After graduation, alumni from most colleges go their separate ways, but Ohio University graduates stick together, especially in Ohio's government. So much so, in fact, that Speaker of the Ohio House Larry Householder said a contingent of former Bobcats called the OU Mafia controls the General Assembly.
I tell Miami people
'I never had to be hired by someone from Miami but you had to be hired by someone from OU ' he said.
Householder, R-Glenford, and U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, are both OU graduates and used their time in Athens as a springboard for their political careers.
Voinovich, who would later become the mayor of Cleveland and governor of Ohio before his 1998 election to the Senate, said he decided to come to OU after a family trip to the state's southeastern region when he was 13.
(My parents) decided to pile all of us in a station wagon
he said. We visited the OU campus
and I said
'This is where I'm going to go to college.'
Householder, a 1982 graduate, said OU's location, size and atmosphere was attractive to him.
It was the fact it was a small-town atmosphere and a big college. It was close enough to home to get back
far enough away to feel like I'm stepping out into life
he said.
Both men said they had an early interest in public service, and their time at OU helped it grow. However, they took different paths.
Householder said the political science department had great professors that really encouraged his interest and he still sees some of his former teachers.
What I learned at OU had prepared me very well
he said. I think you learn so many things that teach you about life.
Voinovich, a 1958 graduate, was involved with the student government, including serving as student body president his senior year.
If it weren't for the education I received and extracurriculars
I wouldn't be involved in politics
he said.
Voinovich would later involve many OU graduates in his administration as governor from 1990 to 1998.
They do a good job of building people with leadership
