For some Ohio University students, Athens is mostly an afterthought -- a repercussion of economic expansion to fill the needs of students. For others, Athens is a college town that becomes a home.
More than 7,100 OU alumni live in Athens County, said Cristie Gryszka, assistant director of outreach and engagement at the Konneker Alumni Center. This number also includes those students who stay for a graduate program or students who have graduated but have yet to leave the area, she said.
Alumni and those who retire from the university often decide to stay in Athens County, former Alumni Director Dick Polen said.
Polen, who retired from OU in 2001, works part time at Baron Men's Shop, 67 S. Court St. Originally from the Pittsburgh area he came to OU in 1988, after working many years at West Virginia University, he said. He was the assistant vice president of the Communications and Marketing Department from 1994 until his early retirement in 2001.
You think you're going to stay for two years or so
he said, and I've been (retired) here for four.
The former owner of Baron Men's Shop, the late Fred Cluff, came to OU as a basketball and baseball player from Hillsboro in 1964. He opened the shop in 1972 and still was operating the Uptown store at the time of his death.
Cluff is the epitome of an OU student who became not only a permanent resident but also a local icon.
Many alumni who live in the region also grew up or lived in the area before attending the university, including Julie McAfooes, vice president for software development at nursing-technology company FITNE.
Originally of Virginia, McAfooes moved to Glouster with her family when her father retired from the military. She said she attended Hocking College and received an associate degree in nursing and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science in nursing from OU.
I think there's a lot of opportunity here she said. It's like an oasis in the middle of a region that tends to struggle at times.
She has traveled to 30 countries, but she said she likes to return to this area because it has a small-town atmosphere, but it is not too far removed from larger cities such as Columbus.
I can drive five minutes and be in the forest she said, referring to the aesthetic quality of the region. Not many people can say that.
Many current residents could not pinpoint the factor that led to the transition from OU to Athens.
I don't think there was any one big reason why I stayed here
Polen said.
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Justin Thompson
