By:JOSEPH KELLARD
"Whatever the activity was, Betty was right there in the center, taking charge, making sure everything was going just right," Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown told the 70 people who formed a crescent around the douglas fir at the dedication ceremony last Friday afternoon. The crowd included her family -- her son, Robert, daughter-in-law, Lois, and grandchildren, Marc and Kimberly -- and her colleagues and the students she assisted every day.
Dunwoody, who for 48 years worked in various secretarial positions at the high school, died April 7 of complications from heart surgery. In her final 25 years at OHS, she became secretary and coordinator of student projects, a position she held until she became ill last May. She coordinated all the after-school organizations and events, such as the Key Club, Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), Sports Night, Homecoming and graduation.
Julia Nappi, an OHS history teacher for 16 years who worked closely as an assistant to Dunwoody in student activities, recalled how Dunwoody became like a mother to her. "Betty was the person who each day made me laugh," Nappi said, fighting back tears. "She would put things in perspective for me when I needed that, she would push me when I needed that, too, and she taught me to be a dignified, professional individual and pursue things that needed to be done."
Nappi remembered how Dunwoody gave her heart and soul to everything she did and embraced and helped out any student, from the school's high honor students to those who had trouble with a vending machine.
Two years ago, teacher Penny Ellis and her class of special needs students moved from the Boardman Middle School to the high school, right next to Dunwoody's office. Ellis recalled the first time she met Dunwoody, who said to her in the friendliest of tones, "Hi, neighbor."
During the ceremony, Ellis' students held up a poster sporting photos of Dunwoody with them in their classroom. Some of them expressed how they loved her and missed her, and one boy, Eric, told how she would sing Billy Joel songs to him.
Dunwoody was known as a dedicated and tireless worker. "In Betty's vocabulary, the word 'no' never existed," said Dorie Ciulla, principal of OHS. "Anything you ever asked of her, she did. And what she didn't know, she found out for you. She did everything for us."
Kevin Sheehan wanted all in attendance to know that at times when he was absorbed in the goings-on in his position as social studies chairman, his visits to Dunwoody's office would prove stabilizing. "She taught me that life was about laughter and people, and not just about work," he said. "She always had a way of slowing me down and making me know the universe was right. She did this for everyone. She was the soul of this high school."
