Lake Local Schools honored four with Distinguished Alumni Awards earlier this month.
Ben Ayling, class of 1972, was an active leader in the band and choir for four years, and served as drum
major for the marching band for three years. He was also active in the drama club.
With the help of Superintendent Craig Goddard, Ayling eventually earned a scholarship to attend Bowling
Green State University. He earned his bachelor of music education degree in 1980 and his master’s degree
in music education in 1989.
Ayling’s 36 year teaching career began at Sylvania Northview High School where he was choral director for
20 years.
After 20 years at Northview, he earned his Ph.D. degree in music education from Ohio State University. He
then taught at Kent State University as the assistant professor of choral music for nine years, then one
year at Case Western Reserve University and at Ohio Northern University. He retired in 2016.
He also sang bass in the Barbershop Quartet, the Ritz.
Ayling is also past president of the Ohio Choral Director’s Association and past president of the
Association of International Champions of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Steve Delventhal, class of 1967, was a three-sport athlete and leader. He earned three varsity letters
and was all league in football, he earned three varsity letters and was all league in baseball, and also
earned two varsity letters in basketball.
After high school, he attended Kent State University. He worked on the railroad for a while, but then
started in construction at Rudolph Libbe as a laborer. He ended up being manager of special accounts,
under the guidance of Fritz Rudolph. Delventhal then moved to the AA Boos Construction Company where he
was president for six years. In 2002, with the support of his wife Sharon and their three children,
started his own construction company, the Delventhal Company.
He is a member of the Northwood Planning Commission and Zenobia Shriners and attends Cedar Creek Church.

Delventhal and his company built the track and soccer building on campus and have loaned the school
equipment and services. He has worked many concession stands and is an athletics booster.
Kris Livingston, a 1979 graduate, was president of her senior class, a member of the National Honor
Society and was the top senior in language arts.
In athletics, she earned 11 varsity letters. In basketball she was a four-year letter winner, was First
Team All-League all four years, NLL Player of the Year two years and First Team All-State in 1979. In
1979 she lead the Flyers to the NLL basketball championship. Livingston held the Lake records for most
points in a game, most points in a season and most points in a career.
She was also a four-year letterman in volleyball, was All-League two years, and was the league’s Player
of the Year in 1978. In track, she earned three letters and was First Team All-League two years.
She was inducted into the Lake Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983, its inaugural class.
Livingston attended Miami University on a basketball scholarship. She was a four-year letter winner in
basketball at Miami, where she was named First Team All-Mid American Conference in 1982 and First Team
Academic All-MAC in 1983.
She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1983, and was inducted into the Miami University
Athletic Hall of Fame in 1997.
From 1984-89 she was assistant women’s basketball coach at Iowa State University.
After receiving her master’s degree in sport and exercise science from the University of Northern
Colorado in 1989, she shifted to education. From 1989-92 she continued at Iowa State in admissions and
counseling. From 1992-97 she worked for an education consulting firm.
For the past 22 years Livingston has been working in the athletic department at UC. She is currently the
senior associate athletic director, and director of the Herbst Academic Center.
Donald Shamp, class of 1955, played four years of varsity baseball and track and two years of varsity
basketball.
He earned a chemistry degree with a minor in math and science from Manchester College in 1959, then
started working at Libbey Owens Ford Glass in Rossford on the production line. In 1963 he earned a
chemical engineering degree from the University of Toledo while working at LOF. He continued working at
LOF for 25 years, working his way up to assistant plant manager. He then worked at Guardian Glass and
Johns-Manville.
Shamp then began a whole new career in glass furnace technology. He holds 13 patents in glass
manufacturing. Perhaps his most important inventions are related to techniques for using pure oxygen in
place of air for firing systems in glass furnaces.
He became a founding partner of two companies: Fuse Tech and Hot Tech in 1998. In 2003 he took over
ownership of both companies.
Shamp was a member of the board of education for 12 years from 1971-83, and has been an active supporter
of athletic and band boosters. He is a member of the Lakewood Church of the Brethren.