Jordan’s myspace page. Jordan’s music can be purchased online at CD Baby.com, as well as BigCartel.com, and also on iTunes, Napster, and all the other digital distribution sites.  The new album will be available for internet sale after March 24th to those in the Rockford, Celina, Van Wert, and surrounding areas.  Jordan is releasing the album digitally (iTunes Music Store) by mid-April, so folks can buy song by song or by album basis at that time.

When asked about being discovered, Ross had this to say. “You just never can tell when or where you’ll be discovered, or if that day will ever come. I don’t really concern myself with getting discovered here, there, or anywhere, and instead focus on making the best music I can possibly muster.”

Ron Gibson, Parkway Graduate of 1969
Military-Careerman and 4-H Leader in the Area of Dog Training

Ron Gibson entered the Air Force right out of high school in 1969. After six years of active duty, he joined the Air National Guard in Indiana.

Above: Lucky, Ron's training dog. Below: Agility Training Judging and two pictures of Ron doing Showmanship Judging.

The first couple of years, Ron was in Albuquerque, New Mexico. From there he spent the next four years teaching in a military technical school in Rantoul, Illinois and finished his career with the Air National Guard, in Terre Haute.  Total time Ron spent with the military was 36 years 8 months.

Ron’s  career area of expertise spent was in what they call Life Support Systems, and deals with all the pilot needs including  custom built flight helmets and fitting of the various pieces of equipment a pilot uses. “We were responsible for all the pilots survival training, escape and evasions, etc.,” said Ron. “The last several years of my career  I spent supervising the parachute and survival section.  I made it to forty nine of the fifty states and need to visit Montana to complete the list. I had a chance to visit several different countries during my tenure. Canada, Iceland, Norway, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Egypt, Kuwait and spent last September 2005 in Japan.”

“I got started in dog training by accident. Our next door neighbor had a litter of German Sheppard pups, and we had one given to us.  So it came down to getting it trained or getting rid of the dog. It did not take long for me to train it,” said Ron.

After moving to Brazil, Indiana in 1975, Ron had an opportunity to get involved as a 4-H leader and has spent twenty five years as a leader helping 4-H’ers train their dogs.  Ron has really found this opportunity quite rewarding ~ to see a young 4-H’er take the family pet and train it be very obedient.

Involvement at the state level of 4-H soon followed, where he spent countless hours helping with the writing of manuals, score sheets, and guides which they use across the state in the current program. Soon Ron became the state chairman for the 4-H dog program and about the same time became a dog judge. He sees about 1000 dogs over each summer and has judged over 300 dog shows. His judging skills are used in Obedience, Agility, and Showmanship shows. 

Ron also mentioned, “Every once in awhile I get the opportunity to get involved with Canine Companions and Leader Dogs for the Blind. In Indiana, we get 4H’ers involved in training dogs with these two organizations ~ for the first year. They don't own the dogs, so the 4-H’ers have to give the dog back to Leader Dogs for the final phase of training. Right now, I'm helping a woman train a Canine Companion dog that goes back to the school in February; we are both hoping the dog passes the course.”

Ron offers adult training, also, with classes to meet the needs of the individual owner ~ whatever they want, that’s what Ron trains them to do.

When asked if there was ever a dog he could not train?  Ron replied, “With time, and being able to work with the dog, all dogs are trainable. I have seen a number of owners that are not trainable.  I always tell people: 'I train handlers, not dogs.' ” 

Ron married high school sweetheart, the former Ann Arnold, also a graduate of 1969, and they have two daughters, Elizabeth who is 36 and Heidi who is 35. There are six grand kids, Zachary, Jacob, Olivia, Emily, Alex, and Ethan.