Ray C. Bliss and the Akron Phi Kappa Tau
Outstanding Alumni Award...
A Proud Past and a Brilliant Future
To read more on the Ray C. Bliss Award Click Here
Our 2010 Outstanding Alumni Award Recipient is
Spanky Raymond
Award to be given at Founders Day February 27, 2010
click here for more details
There are many words that could describe Brother Spanky
Raymond. Father, husband, leader, and entrepreneur quickly
come to mind. He resides in Green with wife Vicki (U of A
Alumni) and three kids – Sydney (7), Nathan (5), Evan (3)
and two wolf-hybrids Makita and Cheyenne. Besides being an
avid golfer and college football fanatic (Akron and Penn State
especially), he enjoys fishing, racquetball and spending time
with family and friends.
Although he grew up near Gettysburg, PA, he decided to pursue a higher education at the fabulous University of Akron, graduating in August 1995 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Not satisfied with that great accomplishment, he continued on, graduating in August 1999 with a Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering, with a Biomechanical emphasis. He also taught engineering classes as a graduate teaching/research assistant for 4 years, and in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, his research and development of a portable pneumatic non-pulsatile left ventricular heart pump & thesis secured a $3 million research grant from the US Army for the Cleveland Clinic. This dedication gained him membership into Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and eventual recipient of the Thomas M. Brittain Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement.
This extensive education led to working with companies such as Advanced Cariovascular Systems (Guidant) – Coronary angioplasty catheter research and development, Theken Spine – Product Development engineer and Quality Systems manager, and most recently O’Savage BioMechanics – BioMechancial design consultant.
He is the current President of Accelerated OrthoSolutions, in which he is a Design Consultant & Development Specialist in the
Medical Device Industry. His expertise includes orthopedics and spinal implant, instrument and surgical technique
development. Through all of this he has become quite the inventor. He has three issued patents and many applications in the
field of Spinal Orthopedic Implants & Instruments. His associations include being a Licensed Professional Engineer with the
State of Ohio, a member of The North American Spine Society, American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and of course Phi
Kappa Tau Fraternity, since pledging in 1994.
Over the last few years, Spanky has immersed himself in helping me expand the Alumni Council to it’s current state. He has put in an exuberant amount of hours fine tuning and making sure every little detail was taken care of for our events, newsletters, and projects. If something needed done or a small detail was not taken care of, he would see to it and ensure it was handled. This article cannot begin to show how much he contributed to the success of all of our endeavors. He further stepped up in a time of need and fulfilled the Treasurer’s position for Akron Fraternal Homeholding, to which he still holds.
Spanky has really shined in his continued efforts in making the Hole in the
Wall Classic Charity Golf Tournament one of the most touted and higher
grossing events for any Phi Tau chapter. In just 3 short years, the
tournament went from making only several hundred dollars to making a
whopping $17,000 in 2009, which the founders matched for a grand total
of $34,000! All total, since he has been the Director, the tournament has
raised in excess of $63,000! He has been a huge advocate of promoting and
helping the newest Hole in the Wall Camp, Flying Horse Farms, get off the
ground and gain recognition. We could not ask for a more dedicated and
committed Tournament Director than Spanky. On behalf of all the Alpha
Phi alumni, thank you for your dedicated service and congratulations on
this prestigious award!